Charlotte Gainsbourg

Once In A Lifetime

ONCE IN A LIFETIME

The other day I was catching up on Roger Ebert's always entertaining blog, when I came across something that I've been thinking about ever since. In the first of his Cannes updates, he wrote, "Fifty years ago, the Palme d'Or winner at Cannes was Fellini's La Dolce Vita. More every year I realize that it was the film of my lifetime."

There is something so haunting about these two sentences to me. But also something so dramatic, so stately, and so poetic. Aside from the way in which he said it, let's think for a minute about what he said. The film of my lifetime. This is what I have been thinking about off and on (a/k/a nonstop) ever since I read it.

What is the film of my lifetime? What is the film of yours?

I still don't have the answer. Maybe because there are many I haven't seen or because they haven't been made yet. Or maybe because I tend to change my mind so much about things like this (but who doesn't?). Or maybe because a lot of the films I would immediately want to list are not from my lifetime. I would want to say Last Year At Marienbad for its endless and inexplicable mysteries. Or A Time To Live And A Time To Die for being entirely flawless and showing us what life is really like. Or Fanny And Alexander because it is that one film that you want to jump straight through the screen and live inside of. Or One From The Heart (this blog's namesake), for its impossibly gigantic and unmatched neon sense of magic, romance, and big dreams. Or Red Desert for its sad factories, overt modernity, and industrial beauty. Or Ordet because there is nothing more pure in all of cinema.

But my lifetime?

There are certainly a handful of films that come to mind that excited me or changed me or made me forget about everything else. The more I think about it, I'm pretty sure Roger was not referring to his favorite film or even what he considers the greatest. I think what he means are those films that come along and leave their mark on you, that stay with you for hours, days, months.. even years after seeing them. Films on such a grand scale that do nothing short of take your breath away, make you forget who you are, or where you came from. Those that change everything: erasing the past, obscuring the present, and igniting the future. With that being said, here are ten that come to mind.. from my lifetime.

















ANTICHRIST, dir. Lars Von Trier, 2009
















สัตว์ประหลาด (TROPICAL MALADY), dir. Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2002

















WERCKMEISTER HARMÓNIÁK, dir. Béla Tarr, 2000













ÜÇ MAYMUN, dir. Nuri Bilge Ceylan, 2008
















SHIRIN, dir. Abbas Kiarostami, 2008















YI YI: A ONE AND A TWO, dir. Edward Yang, 2000


















LOST IN TRANSLATION, dir. Sofia Coppola, 2003




















STELLET LICHT, dir. Carlos Reygadas, 2007

















طعم گيلاس (TASTE OF CHERRY), dir. Abbas Kiarostami, 1997


















花樣年華 (IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE), dir. Wong Kar-Wai, 2000

Dreams

DREAMS




















President of the Jury.

Pierrot Le Fou

Pierrot Le Fou
Jean-Luc Godard
France, 1968

This is Godard at his breaking point- he is ready for anything and seems to be running on fumes to get every last little bit out. He made so many films in the '60's, I still don't understand how he did it. Anna Karina and Jean Paul Belmondo are perfect in this, no one else could have played their parts, not even for a second. The new Criterion Blu-Ray is a revelation - everything is so bright and clear. I love the shadings he uses- green, blue, red screens- neon lights, Coca Cola, and of course the gorgeous Mediterranean setting. There is some anarchy in here, but it is so playful, with references to Laurel and Hardy, American pop culture and consumerism, and even a cameo by Samuel Fuller. There is so much going on in every scene, it is packed full of ideas and that urgency always comes across throughout the film. If Contempt was Cannes luxury and romance, Pierrot Le Fou is brash, witty, and bold. There are no apologies, only life. Is this Godard's best work? Maybe not, but it is probably my favorite. There is never a wasted scene or a moment of doubt, everything seems exactly as he wanted it to be, exactly as he envisioned. It certainly is two of the most joyous hours to be found in the world of cinema, and two hours which I know I will come back to again and again.

Goodbye MMIX

GOODBYE MMIX


1. ANTICHRIST - What else is there to say? The most intense movie since Saló and the most beautifully personal thing I've ever seen. This is movie-making as it's meant to be: fantastical, transportative, haunting, poetic, unnerving, and unlike anything real life has to offer.

2. IRM - Better than I could have even hoped.. I still play 5:55 all the time, but this is the sound of freedom and loving who you are and what you've been given, all done in a way that only Charlotte can.

3. ISABELLE HUPPERT, PRESIDENT OF THE JURY - I fell so hard for this woman this year, its not even funny. As President of the Jury at Cannes this year she was so regal, so elegant, and truly has the presence of no other. Easily the best actress we've ever had. Simply devastating.

4. SECRETARY OF THE STATE HILLARY CLINTON - Of course she's doing a great job like we all knew she would. This is a woman made of stone, an inspiration beyond compare: tireless, selfless, and determined. I still hang on her every word and melt every time I see her on the news or in the paper in some faraway place just doing her thing.

5. BAND OF OUTSIDERS - The obsession carried over from last year.. The overdyed oxfords still take my breath away.

6. BELLA SWAN - This was in many ways the year of Twilight for me. A little late, but I finally caught on. New Moon anticipation was crazy, and it was so worth the wait. The books are lovely; Bella and Edward are truly one of the all-time great love stories.

7. LIMA, PERU - Coastal, foggy, colorful, restorative, and so far away..

8. NIGHTY NIGHT - Julia Davis as Jill Tyrell is my favorite character in the history of all characters.

9. BON IVER - His song from Twilight and my trip back to WI were what finally sealed the deal for me on this guy. Lately he sings me to sleep.. there really are no better songwriters around today.

10. VIVIANNE'S MIDDLE EAST FOOD - For giving me something to look forward to every Thursday and still making the best meal I've ever had.