Z and Pumpkin Eater (Two films from the Sixties)

Z
The Loft cinema screened this foreign film (Greece, 69) as part of their Essentials program.  It only took me 49 years to realize that this is a first-rate example of inspired cinema. I love it -- I mean lllooooovvvvvveeee it when I 'discover' a 'new' film.  And to think there was a time in my life when Porkies existed in my universe.

It felt great to see some old troglidytes (they were cock-of-the-walk back in 69):  Yves Montand, Irene Pappas. But what aided in my enjoyment of the film was not knowing the actors, and thereby not biasing their performaces with any baggage I might bring to the table.  Not being known personalities, their performances, so grand, liberated me to the point I believed the actors were the characters.  [Montand dies early on; Pappas is relegated to Monica Vitti-esque pouts and looks of uncertainty.]

But, over-analytical to my (and others) detriment, I was compelled mostly by two elements:  the movement of the camera, the movement created through editing.  Yep, it was movement -- sort of amazing for an art form that involves pictures in motion.  I mentione this, with tongue in cheek, merely because it stuns me to see so much ridiculous camera movement, or worse, no movement at all. 

You know it's good cinematography instinctively.  Don't need a degree in  photographyto recognice the brilliance of a film photographed by the likes of Gregg Toland, Gabriel Figueroa, et. al.[And while I'm rambling, I love a cinematographer who works a lot today, Roger Deakins.  Look him up on IMDB, check his filmmography, and you'll agree with me.

But lest anyone reading this think I would forget Haskel Wexler, well, think otherwise.   As far as I'm concerned, Haskell's ... not going to say genius, like so many people do.  He's just  extraordinary, and that should place him in the top rank.