>So what would you do on a rainy, cold, November Saturday? Maybe stay inside and watch a movie of two, maybe stay inside and watch some football? Me, I had to bundle up my family and drag them out to the NCAA Western Regional Championships, one of the college crosscountry races leading to the NCAA Championships next week.
Here is the men’s starting line about one minute before the gun.
That image gives me goose bumps. I have always been a fan of running and track & field. I grew up in Eugene, OR, sometimes known as Track City U.S.A., and home of Hayward Field, the track & field home for the UofO Ducks, and site of the upcoming 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials. I remember watching Steve Prefontaine run. I remember the 1970s running craze. I sat in the stands for three U.S Track & Field Olympic Trials (1972, 1976, and 1980).
I spent many hours at Hayward over the years watching great athletic performances and competed in some while on my high school track & field team (shot put, discuss, javelin, hammer). Needless to say, I am a fan. But I had never attended a crosscountry meet. So this was new to me. It was every bit as exciting as a top flight track & field competition.
Here are the men at about 8 seconds into the 10K (6.2 mile) race.
The rush of runners going by was exhilarating. One reason I wanted to go was to take my daughter Lily. I wanted her to get up close to the competition and witness the effort firsthand. I don’t think she was all that interested until this moment when it dawned on her that this was exciting stuff indeed. From that point on she was into it.
The fans lined the course and made lots of noise as the runners passed.
The course was a circuitous loop around the Springfield Country Club golf course. As the race wore on the runners began to string out.
Here is Galen Rupp, top UofO distance runner.
Galen eventually won the race in a time of 29:35.45, that’s an average of 04:45.73 per mile! Galen has been a bright star in the world of college distance running for several years. I’m curious where he will end up.
Here is the starting line for the women’s race.
And there they go.
As the race wore on the runner’s began to string out and the race favorites grouped at the front.
There is a natural beauty in excellent athletic ability. These runners, men and women, have such physical grace that one cannot help but be amazed when they go by. It is like hearing a gifted singer sing.
On the second to last lap only four runners remained at the front, two from Standford (one of the great crosscountry powerhouses) and two from Oregon (another great running powerhouse).
Here is Teresa McWalters of Stanford crossing the finish line in first place with a time for 6K (3.7 miles) of 19:57.30, or an average of 05:21.14 per mile.
And in second place is Nicole Blood of the UofO.
Lily and I stood where the runners gathered after they crossed the finish line. It seemed to me that Lily was almost overwhelmed and in awe of all these runners coming across the finish and showing their utter exhaustion from having given their all. She also saw the camaraderie as runners hugged each other and helped those too tired to stand. She kept saying “good job” to the runners that came near her.
At one point a runner came over to the fence Lily was hanging on and put her head down, resting from the extreme effort.
I saw Lily watching this runner (I think it was Breanne Strenkows of UCSB, 53rd place) and I could tell that it was a powerful moment for Lily. This was what I hoped Lily’s experience would be; to be this close to the fullness of athletic endeavour and maybe, even just a little, to be inspired. And me? I had a great time and left full of inspiration too, and grateful for my family’s indulgences.
Category: family
Watching What’s Up Doc?, remembering my youth
When I was just a lad I romanticized my future as is the want of youth. One of those inner visions that fueled my imagination was the mythical life of the stuntman. Yes I wanted to be a stuntman. There are certain moments in cinema that have stuck with me from that time in my life, not least of which is the grand finale to the outrageous car chase sequence in What’s Up Doc? (1972).
Consider this moment:
I wanted to be the guy who is jumping out of the back seat. To me that looked like such a thrill, and it still does. And it’s funny, which is what I like about the stunts in What’s Up Doc? They’re great stunts and they’re funny.
The car chase really got going when our heroes stole a delivery bicycle/tricycle thing and tried to get away with the four identical bags (no time to explain here). We knew that these two were in trouble in the blink of a single edit.
Here we see them round a corner and watch their expressions.
Then we cut to their point of view.
This might be considered the visual equivalent of a humorous expletive. At this point they are committed. And so are we, because now we know we’re in for a great ride. When it comes to car chases, thank you San Francisco!
But then again, we could have guessed that the chase would be totally wacky and finish in the bay. Just prior to the chase was the fiasco in the hotel room. Needless to say this image speaks volumes:
You might have also guessed, and correctly I might add, that What’s Up Doc? has now become a part of Lily’s ongoing cinematic education. We watched it this past weekend, along with The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). I foisted it on her and, I am glad to report, she loved it.
What is sometimes great about the DVD extras is the behind the scenes moments when we get to see the filmmakers applying craft. The What’s Up Doc? DVD has a little documentary called Screwball Comedies… Remember Them? which, though not particularly well made, offers some nice glimpses behind the scenes.
Here is a shot from the feature:
And here are a couple of shots the documentary of the same scene:
And then I started thinking about László Kovács. Kovács lensed What’s Up Doc? We see him above sitting at the lower left. Peter Bogdanovich is next to him in the striped shirt with his face hidden by the camera.
Kovács, who passed away this past July, came to the West from Hungary in 1957 as a political refugee. He brought a great work ethic to his craft and became one of the most significant cinematographers of the “new generation” of filmmakers in the 1960s and 1970s.
I didn’t know it at the time, but László Kovács was playing a role in my formation as a cinephile and, because films have been so significant in my life, as a person. While watching What’s Up Doc? again and remembering how much I have loved this film over the years, and now, again, realizing how well photographed it is, I just have to say thank you Mr. Kovács. Rest in peace.
Captain Blood My Hero
The other night Lily and I watched Captain Blood (1935) and we LOVED it. What a great film. Honestly, I can’t remember if I have ever seen an Errol Flynn movie before (shock & disbelief), and if I have it must have been when I was a kid. Flynn is wonderful. Not only does Flynn live up to his swashbuckling reputation, and not only is he as handsome as any leading man has ever been, he’s quite a good actor. In all Captain Blood was somewhat of a revelation for me.
What impressed me the most, however, was the overall craft that went into the creation of the film. Michael Curtiz directed the film, which was also a surprise for me (this shows just how out of touch I am to certain aspects of film history), and I was struck again by what a master he was. Sure, Captain Blood can be considered just another big costume drama with model boats from an era with lots of such films, but, for what it is, it is still a stunner. Here are just a few observations and some favorite images of mine.
The film opens with action, as any good pirate movie should – aaarrggh. The first shot has Blood’s friend Jeremy Pitt (Ross Alexander)* riding his horse at full-speed.
Now this shot was obviously filmed in the studio, which makes it even more remarkable considering the horse has to be running on a horse-sized treadmill. But the dynamic nature of the shot with its combination of rear screen projection and foreground objects flying by, with lighting flashing, and the horse racing, is just a wonderful moment and a great way to set the tone for the story.
Then the battle scenes are wonderful. Here is a small example of the level of craft in the film. First is a shot from one of the Spanish ships firing on the town of Port Royale. We the have the canon fire with its flash and smoke.
Then, a full second later, we see the flash of an explosion in the distant town.
Then we have a match on action (or match on explosion) when we cut in mid flash to the site of the explosion.
And then we see people running from the blast.
It all happens so fast that one might not notice how well put together these kinds of little moments are throughout the film. It certainly would have been much easier to just show the canon fire then cut to an explosion. But here we have a sense of depth and a holistic world, a world that is made up of real things and flesh and blood, not merely the fabrication of montage. In the age of “montage or bust” Curtiz places his edits within a world of three dimensions.
Then we have the model boats. To our eye, and maybe to those of 1935 as well, these shots are clearly made of models and miniature sets. But what a great job. The shots are more than just to create the sense of the battle, they are also works of art. Look at how beautiful they are:
When it comes to filming on the boat with actors, we all know that many of the boat sequences in Jaws (1975) were filmed with a hand-held camera so that the rocking motion of the boat wouldn’t be too much and make the audience sea sick. Well, Captain Blood had the opposite problem. It was filmed without real ships, so how were they going to make the ships have that feeling of actually being on the water? I only noticed the secret when I was fast forwarding through he film with scenes such as this, where Captain Blood dictates the articles of piracy for his crew…
…and it takes place on the studio-bound ship and the action is slow. What Curtiz had his cameras doing was very slowly, almost imperceptibly, dollying back and forth to and from his subjects. It gives the feeling that one is standing there on the ship and subtly adjusting one’s balance as the boat rocks.
And then there is the use of shadows. German expressionism was still a powerful influence in 1935, and what better scenario to use it than a swashbuckling pirate story? Here a just three such examples:
I love this shot too, with the candles placed in the foreground:
Makes me think of Ophüls or von Sternberg.
And finally there is the wonderful Basil Rathbone as the dashing pirate Levasseur. Doesn’t he look great in this shot (also with candles in the foreground)? N’est pas?
Here is Levasseur dying in the surf, what another beautiful shot.
There are so many more great images and moments in this film. Captain Blood is more than just a pirate film, it is an example that a finely crafted film, with depth and richness, could get made during the studio system by a director under contract – as so many were.
Of course I am always a little worried showing such old films to Lily. Maybe she will be bored. Maybe the films will be too dated to be appreciated. But, not only did she show great interest in the story and even cringe during some scenes, especially the branding of the slaves scenes, but when it was all over she turned to me and said “that was a good movie!” Good job Captain Blood.
_______________________________
*I have linked to Ross Alexander’s story on IMDB because it is fascinating and very tragic. I found his performance compelling in the film and Lily even remembered his character’s name the next day and had to remind me of it.
>another little video
>
Several weeks ago I posted about an experience my family had with a video production crew entering our house to shoot part of their video there. Well my wife was in the video, I was taking care of the baby, so I gave my seven year old daughter Lily our family video camera and said “go make a movie.” So Lily started shooting, using up all the rest of our available video tape, and basically enjoying herself. She is now obsessed with making movies.
So… I started going through what she had shot. Needless to say I will work with her on how to shoot for editing, amongst other things. But I still couldn’t help myself and I had to edit her shots together.
http://www.youtube.com/get_player
Like previous editing attempts on this computer, I’m using the free Windows Movie Maker program, stringing the shots together, and adding music*. I need to get us a better editing program as well as some better audio gear so we can get usable audio. I am also a little surprised at how much the quality of the video degrades during the uploading process, not that I’m starting with much quality in the first place. Maybe my file was too big and Blogger reduced the amount of information in order to take up less space on their servers. Of course, we’re just amateurs.
_________________________
*With some trepidation I am using a song from the Silversun Pickups. Trepidation not because of content, but because of copyright. I personally don’t have a big issue with grabbing some music from my iTunes collection and using it for a personal family video, but some might.
>just another sunday (not)
>This morning we participated in a video project for a friend’s video production company. The crew came into our house at around 7:30 AM and left at around Noon. The product will be a training video for a marketing company. My wife was the main participant from our end. I watched the baby, and then had a small role. My daughter Lily was in some of it as well and video taped a bunch with our camera. She and I will edit her video in the near future. The crew then went on to a couple of other locations and will be in post-production the rest of the week.
Below are a few stills I took (baby in left hand, camera in right) during the shoot.
Although such activities lend a certain amount of craziness to our lives, it was also fun, a good excuse to clean the house, and a learning experience for all of us – especially for Lily. I also found it interesting to watch the crew do their work since I used to do video/film production years ago. Not much has changed except for some of the technology. I found myself longing to do production once again, particularly directing. Hmmm… now that’s a nice idea.
>a little volunteer, a lot of golf
>
Today was the first day of The Oregon Classic golf tournament. My daughter, Lily, is a member of The First Tee, and the kids were asked if they wanted to be volunteers at the tournament. She held the sign that displayed the player’s scores. We were with Arjun Atwal, Chris Riley, and Jay Don Blake.
Here’s Lily watching Chris Riley chip onto the green.
The day was much colder and the sign much heavier than we expected. Needless to say, Lily got a little exhausted from the experience. But we had a great time anyway. It is amazing to watch these pro golfers up close. It is also fun to be able to walk inside the ropes with the players (or, not exactly with them, but somewhat near them and not in their way). Golf is an amazing and humbling sport.
>a little video
>A couple of years ago, maybe three, I won a very low-end Sony Handycam as part of a sales contest at work. For the most part the camera has remained on the shelf. Recently I figured out how to hook it up to my computer and dump the video onto it so I can edit the footage. Being cheap (I’m already starting with a free camera), I was excited to discover that Windows XP comes with the editing software Windows Movie Maker, also free. So I started having dreams of using this extremely low-end system to create important and powerful videos.
The reality is that we finally grabbed the camera as a last minute idea for our family hike up a local hill (Spencer’s Butte) on Labor Day. So what we ended up with was an unplanned collection of little snippets of video (some shots by me, others by Lily), and a lot “oops I left the camera recording” shots of the ground. It is also difficult to come up with great spontaneous video ideas when you’re out of breath. I was, however, able to pull out a few clips and string them together to see how the software works, which, by the way, is very limited (bordering on crapola – but free, remember). I’m going to need to look into locating a better editing system.
So here’s a little 2 minute “salvage” video of Lily and her dog, Aloysius Bonaventure, hiking up Spencer’s Butte. If you’re curious, I have used the Windows Movie Maker “Film Age, Old” effect to give the video a home movie kind of look.
http://www.youtube.com/get_player
Next I want to plan something with Lily and shoot it/edit it according to the plan, and have her participate with all phases of the production. That way she might come to understand just a little better that movies are MADE things, and she can make them herself.
>more than just doors
>Sunday, Labor Day weekend, was beautiful. The family went out for breakfast to one of our favorite haunts, and then we decided to take a walk around the University of Oregon campus which was next door. I had not been on campus for years.
I graduated from the place in 1989 with bachelors degrees in film studies (the old Telecommunication and Film dept.) and in art history, then again in 1993 with an M.A. in film studies (emphasis on independent film aesthetics). I also used to take portrait photos there when I was a professional photographer. I have to say the campus was perfect for strolling and just enjoying the surroundings on this quiet weekend.
But I also became a little contemplative. As we passed by so many of the buildings in which I spent so much time many years ago I couldn’t help but think about how important some doors can be in one’s life. These are some of those doors for me.
Lawrence Hall
Many times did I walk through this entrance to the Art and Architecture building. Most of my art history bachelors degree came in one year as I crammed five courses a quarter of memorizing slides, dates, painters, architects, styles, and historical periods. I loved it. I have always loved art, but studying art history opened my eyes to how magnificent the breadth and depth of art has been.
150 Columbia
150 Columbia is a large lecture hall. Although I had some science courses there, this is also where many of the films shown by the student forum (or was it student union?) were exhibited. This is also were visiting filmmakers might show their wares. For example, I saw a two-night presentation of Stan Brakhage’s films with Brakhage introducing each film and talking about his life as a filmmaker.
Villard Hall
Villard Hall was where the old Telecommunication and Film department (now defunct) resided. I spent many hundreds of hours in this old building, and hundreds upon hundreds of times going through this side door. This is where I studied film history and aesthetics, created videos, and taught film courses as a GTF. I figured out how to “sneak” through this usually locked door late at night and on the weekends so I could spend extra hours editing my projects.
180 Prince Lucien Campbell
Every Tuesday and Thursday evenings I spent a couple hours or so in this large lecture hall watching films for my film history courses. This is where I was introduced to the cinematic “cannon.” Here I saw Griffith, Renoir, Godard, Sembene, and so much more for the first time. Here is where my world opened up and I became a person of the world, with my mind expanded and heart grown bigger. Words cannot really describe how big of an impact this door has had on my life.
So that was part of my Labor Day weekend. I’m sure in your life you have had, or still have, doors that are more than just doors.
>le weekend
>I took Friday off of work so that I could focus my time on my thesis. I am under the gun to get it done and I struggle with my super-procrastinator powers. So did I work on my thesis? Of course not.
View from half-way up Mt. Pisgah
Rather, I decided to keep a promise to my wife that I would get the back fence finished. So, on Friday I made the first of several trips to Home Depot for supplies. Then I tore out the old fence, dug post holes, put in new posts (pressure treated), filled the holes with concrete and let them sit over night. Saturday I got up early, met a friend at a local hill (Mt. Pisgah) and climbed to the top and back. Then another trip to Home Depot, and more work on the fence.
I decided that the fence needed something more than a few boards nailed up to block the view and keep us safer. So I extended the fence higher with a labor intensive hand-made lattice screen made of vertical only boards. I also wanted the screen to look and feel separate from the rest of the fence. I guess I wanted something that was a little more “architectural,” maybe my own little corner of Alvar Aalto or Pietro Belluschi. So the lattice work extends below the top of the foundational 6ft fence by about 5 inches, and then to over 2ft above the fence. It also sticks out about an inch from the fence to give it a more three dimensional look. Overall I like the choice I made, but it took much longer to construct than anticipated.
As the sun was setting on Sunday evening I had about a hour of work left and I was exhausted. My feet were killing me from standing for three days in the wrong shoes. I was sun burnt and covered in grime. But just as it was getting almost too dark to continue I finished, cleaned up my mess, downed a beer, and then went to bed.
And that was my weekend, for the most part. At least the fence got completed!
And the dog saw the whole thing.
>back to the basics
>
The other night I introduced my daughter Lily to the film Back to the Future (1985). Which she loved, even though some of it she didn’t entirely understand. I don’t think I had seen it for twenty years (which kinda blows me away). The truth is, although the story is deeply flawed in many ways, the film is a wonderful, maybe even great, film. One of the parts that make the film so good is the brilliant performance of Crispin Glover.
Here is an example of Glover’s acting, at the critical moment George McFly (Glover) has just punched and knocked out Biff (Thomas Wilson). In a matter of just seconds we see George reacting to the punch with a combination of surprise, elation, and pain.
Then George notices Lorraine (Lea Thompson), whom he has just protected from Biff.
George is almost giddy with excitement that he has knocked out Biff and looks to Lorraine for confirmation.
But then he realizes that she has been pushed down to the ground by Biff.
George composes himself and extends a chivalrous hand to Lorraine.
In about 5 seconds we see Glover portray a range of emotions that are not only convincing and seemingly effortless, they also have their own little narrative structure.
As I look at the various awards and nominations for the film, I see some directed toward Fox but none for Glover. This is unfortunate, especially given that Fox’s acting is good, but pedestrian, whereas Glover’s is a tour de force.
Then Lily and I watched Ghost Busters (1984).
I have to say that the film, though still somewhat fun, does not stand up to the test of time as well as Back to the Future. Why? One key reason is the lack of craftsmanship. Although the film was creatively conceived it lacks the kind of carefully crafted story telling that one finds in Back to the Future. The camera work is largely uninspired, the editing is rather mundane, and apart from its somewhat unique concept, the story arc and pacing are very predictable. What keeps it entertaining are the performances of the principle actors.
I suppose the difference in quality of the two films can be summed merely by pointing to the directors. Zemeckis, though not a genius, is a big step or two above Reitman – in my humble opinion.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
So… is the watching of movies really an education? Can it be counted as such? I have been introducing various films to my seven year old daughter for the sake of her “education.” Is this really valid or am I deluding myself? As far as I know the State doesn’t test for movie knowledge. Proponents of “no child left behind” would just laugh at me. If you want to get some education then hit the books, so the thinking often goes. If you want to “check out” from the day’s troubles and turn off your brain then watch a movie.
If you are a regular reader of this blog then you know my answer already.
I am a bookaholic, and I am a believer in the idea of a classical education. But I believe that a classical education is not only about reading old books. It is really about seeking answers to fundamental questions, such as:
1) What is prime reality – the really real?
2) What is the nature of external reality, that is, the world around us?
3) What is a human being?
4) What happens to a person after death?
5) Why is it possible to know anything at all?
6) How do we know what is right and wrong?
7) What is the meaning of history?
All of us act from within a set of answers, more or less coherent, to these questions. Our answers, or worldview, are like a set of lenses through which we view the world and our place in it. Every film, also, is born out of a set of answers to these questions. In fact, film is one of the best mediums with which to express and explore a worldview. When I watch a film with my daughter I get to discuss with her what the filmmaker is trying to do, trying to say, and wants us to know. Sometimes the films are light and fun, like those mentioned in this post, and the discussion is somewhat light as well. Often we talk about the filmmaking process, and she then learns that films are created things that she can have an opinion about – more than just the “I like it” opinion, which isn’t actually an opinion but an uncritical reaction. Overall, films, being powerful cultural and personal artifacts, are great doorways into important discussions about all that it means to be human, and that is a good place to begin a life of learning.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I would like to say that my blog postings have slowed down because I am on Summer vacation. Fact is, I’m not vacationing, just trying to get my thesis written, remodel the house, spend more time with the family, and well, it’s just more difficult for me to watch films when it’s still sunny outside in the evening. Plus I’ve been watching the Tour de France in my “extra” time.
pilgrimakimbo 