Lumiere and Company (1995)
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This was a really interesting idea. Gather 40 of the world's best directors, hand them the original equipment that the Lumiere Brothers used in 1896 to make the first moving picture, and give them 52 seconds worth of film. Add some ground rules, like you only get four takes to get it right. What you end up with is an incredibly diverse group of films, from Wim Wenders' contemplative look over the shoulders of two men overlooking a washed-out city, to David Lynch's attempt to pack one of his full-length movies into 52 seconds. I mention these two because the former was my favorite, and the latter was an example of what not to do. The project was an attempt to push directors to look at film in a different way, but Lynch didn't depart from his style a bit. Not that Lynch's piece is bad. I was just hoping that he would do something completely against type, to see what the limitations given him would do to his creativity.Interspersed between the films are clips of the directors answering (or refusing to answer) questions about their art, like "Why do you film?" and "Is film immortal?" These are almost a distraction from the true reason for the documentary. As a postscript, it is really interesting that it was only the American directors who attempted to tell stories with their films. The European, African, and Asian directors were content to use the films to create moods or atmospheres. What does that say about Americans? |
 
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© 2000 Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
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