alice : ignorance is bliss is a 2014 short documentary by thomas mcnaught .

it was featured on bbc three ’s fresh scheme .

the documentary was nominated for best british short film at the 28th leeds international film festival – where it received a special mention – and was shortlisted for independent age ’s " best factual new media content " at the older people media awards .

alice : ignorance is bliss

ignorance is not bliss : alice corp . v . cls bank international * - urltoken | patents & patent law
ignorance is not bliss point no . 3 still no definition yet of what is / is not an “abstract idea . ”
ignorance is not bliss point no . 1 comingling the separate patent statutes on patent - eligibility and patentability .
ignorance is not bliss point no . 5 concurring opinion says congress’ implicit / express intent on what is patent - eligible may be ignored .
ignorance is not bliss point no . 2 no adherence to the fundamental principle of diehr that the claimed invention must be “considered as a whole . ”
the supreme court’s decision in alice corp . operates from the view that “ignorance is bliss” when it come to the patent statutes , as well science and technology . i don’t share that view and never will . so in the format that i began with in shredding justice alito’s “comedic” opinion in limelight networks , here are my “ignorance is not bliss” candidates for alice corp . , in all their ugliness .
ignorance is not bliss point no . 4 claims will be deemed patent - ineligible even though implemented by a “machine , ” i . e . , a computer .
our judicial mount olympus may subscribe in alice corp . to the popular belief that “ignorance” of science , computer technology ( as well as the patent statutes ) “is bliss . ” but such “ignorance” is mucking up our patent law jurisprudence , as well as “not so blissfully” impeding the creative spirit of our innovative davids , our real hope for job growth in america . and that’s no “red herring , ” justices sotomayor , ginsburg , and breyer !
johnny depp and tim burton interview about alice in wonderland 24 . 2 . 2010 bbc1
alice lewis - ignorance is bliss out march 17 / 2014 available on itunes : urltoken - directed by nicol despis linesession : ( re ) discover the finest indie music selection . line session is your channel for all the indie , electro music , where you can experience music , in high audio quality . subscribe to stay connected to our channel and receive all of our video updates ! - line session : urltoken urltoken
i would suggest you accept what a rational person says @ 16 . it’s right on point as to why alice corp . is a disaster and a disgrace .
added vachon , “we’re like cockroaches after a nuclear blast . we do whatever it takes , even if it means eating plaster . we keep trying to figure out ways to keep doing what we want to do , and that’s to tell visionary stories . we hustle and work hard at everything we do . also , ignorance is bliss . it’s absolutely helped us . if you don’t know how scary it is , then you’re not afraid . ”
based on the supreme court’s decisions in alice and prometheus , it is not possible for an examiner to determine if a claim passes the 101 test before conducting the 102 and 103 analysis .
but the decision in the alice case holds that a claim to an apparatus , i . e . , the claim to a computer , is not patent eligible . furthermore , because the supreme court in alice mixes together 102 and 103 with 101 an examiner cannot determine whether the apparatus is patent eligible without doing a search under 102 and 103 to determine the state of the art .
i can find no useful guidance anywhere in alice as to how an applicant could successfully but a rejection based on either ground ( 1 ) or ground ( 2 ) above .
and if you think that the decision in alice is anything other than a subjective test of patentability , i would ask you to explain what arguments a patent applicant could use if an examiner rejected a claim under 35 usc 101 based on the ground that ( 1 ) the claim is directed to an abstract concept or ( 2 ) the claim is merely being an application of a natural law .
in comparison with the supreme court’s decision in alice , my decision : ( 1 ) is more consistent with the language of 35 usc 101 . ( 2 ) is more consistent with the intent of 35 usc 101 . ( 3 ) provides a more objective test for determining patent eligibility . ( 4 ) would cause less chaos in the uspto .
a rational person at 10 . i’m just saying the flaw is not in the framework , it’s in the analysis . as stated , the framework is ( 1 ) “determine whether the claims at issue are directed to one of those patent - ineligible concepts” ; and ( 2 ) “search for the ‘inventive concept’ . the first step , “determine whether the claims at issue are directed to one of those patent - ineligible concepts” if applied correctly is clearly a 101 test . the second sterp “search for the ‘inventive concept’ , poorly worded i concede , is a 102 / 103 analysis if applied correctly . alice decision is flawed for the analysis , not the framework .
i have noted that the cafc is but a pawn in this chess match . created by congress under constiutional authority , but subjugated nonetheless by the top dogs . witness the brow beating they receive . witness the fact that the en banc alice decision specifically asked for help – and that no such help was forthcoming .
[ verse 1 ] wake up ! miss toadstool , it is i , your one and only king bowser koopa i ' m a turtle as you ' ve seen a little slow and a little green but on the whole i ' d say super duper [ chorus 1 ] princess toadstool , i know you ' re frightened if you knew just why you ' re here your fear would just be heightened so let ' s just say ignorance is bliss [ verse 2 ] oh , well , i hate to be a bummer i ' ve brought you here to bring me plumbers you know those brothers oh , what ' s their names ? oh yes , mario and luigi just the sound of them makes me queasy i ' d like to take that monkey wrench i ' d play my own game [ chorus 2 ] princess toadstool , you ' re so misguided i ' ve never been fond of bookworms but then again this one does make good mario bait i can ' t wait ignorance is bliss ! [ verse 3 ] with my magic book i ' ll shower those clumsy lizards with my power until dinosaur land is nothing but fossil fuel my only problem with these spells is that i know not what they tell so every hex leaves me perplexed and all i want are those plumbing fools [ chorus 3 ] princess toadstool , you ' re not so clever all your words are alphabet soup a picture tells it better i ' ll say it again ignorance is bliss haven ' t you heard ? a picture ' s worth a thousand words [ bridge ] you call yourself a princess but you ' re a brainiac in a dress i can ' t believe you waste time with these books you remind me of my kid sister she read so much she got a blister a big one , i mean big , on her brain , what a snook ! ( i ' d like to get my hands on . . . ) ( just one time with a monkey wrench . . . ) ( i ' d fix their plumbing . . . ) [ chorus 1 ] princess toadstool , i know you ' re frightened ( you ' re so misguided ) ' cause if you knew just why you ' re here your fear would just be heightened [ chorus 3 ] princess toadstool , you ' re not so clever ( pictures say it better ) all your words are alphabet soup a picture tells it better for the last time - on second thought , i think i ' ve made my point
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near the end of part a of the opinion of the court , thomas makes the following statement : “we need not labor to delimit the precise contours of the ‘abstract ideas’ category in this case . put differently , what thomas essentially does in alice corp . ( as justice kennedy did before in bilski ) is “punt” on providing any meaningful definition of what is ( and more importantly is not ) an “abstract idea . ” so much for providing us “mere mortals” with any “framework” of how to distinguish “abstract” from “non - abstract” ideas other than “we know it when we see it , but we in the ivory tower are not going to tell you mere mortals’ what our ‘secret’ is for so determining . ”
in footnote 3 of the opinion of the court , thomas makes the following statement : “because the approach we made explicit in mayo considers all claim elements , both individually and in combination , it is consistent with the general rule that patent claims “must be considered as a whole , ” ( citing to diamond v . diehr ) . that statement is astonishing because it is utterly nonsensical . by separating out the alleged “abstract idea” in the first step of the analytical “framework , ” thomas , in alice corp . continues the disingenuous failure of mayo to adhere to this fundamental principle of diehr that “ [ i ] t is inappropriate to dissect the claims into old and new elements and then to ignore the presence of the old elements in the analysis . ” so much for following binding scotus precedent by our judicial mount olympus .
seeking redress of government actions is one of our fundamental rights in our form of government . but we must be clear in our understanding of when – or how – that seeking is futile and when – or how – seeking redress has a chance of being effective .
on sunday night , veteran indie film producers christine vachon and pamela koffler — the duo behind academy award - nominated films such as “still alice , ” “far from heaven , ” “boys don’t cry” and the critically - lauded “ carol ” — celebrated the 20th anniversary of their production company killer films at an intimate cocktail party held at new york’s roxy hotel .
on sunday night , veteran indie film producers christine vachon and pamela koffler — the duo behind academy award - nominated films such as “still alice , ” “far from heaven , ” “boys don’t cry” and the critically - lauded “carol” — celebrated the 20th anniversary of their production company killer films at an intimate cocktail party held at new york’s roxy hotel . [ … ]
i think the framework is flawed is well . step ( 1 ) requires determining if a claim is directed to a “patent - ineligible concept . ” . for an examiner to easily apply step ( 1 ) , there would need to be a well - defined list of things that are “patent - ineligible . ” otherwise , you are requiring an examiner to make a subjective decision based on no evidence as a first step in the examiner’s analysis .
each of the claims at issue claim a “process” , a “machine” or a “manufacture” and therefore claim patent eligible subject matter under 35 usc 101 . the decision of the court of appeals for the federal circuit is reversed and this case is remanded to the court of appeals for further proceedings consistent with this opinion .
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“every single movie is its own epic tale of war , ” said vachon . “something big always happens , but you forget about it and move on . your focus is on how to get your film out into the world . getting every single movie greenlit is an act of extreme precision and intensity . it’s so hard . it’s like childbirth . you remember how bad it was and you wouldn’t want to do it again , but at the end , it’s worth it . ”
with the supreme court’s most recent foray into the patent - eligibility world in alice corp . v . cls bank international , we now have a complete and utter disaster as to what data processing claims can ( or more unfortunately cannot ) survive scrutiny by our judicial mount olympus under 35 u . s . c . § 101 . i once had respect for justice thomas’ view on patent law jurisprudence , having considered his substandard opinion in myriad on the patent - eligibility of certain “isolated” dna claims to be an “isolated” aberration . but having now read his mind - boggling opinion for the court in alice corp . , i’ve now thrown my previously “cheery” view of thomas’ understanding of patent law jurisprudence completely into the toilet . i have even less kind words to say about the three justices that signed onto justice sotomayor’s disingenuous concurring opinion that accepts retired justice steven’s equally disingenuous suggestion in bilski that 35 u . s . c . § 273 ( in which congress acknowledged implicitly , if not explicitly the patent - eligibility of “business methods” under 35 u . s . c . § 101 ) is a mere “red herring . ” see section 273 is not a red herring : steven’s disingenuous concurrence in bilski .
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on another thread , i note that asking the executive branch for help ( in the manner of writing to the uspto regarding their implementation efforts ) is a waste of time .
“christine is a very rare person in our industry because she has equal doses of talent and taste , ” clarkson told variety at the event presented by refinery29 and rag & bone . “the films she has made are important and have an impact on the world . i owe her a lot . i have a better career because of her . she is extraordinary . ”
the most startling statement in alice corp . occurs in justice sotomayor’s concurring opinion ( joined by justice ginsburg and breyer ) : “i adhere to the view that any ‘claim that merely describes a method of doing business does not qualify as a ‘process’ under §101 , ’” citing retired justice steven’s concurring opinion in bilski . in other words , these three justices have bought “hook , line , and sinker” steven’s disingenuous view that congress’ at least implicit , if not explicit acknowledgement in 35 u . s . c . § 273 that “business methods” are patent - eligible subject matter under 35 u . s . c . § 101 “is a red herring . ” so much for these three justices giving anymore than “lip service” to the expressed will and intent of congress .
at urltoken our focus is on the business , policy and substance of patents and other forms of intellectual property , such as copyrights and trademarks . today ipwatchdog is recognized as one of the leading sources for news and information in the patent and innovation industries . in january 2014 we were honored to be inducted into the aba blawg hall of fame after being recognized for 3 years as the top ip blog on the internet .
my frustration with the royal nine ( as some call them ) is that : ( 1 ) they simply refuse to adhere to any reasoning on patent - eligibility under 35 usc 101 that is rational and logical , as well as consistent with where the current growth in technology ( data processing ) is heading ; and ( 2 ) provide no understandable guidelines or definition for establishing when a claimed method is no longer “abstract” so that it can reach the patent - eligibility zone . in other words , our judicial mount olympus provides no meaningful or logical guidance on patent - eligibility under 35 usc 101 , but also won’t let the federal circuit do that job either , even though it was commissioned to do so by congress in 1982 . instead , scotus simply exerts judicial fiat over patent law jurisprudence which doesn’t gain my respect , only my disgust and censure .
congress seems unaware that there is even a chess match in progress . in this chess match , the white of the congress does not seem able to see the black of the judiciary ( or the black of the executive ) .
the framework noted in 1 is unreasonable as it comingles patent - eligibility ( 35 usc 101 ) with patentability ( 35 usc 102 / 103 ) ; these are distinct statutes that need to be addressed separately . it also encourages what i noted in point number 2 , namely the violation of the fundamental principle of diehr that “ [ i ] t is inappropriate to dissect the claims into old and new elements and then to ignore the presence of the old elements in the analysis . ”
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while i agree with points 2 - 5 , i do not find the framework in 1 unreasonable . breaking the analysis into descrete steps , with the first being a 101 analysis , is an efficient approach . if you pass the 101 test , then you move to 102 / 103 . what are the alternatives , doing the 102 / 103 first ?
at page 11 of the opinion of the court , thomas states that “ [ t ] he introduction of a computer into claims does not alter the analysis of mayo step two . ” while such “introduction” may not “alter the analysis of mayo step two , ” that so called “analysis” is fundamentally flawed in that a computer is nonetheless a machine , and machines are definitely within the statutory classes of subject matter denoted in 35 u . s . c . § 101 . while the process steps implemented on such computers may be known ( i . e . , may lack novelty under 35 u . s . c . § 102 or may be obvious under 35 u . s . c . § 103 ) , that process implemented on the computer is nonetheless a machine implemented process when considered “as a whole” as mandated by diehr . that gottschalk v . benson and parker v . flook ( cited by thomas to support this quoted statement ) say otherwise simply ignores the fundamental fact that computers are patent - eligible machines . accordingly , processes implemented on such computers do not change those computers ( so altered ) into patent - ineligible machines .
101 only works as a good first step in a patentability analysis if step ( 1 ) only requires that the examiner determine that the claim is directed to a patent eligible subject matter , i . e . , if the claim claims “process , machine , manufacture , or composition of matter , or any new and useful improvement thereof . ” but for the judicial exceptions , this would be a relatively easy determination for an examiner with respect to most claims .
supportive guests like michelle monaghan , parker posey , tony kushner , cory michael smith and zosia mamet raised a glass for the producing partners , who have financed nearly 100 motion pictures , documentaries and television projects together in the past two decades . considered trailblazers in the indie film world , their latest project , todd haynes’ lesbian romance “ carol , ” may be their most critical and commercial success yet . the movie is expected to nab oscar nominations come announcement time in january .
“there is no cookie cutter formula on how to do it , ” koffler told variety about the secret to their success , over a glass of champagne . “it may be about being adaptable and doing what you really love . we get really invested in what we do and we don’t say yes to a project just because we have to . we only do certain projects that we want to do and really love . there has to be passion and i think that’s helped us for the past 20 years . ”
( 1 ) determine if the claim claims a “process , machine , manufacture , or composition of matter , or any new and useful improvement thereof” , subject to explicit exceptions from the court cases . if the subject matter is in one of the categories set forth in 101 and does not clearly fall into an explicit court - made exception , the claim should be determined to claim patent eligible subject matter . ( 2 ) determine if the claim meets requirements of 112 , 102 and 103 in that order . some 112 deficiencies may make it impossible to determine if claim meets requirements of 102 and 103 .
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justice thomas’ opinion for the court relies upon ( unfortunately ) the “framework” of mayo collaborative services v . prometheus laboratories , inc . for separating patent - ineligible “claims to laws of nature , natural phenomena , and abstract ideas from those that claim patent - eligible applications of those concepts . ” thomas describes this “framework” as a two - part analysis : ( 1 ) “determine whether the claims at issue are directed to one of those patent - ineligible concepts” ; and ( 2 ) “search for the ‘inventive concept’ — i . e . , “an element or combination of elements that is “sufficient to ensure that the patent in practice amounts to significantly more than a patent upon the [ ineligible concept ] itself . ” but this second part of the analysis ( i . e . , search for the “inventive concept” ) essentially commingles patent - eligibility under 35 u . s . c . § 101 with patentability that includes novelty under 35 u . s . c . § 102 , as well as obviousness under 35 u . s . c . § 103 . in other words , the feared comingling of patent - eligibility with patentability when justice breyer announced the term “inventive concept” in mayo in judging claimed methods under 35 u . s . c . § 101 is now ( regrettably ) fully bloomed .
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i feel like a very broken record . in an ipwatchdog article i wrote back in 2012 , i commented on the currently fractured patent - eligibility landscape in the split federal circuit panel decision in
. where a claimed trading platform for exchanging business obligations survived a validity challenge under 35 u . s . c . § 101 . see
. that fracture got even worse in the subsequent en banc ruling which can only be described as lengthy , tumultuous , and confusing , with a brief per curiam opinion , as well as six full opinions .
eric guttag mr . guttag has over 38 years of corporate and private intellectual property law experience on patent , trademark , copyright , trade secret and unfair competition matters , computer and internet law , including patent application drafting , prosecution , and patentability studies ; infringement and validity studies ; international patent prosecution ; patent and know - how licensing ; consulting , confidentiality , clinical study and research agreements ; trademark searches and opinions ; trademark registration and prosecution ; trademark freedom - to - use studies and trademark litigation and dispute resolution .
warning & disclaimer : the pages , articles and comments on urltoken do not constitute legal advice , nor do they create any attorney - client relationship . the articles published express the personal opinion and views of the author and should not be attributed to the author’s employer , clients or the sponsors of urltoken . read more .
maybe ( just maybe ) someone in congress will take note and realize that the measures taken in 1952 have not only been undone , but have been undone purposefully and with spite .
large money interests ( more commonly code - named : special interests ) are simply getting what they paid for .
it has been long pointed out that we are witnessing a power struggle between the branches of the government .
should i note the irony of the year of the release of the movie dune… .
it might make sense to do 112 before 101 – if one does not construe the claims appropriately… .
until the supreme court added judicial exceptions thereby making the 101 determination more complicated and more subjective , doing a 101 analysis first would be okay . there was no need for an examiner to determine the state of the prior art , and it was easy to determine whether a claim was patent eligible .
for example , if the claim claimed an apparatus , it used to be easy to determine that the claim covered patent eligible subject matter . no need to look at the prior art .
a rational person at 12 . so if you were thomas’ law clerking , what framework would you have written in place of ( 1 ) “determine whether the claims at issue are directed to one of those patent - ineligible concepts” ; and ( 2 ) “search for the ‘inventive concept’ ?
rational person at 14 . no , i meant write it like an opinion , as if you were a supreme court judge . its not that easy .
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from larry clark’s controversial drama “kids , ” to the imaginative movie musical “hedwig and the angry inch , ” to the five - hour hbo miniseries “mildred pierce , ” the storytellers are involved in every step of the filmmaking process . they face huge challenges ( in script development , financing , casting and location scouting ) with each project , but say it’s worth the stress and sleepless nights .
oscar - nominated actress patricia clarkson has appeared in three killer films - produced movies , “far from heaven , ” “cairo time” and the 2014 drama “october gale . ” she applauds vachon for shepherding “unique and female - driven films . ”
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thieves like us is a 1974 film directed by robert altman and starring keith carradine and shelley duvall .

the film was based on the novel thieves like us by edward anderson , which was also the source material for the 1949 film they live by night , directed by nicholas ray .

the supporting cast includes louise fletcher and tom skerritt .

the film was entered into the 1974 cannes film festival .

thieves like us ( film )

we’d love your help . let us know what’s wrong with this preview of thieves like us by edward anderson .
to purchase a blu - ray or dvd of thieves like us , click here .
in many ways , thieves like us is altman ' s best work yet , his most stringent and evocative .
t - dub : gotta find me a doctor who ' s a thief like us .
thieves like us is a bit flatter and more muted than altman’s best work . but even in this small film , i’m struck by the originality and truth of his vision .
pragmatic adaptation : it ' s interesting to compare this film and they live by night to the novel . they both compress the novel in different ways ( they live by night is focused on bowie and keechie , thieves like us develops the other characters a bit more ) . thieves like us is 28 minutes longer than they live by night and didn ' t have to worry about the hays code . the naturalistic acting and rich period detail of thieves like us make it seem almost like a documentary , while they live by night plays like a stylized fictionalization of the same people and events .
thieves like us proves that when robert altman has a solid story and script , he can make an exceptional film , one mostly devoid of clutter , auterist mannerism , and other cinema chic .
like so much of his work , robert altman ’s “thieves like us” has to be approached with a certain amount of imagination . some movies are content to offer us escapist experiences and hope we’ll be satisfied . but you can’t sink back and simply absorb an altman film ; he’s as concerned with style as subject , and his preoccupation isn’t with story or character , but with how he’s showing us his tale .
my original thieves like us audiobook review and many others can be found at audiobook reviewer . thieves like us was originally published in 1937 and is part of the american noir of the 1930s and 40s collection . it provided the basis for two films : they live by night ( 1949 ) and thieves like us ( 1974 ) . the story focuses on bowie , chicamaw , and t - dub . bowie , the youngest of them , killed a guy when he was 16 . chicamaw and t - dub are convicted bank robbers . following their escape from a chain gang , the
a couple of things really stood out to me about thieves like us . this is one of those rare crime films , for instance , or more specifically a bank robbery film , where the focus is entirely on the criminals . we ' re not…
if your expecting bonnie and clyde forget it . this was fairly mundane and characters uninteresting . i really wanted to like this film because i normally like robt .
tewkesbury began her career in show business as an actress , appearing in television series such as producers’ showcase , my three sons , and the long hot summer . she also appeared in robert altman ' s mccabe & mrs . miller , thieves like us , and nashville . tewkesbury co - wrote the screenplay for thieves like us and wrote nashville , for which she was nominated for a wga award , a golden globe and a bafta film award in 1976 , winning the la film critics association award for best screenplay in 1975 .
altman liked to parody and subvert hollywood genre conventions . in thieves like us , he mutes the violence , which is an integral part of films with similar narratives like bonnie and clyde , and undermines the tension that genre chase sequences normally create by treating them in a casual , leisurely manner .
reading edward anderson ' s thieves like us was like coming back to an old familiar friend - - not because i had read it before , but because i remember nicholas ray ' s film version entitled they drive by night with farley granger and cathy o ' donnell so well . thieves like us is one of those noir novels that carry with it a heavy sense of doom . the story is of three bank robbers named chicamaw , t - dub , and bowie . one never looks into the mind of anyone outside the crime world , because they are all likel
edward anderson , thieves like us , avon books , new york , 1974 . anderson’s novel was first published by frederick a . stokes in new york in 1937 . the 1974 edition was produced to tie - in with the release of robert altman’s film of the same name .
thieves like us is pretty much a robert altman heist film , which makes sense it is a robert altman “heist” film . barely showing the heists and barely even looking at the economic issues surrounding the great depression backdrop for the heists , thieves like us has nothing much on its mind that does not pertain to these characters in some way . in many respects , the biggest take away from the film may very well be wondering just how much altman and united artists received from coca - cola . from shelley duvall pounding cokes back all film long to a literal coca - cola truck handing out the goods to kids and telling them it is healthy…
houseman concluded : “the whole feeling about it , as you can tell from comparing it with altman’s picture [ the much later thieves like us ( 1974 ) , based on the same source material ] … that was nick talking” ( 3 ) .
his latest two recordings are on the album “94 east” featuring prince , on which marshall appears on keyboards and bass guitar , and , in 2009 , on his self - produced single “cougars” , which has had notable success on itunes and was on the soundtrack of feature film “thieves like us” .
with thieves like us , altman has made an atmospherically rich film , both in its detailed evocation of rural settings and its use of shifts in weather—sunlight , thunder , rain , and darkness . the film also displays his characteristic use of overlapping dialogue , barely heard murmuring , and scenes where the frame is packed with foreground and background action .
lester said wild was like an elder brother during the making of the film .
the chemistry between us was just something very , very special , which lasted throughout our lives ,
he said .
edward anderson’s 1937 novel thieves like us tells the story of bowie bowers , murderer and bank robber . bowie breaks out of prison with two companions , and they carry out a series of daring bank robberies . they may not be intellectuals , but they’re not stupid . they’re smart enough to know that in a corrupt society politicians , police , lawyers and businessmen are all in their various ways just “thieves like us” . lying low after a robbery , bowie meets and falls in love with keechie . bowie is funda
thieves like us doesn’t contain a musical score , but the radio is used as background throughout the film . nobody seems to be listening to the programs . sometimes a show like gang busters plays while they rob a bank , and a production of romeo and juliet can be heard when keechie and bowie have sex , but in the main the programs don’t comment on the action .
there ' s nothing elegiacs ! about “thieves like us . ” its feelings are expressed terseit seems to have been stripped down like a stock car , as if excess verbiage were another form of chrome finish . nor does one get any feeling of victims cornered by society , which was one the marks of the ray film and a carryover from those thirties movies that possessed social consciences .
published in 1937 , thieves like us is half noir , half romance entwined with a violent group of jail break bank robbers on a deadly mission for that elusive big score . post roaring twenties , that era is very much an influence on the novel with references to prohibition , the allure of bank robbing , and small time gangsters casing small town banks paramount throughout . thieves like us follows a band of prison escapees on the run from the law and on the look - out for quick scores . they take down a cou
joan tewkesbury discusses working with robert altman as the co - writer of thieves like us and the writer of nashville , then building her own directing career in television , the changes she has witnessed for woman directors , and the importance of the dga’s support of creative rights .
the film has no traditionally composed music score . the only music in the film is incidental or diegetic music i . e . source music like that heard broadcast from a radio .
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we have to do the same thing with film . [ slides : series of images of decayed film ]
bowie ( to the dog ) : you ' re just a thief like me .
prod co : rko radio pictures prod : john houseman dir : nicholas ray scr : charles schnee , adapted by nicholas ray from the novel thieves like us by edward anderson phot : george e . diskant ed : sherman todd art dir : albert s . d’agostino , al herman mus : leigh harline
one of the great forgotten novels of the 30s .
- raymond chandler somewhere between the hardboiled talk of dashiell hammett and the dustbowl poetry of john steinbeck lies the doomed romanticism of edward anderson ' s ' thieves like us ' . when three small - time country gangsters break jail , they return , like moths to a flame , to the only life they know - smalltown bank - robbing .
fast - moving thriller about a trio of bank robbers who get a little too cocky . they ' re always sitting around talking about white - collar crime , saying
they ' re thieves just like us .
things get hot for them , and finally , only one of them is still free and alive .
“thieves like us” is not so perverse and witty as “the long goodbye , ” nor is it so ambitious as “mccabe and mrs . miller , ” but it is a more perfectly integrated work . it is full of things to think about , that hang in the memory like the details of a banal crime story on page 32 , which , though read quickly , won ' t go away . somehow you know that this happened .
robert altman ' s “thieves like us , ” which opened yesterday at the 68th street playhouse , is such an engaging , sharply observed account of a long‐lost time , and of some of the people who briefly inhabited it , that hope it doesn ' t get confused with other films that seem , superficially anyway , to have covered the same territory .
thieves like us , directed by robert altman ) screenplay by calder willingham , joan teak and mr . altman , based on the novel by edward anderson , produced by jerry bick ; executive producer , george litto dlrecto of photography , jean bouttety ; editor , lou lomberdo ; distributed by united artists . running time : 123 minutes . at the 68th street playhouse , at third awn . this film has been rated r .
the movie’s fault is that altman , having found the perfect means for realizing his story visually , did not spend enough thought , perhaps , on the story itself . “thieves like us” is not another “bonnie and clyde , ” and yet it does end in a similar way , with a shoot - out . and by this time , we’ve seen too many movies that have borrowed that structure ; that have counted on the bloody conclusion to lend significance to what went before . in “thieves like us , ” there just wasn’t that much significance , and i don’t think there’s meant to be . these are small people in a weary time , robbing banks because that’s their occupation , getting shot because that’s the law’s occupation .
a sleepy film about a motley collection of dim , but well - meaning failures . a perfect altman film , in other words .
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three escaped prison convicts try to avoid recapture by the law while stuck in a life of bank robbing and wanting the things in life that they can’t have . the trio of thieves consists of young country boy bowie , wild man chicamaw and veteran criminal t - dub . when bowie falls for innocent tomboy keechie , cousin of chicamaw , he blindly believes that he can leave this dangerous life of crime behind . but in a noir world the end is always bleak and heartbreaking . thieves like us starts off as a classi
one glance at the bookshelf of volumes dedicated to italian neorealism might lead us to assume that there is very little left to say about what martin scorsese has called “the most precious moment in film history” .
this is worth the double dip if you already own the dvd . it ' s like seeing the film anew in this hd transfer . not my favorite altman , but recommended regardless .
the product placement for coca - cola is unreal in this . i don ' t like coke ( i ' m a root beer boy ) , but this flick had me jonesing so hard for a coke , that i ended up getting one and drinking it during the film . the whole time i was drinking it ( i still don ' t like coke ) i was just like
you got me altman
.
probably more like a 4 . 25 but i’ll round down . this is a great flick . i like it so much more than they live by night . everything there felt so rushed and hollywood but here it all feels leisurely and natural .
i quite enjoyed this classic crime noir novel , which i read as part of the library of america collection of american noir of the 1930s & 40s . characteristic of noir , in thieves like us , the protagonist bowie bowers is fighting a losing battle against a corrupt system and against himself . watching him self - destruct is painful but also poignant as it reflects on the more tragic side of human existence . i ' ve found you either like noir or you don ' t . it ' s not action packed , and there are no happy e
the radio is constantly on in the background of “thieves like us , ” but it’s not used as a source of music as it was in “ american graffiti ” or “ mean streets . ” the old shows we hear are not supposed to be heard by altman’s characters ; they’re like theme music , to be repeated in the film when the same situations occur . “gangbusters” plays when they rob a bank , for example , even though the bank would have been closed before “gangbusters” came on . that’s ok , because the radio isn’t supposed to be realistic ; it’s altman’s wry , elegiac comment on the distance between radio fantasy and this dusty , slow - witted reality .
it has to be said that the overall structure of a film like bicycle thieves does more to challenge hollywood conventions than films such as ossessione and rome , open city ( both above ) . it is closer , perhaps , to rossellini’s germany , year zero ( significantly , both films feature child protagonists who oscillate between passivity and agency ) . zavattini actually lamented the fact that he didn’t go far enough with bicycle thieves ; in fact his goal in subsequent years was to push this approach further . the results can be seen in umberto d , most notably in the morning sequence famously lauded by andré bazin in a contemporary piece on the film .
a minor work for altman but still another exceptional film in his genre experimentation period .
after giving up drink in 1989 , wild appeared in robin hood : prince of thieves with kevin costner in 1991 and in the channel 4 series lock , stock in 2000 .
if you already have the studio issued dvd of this great movie , do not
upgrade
to the bluray like i did .
i think of arthur penn ' s “bonnie and clyde” and nicholas ray ' s “they live by night” ( 1949 ) , which , like “ ' sieves like us , ” was also based on edward anderson ' s 1937 novel . as fine as they were , this one is also an original work , limited only by the opportunities offered by the subject , and the style mr . altman has elected to work in .
bicycle thieves remains arguably the most famous neorealist work , but its production history ( explored by robert gordon in a recent bfi film classics monograph ) offers up a bewildering array of ‘what - ifs’ . much has been written on the fact that david o . selznick offered to finance the film , but only if cary grant played antonio . “it might make us laugh now , ” said screenwriter suso cecchi d’amico , “but selznick’s offer was taken very seriously and there was a high - level meeting about it . ”
hardscrabble in west texas , 1937 among the most glamorized and followed criminals of the great depression were bank robbers . how people might have found anything admirable in these people—among them bonnie and clyde , john dillinger , pretty boy floyd , machine gun kelly , a sprinkling of the better known bandits—should be no surprise to those who experienced the great recession . as anderson’s bowie bowers observes , “them capitalist fellows are thieves like us… . they rob widows and orphans . ” if you fi
“renoir seems to tell us that there are some emotions that man cannot give voice to so we must draw on everything that surrounds him to express them . ”
among the many visitors to the set was renowned photographer robert capa , who shot hundreds of behind - the - scenes pictures for magazine readers in the us .
we need to remember that there are other values beyond the financial , and that our american artistic heritage has to be preserved and shared by all of us .
the asia film awards is presented every year by the hong kong international film festival society . last year , it also honoured shamaine buencamino as best supporting actress for “niño . ”
that’s the case with “thieves like us , ” which no doubt has all sorts of weaknesses in character and plot , but which manages a visual strategy so perfectly controlled that we get an uncanny feel for this time and this place . the movie is about a gang of fairly dumb bank robbers , and about how the youngest of them falls in love with a girl , and about how they stick up some banks and listen to the radio and drink coke and eventually get shot at .
future learning and skills – giving everyone the opportunity to build a lifelong relationship with film .
thieves like us published in 1937 , is a novel of a group of three bank robbers . that is the bare bones of the novel , but edward anderson adds quite a lot of flesh on those bones . this is not a simple tale of violence for its own sake . bowie bowers is the main character along with his girlfriend keechie , try to start a life separate from the notoriety of his bank robbing . the reader is taken through a couple of bank jobs and the aftermath considerations of their actions . bowie is a good hearted man , who really loves keechie and wants to have a life with her , but he is also loyal to his other two friends , even after one is killed and the other in prison . this novel shows that crime does not pay , but it also shows that all criminals are not looked down upon . those in power are sometimes just as guilty as these bank robbers . bankers and the police themselves can also be
thieves like us .
this oversized ( 6”x 9” ) paperback is just right—the story of petty bank robbers set in the hardscrabble south of the 1930s ; not too long ; and spawning two extraordinary films , nicholas ray’s “they live by night” and robert altman’s “thieves like us . ” in ray’s hands , bowie ( the youngest of three bank robbers ) and keechie ( his girlfriend ) are virginal characters who were never taught the ways of a world that conspires to do them in . their victimhood—offset by bowie’s reckless optimism—makes them b
. . . you already have the studio issued dvd of this great movie , do not
upgrade
to the bluray like . . .
and at a certain point – exactly when is… “unfathomable” – words and images diverged , like two rivers , or two different paths to understanding .
we ' ve lost a great artist and i ' ve lost a great friend ,
said moody .
we were more like laurel and hardy . we used to call ourselves fagin and dodger . we had that kind of bond between us . jack really was cheated out of a great career .
i became involved with the cause of preservation in the early 1980s , when i really understood just how fragile film was . since the early 90s , around the time we formed the film foundation , which was an idea by bob rosen to put all of us together , myself and a number of other directors , spielberg , and lucas and coppola and robert redford , sydney pollack… the film foundation was formed to bring the studios together with the archives .
robert altman’s fascinating and divisive psychological horror film receives a top - notch transfer from arrow academy .
founded in 1999 , senses of cinema is one of the first online film journals of its kind and has set the standard for professional , high quality film - related content on the internet .
and of course so was georges méliès . [ film clip : g . méliès’ impossible voyage ]
but film isn’t made of stone . until recently , it was all made of celluloid , as i said before – thin strips of nitrocellulose , the first plastic compound . through the late 1940s , before nitrate film was replaced by safety film , nitrate film caught fire , it blew up - it could turn to powder and explode . in 1950 it was replaced with safety stock .
1937 book featured on tcm ' s noir alley . as is usually the case , the book is better as it didn ' t have to deal with code and producers . the author sold the rights for $ 50 and died penniless . if you like steinbeck , you ' ll like this .
the book’s theme is that everybody is a thief just like the bank robber protagonists . you know this because it repeats that every other page . dullllllll
i struggled with rating this book . anderson has a fine style and it is interesting novel about what the depression did to some poor people and how they each dealt with it according to their limitations including the limitations of their personalities . anderson is a poor plotter , however . while this is better plotted than his first novel hungry men , structurally you do not get to plot point 1 until half way through the book . there is just a lot of incidents prior to this that do not take us very far . plot point 2 ends the book , instead of setting up the ending of the book . there are certainly things to admire about thieves like us , but i found it overrated .
rosi’s previous film was the fascinating sacro gra , a prose - poetic study of the grande raccordo anulare , or ring road around rome , and the people who live on this margin . there is a similar effect in fire at sea . rosi has recorded quiet details from indigenous lampedusan lives at the periphery of something far more historically dramatic and sensational , but the quietly telling details are like jetsam , flung out centrifugally . the film does not take a view ; it does not demand action . it simply shows us the details , and i felt i learned more from this film than from the nightly tv news .
thieves like us published in 1937 , is a novel of a group of three bank robbers . that is the bare bones of the novel , but edward anderson adds quite a lot of flesh on those bones . this is not a simple tale of violence for its own sake . bowie bowers is the main character along with his girlfriend keechie , try to start a life separate from the notoriety of his bank robbing . the reader is taken through a couple of bank jobs and the aftermath considerations of their actions . bowie is a good hearted m
about the georgia latino film festival in honor of hispanic heritage month lista , the black latino council & the georgia latino film festival alliance celebrates its 5th annual georgia latino film festival to make sure that latinos through their films and indies continue to be told in the hollywood of the south and so we have a place in where latino film makers , executives and artists at the forefront of the latino film industry can come together , to discuss the future of latino film makers , writers , and directors . the galff has become one of the “fastest growing film festivals in the country –the galff is 4 inspiring days filled with premieres , workshops , panels , vip parties , and awards showcasing the top storytellers and film makers from around the world . we hope this is the place where careers will be born and a whole new community is empowered and we gain a better understanding and experience our rich culture through film .
what a shame you didn ' t like it better - that said , i think i was taken with the wonderful ' period ' feel of the writing .
the migrants themselves pass through the film almost too quickly for individual lives to be registered , except one nigerian who tells his story almost like a preacher or an actor : “the sea is not a place to pass by … the sea is not a road . ” this is daily life , the film is saying : maybe like life during wartime . it is not a temporary eruption or crisis that will be imminently solved within the conventional news cycle . here is the rhythm of daily existence ; it is lampedusa’s new normal .
though nora aunor and “thy womb” have garnered several international and local film awards , the film is not a commercial hit . last december , it was pulled out of the metro manila film festival by festival organizers due to low ticket sales . this despite “thy womb’s” brillante mendoza bagging best director at the mmff awards .
in the dusty towns of texas and oklahoma , three escaped convicts go to what they know , bank heists . along the way there is romance ( one aspect i absolutely liked ) , but overall , the book is a little thin . for me , i would have liked a little more detail on each of the heists along with more back story . i thought of thieves like us as more of an embellished screenplay . an added note , i liked how certain things were revealed in newspaper articles . wow , i am old school , i still read and enjoy newspap
like many other countries , the sound film in japan did not reach popular acceptance until well into the 1930s , with many directors initially hesitant to embrace the new technology . only after the success of foreign talkies did companies such as nikkatsu or shochiku move decisively toward sound .
in the dusty towns of texas and oklahoma , three escaped convicts go to what they know , bank heists . along the way there is romance ( one aspect i absolutely liked ) , but overall , the book is a little thin . for me , i would have liked a little more detail on each of the heists along with more back story . i thought of thieves like us as more of an embellished screenplay . an added note , i liked how certain things were revealed in newspaper articles . wow , i am old school , i still read and enjoy newspapers .
there are so many reviews of this book , most of them kind , that i will only add how heartwrenchingly accurate are this novel ' s smallest , most personal , emotional details . crime novels are too often full up of fancy dangers that never happen—or at least that resound much louder on the page [ or certainly on the screen ] than they might , than they do , when they actually occur . ' thieves like us , ' out of the thousands of books i ' ve read , paints , i think , one of the finest portraits of the dips , the val
looks far more film like than the flat , saturated dvd . audio is via a dts - hd master 2 . 0 channel benefitting the minor effects and infrequent aggression . kino have included optional english subtitles and the original ' s altman commentary . they also add a trailer .
i ' m not really a spiritual person ,
mann continues .
but i sort of felt like i wasn ' t in control of this movie . it was almost like i was channeling bob . ' what would he do ? ' i kept asking . it just sort of fell together in this kind of organic way .
and we have no choice but to treat all these moving images coming at us as a language . we need to be able to understand what we’re seeing , and find the tools to sort it all out .
the outline suggests “ bonnie and clyde , ” but “thieves like us” resembles it only in the most general terms of period and setting . the characters are totally different ; “bonnie and clyde” were anti - heroes , but this gang of altman’s has no heroism at all . just a kindof plodding simplicity , punctuated by some of them with violence , and by the boy with a kind of wondering love . they play out their sad little destinies against two backdrops : one is the pastoral feeling of the southern countryside , and the other is an exactly observed series of interior scenes that recapture just what it was like to drowse through a slow , hot summer sunday afternoon , with the radio in the background and the kids playing at pretending to do daddy’s job . if daddy is a bank robber , so what ?
“my goal , ” said director vittorio de sica about his approach to bicycle thieves , “was to look for the dramatic in ordinary situations , the wonderful in the smallest , the tiniest news item , in the material everybody considers insignificant . ”
n . b . those who wish to avoid prior knowledge of the story , particularly its climax , should put off reading these notes till after seeing the film . hopefully , then , they will want to see the film again !
program notes - set in the depression - era dustbowl , thieves like us follows one man’s quest to make his own morality . bowie bowers busts out of alky prison and goes on a spree of bank robberies with hardened criminals t - dub and chicamaw . his newfound gal keechie wants him to give up the life and settle down . bowie figures he’s no more a thief than the politicians and bankers who steal with their brains instead of a gun . when the law busts up the gang bowie is forced to make a decision : does he lam it for mexico with keechie by himself or does he break chicamaw out of jail to be their guide ?
, a film that garnered him his second oscar® nomination for best director as well as a best picture academy award nomination .
[ film clip : on the restoration of the red shoes ] none of this would have been possible before digital technology . but i have to say that we are too late . over 90 % of all silent cinema is gone . lost forever . every time a silent picture by some miracle turns up like john ford’s film he made in 1927 called upstream , which was recently discovered by the national film preservation foundation in an archive in new zealand – every time one of those shows up we have to remind ourselves that there are hundreds , maybe thousands more that are gone forever . so we have to take really good care of what’s left . everything , from the acknowledged masterworks of cinema to industrial films and home movies , anthropological films . anything that could tell us who we are .
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
the former child star was nominated for an oscar for his performance as the amoral street urchin in the musical film of charles dickens ' oliver twist in 1968 . but like many actors who found fame at an early age , he spent almost two decades of adulthood in what he later admitted was
a drunken haze
.
like eisenstein’s october ( 1928 ) , pudovkin’s the end of st petersburg was commissioned to mark the tenth anniversary of the october revolution . it spans three years – from 1914 and the outbreak of world war i to the tumultuous events of 1917 . as vance kepley jr has noted in his 2003 monograph named for the film :
kino lorber’s blu - ray of walter hill’s 1980 western exceptionally preserves the hypnotic , oneiric beauty that undercuts the film’s chaotic violence .
oliveira , like ozu , chooses not to recreate the bustle of city life . the depopulated streets of porto allow the director to make the contrast between the restriction inside and the freedom outside the classroom .
[ film clip : 1895 film of train arriving in station by lumière brothers ] this film , by the lumière brothers in france , is commonly recognized as the first publicly projected film . it was shot in 1895 . when you watch it , it really is 1895 . the way they dress and the way they move . it’s now and it’s then , at the same time . and that’s the third aspect of cinema that makes it so uniquely powerful – it’s the element of time . again , pieces of time .
thieves like us uses the template of a bank robber movie to represent moments from the american depression . each scene plays out with equal measure given to humor , pathos , eccentricity of character , the unpredictability of life , and the blundering work of getting through the day as a human being . it’s emblematic of robert altman’s human ( and humane ) universe . at the dinner table , a crook reads from the newspaper about his gang’s exploits while the lady of the house is henpecking at the children to chew their food and eat their vegetables , and when our anti - hero discovers they are wanted dead or alive , an eerie pall is cast over the table as the stoic woman relays what is for dessert .
and this film [ film clip : the musketeers of pig alley by d . w . griffith ] is one of the dozens of one - reel films that d . w . griffith made in 1912 – it’s a remarkable film called the musketeers of pig alley . it’s commonly referred to as the first gangster film , and actually it’s a great lower east side new york street film . now if you watch , the gangsters are crossing quite a bit of space before they get to pig alley , which is actually a recreation of a famous jacob riis photo of bandit’s roost from five points , but you’re not seeing them cross that space on the screen .
de sica orchestrated the film carefully , shooting some scenes with multiple cameras and drawing attention to its existence as fiction , not a documentary . bazin termed it the
only valid communist film of the whole past decade
and the film was often seen as simply a criticism of working conditions in italy at the time , when unemployment stood at 25 percent . but unlike the clearcut moralizing of rossellini ' s films , de sica ' s works focus on a humanist sense of individual and mass . bicycle thieves has a mythic feel , the father ultimately forced into thievery , each moral quandary no sooner solved than de sica poses yet another , the father sympathetic but flawed .
this list collects every film from the starting list that became they shoot pictures don ' t they ' s 1000 greatest films . this…
sin verguenza / shameless directed by manolo travieso written by jon molerio of “ladrones” fame . as far as con men go , billetin and pelucas are hardly “the a - team” , more like the “c or d - team . ” the kind of guys more suited to rob a lunch truck than a brinks truck . but like many low level thieves , they have aspirations of making it big someday with the heist of a lifetime . so when they get a tip about a multi - million - dollar mansion whose owner is on vacation , they can’tresist and decide to strip the place of all its valuables . but what they don’t count on is : the owner of the mansion coming home early
visconti had spent several years in france in the 1930s , where mutual friend gabrielle ‘coco’ chanel had introduced him to jean renoir . informally , visconti joined renoir’s troupe as they moved from film to film , culminating in the unfinished short une partie de campagne ( 1936 ) .
when shooting started on they live by night , nick ray told his cameraman george diskant : “every mistake in this film is going to be mine . everything that’s done here is going to be mine . i want to find out if film is for me , and if it’s not , i’ll go back to broadway . ” as a result of this experience , he “fell in love” with film ( 1 ) .
wild ' s last film reunited him with fellow oliver ! star ron moody , who played fagin , in moussaka and chips last year .
set during the 1930s , this film focuses on three escapees from a midwestern prison camp who go on a crime spree throughout the south . the film is a remake of they live by night , yet it is distinguished by robert altman ' s ' s distinctive , detailed characterizations .
proves that when robert altman has a solid story and script , he can make an exceptional film , one mostly devoid of clutter , auterist mannerism , and other cinema chic . it ' s a better film than nicholas ray ' s first jab at the story in 1948 .
grierson could just as easily have been talking about visconti’s second neorealist film la terra trema – a film clearly influenced by flaherty , and in particular the michigan - born filmmaker’s man of aran . driven by a desire to use film to discover and reveal little known people and places , flaherty’s first film nanook of the north ( 1922 ) remains one of the best - known documentaries of the silent era , and while the director would travel the world in subsequent decades , his preoccupations remained those of his debut : the dangers of nature and the struggle of communities for survival .
[ slide : image of sumerian tablet ] when you look at ancient writing , words and images are almost indistinguishable . in fact , words are images , they’re symbols . written chinese and japanese still seem like pictographic languages .
29 . the transporter ( 2002 ) jason statham , who has now joined the fast and furious franchise , scored his first franchise playing an expert driver who gets paid to transport cargo — any kind of cargo , no questions asked . many of us underrated this movie at the time ; the silliness just seemed to be too much , and statham’s stoic demeanor felt stiff , despite his considerable physical prowess . but over the years , he and the film have grown on us , gaining a wonderfully surreal , retroactive sheen . this is a fun , freewheeling , and oh - so - french action flick — the kind of movie that can slow down to ruminate on madeleines and proust before proceeding with the mayhem . that , of course , is the europacorp house style . the luc besson–led production company has also given us the taken films , lucy , and any number of other nutty , corny , go - for - broke action spectacles .
raymond chandler declared this one of the great forgotten novels of the 1930s . i ' m not going to argue with chandler . anderson gives us a look at depression era bank robbers in oklahoma and texas . it was fertile ground with bonnie & clyde , dillinger , et . al . having been all over the newspapers . anderson looks at a trio of escaped convicts who are robbing banks in texas , before shifting the focus to a single character bowie bowers . the shift allows us to get a better glimpse in to the thought
famously , the romantic intrigues in the film itself were put in the shade by those behind the camera . producer dino de laurentiis married mangano shortly after the film was made while – shockingly – writer cesare pavese committed suicide after being jilted by constance dowling , sister of bitter rice actress doris .
[ film clip : vertigo , by alfred hitchcock ] this is a 1958 picture directed by alfred hitchcock that i’m sure many of you have seen , called vertigo . when this film came out , some people liked it , some didn’t , and then it just went away . even before it came out , it was classified as another picture from the master of suspense and that was it , end of story . almost every year at that time , there was a new hitchcock picture – it was almost like a franchise .
we seem to be running out of ways to describe the incredible longevity of portuguese director manoel de oliveira . at the time of writing the 103 - year - old is working on his latest film the devil’s church , after his previous work gebo and the shadow premiered at last year’s venice film festival .
which brings us to the boxing cats . [ film clip : cats boxing , filmed by t . edison in 1894 ] this appears to be two cats boxing . it was shot in 1894 , in thomas edison’s black maria studio that he had in new jersey – it was actually it was just a little shack . this is one among hundreds of little scenes that he and his team recorded in the studio with his kinetograph .
that trail , as mann notes , he found in altman ' s archives .
bob had kept a record of all the interviews he had done over his career , and so i was able to track them down . it ' s amazing that he left us such an audio - visual record of his life , which allowed me to make a film in his voice . most documentaries don ' t have access to the source .
it is full of things to think about , that hang in the memory like the details of a banal crime story on page 32 , which , though read quickly , won ' t go away . somehow you know that this happened .
classical cinema , as it’s come to be called , now feels like the grand opera of verdi or puccini . and we’re no longer talking about celluloid – that really is a thing of the past . for many film lovers , this is a great sadness and a sense of loss . i certainly feel it myself – i grew up with celluloid and its particular beauty , and its idiosyncrasies .
the ballad of narayama
is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice , telling a story of startling cruelty . what a space it opens…
reality has no soundtrack : the film forgoes a music score in favor of having diegetic actual radio broadcasts from the great depression in the backgrounds of scenes .
the ruling in the 1915 case , mutual film corporation v . industrial commission of ohio , said essentially that because film was a purely commercial endeavor , it therefore had no artistic merit , and thus could not count as free speech . the decision was overturned in 1952 by joseph burstyn , inc . v . wilson .
visconti continued working throughout the 1950s , although he veered away from the neorealist path with his 1954 film , senso , shot in color . based on the novella by camillo boito , it is set in austrian - occupied venice in 1866 . in this film , visconti combines realism and romanticism as a way to break away from neorealism . however , as one biographer notes ,
visconti without neorealism is like lang without expressionism and eisenstein without formalism .
he describes the film as the ' most viscontian ' of all visconti ' s films . visconti returned to neorealism once more with rocco e i suoi fratelli ( rocco and his brothers , 1960 ) , the story of southern italians who migrate to milan hoping to find financial stability .
altman was a visionary , an iconoclast , and a hollywood outsider who made such first - rate films as m * a * s * h ( 1970 ) , the player ( 1992 ) , short cuts ( 1993 ) , and gosford park ( 2001 ) , and great ones like mccabe and mrs . miller ( 1971 ) , the long goodbye ( 1973 ) , and nashville ( 1975 ) . he had his failures—the pretentious quinte t ( 1979 ) and egregious prêt - à - porter ( 1994 ) among others—but altman produced a substantial body of film that compared favorably with the work of illustrious contemporaries like scorsese , coppola , and the late john cassavetes .
“the lights of the little highway town ahead spread with their approach and then scattered like flushed prey as they entered its limits . under the filling - station sheds , swirling insects clouded the naked bulbs . the stores were closed ; the depot dark . ”
best actors . nora aunor and eddie garcia bolster pinoy pride after winning top acting honors at the 7th asian film awards . photo from ' thy womb ' facebook page
a short time later , renoir was invited to italy to lecture at the centro sperimentale di cinematografia , but the outbreak of world war ii forced him to abandon europe for the us . he left behind a treatment he had written of cain’s novel and this was the basis of what later became ossessione .
at a certain point , there was a reevaluation of hitchcock , thanks to the critics in france who later became the directors of the french new wave , and to the american critic andrew sarris . they all enhanced our vision of cinema and helped us to understand the idea of authorship behind the camera .