Seminal Cinema Outfit

03/29/2016

Last week SCO had the chance to speak with Gored director Ido Mizrahy. Gored is a documentary following Antonio Barrera, infamously known as the most 'gored' bullfighter in modern history. Filled with 'poetic, albeit moribund philosophy, [Gored] is a majestic display of suspense', Seminal Cinema Outfit programmer Daniel Engelke wrote in his review. Premiering at Tribeca 2015, the film was released nationwide last Tuesday. [ 40 more words. ]

http://seminalcinemaoutfit.com/2016/03/29/ido-gored

06/09/2015

"The film begins to break apart by degrees here, slowly becoming more fractured as Goro continues his descent; the imagery becomes more off-hinge, tilted, and dark."

Read Karelia Malin's full review of Seijun Suzuki's experimental masterpiece, "Branded To Kill" (1967).

Branded to Kill In my previous reviews, I’ve focused on the history of the film of my choosing—maybe some facts about the production, or on the director and his journey as an artist; perhaps what ...

05/21/2015

Waheeda Rehman (born May 14, 1936)

One of Indian cinema's most decorated and beloved actresses.

In a 2014 interview, when asked why, as a young actress in Bombay, she refused to change her name (a practice relatively common at the time):

"(Laughs) See the Bombay film industry was very different then. Mohammed Yusuf Khan became Dilip Kumar, Mahajabeen Bano, Meena Kumari and Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi Madhubala. Within minutes of coming to GD's Famous Studio office, Raj Khosla told me my name would be changed since it was too long. When I refused, he rattled off a list of big names who'd done it and said, “Everyone's done it.” I simply told him, “I am not everyone.”

Enlightening full interview at DNA India: http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/interview-i-only-look-good-on-screen-waheeda-rehman-1979414

05/15/2015

From Hindi Film to Bollywood - Raising Social Awareness - Watch one of the only Bollywood films without songs, 'Ittefaq' (1969)! (via )

Required Reading "The core of the film is the characterization of two, deeply imperfect characters, evading trouble, trying to find solution to a problem, coming close to each other, and as always, the hallmark characteristic of a good film, it is full of sympathy for the characters. Despite the fact it seems dated, slightly thespian, over the top at times." [ 155 more words. ]

05/14/2015

From Hindi Film to Bollywood - Raising Social Awareness - Watch 'showman' Raj Kapoor's classic 'Awara' (1951) http://wp.me/p3R1G7-10I

Part I Part II Required Reading "On the face of it, Raj Kapoor’s “Awara” is a typical potboiler with a convoluted plot. In fact, there is so much in the plot that the first twenty minutes of the flashback are hurried through and the viewer is left thinking “woah, what happened there!?”. The device of a speeded-up beginning is something that Manmohan Desai later picked up on and used for his lost and found sagas. [ 388 more words. ]

05/13/2015

From Hindi Film to Bollywood - Raising Social Awareness - Listen to the soundtrack of 'Kaagaz ke Phool'! (via )

Required Reading "Kaagaz ke phool ("Paper flowers") is in many ways an exceedingly beautiful film. It is poetically written, touchingly acted, and shot with gorgeous and evocative black and white cinematography that I do not even feel qualified to describe. Its tortured artist theme, however, is somewhat grating - films about how hard it is to be a filmmaker always tend toward the self-indulgent, and even an excellently-crafted film like Kaagaz ke phool cannot entirely escape the gravity of that sort of navel-gazing. [ 215 more words. ]

05/12/2015

One of Hindi Cinema's most powerful stories.

Mother India (1957), directed by Mehboob Khan.

05/12/2015

A new week for 'From Hindi Film to Bollywood'! - 'Raising Social Awareness' - Watch a scene from 'Mother India' (1957)

From Hindi Film to Bollywood: Raising Social Awareness Films predominately reflect the country of their origin. India, now officially autonomous after the end of the British Raj, was in the midst of an evolution. Like many other post-colonial countries, the question became: who are 'we' now that our identity is not determined by the presence of an imperial power? A new decade of cinema sought to define the new nation. [ 176 more words. ]

05/08/2015

Hindi Cinema to Bollywood - From Silence to Sound - Watch 'Kaliya Mardan' (1919) and learn everything about Krishna! http://wp.me/p3R1G7-10o

Required Reading "That doesn’t mean that Phalke’s film was a tedious or heavy-handed means of passing on political or social commentary – far from it. In fact, the film is joyous and delightful at every step. Krishna’s defeat of Kaliya comes at the very end of a series of scenes that illustrate both the mischevious and benevolent nature of Krishna, even as a child. [ 123 more words. ]

05/07/2015

Hindi Cinema to Bollwood - From Silence to Sound - Watch (a scee) 'Alma Ara' (1931) (via ) http://wp.me/p3R1G7-10k

Required Reading "There were huge crowds outside the theatre. Tickets were sold 'in black' According to reports, "Police aid had to be summoned to control the crowds ....Four¬anna tickets were quoted at Rs.4 and Rs.5." Later, units went on tour with the film, taking sound projection equipment with them, and everywhere the crowds were uncontrollable." - Read more at Film Impression… [ 91 more words. ]

05/06/2015

Hindi Cinema to Bollywood - From Silence to Sound - Watch Leading Man KL Saigal in 'Devdas' (1936) (via )

Required Reading "The film medium's `obsession' with the novel began in 1928 when the first version was made at Kolkata by Naresh Mitra who also played a major role in this silent movie. The cinematographer was Nitin Bose.Movie began to speak in India in 1931 and the first talkie version of ``Devdas" came out in 1935. The celebrated film company of yesteryear, New Theaters, Calcutta (now Kolkata) produced it in Bengali and Hindi. [ 166 more words. ]

05/05/2015

SCO Presents! - 'From Hindi Cinema to Bollywood' - Silence to Sound - Watch: Raja Harischandra (1913) (via )

Seminal Cinema Presents: From Hindi Cinema to Bollywood (May 2015) Bollywood is the cinema of song, dance, and flamboyantly-colored clothing, correct? Well, partially. Hindi cinema has a rich and wide-ranging history that is diverse as Hollywood. And, well, probably even more diverse than that. Hindi cinema starts in France. Or, more specifically, with the Lumieres. Soon after their spectacle showing in Paris, August and Pierre sent Maurius Seslter to India to screen a collection of their short films. [ 270 more words. ]