• Home
  • Film Classes
  • Short Films
    • Love is a function of Death
    • usa.DT
    • Banality of Evil
    • 2 Yahoos and a bottle of Rum
    • The Here Between
    • Pale Side of Darkness
    • The Restroom
    • MetA-Romantic
  • Photography
    • 21 Final Candidates for the 7 Wonders of the World >
      • Pyramids of Giza
      • Chichen Itza
      • Machu Picchu
      • Roman Colosseum
      • Neuschwanstein Castle
      • Statue of Liberty
      • Stonehenge
      • Hagia Sophia
      • Acropolis
      • Eiffel Tower
      • Alhambra
      • Christ Redeemer
    • 7 Natural Wonders of the World >
      • Paricutin Volcano
      • Grand Canyon
      • Northern Lights
      • The Harbor of Rio de Janeiro
      • Iguazu Falls
    • Natural Wonders of the U.S.A >
      • The Wave
      • The Racetrack
      • Yellowstone
      • Slot Canyons and more
      • Arches National Park
      • Bryce Canyon
      • Carlsbad Caverns
      • Badlands National Park
      • Canyonlands
    • Abandoned Places
    • Nature +
    • Faces
    • Interesting Places in USA
    • Interesting Places in Europe
  • Film Blog
    • Film Theory >
      • Women in Film Noir
      • Why do we have movie theaters?
      • Film Noir-Movement or Genre
      • How to understand box-office figures
    • Classic Films >
      • Touch of Evil
      • Citizen Kane - Overview
      • Citizen Kane - Firing of Leland
      • Citizen Kane - Declaration of Principles
      • I Am Cuba
      • Grand Illusion
      • Numbers and Language in "A Clockwork Orange"
      • JFK
      • Tout va b!en
      • Rear Window
      • "Vertigo" versus "A Man Escaped"
      • Meaning of 2001: A Space Odyssey
      • The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
      • Network
      • Casablanca
    • Recent Films >
      • "The Matrix," freedom and Alice in Wonderland
      • Sweet and Lowdown
      • Taxi Driver
      • The Weather Underground
      • Lone Star
      • Cotton Club
      • From "Gimme Shelter" to "Spinal Tap"
      • Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
      • Requiem for a Dream
      • The Elephant Man
      • Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
      • Natural Born Killers
    • 21 Century >
      • Gravity
      • Blue is the warmest color
      • Spike Lee and the missing link in his "essential films" list
      • Kon-Tiki
      • The Place Beyond the Pines
      • Searching for Sugar Man
      • Killing them Softly
      • Silver Linings Playbook
      • Drive
      • Midnight in Paris
  • Best Films
    • The Best Films Ever Made
    • Best Noir Films
    • Best Neo-Noir Films
    • Best Comedy Films
    • Best Documentary Films
    • Best Western Films
    • Best Animation Films
    • Best Cinematography
    • Best Science-Fiction films
    • Best Screenwriters
    • Amazing Films
    • Best Film Directors
    • Best Experimental Films
    • Film Genres >
      • Gangster Films
      • Western Films
      • Science Fiction (Sci-Fi) Films
      • Woman's Film
      • Comedy Films
      • Nonfiction Films
      • Animated Films
      • Experimental Films
    • The Motion Picture Production Code
    • Film Quotes
  • Orson Welles
    • Rare pictures from "Citizen Kane"
    • Rare pictures from "The Magnificent Ambersons"
    • Rare Orson Welles pictures, awards and drawings
    • Rare pictures from "The Stranger," "Lady from Shanghai," "Hearts of Darkness," "It's all True," "Macbeth," and "Othello"
    • Rare pictures from Orson Welles Magic Show, Radio career and Theater productions
  • Cinema History
  • Contact
ilianFilm
ilianFIlm

Grand Illusion

7/13/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
Even though Grand Illusion is missing Jean Renoir's signature sequence shots, I think this is his best film. Praised by Orson Welles as 'the only film worth saving if there is to save one film', Grand Illusion is a tour de force of the proper and civilized treatment of enemy soldiers during the worst of times - a war. 

Widely regarded as the last Great War, the film portrays the humane treatment of enemy soldiers during World War I, while just existing can be an act of futility. 
Although the characters are engaged in a pointless race to win battles, the film exudes honor, respect and gentlemen like behavior between the enemies.  




Read More
0 Comments

Numbers and Language in "A Clockwork Orange"

7/8/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
I'm not going to talk about the film as an art piece, or discuss its value to film culture. What I want to talk about is the film's use of numbers and the meaning of the language used. 

What grabbed my attention is the use and absence of the number 4. Right from the first shot we are introduced to Alex's gang - there are four of them. What we see in the next 41 minutes is the violence and the fun they have at the expense of other people. These are four teenagers-young-adults, that think the same and enjoy the world in the same way. The break-up of the group is over a disagreement of who is going to lead them. They do not disagree on crimes, instead it's the typical juvenile disagreement of who has the longer penis (metaphorically speaking). 




Read More
0 Comments

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

4/15/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
"Treasure of Sierra Madre" is one of the best Western films, even though some may not consider it a Western. Humphrey Bogart, famous mostly for his looks and not his talent, is exceptionally good in this film. The fact that money and power changes all, or mostly all, is nicely conveyed by  a symbol and metaphor, in this John Huston must-see film.



Read More
0 Comments

Touch of Evil

4/1/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
Touch of Evil was released by Universal in 1958 on the bottom half of a double bill, in a version butchered by the studio over Welles’s passionate protests.

By 1965 Touch of Evil still had virtually no recognition in the United States. Though it earned high praise from Truffaut and Godard in 1958, Americans generally thought it a sleazy crime picture. By late 60s, the film was regarded as international film masterpiece.




Read More
0 Comments

Meaning of 2001: A Space Odyssey

3/24/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
To watch the film is to experience a visual symphony with minimalistic sound.
The film is broken into 4 segments - The Dawn of Man, Mission to the moon, Mission to Jupiter and Re-birth.
All of the segments are open for interpretation so here is my take on it:





Read More
0 Comments

Citizen Kane - Overview

3/24/2013

2 Comments

 
Picture
Cinematography

Mise-en-scene

Editing 

Sound

Writing 




Read More
2 Comments

"Vertigo" VS. "A Man Escaped"

3/24/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
“Hitchcock only finishes a picture 60 percent, I have to finish it for him,” says the composer Bernard Herrmann during an interview with Brown.

Even though I think that Herrmann’s statement might be an exaggeration, to some extent there is a lot of truth in it. Let’s imagine the famous scene from Psycho – the murder of Janet Leigh and the unforgettable violent sound of violins. How would the scene have felt without violins, as Hitchcock wanted initially? It would have lost its momentum, and the entire film would have left a completely different impression on the audience. 



Read More
0 Comments

Rear Window

2/27/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
 In many of Hitchcock's films, the story unfolds through the point of view of his male lead. He has the strange ability to portray both scopophilic and voyeuristic tendencies and to objectify women in such a seamless way that it can escape the attention of the audience. Moreover, in Rear Window, the gaze is the catalyst for the progression of the film’s narrative and the commentary that the apartment complex represents.



Read More
0 Comments

I Am Cuba

2/16/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
The film,"I am Cuba", is a remarkable piece of cinematography. Thematically the content is Anti-American propaganda which is unappealing to me.  But as a film, it's truly overwhelming. According to my understanding of the art of cinematography, I will rank the film as one of my 10 favorites, along with Citizen Kane, Touch of Evil,  L’Aventura, The Conformist, and Rashomon.
There are numerous shots in the film, which are mind boggling and I still can't figure out how they achieved them.  There were no special effects and no computer manipulation. This film is a visual tour-de-force and I recommend it to anyone interested in directing and cinematography. 

What irritated me the most was the narration. I felt that the visuals were expressive enough without the additional voice-over.

Nevertheless,  It was an extraordinary experience watching the film and I’ll never forget it.  
4 / 5

Director: Mikhail Kalatozov
Staring: Enrique Pineda Barnet, Yevgeni Yevtushenko  


0 Comments

Tout va b!en

1/21/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
The cinematic theme that Godard uses in his film, Tout va b!en, is estrangement. None of his characters inspire an emotional investment nor empathy from the audience. On the contrary – we have multiple individuals: the boss, the correspondent for the ABS, her husband, and the factory workers, who speak their mind directly to the audience through the camera.  Their commentaries are direct observations on the political system and political situation in France in 1972.     Tout va b!en is also about provocation. It provokes us through camera techniques, the long and repetitious tracking shots (like the one in the supermarket), and with direct references to the actual making of the film.  The subject matter and the commentary are all aimed to dissatisfy us, to make us think and to possibly change us. 

3 /5

Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Staring: Yves Montand, Jane Fonda

0 Comments

Citizen Kane - Declaration of Principles 

12/23/2012

1 Comment

 
Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane is an assembly of beautifully arranged scenes, and one of these days I might write about every single one of them. Here is the second entry in my blog from that film – The Declaration of Principles.
It starts with a medium shot on Kane and Jed Leland standing by the window. They appear locked in the window frame in the office of the “Inquirer”. Kane writes the Declaration of Principles facing the window, indicating how important it is to the readers and the people outside. 



Read More
1 Comment

Citizen Kane – Firing of  Leland

12/11/2012

1 Comment

 
Citizen Kane
Often labeled as a genius, Orson Wells arrived in Hollywood in the late 1930’s to pursue a film career. Hollywood’s society of filmmakers was expecting him, counting on his talents, and hoping he'd create a production like nothing before. He didn't disappoint.
In 1941, Citizen Kane was released, ushering in a new era of filmmaking.
I will talk about one scene – The release of Jed Lealand – even though the entire film is an assembly of beautifully arranged scenes from start to end.



Read More
1 Comment

JFK

11/27/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture
What can I say - when Hollywood makes a good movie they make a film. The film captures you right away with its exposition - the editing, the writing and the meaning behind it. The cinematography adds the final touches completing the filmic experience. Everything matches the main idea - we are living in a prison blinded by the government. We know the plot, or we think that we do. It takes unexpected turns while it reveals more evidence of the coup-de-tat that took place on November 22, 1963. The editing is frantic at times but always engaging. The overhead hot lighting creates the claustrophobic environment of a prison cell, while the weird conspiracy characters take over. If you want to find the real meaning of the word "patriot' watch it and pay attention.

4 /5

Director: Oliver Stone
Starring: Kevin Costner, Sissy Spacek, Gary Oldman, Jack Lemmon


0 Comments
    People who critique moving pictures fall into 3 general classes:

    1.
    Reviewers - are generally journalists who describe the contents and general tone of a movie, with only incidental emphasis on aesthetic evaluation. 

    2.
    Critics - are also journalists for the most part, but their emphasis is more on evaluation than on mere content description. 

    3.
    Theorists - are usually professional academics, often the authors of books on how movies can be studied on a more philosophical level.

    Author

    I'm a film critic and I like to write about films that are exceptional and stand above the rest. 

    Categories

    All
    2011
    2012
    2013
    2014
    Classic
    Recent
    Theory

    RSS Feed

    "The role of the critic is to help people see what is in the work, what is in it that shouldn't be, what is not in it that could be. He is a good critic if he helps people understand more about the work that they could see for themselves; he is a great critic, if by his understandings and feeling for the work, by his passion, he can excite people so that they want to experience more of the art that is there, waiting to be seized. He is not necessarily bad critic if he makes errors in judgement. He is a bad critic if he does not awaken the curiosity, enlarge the interests and understanding of his audience. The art of the critic is to transmit his knowledge of and enthusiasm for art to others." ( Pauline Kael )
Photography
Film Canon
Contact

All materials Copyright © 2022 ilianFIlm - All rights reserved.
No commercial reproduction, adaptation, distribution or transmission of any part or parts of this website or any
information contained therein by any means whatsoever is permitted without prior written permission.



© 2022 ilianFilm.com All Rights Reserved