RL Cinema Series

Presented by movie aficionado Alex Motter

Series XII: Lusciously Lensed: Cinematic Utilization of Color

For the next RL Cinema Series, we will be exploring an integral component of the filmmaking process that has served as both a box office draw and source of creative expression since George Melies first utilized it in 1902’s A Trip to the Moon: color photography. Cinematic color has been such a consistent fascination, in fact, that for the previously screened film 1948’s Rope Hitchcock intentionally chose to shoot in color for the first time as a means to draw in audiences. Some of the films including Three Colors: Blue from Krzysztof Kieślowski’s Three Colors trilogy isolate specific hues to reflect thematic ideas, while others like Todd Haynes’ Carol mutate or artificially restrict a broader color palette to underscore the social pressures hindering its main characters. Across continents, languages, identities, and almost half a century of film history, this next series explores the color theory and practical filmmaking techniques which have left indelible marks upon millions of viewers.

Next Screening: Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul

Emmi Kurowski (Brigitte Mira), a cleaning lady, is lonely in her old age. Her husband died years ago, and her grown children offer little companionship. One night she goes to a bar frequented by Arab immigrants and strikes up a friendship with middle-aged mechanic Ali (El Hedi ben Salem). Their relationship soon develops into something more, and Emmi's family and neighbors criticize their spontaneous marriage. Soon Emmi and Ali are forced to confront their own insecurities about their future.

6:30PM Reception - 6:45PM Discussion - 7:15PM Screening

Popcorn followed by a Three Course Dinner with Open Bar

Limited to 18

Screening 1: Three Colors Blue 

Kicking off Series XII, we watched Krzysztof Kieślowski's first installment in the Three Colors trilogy, Three Colors: Blue. The discussion included interconnectivity within the trilogy installments, Kieślowski's other masterpieces including the massive undertaking of his Dekalog series, and significant utilization of blue in other films.

Alex Recommends:

• Segments of the film’s commentary track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7oaKmMP6C4 

• From Kieślowski’s filmography: Three Colors: White the trilogy is best viewed in flag order, and White is the logical next step. Darkly comedic and showcasing a fantastic portrayal by Julie Delpy, Kieślowski’s view of “equality” through marital foibles proves to be the most conversation-sparking of the trilogy. [Max]

• From Binoche’s filmography: Caché is a masterpiece by one of our greatest, most provocative directorial voices Michael Haneke. Juliette Binoche and her husband begin receiving strange, voyeuristic VCR tapes filmed outside her home, and these tapes begin to question their decisions and the legacy of complex topics such as the Algerian War and collective memory. [Library, VOD]

• If you want to watch a color-themed movie in English: The Florida Project Sean Baker’s work has been admittedly inconsistent, but what has remained exceptional has been his use of color. Set in the shadow of Disney World, Florida Project excels at capturing a slice of life view into childlike wonder outside the confines of a world which purveys manufactured wonder. [Showtime]

Screening 2: Carol

As the holiday installment of the film series, we screened Todd Haynes’ modern masterpiece Carol. The film’s distinctive muted color palette, impeccably captured on Super 16 film, subverts traditional holiday films in its depiction of a clandestine love affair. We discussed the totemic source material by Patricia Highsmith, one of Cate Blanchett’s crowning performances, the various artistic influences on Haynes, and the cultural and representational impact of the film in the following years.  

Alex Recommends:

• From Haynes’ filmography: Safe saw Haynes beginning his creative partnership with muse and frequent collaborator Julianne Moore. A delicate yet fraught portrait of cult mentality, a bored housewife begins to believe she is falling prey to a mysterious ‘environmental illness.’ Watching this for the first time during lockdown might have been one of the smartest and most foolish things I’ve ever done. [VOD]

• Todd Haynes just released his latest film May December and I cannot recommend this film enough, easily in my top 5 for 2023. A funny, subversive meeting of the minds, Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman (who produced the film and brought Haynes in to direct) haven’t been this good in years. Look out for a phenomenal and Supporting Actor-worthy performance from Charles Melton also [Netflix]

• Video essay on Saul Leiter’s photography: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPkdHhB1S3I

• From Rooney Mara’s filmography: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is an underrated installment in the David Fincher cannon and a book-to-screen adaptation equally as masterful as his work on Gone Girl. The film pairs especially well in conversation with Carol, as the contrast in performances between the two showcase Mara’s impressive and subtle range. [Starz, VOD]

• Other effective uses of muted color palette: The Souvenir showcases Tilda Swinton and her daughter Honor Swinton Byrne as a young version of director Joanna Hogg. The film is based on the intense personal experience of Hogg while in film school, and the subdued color aesthetic provides a nostalgic air incredibly reminiscent of Carol. [Max]

Screening 3: Mishima

We began 2024  screening one of the most fascinating biopics in American film history from Paul Schrader, the creative mind behind films like Raging Bull and Taxi Driver. We discussed the fascinating real-life story of Mishima, Schrader’s innovative biopic structure, and the groundbreaking production design by Oscar winner and creative director for the 2008 Olympics opening ceremony Eiko Ishioka.

Alex Recommends: 

• From Schrader’s Writing: Taxi Driver seeks to see inside the mind of the disturbed Travis Bickle iconically portrayed by Robert De Niro. One of Scorses’s most well-known films and one of the first screenplays by Schrader, Taxi Driver portends his future talents as both a screenwriter and director. [VOD]

• From Schrader’s Directing: First Reformed effectively captures anxiety about the climate crisis, its seeming inevitability and frustration at the collective apathy towards it. Continuing in Schrader’s fascination with male fanatical pariahs, Ethan Hawke powerfully depicts a priest grappling with these questions and allowing his concerns to reach extreme conclusions. I watched these films as a double feature to prepare for the series and cannot recommend enough as a display of Schrader’s range and the consistency of themes in his work. [Cinemax, Canopy, VOD]

• Films using contrast between B&W and color: The Picture of Dorian Gray deals with many of the themes of Mishima in terms of striving for aesthetic perfection and how ultimately futile that pursuit can be. The film is almost entirely shot in black and white (winning the B&W cinematography Oscar), but it deftly utilizes Technicolor for the frames in which the portrait itself is shown to great dramatic effect. [Tubi/Pluto]

• Interesting article on the theological and artistic history of Saint Sebastian, relevant to Mishima and other writers like Thomas Mann and Oscar Wilde’s obsessions https://outreach.faith/2023/01/how-saint-sebastian-became-a-queer-icon/ 

Screening 4: Women on the Verge

We discussed the Spanish cultural significance of red, the filmic legacy of screwball comedy, historical context of the Spain in which Almodóvar made his films, and the fashions and production design which define Almodóvar’s visual language.

Alex Recommends:

• Almodóvar examining Spanish history: Parallel Mothers, named by Almodóvar as his most personal and autobiographical films, explores the legacy of Franco’s dictatorship and the trauma this period inflicted on those who lived through it. Not only does this tie-in to his upbringing exist but two of his muses from this film Julieta Serrano and Rossy de Palma appear in fantastic supporting roles. [VOD]

• Almodóvar screenplay: Talk to Her won Almodóvar his first and (criminally) only Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. One of the first/only films to win the category as a non-English language film, this script brilliantly explores the things we can and cannot say to each other and the unexpected ability of tragedy to bring those things out of us. It showcases all the hallmarks of Pedro’s work and remains one of the greatest films of the 21st century. [VOD]

• NPR piece about La Movida Madrileña: https://www.npr.org/2023/07/14/1187689249/sense-of-place-madrid-la-movida-madrilena

• Films that heavily utilize red: Three Colors: Red concludes the Three Colors trilogy which kicked off this iteration of the RL film series. Red explores the fraternal, familial connection between a young model and a retired judge with a penchant for spying on phone conversations. The warm, inviting red belies the danger of the judge’s wiretapping, and the use of red as a thematic signifier communes very effectively with Almodóvar’s use of red in Women on the Verge. [Max]

Screening 5: Ali: Fear Eats the Soul

For the conclusion of this series on color in international film, we discussed the "trilogy" of films Ali occupies: Douglas Sirk's iconic Technicolor melodrama All That Heaven Allows, Fassbinder's interpretation Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, and Todd Haynes' modern interpretation Far From Heaven. 

Alex Recommends:

• Fassbinder: The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant is an early Fassbinder work that showcases his brilliance with staging and creating an immersive world within a short time. Merging his theater background with a cinematic point of view, Petra restrains itself to one single location yet utilizes the titular character’s fashion mannequins as emotional expressions throughout the film. The cutting dialogue of Phantom Thread meets the expressive staging of a Bob Fosse film in this lovely film which is mercifully almost always available to stream! [Max]

• Douglas Sirk: Written on The Wind the obvious recommendation would be to suggest All That Heaven Allows and conduct a trilogy of the films most directly in conversation with each other from these director’s filmographies. However I had a fantastic time re-watching Written on the Wind for this series and cannot recommend it enough. Pedro Almodóvar himself having seen this film over a thousand times should be enough of a selling point, but the inspiration on Dynasty and the modern soap opera are rife throughout. Most importantly, I just returned my copy to the library so you’ll be able to see the Blu-Ray for free there 😀 [VOD]

• Todd Haynes: Far from Heaven was discussed extensively throughout the course of the pre-lecture, but understanding Fassbinder is essential to understanding Todd Haynes. In fact, the Criterion edition of Ali heavily showcases an interview from Todd in the early 2000s where he waxes poetically about Fassbinder’s work and his influence on this very film. Additionally showcasing a resplendent Julianne Moore performance worthy of an Oscar a decade before she would properly win one of her own, the trilogy discussed this evening deserve to be viewed together. [VOD]

PARKING AT THE ROOSEVELT LIBRARY

The Roosevelt Library has about 50 complimentary self-parking spaces available to guests. Street parking is often available. Vehicles are not to be left in the Roosevelt Library parking lot overnight. The Roosevelt Library will not be liable for theft or damages to vehicles or the contents of vehicles.

MAP TO THE ROOSEVELT LIBRARY

HISTORY OF THE ROOSEVELT LIBRARY

The First Carnegie Library of San Antonio opened in 1903. The original building at 210 W. Market Street was constructed with funding donated by Andrew Carnegie, on property donated by Caroline Kampann. On September 9, 1921, a storm event created from the remnants of a hurricane moved through Central Texas and produced over seven inches of rainfall in downtown San Antonio and the near west side of the city. The flooding forced the temporary closure of the Carnegie Library. It was razed in 1929 and the new main library was completed in August 1930 on the original site. The name changed from Carnegie Library to San Antonio Public Library.

In 1929 the Roosevelt Park Branch Library, San Antonio’s South side library, opened and in 1968 it closed. The building is located across from the Roosevelt Park which marks the beginning of the Mission Reach Ecosystem Restoration and Recreation Project, an eight mile stretch of the San Antonio River that has received designation as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, the building’s architect was John Marriott who also designed the Carnegie Library in Delaware, Ohio. Leland Stone purchased the building in 2013. The building is the home of the Roosevelt Library Social Club.