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‘Whoever Says The Truth Shall Die’: A film about Pier Paolo Pasolini

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Pier Paolo Pasolini said his first films were inspired by Antonio Gramsci, the founder and one-time leader of the Italian Communist Party.

To Pasolini, Gramsci was the ‘greatest Marxist theoretician in all Italy,’ who wanted popular art to be aimed at an “ideal people.”

But by the 1960s, this “ideal people” had been turned by capitalism into consumers—a culture of mass consumption, where works of art and politics had little or no value.

It was then that Pasolini instinctively rejected the idea of making films for mass consumption, and instead opted for a more personal and political film-making.

Based on Montaigne’s idea that ‘one does not really know a person until he has died,’ Philo Bregstein’s documentary Whoever Says The Truth Shall Die—A Film About Pier Paolo Pasolini offers a fascinating look at the life, artistic ambitions and political vision of the poet, writer and controversial film director.
 

 
Previously on Dangerous Minds

Pier Paolo Pasolini: A rare interview on the set of ‘Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom’


 

Posted by Paul Gallagher
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05.28.2013
07:42 pm
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‘I will no longer mutilate and destroy myself…’: A mini-film from artist Prins Preben
05.10.2013
08:13 am
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Norwegian artist and film-maker Prins Preben has released I will no longer mutilate and destroy myself in order to find a secret behind the ruins, which is the first of a series of one minute films, partly inspired by a recurring dream.

‘I often dream of houses,’ Preben told Dangerous Minds, ‘So destroying one when awake is liberating I guess. I wear the chaos star and the ski-mask as a symbol of inner chaos and like going to war against myself.’

The film is a personal expression of the inner frustrations that lead to external violence. Preben also has plans for a project on Shakespeare’s MacBeth, for which he has been collecting strange facts about the play including:

In a 1672 production in Amsterdam, the actor playing Macbeth substituted a real dagger for the blunted stage dagger and killed the actor playing Duncan, in full view of the audience.

In a 1942 staging, with John Gielgud as Macbeth, three actors (two witches and Duncan) died and the set designer committed suicide.

In a Thursday-night performance in 1947 actor Harold Norman was stabbed during the final sword fight in Act 5 and died of his wounds. On Thursday’s his ghost is now said to haunt the Coliseum Theatre in Oldham, where the fatal scene was played.

Follow Prins Preben on Facebook.
 

 

Posted by Paul Gallagher
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05.10.2013
08:13 am
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Radio Soulwax presents ‘DAVE’ - a video tribute to all things Bowie
11.20.2012
12:44 pm
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The intersection of Radio Soulwax and David Bowie should be enough to pique even the most casual music listener’s interest, but fear not, the brothers Dewaele have delivered something truly special with the dj-set-cum-art-film Dave.

Dave is a 60 minute long megamix of Bowie music, arranged and mixed by Soulwax in their own inimitable stye, and accompanied by visuals put together specially for the piece by film maker Wim Reygaert. In true gender-bending fashion, Bowie is portrayed by a woman in the film, which takes its visual cues from some of the most recognizable moments in Bowie’s long career.

Soulwax are the undisputed kings of the audio/visual mash-up (it’s hard to believe the 2manydjs “As Heard on Radio Soulwax Pt. 2” album is ten years old already!) Here’s their reasoning for dedicating a whole hour of their work to David Bowie:

Our homage to the man whose ability to change whilst remaining himself has been a massive influence on us. There are many legends in the music industry but for us, there is no greater than the mighty Dave. We’ve included all things Bowie, whether that is original songs, covers, backing vocals, production work or reworks we made, to attempt to give you the full scope of the man’s genius.

For the visual side to this mix our friend Wim Reygaert (who also made the amazing film for Into The Vortex) came up with the most ambitious film for RSWX, taking us on a fever dream time travel through the man’s career starring the amazing Hannelore Knuts as Dave. We’ve got to extend a special thank you to the cast and crew and everyone involved for putting so much time and energy and heart and soul into this amazing film, it is a pure labour of love for the phenomenon that is Bowie.

There are lots more treats available at radiosoulwax.com, including apps for iPhone and Android, but before you go rooting around in there, check out Dave:
 

RSWX presents Dave from Radio Soulwax on Vimeo.

 
Previously on Dangerous Minds:

Start me up: Radio Soulwax’s brilliant ‘Introversy’

Posted by Niall O'Conghaile
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11.20.2012
12:44 pm
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‘First Love’: Jim Morrison’s UCLA film from 1964
09.24.2012
07:32 pm
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In 1964, Jim Morrison made the short film First Love as part of his UCLA Film course. This version has been re-cut to The Doors track “The Spy” by Nuno Monteiro, which fits rather well.
 

 
Bonus - alternative version of Morrison’s film after the jump…
 

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Posted by Paul Gallagher
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09.24.2012
07:32 pm
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A Complete Disorientation of the Senses: William Burroughs’ and Antony Balch’s ‘Cut Ups’

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It caused nausea and vomiting when first shown at the Cinephone, Oxford Street, in London. Some of the audience demanded their money back, others hurled abuse and shouted “That’s sick,” and ““Its disgusting.” This was the idea, as writer William Burroughs and producer, Antony Balch wanted to achieve a complete “disorientation of the senses.”

Balch had a hard-on for the weird, unusual and sometimes depraved. It was a predilection born from his love of horror films - one compounded when as a child he met his idol, Bela Lugosi, the olde Austro-Hungarian junkie, who was touring Britain with the stage show that had made him famous, Dracula. Film was a love affair that lasted all of Balch’s life.

He also had a knack of making friends with the right people at the right time. In Paris he met and hung out with the artist Brion Gysin and druggie, Glaswegian Beat writer, Alexander Trocchi, who was then writing porn and editing a literary mag called Merlin, along with the likes of Christopher Logue. Through them, Balch met the two men who changed his life, Burroughs and Kenneth Anger.

Anger helped Balch with his ambitions as a cinema distributor, getting him a copy of Todd Browning’s classic Freaks, which was banned the UK, at that time. Balch paid Anger back when he later released his apocalyptic Invocation of My Demon Brother as a support feature.

Burroughs offered Balch something different - the opportunity to collaborate and make their own films.  This they did, first with Towers Open Fire, an accessible montage of Burroughs’ routines, recorded on a Grundig tape recorder, cut-up to Balch’s filmed and found images of a “crumbling society.” Put together stuff like this and the chattering classes will always take you seriously. But don’t doubt it, for it was good.

But it was their second collaboration, Cut Ups which for me is far more interesting and proved far more controversial. Cut Ups was originally intended as a documentary called Guerilla Conditions, and was filmed between 1961 and 1965 in Tangiers and Paris. It included some footage from Balch’s aborted attempt to film the unfilmable Naked Lunch. The finished material was collated and then conventionally edited - but the process didn’t stop there, no. For Balch divided the finshed film into four sections of equal length, and then...
 

 
Bonus clip of ‘Bill and Tony’ after the jump…
 
Previously on Dangerous Minds

William S. Burroughs’ The Junky’s Christmas


 

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Posted by Paul Gallagher
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12.16.2010
06:43 pm
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270 films released in 2010 in six minutes
12.14.2010
03:51 pm
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G-Whiz Productions ganged up 270 films released in 2010 into a six minute video mix.

My film selection process was fairly open; anything that was either produced or distributed in 2010 was fair game.

This by no means constitutes a comprehensive list of films that came out in 2010.”

2010 was not a great year for Hollywood mainstream movies. So what is else is new? However, this seamlessly edited and kinetic video mix makes 2010’s cinematic output look tremendously exciting..
 

 
Via HD

Posted by Marc Campbell
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12.14.2010
03:51 pm
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