Wednesday, February 4, 2009

To Kill A Title Sequence


Man, I love title sequences, and I just found the best site ever for them. Go there, spend hours there. You won't be sorry.

Here is some screencaps from one of the greatest sequences of all time, from To Kill A Mockingbird. Shockingly contemporary. Genius.

From Art of the Title:

In the first seconds of this dawning glory, Elmer Bernstein’s notes softly dot and fade. A child, our beloved Scout, hums lullaby-like. At the heart of a masterpiece, a cigar box. At the heart of the box, Gregory Peck. A silent pocket watch ticks in remembrance.

Scout lifts a crayon and sets in motion the quiet, unintentional roll of a marble and the wonderment of the examined life found in every moment, of every life.

Art of the Title’s favorite element to Stephen O. Frankfurt’s opening title sequence for “To Kill A Mockingbird” is the window reflected in the marbles. We get the sense that this lolling calm happens just off screen while, on the other side of that window Atticus -the very embodiment of security- sways thoughtfully on the porch swing.

Our appreciation for Frankfurt’s compositions changes not with each viewing but with each sitting. This is the kind of perfection that rewards anyone in illimitable meditation. This is, in part, a testament to Frankfurt’s masterful macro photography, an innovation that broke the mold upon inception. There are many other instances of extreme close up in film, but used in these opening moments we find a kind of lyricism we recognize as honest.

[The goal was] “to find a way to get into the head of a child,” Frankfurt is quoted as saying. What grips you upon subsequent viewing: the sequence is tonally different than the film while being reflective of it.

A wave, as drawn by Scout, is cross matched with the beaded chain over the silent timepiece. The child draws what can be discerned as dividing lines. And in the tearing of the mockingbird, a chasm.



Lots more to come...

More Bardem Magic


Vicky Cristina Barcelona is the latest film by Woody Allen. It is a complex tale of two American tourists (Scarlett Johannson and Rebecca Hall) in Spain for the summer who meet and are entranced by local artist Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem). Antonio constantly refers to his ex-wife Maria Elena (the brilliant Penelope Cruz) who attempted to kill him previously. When Maria Elena shows up fresh from a stint in the hospital due to an attempted suicide, things evolve in unpredictable ways.

This is clearly Allen's best film in years, and certainly the most entertaining to me. I was captivated with the film from the get go, and not just with it's gorgeous leading women. The world that Allen has captured here is sumptuous and unlike anywhere he has taken us before. The coloring and lighting are clearly Bertolucci-esque, which in my book is a high complement. In fact, the entire plot line (though more of an ensemble approach) is very much placed in Bertolucci territory, and I could easily see him having taken the reins of this film.

But what really sets this movie apart from the past several efforts by Allen is that it is very heartfelt in every aspect. Infidelity (an Allen staple) is not without loss, both public and private. This is a film full of individuals lost in their own desires, and the consequences of those wanderings are felt in every frame. Cruz is on fire here, (and is Oscar nominated) all blustery brilliance and self-defeated grace. Rebecca Hall (an excellent quiet performance) is the level head, but even she loses control of her carefully constructed facade to unknown consequence.

However, it is Bardem that carries the film. He is brilliantly complex, conveying an immense sense of loss, dread, lust, desire, pain, exuberance, and empathy through his heavy lidded eyes. He is the rarest of talents - an actor (like Brando before him) who is not afraid to go to complicated territory where we (as an audience) never quite find our footing (as I discussed in a previous post). We don't know whether we love him or hate him, we don't even understand him, but we cannot take our eyes off of him as we follow him. I look forward to watching his career develop over time.

These Are The Coolest Things Ever



























The great designer known as Spacesick created an entire series of book covers adapted from various 80's and 90's movies. The covers are created in the Saul Bass style, and look worn and frayed. They are beautiful, silly, and clever. Check them all out, they are amazing.

My Favorite TV Commercial of All Time



OK, so I found it, my favorite TV commercial of all time. This commercial appeared somewhere around the early 2000's, and it features one of my favorite musicial artist in history, the late great Nick Drake. There is an atmosphere present in this Volkswagen clip that is entrancing - I want to be in car with them, driving under a million stars. It reminds me of so many times when I was younger, going up north as we Michiganders say. So here it is, in all it's oddly moving glory.