Every Thursday nouvelle vague!

Godard et Truffaut

For 3 weeks I have been visiting the Tabán art cinema, not far from where I live in Budapest. A pleasant walk in the evening with a friend of mine, Zsófi, a Martini Dry for me, a hot chocolate for her at Déryné, an old-fashioned restaurant near Tabán. Every Thursday, at 8 o'clock they show a film by Francois Truffaut or Jean-Luc Godard. So far we have seen Jules et Jim (FT), Vivre sa vie (JLG), and La peau douce (FT). Next week: Une femme mariée (JLG); the week after: Masculin féminin (JLG). 


Jules et Jim 
"When humor can be made to alternate with melancholy, one has a success, but when the same things are funny and melancholic at the same time, it's just wonderful." Truffaut

Breathtaking. Fascinating. Funny thing. Film as art should be separated from the other abstractions because of its age. It went on a different, though parallel road. However, the process and philosophy of art at that time urged the seventh art to catch up. 
Truffaut's film is an excellent proof that film has langue (grammar?) and style, just like a text can have. The humor in this cinema not only comes from the dialogue and the situation, but also from the way it was edited, how the camera moves, how it frames. We feel the auteur behind the movie as he plays with the material, the 35 mm film. We feel that he does not even know where he is going with the story. We feel that is just happening in front of our eyes. 
There is a scene where Catherine is photograped and the film stops for a few moments as if we see a picture. The interesting thing about this is that a film is able to highlight and emphasise moments that are more important than others. We would not remember them if they were not framed. 
The creativity, playfulness of the film, however, does not shadow the somehow bitter circularity of the love triangle. Most often motion pictures cannot give rise to controversial, seemingly not entailing emotions at the very same time. Jules et Jim could. Usually one feeling follows another, and in the end you get an overall impression of the movie. In the case of J&J, emotions were parallell which means it could create the illusion of life. 


Vivre sa vie 
"All you need for a movie is a gun and a girl." Godard
It was probably the ars poetica of Godard's early films. Just think about À bout de souffle, Pierrot le fou, and Vivre la vie, his early films. Nana philosophizes about herself, her life, life itself as she becomes a prostitute. Just when she realized the meaning of life, what the words mean or do not mean, what truth is, she dies. Fin. 


La peau douce
"Originally two images had struck François' imagination. A woman and a man kissing in a taxi and the sound of their teeth clinking. And female legs in silk stockings, crossing and uncrossing, and the sound of stockings rubbing against one another. The kiss in the taxi of course in an adulterous kiss. I don't think there are many husbands who kiss their wives making their teeth clink." Jean-Louis Richard, screenplay writer of Le peau douce
It is interesting how humor eludes the film from the middle. The falling in love of husband and lover is playful at the beginning, then slowly everything gets serious, tense. Every scene starts according to the pattern, the way people expected it. They all end in the most unusual way. The film reaches the peak at the end: the wife walks in to the restaurant where his husband eats, after learning his man has a lover. She shoots him. Fin. 
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I think these films still work eventhough 50 years have passed. The American movies we are surrounded with are all built up like houses. Though they look different, they are the same. Luckily we have these rare islands (arts cinemas) like Tabán where you can still find a piece of art that stucks with you for a long time. In these films story is more important than plot. Plot is simply plain. Story is the description of how something has happened. What was the atmosphere like? Something that is lacking from the new mainstream films. Plain patterns. The time when the French new wave appeared, the situation was the same. Is it possible that a new wave is on its way? I see no signs. Then, again. It is only today. 

"My generation was socialized with movies"

I sat down with Jakab Márk (also known as Maci among his friends) for a coffee to talk about how his life was influenced by movies. Márk (20) dubs films nowadays, but wants to be an actor, just like his father.
"My dad is not delighted that I follow his way," he added.

He started to giggle, and said that he has a great stroy apart from our topic.
"You know, there are those phone-in programs on TV. 'Tell us the answer and you can win 100.000 HUF! Just one question and the money is guarantied!' I have just gave my voice to one of those shows... Believe it or not, I did not have to 'say' anything like this: Yes, you won! Wait till our assistant takes down your articulars! Congratulations! Nothing like that! The option of winning simply does not exist!"

After a few stories in showbiz, we started to talk about motion pictures. He said almost every period in his life was governed by a movie. When he saw Truman Show, he believed and visioned for years, that actually his life is filmed and followed by millions. That he is part of a reality show. The show of his life. Though these years are over he still thinks of this four times a week: what if they filmed it? When he was down and out, he told himself: okey, it is only a twist written by the director to entertain others... better days will come. It is all arranged. He has an image in his head of an arena (Papp László Budapest Sportarena) where every character of his show gather together and reveal the secret. There is a VIP sector of this gathering, where he finally meets and get to know better his closest friends in the show.

As he speaks an unusual, amusing feeling hits me. He means every word he says, still, he speaks seriously because he knows you are not taking it seriously. It is like he is living in a parallel personality at the very same moment. An avarage guy, who does his business, but inside, he created a world he projects outside.

"Lately, I dubbed a horribly bad series. It is about young folks in high school. An avarage, poorly written show, but it made me think about my education. After watching an episode, I decided to retake baccalaureate this year. I want to get a degree, now that I have seen that episode. It made me realize that I must have one," he told me.

He mentioned Neo, from Matrix, with whom he identified himself for a long time. It reminded me of Truman. Both characters are oursiders, though in different ways. Neither of them live in reality, but finally get to it. He feels he has to make his way.

He believes that films blows-up real life, deeds. It exgagerates everything in order to find it appealing, interesting. "People do not want to see reality. Why would they? Where yould they escape then?"
"My generation was socialized with movies," he said. "We follow the steps of the hero. We have to, because we believe he is right. He knows what to do. So we act like him."

"Imagine. We are sitting here, I am smoking, having a cup of coffee. This is idyll. Happy people do this in the movies. This is the right thing to do, because the screen suggests this is idyll," ha added.

Are those happy whose life is not influenced by movies?
"Yes. They are. There is no example they have to follow. They set their own rules. They have their own aims in life. Like my brother. He does not overdramatize his life. He keeps it simple."

Márk said that the characters he is closest to are the ones that appeal to him. These caharcters make him realize his own personality.

"Life = film. Film = life." He came to this conclusion. His ex girlfriend's favourite movie is P. S. I Love You, so he had to watch it a million times. The film kicks off with a quarrel-scene. The lovers shout at each other then there is a point when they jump on the bed, kiss and make up.
"While we were quarreling, I realized that the angle I see is the same as in the movie. I remembered that both the characters stood in such position. So, after she finished her sentence, I said what the guy said in the movie. She did not recognized the line, but unswered exactly the same way the girl did in the movie. I concentrated to do everything the way he did, and she followed. Even when she was yelling, I was calm, smiling inside because I  knew that in 5 minutes it will all be over and we will make love on the bed, just like the lovers in the film. And it happened. I knew the situation, I knew how to influence it."

Once when Márk was sitting despondently in a bar late at night, after a break-up, everything went black before his eyes. It was absurd how he enjoyed the situation. He found melancholy genial. "It was like a scene form a movie." Despite of this feeling, he was down and out. He called his brother, and told him what happened. Márk's delivery was depressing. The brother's answer was short and strict. "Life is not a soap opera." Then hung up. The moment the voice cut off he pulled himself together. Self-pity has never solved problem.

We had to leave, but continued talking as we walked to the tram station. He told me that 'one' of his favourite films was the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. It taught him basic moralities.
"The trilogy is a codex of ethics."

Every word that left his mouth was filled with serious enthusiasm... He is the protagonist of his own life, inspired by films. But there was a moment, when the two personalities (the one that lives life, the other that lives movies) met. He was lying on bed next to his girlfriend, turned his head to her and said: You are my favourite movie. In this moment of happiness life was exactly like in a movie. Perfect.

Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?

The question in the title is a repeated line from Jack Napier (a.k.a. the Joker) in Tim Burton's classic, Batman. It became a common saying during the 90s. Joker never waits for the answer. "I always ask that of all my prey. I just... like the sound of it." (By the way: this gets interesting when he spiels the same line using the word 'prey' to Bruce Wayne, who - as we all know - is a bird, if you regard his nighttime alterego. The villain at that point of the movie has no clue who Bruce Wayne is.) But this is not the question I'd like to ask. Mine goes like this: can 24 x 60 x 120 frames frame 16 long years? The question is way too absurd to even bother thinking about it; however, the answer is yes.

And the expanded answer goes... A few days after my 4th birthday, in December '94 - would sound too hollywoodish to say 'it happened one night, on my birthday, by the way', so I stick with the truth - my mom was looking for a TV show, some kind of fable that I can watch before I go to sleep. She came across the movie title 'A denevérember' - Batman is the original appellation.

"Oh, sounds like a family movie. A fairy tale or something... It finishes when he ought to go to bed. Perfect choice," my mom called dad.

So we sat down. The three of us, facing patiently the little, ex-modern black box, wating for the film to begin.

Batman begins. Dark labyrinth, slowly growing, triumphant but threatening music (Danny Elfman's slogan on his webpage: music for a darkened people), grimy atmosphere. Certainly not the opening titles for a 4 years old boy. They thought it was only the opening title. It might live up to their expectations. Wrong they were.

Though there was a little kid in the beginning (good sign), he turned into a caped crusader (what comes?). So the story goes, till one moment, when Jack Napier's damaged grotesque hands rise from the green, smoking acid.

"That's it! We finished!," said dad in a strick tone as he sprung up from his chair. "You go to bed, little fellow!"

I did not even turn my head away from the little television: I did not make a single move, they could not force me to go to sleep. I insisted that I finish this movie. No appellate. They installed themselves at the bad for two hours, shocked. Some kind of joy sat on my face after the show, they told me years later. Mom was flabbergasted. People were shot, punched, burned to death and one laughed like hell at it, filled with joy... and I did not make a single move. Instead, I enjoyed it.

However horrible it was, they loved it too, but this confession was made only years later. The whole family was into Tim Burton. My mom said he was the American Federico Fellini (after Big Fish).

A week later we bought a VHS player and a copy of Batman. A few days passed, and Batman returned (on the TV screens). Mom consulted with my best kindergarten-friend's mother. She said she will let her boy to watch it... so we watched it too.

The way folks went to church, I went to the cinema every week. It was a ritual. The 90s were heavenly years. No duties, two hours stolen from grey life. I remember as dad and I stayed up to watch James Bond every Saturday.

In 2001 mom (she had left for NYC 3 days after 9/11) brought a James Bond soundtrack and a Nino Rota collection, scores written for Fellini movies. I got hooked on scores. Instrumental music, played by an orhestra. These records influenced highly my musical taste. I started to listen classical music, operas were amongst my favourites. Because of Rota, I dug up every Fellini picture. I don't want to claim that I understood all his movies in-depth at that age, but I was fascinated. That music, those pictures, the clowns... Here he is, Zampano! What a character. So Italian films... Pasolini came in line.

I explored more and more, one movie opened the door to an other. To the world. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which one might call a non-sense film, made me read 7 books. The movie collected classic novel heroes to save the world, such as Dorain Gray, Allan Quatermain, Captain Nemo, the Invisible Man, Tom Sawyer, Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, etc. So I sat down and read through the books. Oscar Wilde's Doran Gray became my favourite. Therefore I read other Wilde novels, poems, short stories. A friend of mine and I wanted to put The Importance of Being Ernest on stage in high school. (It did not work out...)

The Thomas Crown Affair soundtrack featured a Nina Simone song (Sinnerman) which had a minute long piano solo part. The sound of it was so captivating, that I started to learn to play the piano. Thanks to the same track, I got addicted to jazz music.

Taste in music, dressing style, view of life... all influenced by films I saw. I even smoked a cigarette because of Humphrey Bogart (Casablanca) and Mickey Rourke (Angle Heart).

I want to make movies. When I was young, I said I want to direct movies. I friend of ours, who is a cameraman, asked me, what if I became a producer. I said I had no money. He said: producers ain't got no money either...

Making movies here, in Hungary is not a piece of cake. (I don't think it is easy anywhere in the world nowadays.) It is not likely that I will ever be able to make a film. If I can't make them, I'll write about them.

Good night, and good luck.

"Life isn't like in the movies. Life... is much harder."

...said Alfredo, the projectionist in Giuseppe Tornatore's Cinema Paradiso (1988). Though movies are not like life, they have immense influence on each other. Motion pictures shape our point of view, culture, thinking, habits, taste. Even if we do not notice it. This is what the blog's title wants to express: I took the thread of life [spun, measured, cut by the Parcae (Fates) from the Roman mythology] and repleaced it by a '35 mm film'.

You will read stories of various people whose life has been changed by a particular movie. The stories will not only be about ordinary people of the street, but Hungarian directors, actors, or other folks who were once part of the cast & crew list of a film.

Professionals will also talk about the current situation in Hungarian movie industry, its economcs, how it works. However, this is an oximoron, since it does not work. I am after the answers: why not, what the solutions might be.