A few weeks ago we directÂed you to a wonÂderÂful three-part BBC docÂuÂmenÂtary about modÂern phiÂlosÂoÂphy called Human, All Too Human, adding that we conÂsidÂered the chapÂter on Jean-Paul Sartre the most satÂisÂfyÂing of the three.
Now we give you a light-heartÂed chasÂer for that docÂuÂmenÂtary’s strong spirÂits: The French philosoÂpher’s teachÂings as interÂpretÂed by the sciÂence ficÂtion overÂlord Darth VadÂer. PerÂhaps more than any othÂer 20th cenÂtuÂry supervilÂlain, the disÂgraced Jedi knight tragÂiÂcalÂly and perÂfectÂly embodÂies the SarÂtriÂan notion that “FreeÂdom is what you do with what has been done to you.”
For those who might conÂsidÂer the JokÂer a betÂter canÂdiÂdate, we humbly subÂmit that with the JokÂer, it’s more of a NietÂzschean thing.
SheerÂly Avni is a San FranÂcisÂco-based arts and culÂture writer. Her work has appeared in Salon, LA WeekÂly, MothÂer Jones, and many othÂer pubÂliÂcaÂtions. You can folÂlow her on twitÂter at @sheerly
96 years ago today, Orson Welles, the “ultiÂmate auteur,” was born in Kenosha, WisÂconÂsin. Hence his earÂly nickÂname, The Kenosha Kid. NowaÂdays, we rememÂber Welles as arguably the greatÂest direcÂtor of the 20th cenÂtuÂry, a superb actor on stage and screen, and a pioÂneerÂing radio dramaÂtist. To celÂeÂbrate his 96th birthÂday, we have dipped into our archives and pulled togethÂer some of Welles’ finest artisÂtic works, all now freely availÂable online:
The Stranger
Welles’ third film, The Stranger, a 1946 film noir thriller, was a comÂmerÂcial sucÂcess upon release. The same couldÂn’t be said for CitÂiÂzen Kane. The Stranger feaÂtures Edward G. RobinÂson huntÂing a Nazi fugiÂtive (Welles himÂself) who marÂries the daughÂter (LoretÂta Young) of a Supreme Court jusÂtice. The film, now availÂable online in its entireÂty, is one of the first post WWII films to show footage of conÂcenÂtraÂtion camps. You can find this film, and othÂers menÂtioned below, in our colÂlecÂtion of Free Movies Online.
Welles famousÂly starred in The Third Man, a must-see noir film, which won the Grand Prix at the 1949 Cannes Film FesÂtiÂval and an AcadÂeÂmy Award for Best Black and White CinÂeÂmatogÂraÂphy in 1950. A half cenÂtuÂry latÂer, the British Film InstiÂtute namedThe Third Man the best British film of the 20th cenÂtuÂry. Quite a stateÂment. You can watch it here.
FreeÂdom RivÂer
Almost 40 years (and sevÂen presÂiÂdenÂtial adminÂisÂtraÂtions) have passed since Orson Welles narÂratÂed FreeÂdom RivÂer. And although the aniÂmaÂtion shows some age, the paraÂble, a comÂmenÂtary on AmerÂiÂca, still resÂonates today. Or, at least I susÂpect many viewÂers will think so. You can get the backÂstoÂry on this intriguÂing litÂtle project here.
The War of the Worlds
Back in the late 1930s, Orson Welles launched The MerÂcury TheÂatre on the Air, a radio proÂgram dedÂiÂcatÂed to bringÂing draÂmatÂic proÂducÂtions to the AmerÂiÂcan airÂwaves. The show had a fairÂly short run. It lastÂed from 1938 to 1941. But it made its mark. DurÂing these few years, The MerÂcury TheÂatre aired The War of the Worlds, an episode narÂratÂed by Welles that led many AmerÂiÂcans to believe their counÂtry was under MarÂtÂian attack. The legÂendary proÂducÂtion was based on H.G. Wells’ earÂly sci-fi novÂel, and you can lisÂten to it here. We have more links to MerÂcury TheÂatre proÂducÂtions here.
Welles Reads Moby Dick
He only gives you two tanÂtaÂlizÂing minÂutes. And he’s paraÂphrasÂing more than readÂing the text itself. But it’s vinÂtage Welles. You can find him readÂing anothÂer pasÂsage from Melville’s clasÂsic here…
French graphÂic artist MarÂtin WoutisÂseth has put togethÂer this loveÂly filÂmogÂraÂphy of StanÂley Kubrick, based on aniÂmatÂed posters of his own design, and set to a wonÂderÂful score by comÂposÂer Romain TrouilÂlet. WoutisÂseth’s visuÂal interÂpreÂtaÂtions of each film, from Killer’s Kiss (1955) to Eyes Wide Shut (1999) are works of art in their own right. We espeÂcialÂly loved the details on the mask for Eyes Wide Shut at minute 3:00.
SheerÂly Avni is a San FranÂcisÂco-based arts and culÂture writer. Her work has appeared in Salon, LA WeekÂly, MothÂer Jones, and many othÂer pubÂliÂcaÂtions. You can folÂlow her on twitÂter at @sheerly
A sad, lovÂing farewell to the great playÂwright, libretÂtist and direcÂtor Arthur LauÂrents, who died in his sleep today at the age of 93. Mr. LauÂrents was best known for writÂing GypÂsy (1959),The Way We Were(1973),and of course the incomÂpaÂraÂble West Side StoÂry (1959), about which this author has nothÂing to say, except that withÂout West Side StoÂry the world as she knows and loves it would cease to exist.
SheerÂly Avni is a San FranÂcisÂco-based arts and culÂture writer. Her work has appeared in Salon, LA WeekÂly, MothÂer Jones, and many othÂer pubÂliÂcaÂtions. You can folÂlow her on twitÂter at @sheerly.
We have preÂviÂousÂly feaÂtured films by the great RussÂian filmÂmakÂer Andrei Tarkovsky. So we’re overÂjoyed to report that the Moscow film comÂpaÂny MosÂfilm has just made 5o RussÂian clasÂsics availÂable on YouTube in high defÂiÂnÂiÂtion. AccordÂing to Yahoo News, MosÂfilm has pledged to release five more films each week, all in HD with EngÂlish subÂtiÂtles, evenÂtuÂalÂly bringÂing the total for the year to 200.
You can look over the whole list of curÂrentÂly availÂable clasÂsics at MosÂfilm’s YouTube chanÂnel. (Non-RussÂian speakÂers might want to hit Google TransÂlate.) In yet anothÂer conÂcesÂsion to the decaÂdence of WestÂern capÂiÂtalÂism, each film is preÂcedÂed by a short comÂmerÂcial. We hope some balÂance has been restored to the uniÂverse by the incluÂsion of comÂmuÂnist dicÂtaÂtor Joseph StalÂin’s favorite movie, the musiÂcal comÂeÂdy VolÂga VolÂga.
SheerÂly Avni is a San FranÂcisÂco-based arts and culÂture writer. Her work has appeared in Salon, LA WeekÂly, MothÂer Jones, and many othÂer pubÂliÂcaÂtions. You can folÂlow her on twitÂter at @sheerly
The recent 9.0‑magnitude TĹŤhoku earthÂquake and tsunaÂmi, and subÂseÂquent FukushiÂma nuclear acciÂdents were among the most devÂasÂtatÂing enviÂronÂmenÂtal disÂasÂters in recordÂed hisÂtoÂry. The immeÂdiÂate conÂseÂquences are frightÂenÂing, but their full, long-term impact remains an unsetÂtling mysÂtery.
This, of course, isn’t the first time Japan has faced a nuclear emerÂgency. After the World War II atomÂic bombÂings of HiroshiÂma and NagasaÂki, the U.S. govÂernÂment recordÂed the raw afterÂmath of HiroshiÂma in canÂdid, grim detail (while HolÂlyÂwood was busy lamÂpoonÂing AmerÂiÂca’s nuclear obsesÂsion). Filmed in the spring of 1946 by the DepartÂment of Defense, Way of Life docÂuÂments how the peoÂple of HiroshiÂma adaptÂed to life after the atomÂic bomb. Though the archival footage lacks sound, its imagery — movÂing, heartÂbreakÂing, deeply human — speaks volÂumes about the delÂiÂcate dualÂiÂty of despair and resilience.
Maria PopoÂva is the founder and ediÂtor in chief of Brain PickÂings, a curatÂed invenÂtoÂry of cross-disÂciÂpliÂnary interÂestÂingÂness. She writes for Wired UK, The Atlantic and DesigÂnObÂservÂer, and spends a great deal of time on TwitÂter.
Much has been said, tweetÂed and writÂten about the 2011 EgyptÂian RevÂoÂluÂtion, gloÂriÂfyÂing it as one of the most landÂmark triÂumphs of freeÂdom in recent hisÂtoÂry. Yet the WestÂern media has delivÂered surÂprisÂingÂly litÂtle on its afterÂmath, leavÂing the lived post-revÂoÂluÂtion realÂiÂty of the EgyptÂian peoÂple a near-mysÂtery.
This beauÂtiÂful short film by British film stuÂdio ScatÂtered Images offers a rare glimpse of a phoenix still strugÂgling to rise from the ashÂes of oppresÂsion. With incredÂiÂble visuÂal eloÂquence, the film peels away at the now-worn media iconogÂraÂphy of the revÂoÂluÂtion itself, revealÂing how life after it has actuÂalÂly changed — or hasÂn’t — as Egypt remains a nation in tranÂsiÂtion, with a future yet to be decidÂed.
PolitÂiÂcalÂly, there is a vacÂuÂum. The revÂoÂluÂtion demandÂed a govÂernÂment accountÂable to the peoÂple and ruled by transÂparÂent instiÂtuÂtions. But now, the only ruler is uncerÂtainÂty.
Maria PopoÂva is the founder and ediÂtor in chief of Brain PickÂings, a curatÂed invenÂtoÂry of cross-disÂciÂpliÂnary interÂestÂingÂness. She writes for Wired UK, The Atlantic and DesigÂnObÂservÂer, and spends a great deal of time on TwitÂter.
The world’s first hand-tintÂed motion picÂture was proÂduced by Thomas EdisÂon’s comÂpaÂny, EdiÂson StuÂdios, in 1895, more than 115 years ago. The dancer, Annabelle Moore (1878–1961), was just a teenagÂer when this film was released, and her dance caused both a senÂsaÂtion and a scanÂdal. (Note the flashÂes of underÂgarÂment, all the way up to above the knee, about 29 secÂonds in.) It may have been a sign of things to come: Moore would go on to star as the GibÂson bathing suit girl in the first Ziegfeld folÂlies, where she remained until her marÂriage and retireÂment brought her back to respectabilÂiÂty in 1912.
The film is also worth comÂparÂing with a simÂiÂlar but much more delÂiÂcateÂly paintÂed verÂsion done just five years latÂer by the Lumiere brothÂers.
(SpeÂcial thanks to the recentÂly-launched Weyume)
SheerÂly Avni is a San FranÂcisÂco-based arts and culÂture writer. Her work has appeared in Salon, LA WeekÂly, MothÂer Jones, and many othÂer pubÂliÂcaÂtions. You can folÂlow her on twitÂter at @sheerly
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