This page lays out the Melbourne Cinémathèque calendar in one complete summarised list.
To view the list with film synopses, check out the detailed list.
To view screenings using drop-down lists according to special seasons, titles or dates, check out the Melbourne Cinémathèque website.
FEBRUARY 11 OPENING NIGHT
7:00 BIGGER THAN LIFE Nicholas Ray (1956) 95 mins PG
8:45 SOME CAME RUNNING Vincente Minnelli (1958) 136 mins PG
FEBRUARY 18 BELMONDO!
7:00 LÉON MORIN, PRÊTRE Jean-Pierre Melville (1961) 130 mins
9:20 BREATHLESS Jean-Luc Godard (1960) 90 mins PG
FEBRUARY 25 IMAGINING INDIA
7:00 THE RIVER Jean Renoir (1951) 99 mins
8:50 BLACK NARCISSUS Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger (1947) 100 mins PG
Preceded by Calcutta Paul Cox (1970) 22 mins
MARCH 4–18 BETWEEN SHADOW & LIGHT: THE WORLD OF INGMAR BERGMAN
MARCH 4
7:00 THE SEVENTH SEAL Ingmar Bergman (1957) 96 mins PG
8:50 THE SILENCE Ingmar Bergman (1963) 95 mins
Preceded by The Dove George Coe & Anthony Lover (1968) 14 mins
MARCH 11
7:00 FANNY & ALEXANDER Ingmar Bergman (1982) 188 mins M
MARCH 18
7:00 SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT Ingmar Bergman (1955) 108 mins PG
9:00 WINTER LIGHT Ingmar Bergman (1963) 81 mins PG
Preceded by Foto: Sven Nykvist (Bayley Silleck) 28 mins
MARCH 25 ARTISTS ON FILM
7:00 CONNER & CORNELL (1936–78) 71 mins
8:25 ARTISTS’ FILM (1945–98) 51 mins
9:30 8 X 8 Hans Richter (1957) 70 mins
APRIL 1 LOVE CLASSICS
7:00 SHOP AROUND THE CORNER Ernst Lubitsch (1940) 97 mins PG
Preceded by Wrong Again Leo McCarey (1929) 21 mins
9:10 EROTIKON Mauritz Stiller (1920) 97 mins
APRIL 8 JOHN HEYER
7:00 JOHN HEYER: JOURNEY TO THE BACK OF BEYOND Various shorts
Introduced by Monash University’s Dr Deane Williams, author of Australian Post-War Documentary Film: An Arc of Mirrors (2008)
9:10 JOHN HEYER: BUILDING NATIONAL UNITY Various shorts
APRIL 15–29 ELECTIVE AFFINITIES: THE CINEMA OF LOUIS MALLE
APRIL 15
7:00 LIFT TO THE SCAFFOLD Louis Malle (1957) 88 mins PG
8:40 LACOMBE, LUCIEN Louis Malle (1974) 137 mins M
APRIL 22
7:00 THE LOVERS Louis Malle (1958) 90 mins
Preceded by Station 307 Louis Malle (1955) 18mins
9:00 LE FEU FOLLET Louis Malle (1963) 108 mins
APRIL 29
7:00 AU REVOIR, LES ENFANTS Louis Malle (1987) 104 mins PG
Preceded by Vive le tour Louis Malle (1962) 19 mins
9:15 ZAZIE DANS LE MÉTRO Louis Malle (1960) 88 mins PG
MAY 6 DANISH MASTERS
7:00 HÄXAN: WITCHCRAFT THROUGH THE AGES Benjamin Christensen (1922) 104 mins
Preceded by The Danish Village Church Carl Dreyer (1947) 14 mins
9:10 THE MASTER OF THE HOUSE Carl Dreyer (1925) 107 mins PG
Preceded by The Seventh Age Torben Anton Svendsen (1947) 16 mins
MAY 13 VISIONARY TRAVELLERS
7:00 ZABRISKIE POINT Michelangelo Antonioni (1970) 112 mins
9:00 THE STATE OF THINGS Wim Wenders (1982) 121 mins M
MAY 20 LATE SILENTS
7:00 CHICAGO Frank Urson (1927) 118 mins
9:10 THUNDERBOLT Josef von Sternberg (1929) 95 mins
Preceded by The Town Josef von Sternberg (1943) 12 mins
MAY 27 – JUNE 10 JAPANESE NOIR: VIOLENT COPS & PISTOL OPERAS
27 MAY
7:00 VIOLENT COP Takeshi Kitano (1989) 103 mins R
8:55 PALE FLOWER Masahiro Shinoda (1964) 96 mins
JUNE 3
7:00 BLACK RIVER Masaki Kobayashi (1957) 114 mins
9:05 THE SUN’S BURIAL Nagisa Oshima (1960) 87 mins
JUNE 10
7:00 PISTOL OPERA Seijun Suzuki (2001) 112 mins
9:05 I, THE EXECUTIONER Tai Kato (1968) 90 mins
JUNE 17–24 SEARCHING FOR PARADISE LOST: THE FILMS OF JOSÉ LUIS GUERÍN
17 JUNE
7:00 IN THE CITY OF SYLVIA José Luis Guerín (2007) 84 mins
8:35 SOME PHOTOS IN THE CITY OF SYLVIA José Luis Guerín (2007) 67 mins
9:50 TREN DE SOMBRAS José Luis Guerín (1997) 88 mins
24 JUNE
7:00 WORK IN PROGRESS José Luis Guerín (2001) 125 mins
9:15 INNISFREE José Luis Guerín (1990) 110 mins
JULY 1–15 POETRY, PARADOX, POLITICS: THE FILMS OF JERZY SKOLIMOWSKI
JULY 1
7:00 FOUR NIGHTS WITH ANNA Jerzy Skolimowski (2008) 87 mins
8:40 DEEP END Jerzy Skolimowski (1971) 88 mins M
JULY 8
7:00 IDENTIFICATION MARKS: NONE Jerzy Skolimowski (1964) 76 mins
8:25 WALKOVER Jerzy Skolimowski (1965) 77 mins
9:55 BARRIER Jerzy Skolimowski (1966) 83 mins
JULY 15
7:00 MOONLIGHTING Jerzy Skolimowski (1982) 97 mins PG
8:50 HANDS UP! Jerzy Skolimowski (1967/1981) 90 mins
AUG 19 – SEPT 2 A VISIONARY JOURNEY WITH ROBERTO ROSSELLINI
19 AUGUST
7:00 ROME, OPEN CITY Roberto Rossellini (1945) 103 mins M
8:55 STROMBOLI Roberto Rossellini (1949) 107 mins
Preceded by Envy Roberto Rossellini (1952) 17 mins
26 AUGUST
7:00 VOYAGE IN ITALY Roberto Rossellini (1953) 97 mins PG
8:50 PAISÀ Roberto Rossellini (1946) 115 mins
SEPT 2
7:00 THE MACHINE THAT KILLS BAD PEOPLE Roberto Rossellini (1948/1952) 80 mins
8:30 GERMANY YEAR ZERO Roberto Rossellini (1947) 78 mins
10:00 L’AMORE Roberto Rossellini (1948) 78 mins
SEPT 9–16 THE WRITTEN IMAGE: THE CINEMA OF MARGUERITE DURAS
SEPTEMBER 9
7:00 INDIA SONG Marguerite Duras (1975) 120 mins
9:10 LES ENFANTS Marguerite Duras, Jean Mascolo & Jean-Marc Turine (1985) 94 mins
SEPTEMBER 16
7:00 AGATHA ET LES LECTURES ILLIMITÉES Marguerite Duras (1981) 85 mins
8:35 DESTROY, SHE SAID Marguerite Duras (1969) 100 mins
Preceded by Aurélia Steiner (Melbourne) Marguerite Duras 1979 28 mins
SEPT 23 – OCT 7 RUN FOR COVER: SAMUEL FULLER, TABLOID POET
SEPTEMBER 23
7:00 WHITE DOG Samuel Fuller (1982) 89 mins M
8:40 FALKENAU, THE IMPOSSIBLE Emil Weiss (1988) 52 mins
9:45 THE STEEL HELMET Samuel Fuller (1951) 84 mins
SEPTEMBER 30
7:00 SHOCK CORRIDOR Samuel Fuller (1963) 101 mins M
8:50 HOUSE OF BAMBOO Samuel Fuller (1955) 102 mins
Preceded by Beyond Fuller Barrett & Bruce Hodsdon (1972) 23 mins
OCTOBER 7
7:00 UNDERWORLD U.S.A. Samuel Fuller (1961) 99 mins
8:50 PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET Samuel Fuller (1953) 80 mins PG
10:20 VERBOTEN! Samuel Fuller (1959) 93 mins
OCTOBER 14 MIGRANT EXPERIENCES
Curated by Christos Tsiolkas & Spiro Economopoulos
7:00 AUSTRALIA HAS NO WINTER Sherine Salama & Amos Cohen (1999) 55mins
8:10 WINTER'S HARVEST Brian McKenzie (1979) 38mins
9:10 FLOATING LIFE Clara Law (1996) 95 mins MA 15+
OCT 21 – NOV 4 “FROM A FAR-OFF COUNTRY”: THE ECCENTRIC VOYAGES OF CHRIS MARKER
OCTOBER 21
7:00 BORDER CROSSINGS Chris Marker (1953-63) 106 mins
9:00 SUNLESS Chris Marker (1982) 100 mins
Preceded by Les Astronauts Walerian Borowczyk & Chris Marker (1959) 14 mins
OCTOBER 28
7:00 DESCRIPTION OF A STRUGGLE Chris Marker (1960) 60 mins
Preceded by The Train Rolls On Chris Marker (1971) 32 mins
8:45 IF I HAD FOUR CAMELS Chris Marker (1966) 49 mins
9:45 LETTER FROM SIBERIA Chris Marker (1958) 62 mins
NOVEMBER 4
7:00 À BIENTÔT, J’ESPÈRE Chris Marker & Mario Marret (1968) 43 mins
7:55 A GRIN WITHOUT A CAT Chris Marker (1977/88) 180 mins
NOVEMBER 11–25 THE ROMANTIC WORLD OF FRANK BORZAGE
NOVEMBER 11
7:00 THE MORTAL STORM Frank Borzage (1940) 100 mins
8:50 STREET ANGEL Frank Borzage (1928) 102 mins
Preceded by The Pitch o’ Chance Frank Borzage (1915) 25 mins
NOVEMBER 18
7:00 LAZYBONES Frank Borzage (1925) 80 mins
Preceded by The Pilgrim Frank Borzage (1916) 28 mins
9:00 HISTORY IS MADE AT NIGHT Frank Borzage (1937) 97 mins
Preceded by Nugget Jim’s Pardner Frank Borzage (1916) 20 mins
NOVEMBER 25
7:00 MOONRISE Frank Borzage (1948) 90 mins PG
8:40 UNTIL THEY GET ME Frank Borzage (1917) 58 mins
9:50 THE GUN WOMAN Frank Borzage (1918) 50 mins
DECEMBER 2–16 DISSENT IN THE REVOLUTION: SOVIET CINEMA OF THE 1960s
DECEMBER 2
7:00 ASYA’S HAPPINESS Andrei Konchalovsky (1966) 99 mins
8:50PM THE COMMISSAR Aleksandr Askoldov (1967) 110 mins
DECEMBER 9
7:00 HEAT Larissa Shepitko (1963) 85 mins
8:35 THE STEAMROLLER & THE VIOLIN Andrei Tarkovsky (1961) 46 mins
9:25 WINGS Larissa Shepitko (1966) 85 mins
DECEMBER 16
7:00 THE COLOUR OF POMEGRANATES Sergei Paradjanov (1969) 79 mins
8:30 ANDREI ROUBLEV Andrei Tarkovsky (1966) 165 mins
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Summer Hours
L'heure d'été (Summer Hours, Olivier Assayas, France, 2008)
Sometimes we see a sunset so awe-inspiring, it takes the breath away and one wishes we could bottle it. We know this to be impossible, but then Carlos Reygadas comes along and gives us Silent Light. Similarly, a film occasionally seems to come close to capturing emotions in a rare, almost transcendent way. Like plutonic love in the final scene of Lost in Translation, or grief in Three Colours: Blue.
In Summer Hours, an understated and nuanced family drama, Olivier Assayas has not only crafted a multi-layered and authentic story about generational change, but also captured something magical, something everyday and universal in a very special way.
Summer Hours is a story about family, about secrets, competing expectations, hopes and dreams. It’s about loss, change and disappointment. “All things must pass”, sang George Harrison, a truism that is at the core of the film. Some accept that and others have trouble letting go. The essence that Assayas has bottled is nostalgia, the sadness of the passing of the guard as one generation passes, mixed with the joys and aspirations of a new one.
What happens when a person with memories and possessions accumulated over a lifetime, reaches the end of the road? We can divide things up. Some things are taken by one party, some by another. Some things are lost or given away. In examining the small details of this aspect of life, Assayas demonstrates that he has a keen eye, and authentically depicts how death in a family can variously affect the family members.
The confidence of the direction is apparent, with Assayas refraining from putting into words that which can be conveyed visually. A “less is more” methodology gives the film a satisfying aesthetic, as we are left to discover and ruminate on the little details of the picture Assayas has painted. The cinematography supports this structure, with fluid movements of a roving camera that gives a sense that we are observers within the family.
An example of an unexplained detail is Frédéric (Charles Berling) appearing with a beard for a while. This is not uncommon when someone has died, particularly in Europe. Without words drawing attention to it, some may not notice this detail, and for the observant there are many like this.
The film’s ambiance strongly reflects the title’s suggestion of season. The use of light, scenery and sound all convey a sense of time and place. The sound in particular seems heightened, whether it’s birds singing or the click of a car’s seat belt, and creates an awareness of things occurring inside and outside the camera’s frame.
If the use of artistic items in the film looks authentic, it’s because many of them are genuine pieces provided by Musée d’Orsay, who apparently originally commissioned the film to commemorate the institution’s 20th anniversary. In the story, the family has a history of involvement in art. The film highlights that objects you may admire in a museum case were once everyday objects for people used in often mundane ways.
There’s something about Juliette Binoche – no stranger to films about grief – as a blonde that doesn’t quite work for me. I noticed it in The Flight of the Red Balloon, and I found it a little distracting in this film, too. As a 40-something, she didn’t quite look authentic. Binoche and Jérémie Renier are both fine actors I have high regard for, though Renier, as a 20-something, isn’t completely convincing as a 40-something. Mind you, it’s the film’s marketing, not the film itself that tells us his age, so this is only a minor quibble.
The main character of the film is Berling’s Frédéric, and who is most convincing. It is he who is most disturbed by the compromises to be made for family unity. Through him we understand how one’s visions of the future can collapse, and how grief is not just about what is lost, but also about what can no longer be. Dreams and expectations vanish.
The film is bookended with children playing. Ironically, the start includes a treasure hunt. The ending provides a bridge between past and future. Summer Hours is a very satisfying film, of a quality we don’t see enough of outside of MIFF and the French Film Festival. It doesn’t fit into the gritty milieu of films like say, Private Property or The Child, but nor is it a run-of-the-mill family melodrama. This is serious adult drama that is neither shocking nor challenging, but both entertaining, moving and thought-provoking.
A final point in passing: I shudder to think how much of this film’s subtlety will by spoiled by reviews that deprive the reader of any mystery of the story’s unfolding. My suggestion is just see it, no questions asked.
Summer Hours is screening at the French Film Festival, between 5 and 19 March (in Melbourne) and is being released in cinemas on 2 April.
Sometimes we see a sunset so awe-inspiring, it takes the breath away and one wishes we could bottle it. We know this to be impossible, but then Carlos Reygadas comes along and gives us Silent Light. Similarly, a film occasionally seems to come close to capturing emotions in a rare, almost transcendent way. Like plutonic love in the final scene of Lost in Translation, or grief in Three Colours: Blue.In Summer Hours, an understated and nuanced family drama, Olivier Assayas has not only crafted a multi-layered and authentic story about generational change, but also captured something magical, something everyday and universal in a very special way.
Summer Hours is a story about family, about secrets, competing expectations, hopes and dreams. It’s about loss, change and disappointment. “All things must pass”, sang George Harrison, a truism that is at the core of the film. Some accept that and others have trouble letting go. The essence that Assayas has bottled is nostalgia, the sadness of the passing of the guard as one generation passes, mixed with the joys and aspirations of a new one.
What happens when a person with memories and possessions accumulated over a lifetime, reaches the end of the road? We can divide things up. Some things are taken by one party, some by another. Some things are lost or given away. In examining the small details of this aspect of life, Assayas demonstrates that he has a keen eye, and authentically depicts how death in a family can variously affect the family members.
The confidence of the direction is apparent, with Assayas refraining from putting into words that which can be conveyed visually. A “less is more” methodology gives the film a satisfying aesthetic, as we are left to discover and ruminate on the little details of the picture Assayas has painted. The cinematography supports this structure, with fluid movements of a roving camera that gives a sense that we are observers within the family.
An example of an unexplained detail is Frédéric (Charles Berling) appearing with a beard for a while. This is not uncommon when someone has died, particularly in Europe. Without words drawing attention to it, some may not notice this detail, and for the observant there are many like this.
The film’s ambiance strongly reflects the title’s suggestion of season. The use of light, scenery and sound all convey a sense of time and place. The sound in particular seems heightened, whether it’s birds singing or the click of a car’s seat belt, and creates an awareness of things occurring inside and outside the camera’s frame.
If the use of artistic items in the film looks authentic, it’s because many of them are genuine pieces provided by Musée d’Orsay, who apparently originally commissioned the film to commemorate the institution’s 20th anniversary. In the story, the family has a history of involvement in art. The film highlights that objects you may admire in a museum case were once everyday objects for people used in often mundane ways.
There’s something about Juliette Binoche – no stranger to films about grief – as a blonde that doesn’t quite work for me. I noticed it in The Flight of the Red Balloon, and I found it a little distracting in this film, too. As a 40-something, she didn’t quite look authentic. Binoche and Jérémie Renier are both fine actors I have high regard for, though Renier, as a 20-something, isn’t completely convincing as a 40-something. Mind you, it’s the film’s marketing, not the film itself that tells us his age, so this is only a minor quibble.
The main character of the film is Berling’s Frédéric, and who is most convincing. It is he who is most disturbed by the compromises to be made for family unity. Through him we understand how one’s visions of the future can collapse, and how grief is not just about what is lost, but also about what can no longer be. Dreams and expectations vanish.
The film is bookended with children playing. Ironically, the start includes a treasure hunt. The ending provides a bridge between past and future. Summer Hours is a very satisfying film, of a quality we don’t see enough of outside of MIFF and the French Film Festival. It doesn’t fit into the gritty milieu of films like say, Private Property or The Child, but nor is it a run-of-the-mill family melodrama. This is serious adult drama that is neither shocking nor challenging, but both entertaining, moving and thought-provoking.
A final point in passing: I shudder to think how much of this film’s subtlety will by spoiled by reviews that deprive the reader of any mystery of the story’s unfolding. My suggestion is just see it, no questions asked.
Summer Hours is screening at the French Film Festival, between 5 and 19 March (in Melbourne) and is being released in cinemas on 2 April.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Anyone for an angiogram?
It's amazing what a retinal angiogram will do for your piss.
At the Eye & Ear Hospital today, a tube was stuck in my arm through which yellow dye is injected. Retinal photographs were then taken to track the blood flow in the retinal blood vessels. It seems I may have a mild form of a rare condition, Purtscher's retinopathy, but that's yet to be confirmed.
The retinal photography I was subjected to (by Andrew Newton, a fabulous underwater photographer in his spare time - check out his snaps in the waiting room on level 4) had me seeing everything in brilliant shades of pink as fluorescent as my urine, with shadows in fluoro blue. Damn weird shit (no pun intended).
I did something very silly and rode my motor scooter to my appointment. Check out my pupils. Next time I'll take the taxi; it was a real struggle to get home.
Can you see a slight yellow tinge to my skin? That's the yellow dye. I was warned it could have been much stronger.
On the subject of medical appointments (and believe me, I'm having heaps of these), I was at the Mercy Hospital in East Melbourne for a dawn MRI scan of my shoulder last week when a couple of high-fliers drifted past. I always have a camera with me and grabbed these snaps. Amazingly, both my camera and my mobile phone, in different pockets of my motorcycle jacket, were unscratched in my recent accident.
In case you're not aware, any of the above images can be clicked on to see a larger version.
At the Eye & Ear Hospital today, a tube was stuck in my arm through which yellow dye is injected. Retinal photographs were then taken to track the blood flow in the retinal blood vessels. It seems I may have a mild form of a rare condition, Purtscher's retinopathy, but that's yet to be confirmed.The retinal photography I was subjected to (by Andrew Newton, a fabulous underwater photographer in his spare time - check out his snaps in the waiting room on level 4) had me seeing everything in brilliant shades of pink as fluorescent as my urine, with shadows in fluoro blue. Damn weird shit (no pun intended).
I did something very silly and rode my motor scooter to my appointment. Check out my pupils. Next time I'll take the taxi; it was a real struggle to get home.Can you see a slight yellow tinge to my skin? That's the yellow dye. I was warned it could have been much stronger.
On the subject of medical appointments (and believe me, I'm having heaps of these), I was at the Mercy Hospital in East Melbourne for a dawn MRI scan of my shoulder last week when a couple of high-fliers drifted past. I always have a camera with me and grabbed these snaps. Amazingly, both my camera and my mobile phone, in different pockets of my motorcycle jacket, were unscratched in my recent accident.In case you're not aware, any of the above images can be clicked on to see a larger version.
Dargis on Jerry Lewis
Melbourne Cinémathèque screened Jerry Lewis' directorial debut, The Bellboy, a year or so ago and it instantly became one of my all-time favourite comedies. Reading the notes that I printed out for the screening, written by James Neibaur, I concluded that Lewis is a comic genius. Apparently I'm not alone. Manohla Dargis has published an article about Lewis in the New York Post, in honour of the man who is about to receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. Says Dargis:
Check out these clips:
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Unofficially, this award, like the honorary Oscar, can sometimes be a consolation prize for fading heavyweights who have never won in the regular race. Paul Newman was a six-time loser for best actor when he was given an honorary Oscar in 1986. He didn’t bother to pick his up (and won best actor the next year, for “The Color of Money”). It’s hard to imagine Mr. Lewis, who has never been nominated, giving the academy the brushoff. He needs the applause too much.The article makes for good reading if you have an interest in Jerry Lewis. I grew up in the shadow of his success; his partnerships with Dean Martin screened regularly on Sunday afternoon television during the 60s and 70s. His particularly brand of comedy was, as Dargis calls it, grotesque. Seeing Lewis' restraint in The Bellboy as an adult was a real revelation and reminds me that I need to revisit some of those films of my childhood as well as some of his later works, especially as a director. The Bellboy demonstrates that there was no finer director of his talents than he himself. He is largely silent during the film and the surrealism is an element that has tremendous appeal.
Check out these clips:
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Sunday, February 22, 2009
A Tunnel Between Two Hospitals
In order to determine the cause of a visual impairment I received as a result of my accident, I had a number of scans and a very unpleasant overnight stay in the neurology ward of St. Vincents Hospital. Two MRI scans of my brain couldn't detect the cause, so I was taken over the road to the Eye and Ear Hospital. Actually, I was taken under the road in a wheel-chair, via this tunnel that connects the two hospitals.
Looks a little Kubrick-esque, don't you think? Pardon the picture quality, in particular the camera shake. I was totally at the mercy of my handler, a very sweet Greek lady whose name I don't recall.
Looks a little Kubrick-esque, don't you think? Pardon the picture quality, in particular the camera shake. I was totally at the mercy of my handler, a very sweet Greek lady whose name I don't recall.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
News - various press releases
Australian Human Rights Arts and Film Festival needs volunteers
HRAFF is in need of Melbourne-based volunteers for the next three weeks to help the organisation prepare for the new year so if you have some time spare before you start uni and want to get a bit of experience in a unique arts and cultural festival, then email volunteers@hraff.org.au, with your cv, brief cover letter (no more than 100 words) and the times you would be available between now and 5th March 10:30am - 4pm.
Alternatively, drop by the office Level 6, 225 Bourke St Melbourne 3001 between 10:30am - 4pm.
Tasks will include: film databasing, marketing databasing, grants/funding researching, filing, compiling reports, newsletter editing and designing, recruiting and other administrative assistance.
See also www.facebook.com/n/?inbox/readmessage.php&t=1049325287702&aref=28344613
Closed for Winter
Closed for Winter will Premiere at the Adelaide Film Festival on February 27. The James Bogle-helmed film, starring Natalie Imbruglia and based on Georgia Blain’s acclaimed Australian novel of the same name, will open in cinemas across Australia in April 2009.
Closed for Winter is the emotional and poetic story of Elise, a beautiful young woman haunted by the disappearance of her sister when they were both children. Natalie Imbruglia stars as Elise in a stunning performance in her first leading film role.
“The film is about how we respond to grief and loss. It is about a woman who has been emotionally shut down for 20 years, but a series of events leads her to examine her past and discover the power within herself to recover and heal,” says producer Ben Grant.
Writer and Director James Bogle (In the Winter Dark, The Circuit) said: “Natalie Imbruglia has the serenity, charm and depth of character to play a woman quietly fighting for something more. She possesses a focused, no-nonsense approach to the craft of acting. She has the capacity to see the world in a certain way and there is a lot of compassion that she is feeding back into the world in all sorts of ways, so this film seemed right for her.”
Closed for Winter features extraordinary newcomer Tiahn Green as the young Elise, Danielle Catanzariti (Hey Hey It’s Esther Blueburger), Deborah Kennedy (The Sum of Us, Swimming Upstream), Daniel Frederiksen (Bastard Boys) and Tony Martin (Candy) as the family doctor who may hold the key to the disappearance.
"The impact of any major loss or tragedy when we are young doesn’t go away just because we grow up. Closed for Winter is a powerful story of hope and courage. I am tremendously grateful to Natalie Imbruglia for taking on a very demanding role and delivering such a mature, accomplished performance,” Ben Grant says.
Natalie Imbruglia will attend the Australian premiere in Adelaide.
Animal Kingdom
On February 16, 2009, cameras will start rolling on ANIMAL KINGDOM, one of the most compelling and ambitious feature films to be produced in Australia.
With an all-star ensemble cast including Guy Pearce (THE HURT LOCKER, TRAITOR, MEMENTO), Ben Mendelsohn (AUSTRALIA, THE NEW WORLD), Joel Edgerton (THE SQUARE, KINKY BOOTS, KING ARTHUR), Luke Ford (THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR, THE BLACK BALLOON), veteran star of stage and screen, Jacki Weaver (COSI, CADDIE, THE REMOVALISTS), Sullivan Stapleton (CARLA CAMETTI PD, UNDERBELLY), and sensational newcomers James Frecheville and Laura Wheelwright, ANIMAL KINGDOM is a taut thriller set amidst the explosive world of a family addicted to crime, as experienced through the eyes of a naïve 17 year-old youth who enters their lair. It’s the Wild West, where criminals and police wage their war on the city’s streets, while the innocent suffer the consequences.
Violent, haunting and utterly mesmerizing, ANIMAL KINGDOM is the debut feature of writer/director David Michôd whose previous short films have screened extensively internationally and in Australia, including the multi-award winning CROSSBOW which screened at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, Venice and Melbourne in 2007, and most recently NETHERLAND DWARF, which has just screened in the 2009 Berlin and Sundance Film Festivals. An AFI award-winning writer, Michôd also penned the screenplay for this project.
Liz Watts, of dynamic Sydney-based production company, Porchlight Films, whose previous credits include THE HOME SONG STORIES, LITTLE FISH, JEWBOY and WALKING ON WATER will produce, with additional key crew including cinematographer Adam Arkapaw (JERRYCAN, EDGE OF TOWN) production designer Jo Ford (LAST RIDE, CRACKER BAG) and costume designer Cappi Ireland (BALIBO, THE HOME SONG STORIES).
A Porchlight Films production, ANIMAL KINGDOM is presented by Screen Australia and Porchlight Films, in association with Film Victoria, the NSW Film and Television Office, Showtime Australia and Fulcrum Media Finance. Madman Entertainment in conjunction with Jetty Distribution will distribute throughout Australia and New Zealand and Maximum Films will handle international sales. Filming will take place entirely on location in Melbourne, Australia over seven weeks from 16 February until 3 April 2009. ANIMAL KINGDOM was developed through the NSW Film and Television Office’s Aurora program and post production will be completed in NSW.
ACMI's First Look program
The month of May becomes a celebration of music through film at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image. ACMI's First Look program will showcase four of the freshest musical documentaries by new local and overseas directors.
ACMI Head of Film Programs, Richard Sowada, said of the program; "We've programmed the best of the newest crop of music documentaries from across the world. All of these films debuted in 2008 to critical acclaim and even more extraordinary is that all the directorial talent of these films are all relatively new, and for three of these directors, this is their feature debut. What's more, with two Australian and two Melbourne premieres it is a unique opportunity for ACMI audiences to see these new films on the big screen."
From the Junior Eurovision Song Contest to seminal songwriter Dennis Lambert's revival tour; from serene African beats and vocals to Aussie rock; this special season has something for everyone, capturing the beauty of the music through performance and exploring the lives of the people behind it.
ACMI's First Look music documentary season will run for the entire month of May, with one film showcased each week.
May 2009 Program:
Thursday 30 April - Sunday 3 May 2009
Sounds Like Teen Spirit: A Popumentary Unclassified 15+
Jamie Jay Johnson, 100mins, UK, 2008, Digital Betacam, English, Flemish, Bulgarian, Georgian, Cypriot Greek with English subtitles Source: Beyond Entertainment
Thursday 7 May - Sunday 10 May 2009
Of All the Things Unclassified 15+
Jody Lambert, 83mins, USA, 2008, Digital Betacam, Source: Shot Clock, USA
Thursday 14 May - Sunday 17 May 2009
Youssou N'Dour: I Bring What I Love Unclassified 15+
Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, 102mins, USA, 2008, 35mm, English, French, Wolof, Arabic with English subtitles Source: Madman Entertainment
Thursday 21 May - Sunday 24 May 2009
It's Raining Pleasure Unclassified 15+
Steven Levett, 126mins, Australia, 2008, HDcam, Source: The Project Group Courtesy: Steven Levett
HRAFF is in need of Melbourne-based volunteers for the next three weeks to help the organisation prepare for the new year so if you have some time spare before you start uni and want to get a bit of experience in a unique arts and cultural festival, then email volunteers@hraff.org.au, with your cv, brief cover letter (no more than 100 words) and the times you would be available between now and 5th March 10:30am - 4pm.
Alternatively, drop by the office Level 6, 225 Bourke St Melbourne 3001 between 10:30am - 4pm.
Tasks will include: film databasing, marketing databasing, grants/funding researching, filing, compiling reports, newsletter editing and designing, recruiting and other administrative assistance.
See also www.facebook.com/n/?inbox/readmessage.php&t=1049325287702&aref=28344613
Closed for Winter
Closed for Winter will Premiere at the Adelaide Film Festival on February 27. The James Bogle-helmed film, starring Natalie Imbruglia and based on Georgia Blain’s acclaimed Australian novel of the same name, will open in cinemas across Australia in April 2009.
Closed for Winter is the emotional and poetic story of Elise, a beautiful young woman haunted by the disappearance of her sister when they were both children. Natalie Imbruglia stars as Elise in a stunning performance in her first leading film role.
“The film is about how we respond to grief and loss. It is about a woman who has been emotionally shut down for 20 years, but a series of events leads her to examine her past and discover the power within herself to recover and heal,” says producer Ben Grant.
Writer and Director James Bogle (In the Winter Dark, The Circuit) said: “Natalie Imbruglia has the serenity, charm and depth of character to play a woman quietly fighting for something more. She possesses a focused, no-nonsense approach to the craft of acting. She has the capacity to see the world in a certain way and there is a lot of compassion that she is feeding back into the world in all sorts of ways, so this film seemed right for her.”
Closed for Winter features extraordinary newcomer Tiahn Green as the young Elise, Danielle Catanzariti (Hey Hey It’s Esther Blueburger), Deborah Kennedy (The Sum of Us, Swimming Upstream), Daniel Frederiksen (Bastard Boys) and Tony Martin (Candy) as the family doctor who may hold the key to the disappearance.
"The impact of any major loss or tragedy when we are young doesn’t go away just because we grow up. Closed for Winter is a powerful story of hope and courage. I am tremendously grateful to Natalie Imbruglia for taking on a very demanding role and delivering such a mature, accomplished performance,” Ben Grant says.
Natalie Imbruglia will attend the Australian premiere in Adelaide.
Animal Kingdom
On February 16, 2009, cameras will start rolling on ANIMAL KINGDOM, one of the most compelling and ambitious feature films to be produced in Australia.
With an all-star ensemble cast including Guy Pearce (THE HURT LOCKER, TRAITOR, MEMENTO), Ben Mendelsohn (AUSTRALIA, THE NEW WORLD), Joel Edgerton (THE SQUARE, KINKY BOOTS, KING ARTHUR), Luke Ford (THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR, THE BLACK BALLOON), veteran star of stage and screen, Jacki Weaver (COSI, CADDIE, THE REMOVALISTS), Sullivan Stapleton (CARLA CAMETTI PD, UNDERBELLY), and sensational newcomers James Frecheville and Laura Wheelwright, ANIMAL KINGDOM is a taut thriller set amidst the explosive world of a family addicted to crime, as experienced through the eyes of a naïve 17 year-old youth who enters their lair. It’s the Wild West, where criminals and police wage their war on the city’s streets, while the innocent suffer the consequences.
Violent, haunting and utterly mesmerizing, ANIMAL KINGDOM is the debut feature of writer/director David Michôd whose previous short films have screened extensively internationally and in Australia, including the multi-award winning CROSSBOW which screened at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, Venice and Melbourne in 2007, and most recently NETHERLAND DWARF, which has just screened in the 2009 Berlin and Sundance Film Festivals. An AFI award-winning writer, Michôd also penned the screenplay for this project.
Liz Watts, of dynamic Sydney-based production company, Porchlight Films, whose previous credits include THE HOME SONG STORIES, LITTLE FISH, JEWBOY and WALKING ON WATER will produce, with additional key crew including cinematographer Adam Arkapaw (JERRYCAN, EDGE OF TOWN) production designer Jo Ford (LAST RIDE, CRACKER BAG) and costume designer Cappi Ireland (BALIBO, THE HOME SONG STORIES).
A Porchlight Films production, ANIMAL KINGDOM is presented by Screen Australia and Porchlight Films, in association with Film Victoria, the NSW Film and Television Office, Showtime Australia and Fulcrum Media Finance. Madman Entertainment in conjunction with Jetty Distribution will distribute throughout Australia and New Zealand and Maximum Films will handle international sales. Filming will take place entirely on location in Melbourne, Australia over seven weeks from 16 February until 3 April 2009. ANIMAL KINGDOM was developed through the NSW Film and Television Office’s Aurora program and post production will be completed in NSW.
ACMI's First Look program
The month of May becomes a celebration of music through film at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image. ACMI's First Look program will showcase four of the freshest musical documentaries by new local and overseas directors.
ACMI Head of Film Programs, Richard Sowada, said of the program; "We've programmed the best of the newest crop of music documentaries from across the world. All of these films debuted in 2008 to critical acclaim and even more extraordinary is that all the directorial talent of these films are all relatively new, and for three of these directors, this is their feature debut. What's more, with two Australian and two Melbourne premieres it is a unique opportunity for ACMI audiences to see these new films on the big screen."
From the Junior Eurovision Song Contest to seminal songwriter Dennis Lambert's revival tour; from serene African beats and vocals to Aussie rock; this special season has something for everyone, capturing the beauty of the music through performance and exploring the lives of the people behind it.
ACMI's First Look music documentary season will run for the entire month of May, with one film showcased each week.
May 2009 Program:
Thursday 30 April - Sunday 3 May 2009
Sounds Like Teen Spirit: A Popumentary Unclassified 15+
Jamie Jay Johnson, 100mins, UK, 2008, Digital Betacam, English, Flemish, Bulgarian, Georgian, Cypriot Greek with English subtitles Source: Beyond Entertainment
Thursday 7 May - Sunday 10 May 2009
Of All the Things Unclassified 15+
Jody Lambert, 83mins, USA, 2008, Digital Betacam, Source: Shot Clock, USA
Thursday 14 May - Sunday 17 May 2009
Youssou N'Dour: I Bring What I Love Unclassified 15+
Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, 102mins, USA, 2008, 35mm, English, French, Wolof, Arabic with English subtitles Source: Madman Entertainment
Thursday 21 May - Sunday 24 May 2009
It's Raining Pleasure Unclassified 15+
Steven Levett, 126mins, Australia, 2008, HDcam, Source: The Project Group Courtesy: Steven Levett
Upcoming events
Jeez, the weeks are just flashing past. It's been nearly six weeks since my accident. It's taking longer to recover than I initially expected and the medical appointments are never-ending. I intend to continue the story of my brush with death but for now, I'll just mention that today I put a deposit on a motorcycle, the same model as the one that was written off that day. It'll be a couple of weeks or so until I receive it, but I'm in no condition to ride it just now anyway.
There's so much going on cinema-wise and I thought I'd just summarise those that I find worth mentioning.
There's so much going on cinema-wise and I thought I'd just summarise those that I find worth mentioning.
- Cinema releases: if you haven't seen them, I highly recommend The Wrestler, Revolutionary Road, Gran Torino, Frozen River and Milk.
- Melbourne Cinémathèque: this week's screenings (Wed 7pm) are The River (Jean Renoir, France/India/USA, 1951) and Black Narcissus (Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger, UK, 1947). March 4 - 18 sees a season of Ingmar Bergman films including The Seventh Seal, The Silence, Fanny & Alexander, Smiles of a Summer Night and Winter Light.
- ACMI's Focus on Dante Ferretti started this week and continues until next Sunday with an array of films that feature the production designs of Ferretti. Films include Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, The Age of Innocence, The Aviator, The Decameron, The Black Dahlia, Interview with the Vampire, Tales of Ordinary Madness, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Casino, La nuit de varennes and The Name of the Rose.
- The Melbourne Latin American Film Festival, presented by Melbourne Filmoteca, screens at ACMI from Thursday 26 February to Monday 2 March.
- The French Film Festival, my favourite festival outside of MIFF, presented by Alliance Française (where I am in my second year of studying French), screens at Palace Como, Kino, Westgarth and Balwyn. I'll have a separate post on what's on offer, but for now, I can highly recommend A Christmas Tale, Lady Jane, Summer Hours and Public Enemy Number 1.
- ACMI screenings of JCVD and The Matador.
- ACMI's Dior on Film, screening from Thursday 12 - Friday 20 March.
- The Melbourne Queer Film Festival screens at ACMI from Thursday 19 - Sunday 29 March.
- La Mirada: Jewels of Spanish Cinema, unequivocally the best film festival in Melbourne for ambiance, organisation and spirit (mostly due to the passionate enthusiasm of festival director Rocio Garcia), screens at ACMI from Thursday 2 - Sunday 12 April.
- I know this is a long lead time, but ACMI is presenting in November 2009 through to February 2010 Dennis Hopper and the New Hollywood, "an expansive exhibition showcasing an extraordinary man’s life’s work, his collaborations and personal art collection, and an amazing insight into a formative era of Hollywood". No doubt there will be a Focus on Dennis Hopper, which I look forward to.
Josh Jarman
Josh Jarman (Pip Mushin, Australia, 2004)
I love ACMI's Australian Perspectives series, screening Australian films most Saturday afternoons at 4pm. Today, a little known gem, Josh Jarman, was co-presented by AFCA, the Australian Film Critics Association. As an AFCA member, I got in for free, but I also brought along the family and we all enjoyed the screening. Mind you, ticket prices are all a very low $8, close to the best value cinema in town. Australian audiences seem to have a reluctance supporting local films but these ACMI selections really are worth checking out and I highly recommend them. That some of them are accompanied by Q&A's with those involved in the films is an added bonus.
The film was written, directed and co-produced by Pip Mushin, who I recognised as an actor from one of my favourite Australian series of all time, Frontline. It's about a struggling playwright, Josh Jarman (played against type by Marcus Graham), who finally hits the big time, but at a cost. With obvious parallels to the film industry, the film has a strong underlying truth and uses humour to good effect. It had the potential to appeal to a broad audience but unfortunately, was released in only twelve cinemas Australia-wide.
The film has a strong line-up of support actors, including Kim Gyngell as Stan Billows, the unprincipled theatre producer, and two spunky performances from Kestie Morassi (as Stan's daughter Sasha and Josh's girlfriend) and Daniella Farinacci (as Maxine, Josh's neighbour). The film works well as a satire, critiquing the quandary of being a struggling artist and what it takes to get so-called success. It also works well as a story in its own right, with the situations that the eponymous character finds himself in, largely concerned with sex. My eight-year old son asked me during the film, "what's an orgasm"? I told him later.
The Q&A panel included Pip Mushin, Marcus Graham, co-producer Eva Orner via phone link-up from Los Angeles and, from AFCA, Peter Krausz and Greg King. As well as discussing how the film got made and other background info, it was discussed in the context of the struggles of getting Australian films made, a pet subject of mine at these Q&A events. The turnout wasn't huge, but the questions just kept coming and in the end, we went over-time and had to be cut short.
See also, film notes by the director.
ACMI's Australian Perspectives are curated by James Nolen. Upcoming screenings include John Hillcoat's The Proposition on 28 February, Baz Luhrmann's Australia on 7 March and Jasmin Tarasin's Flight of the Obüs Bird - Winter 2009 on 14 March.
I love ACMI's Australian Perspectives series, screening Australian films most Saturday afternoons at 4pm. Today, a little known gem, Josh Jarman, was co-presented by AFCA, the Australian Film Critics Association. As an AFCA member, I got in for free, but I also brought along the family and we all enjoyed the screening. Mind you, ticket prices are all a very low $8, close to the best value cinema in town. Australian audiences seem to have a reluctance supporting local films but these ACMI selections really are worth checking out and I highly recommend them. That some of them are accompanied by Q&A's with those involved in the films is an added bonus.The film was written, directed and co-produced by Pip Mushin, who I recognised as an actor from one of my favourite Australian series of all time, Frontline. It's about a struggling playwright, Josh Jarman (played against type by Marcus Graham), who finally hits the big time, but at a cost. With obvious parallels to the film industry, the film has a strong underlying truth and uses humour to good effect. It had the potential to appeal to a broad audience but unfortunately, was released in only twelve cinemas Australia-wide.
The film has a strong line-up of support actors, including Kim Gyngell as Stan Billows, the unprincipled theatre producer, and two spunky performances from Kestie Morassi (as Stan's daughter Sasha and Josh's girlfriend) and Daniella Farinacci (as Maxine, Josh's neighbour). The film works well as a satire, critiquing the quandary of being a struggling artist and what it takes to get so-called success. It also works well as a story in its own right, with the situations that the eponymous character finds himself in, largely concerned with sex. My eight-year old son asked me during the film, "what's an orgasm"? I told him later.
The Q&A panel included Pip Mushin, Marcus Graham, co-producer Eva Orner via phone link-up from Los Angeles and, from AFCA, Peter Krausz and Greg King. As well as discussing how the film got made and other background info, it was discussed in the context of the struggles of getting Australian films made, a pet subject of mine at these Q&A events. The turnout wasn't huge, but the questions just kept coming and in the end, we went over-time and had to be cut short.
See also, film notes by the director.
ACMI's Australian Perspectives are curated by James Nolen. Upcoming screenings include John Hillcoat's The Proposition on 28 February, Baz Luhrmann's Australia on 7 March and Jasmin Tarasin's Flight of the Obüs Bird - Winter 2009 on 14 March.
Saturday, February 07, 2009
A Change of Plans - pt.2
Part one of my story describes my first day's return to work after the Christmas break, and how I had a sudden change of plans. Riding my motorbike and a mere 200 metres from my destination, a van driver changed into my lane without looking and without indicating.
This instalment, posted on a record hot day for Melbourne (so far it's reached 46.4 degrees Celsius, beating the 1939 record of 45.6), describes my thoughts from when the ambulances arrived until I arrived at St. Vincents Hospital, a few city blocks away.
Lying there contemplating the closeness of death, I didn’t feel it to be terrifying. We all have to die, and mostly we don’t know when. When it’s time to go, who are we to say “no”? We can go kicking and screaming or we can go in peace. I felt something approximating the latter. But was it time?
There’s a saying, “if god wants to save me, no-one can harm me and if god wants to kill me, no-one can save me”. What is death? Is it god coming to take us away? Is it transmigration of the soul, reincarnation, the passage to the next life? Or is it merely the end, from dust thou hast come and from dust thou shalt return? Whatever it is, it felt close, verily breathing down my neck, but my time had not yet come. By all reckoning, I could have kicked the bucket, but like so many times before, I had been spared to live another day. There must be some reason to my existence after all. There is something else I must learn in this life before I move on.
It gave me some comfort and satisfaction to know that twenty minutes earlier, I had walked into my son’s bedroom and roused him from his slumber with a kiss goodbye. Then I did the same with the missus who, as a school teacher, was also on holidays. As I did so, it crossed my mind that one never knows when this will be the last time. Lovers sometimes quarrel – and I’m thinking of the missus – and leave the house in anger. How much unnecessary anguish this must cause when one’s love never returns due to some unfortunate mishap.
The paramedics were all around me, how many I don’t know. The standard questions were asked of me to verify my state. What’s your name? What’s the date? The year? Do you know where you are? Do you know what happened? I was able to answer all of them lucidly without hesitation. I controlled my natural tendency to joke as I was keen to co-operate and not make their job any harder. I felt for these poor guys who have to attend incidents like this. However, I did make an occasional crack to lighten the atmosphere, and perhaps allay their concerns, something I think I’d be doing even if my head was hanging off my shoulders by a thread.
My vision was impaired somewhat as I was seeing stars. I could see, but particulars like facial details were unclear. And whenever I closed my eyes, that drab, orange colour was there. Assessments were being made of my state. My own analysis was repeated when requested, moving limbs, fingers and toes. A hand reached down my back, and yes, I felt pain on some of my vertebrae, but it didn’t seem severe. My back and neck were stiff more than painful, though that’s not necessarily a good sign.
Consideration was given to cutting my protective jacket off as my very painful right arm could not be viewed and the jacket could not be removed until back injury had been ruled out. I said I’d prefer they didn’t cut it as it’s an $800 item and I suppose that because of the movement I’d demonstrated, the decision was made to wait until hospital. I’d offered to allow my protective pants to be removed, and joked about walking around nude at home but the paramedic said he didn’t want to do that in the street in front of all these people. He’d do that in the ambulance.
I was still largely immobile and the paramedics certainly didn’t want me to move. A neck brace was called for and it took four people to roll me into it. I was then part-rolled, part-lifted onto what felt like a tray and then lifted onto the ambulance trolley. There must have been three or four lifting me while one supported my neck. It was all so surreal – it was happening to me, that which we never really imagine. Or we may try to imagine, but can't.
My cinematic mind raced for the small digital camera in my jacket pocket that I always have with me, but it would have taken extraordinary effort that I wasn’t prepared to exert. I surrendered to my imposed impotence. I lay there in wonder as I was helplessly moved about from street to trolley and into the ambulance as if I was watching a film. Damn, I wish I could have filmed that.
The paramedic in the ambulance introduced himself. I suppose it’s reassuring to a traumatised patient to be able to put a name to a complete stranger who is taking charge of one’s life. Don’t expect that I could recollect his name; this was a routine that repeated itself several times as my care was passed from one to another to another during the day.
While in the ambulance, and with the back door still open, I was asked how the accident occurred. I presume this must have been a police officer but, though I suspect the police had assisted the paramedics in lifting me, I never made out a police uniform that morning at all. I described that I was doing 40-50 kph in the left lane while a slower moving van in the centre lane changed lanes into mine without looking or indicating, that I lost control when my bike clipped the front of his van and the last thing I saw was a number of street signs coming towards me. I presume other information was gleaned from witnesses, because that’s all I was ever asked.
When the Chubb Security guy, mentioned in pt.1, had described the pedestrian bleeding to the 000 operator on his mobile, I was both shocked and saddened to know that others were involved. I even felt more concerned about him than myself. For some time, I was confused by what I had heard and wrongly thought there might have been two of them.
Having ascertained that I was still in one piece, I was worried that this other person was more seriously injured than I (I’ve since learned his name is Robert). I, after all, have the best of high-tech protective gear on – from head to feet, nearly $3,000 worth. A quarter-tonne of metal running wild up a peak-hour city footpath could do a lot of collateral damage to someone on their way to work.
When I got my first motorcycle, a motor scooter in fact, I decided that I would only do so with proper gear. I know that many baulk at the cost, but I didn’t consider it an extra financial burden but rather, an intrinsic part of the cost of purchasing the vehicle. I mean, it’s not as if we separate the cost of seat belts and air-bags in a car. One of the first things the paramedic mentioned to me as the ambulance took off was how many scooter riders he’s had to treat with unnecessary injuries because they weren’t wearing appropriate gear. I wasn’t surprised; you see these guys everywhere, in business attire, singlet, shorts and thongs, even once I saw a woman in a black dress and stilettos. That’s fucking insane!
I didn’t know it for some days, but Robert was lying on the ground quite close to me. When I was later told by staff at St. Vincents Hospital that he would be OK, I suspected this was just to reassure me. It was only when I spoke to the attending police officer nearly a week later that this was confirmed. Robert received stitches to his head and leg and has two cracked vertebrae, but would fully recover.
In the ambulance, and before that as well, I was worried how I was going to break this to the missus without her going hysterical. Should I call her? Or should someone official do it? How do you deal with this?
By this time, I’d ascertained that I was well and truly alive, nothing seemed broken and thus, I should be OK. Despite the pain, I couldn’t see any of my injuries and I had yet to see the condition of my clothing, which would come several hours later. Remember, I’m on my back and in a neck brace.
I suppose I’m a stickler for organisation and everything in my motorcycle jacket is in a particular place. My new Nokia 6600 mobile phone was fairly easily accessed from my upper pocket and I pulled it out. Geez, I love it’s small size. My first call was to my boss. It must have sounded strange to him, having me call him up to say I’ve been in an accident, I’m OK, but won’t be in for the rest of the week. What must he have thought, me saying it so cool and casually? But I couldn’t call the missus just yet. I didn’t want her to see me all incapacitated. It’d have to wait until I got to hospital. I just lay there with the phone snug in my clutched hands in case I wanted to use it again.
I felt special when I arrived at St. Vincents – it must have been my shortest wait in a hospital ever. It’s reassuring to know that emergency patients don’t have the same wait as the general plebs. Mind you, I had lots of waiting to come, but more on that later. Waiting is part of the trauma of the hospital experience, and there’s something seriously wrong with the systems in place.
To be continued.
This instalment, posted on a record hot day for Melbourne (so far it's reached 46.4 degrees Celsius, beating the 1939 record of 45.6), describes my thoughts from when the ambulances arrived until I arrived at St. Vincents Hospital, a few city blocks away.
Lying there contemplating the closeness of death, I didn’t feel it to be terrifying. We all have to die, and mostly we don’t know when. When it’s time to go, who are we to say “no”? We can go kicking and screaming or we can go in peace. I felt something approximating the latter. But was it time?
There’s a saying, “if god wants to save me, no-one can harm me and if god wants to kill me, no-one can save me”. What is death? Is it god coming to take us away? Is it transmigration of the soul, reincarnation, the passage to the next life? Or is it merely the end, from dust thou hast come and from dust thou shalt return? Whatever it is, it felt close, verily breathing down my neck, but my time had not yet come. By all reckoning, I could have kicked the bucket, but like so many times before, I had been spared to live another day. There must be some reason to my existence after all. There is something else I must learn in this life before I move on.
It gave me some comfort and satisfaction to know that twenty minutes earlier, I had walked into my son’s bedroom and roused him from his slumber with a kiss goodbye. Then I did the same with the missus who, as a school teacher, was also on holidays. As I did so, it crossed my mind that one never knows when this will be the last time. Lovers sometimes quarrel – and I’m thinking of the missus – and leave the house in anger. How much unnecessary anguish this must cause when one’s love never returns due to some unfortunate mishap.
The paramedics were all around me, how many I don’t know. The standard questions were asked of me to verify my state. What’s your name? What’s the date? The year? Do you know where you are? Do you know what happened? I was able to answer all of them lucidly without hesitation. I controlled my natural tendency to joke as I was keen to co-operate and not make their job any harder. I felt for these poor guys who have to attend incidents like this. However, I did make an occasional crack to lighten the atmosphere, and perhaps allay their concerns, something I think I’d be doing even if my head was hanging off my shoulders by a thread.
My vision was impaired somewhat as I was seeing stars. I could see, but particulars like facial details were unclear. And whenever I closed my eyes, that drab, orange colour was there. Assessments were being made of my state. My own analysis was repeated when requested, moving limbs, fingers and toes. A hand reached down my back, and yes, I felt pain on some of my vertebrae, but it didn’t seem severe. My back and neck were stiff more than painful, though that’s not necessarily a good sign.
Consideration was given to cutting my protective jacket off as my very painful right arm could not be viewed and the jacket could not be removed until back injury had been ruled out. I said I’d prefer they didn’t cut it as it’s an $800 item and I suppose that because of the movement I’d demonstrated, the decision was made to wait until hospital. I’d offered to allow my protective pants to be removed, and joked about walking around nude at home but the paramedic said he didn’t want to do that in the street in front of all these people. He’d do that in the ambulance.
I was still largely immobile and the paramedics certainly didn’t want me to move. A neck brace was called for and it took four people to roll me into it. I was then part-rolled, part-lifted onto what felt like a tray and then lifted onto the ambulance trolley. There must have been three or four lifting me while one supported my neck. It was all so surreal – it was happening to me, that which we never really imagine. Or we may try to imagine, but can't.
My cinematic mind raced for the small digital camera in my jacket pocket that I always have with me, but it would have taken extraordinary effort that I wasn’t prepared to exert. I surrendered to my imposed impotence. I lay there in wonder as I was helplessly moved about from street to trolley and into the ambulance as if I was watching a film. Damn, I wish I could have filmed that.
The paramedic in the ambulance introduced himself. I suppose it’s reassuring to a traumatised patient to be able to put a name to a complete stranger who is taking charge of one’s life. Don’t expect that I could recollect his name; this was a routine that repeated itself several times as my care was passed from one to another to another during the day.
While in the ambulance, and with the back door still open, I was asked how the accident occurred. I presume this must have been a police officer but, though I suspect the police had assisted the paramedics in lifting me, I never made out a police uniform that morning at all. I described that I was doing 40-50 kph in the left lane while a slower moving van in the centre lane changed lanes into mine without looking or indicating, that I lost control when my bike clipped the front of his van and the last thing I saw was a number of street signs coming towards me. I presume other information was gleaned from witnesses, because that’s all I was ever asked.
When the Chubb Security guy, mentioned in pt.1, had described the pedestrian bleeding to the 000 operator on his mobile, I was both shocked and saddened to know that others were involved. I even felt more concerned about him than myself. For some time, I was confused by what I had heard and wrongly thought there might have been two of them.
Having ascertained that I was still in one piece, I was worried that this other person was more seriously injured than I (I’ve since learned his name is Robert). I, after all, have the best of high-tech protective gear on – from head to feet, nearly $3,000 worth. A quarter-tonne of metal running wild up a peak-hour city footpath could do a lot of collateral damage to someone on their way to work.
When I got my first motorcycle, a motor scooter in fact, I decided that I would only do so with proper gear. I know that many baulk at the cost, but I didn’t consider it an extra financial burden but rather, an intrinsic part of the cost of purchasing the vehicle. I mean, it’s not as if we separate the cost of seat belts and air-bags in a car. One of the first things the paramedic mentioned to me as the ambulance took off was how many scooter riders he’s had to treat with unnecessary injuries because they weren’t wearing appropriate gear. I wasn’t surprised; you see these guys everywhere, in business attire, singlet, shorts and thongs, even once I saw a woman in a black dress and stilettos. That’s fucking insane!
I didn’t know it for some days, but Robert was lying on the ground quite close to me. When I was later told by staff at St. Vincents Hospital that he would be OK, I suspected this was just to reassure me. It was only when I spoke to the attending police officer nearly a week later that this was confirmed. Robert received stitches to his head and leg and has two cracked vertebrae, but would fully recover.
In the ambulance, and before that as well, I was worried how I was going to break this to the missus without her going hysterical. Should I call her? Or should someone official do it? How do you deal with this?
By this time, I’d ascertained that I was well and truly alive, nothing seemed broken and thus, I should be OK. Despite the pain, I couldn’t see any of my injuries and I had yet to see the condition of my clothing, which would come several hours later. Remember, I’m on my back and in a neck brace.
I suppose I’m a stickler for organisation and everything in my motorcycle jacket is in a particular place. My new Nokia 6600 mobile phone was fairly easily accessed from my upper pocket and I pulled it out. Geez, I love it’s small size. My first call was to my boss. It must have sounded strange to him, having me call him up to say I’ve been in an accident, I’m OK, but won’t be in for the rest of the week. What must he have thought, me saying it so cool and casually? But I couldn’t call the missus just yet. I didn’t want her to see me all incapacitated. It’d have to wait until I got to hospital. I just lay there with the phone snug in my clutched hands in case I wanted to use it again.
I felt special when I arrived at St. Vincents – it must have been my shortest wait in a hospital ever. It’s reassuring to know that emergency patients don’t have the same wait as the general plebs. Mind you, I had lots of waiting to come, but more on that later. Waiting is part of the trauma of the hospital experience, and there’s something seriously wrong with the systems in place.
To be continued.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Melbourne Cinémathèque 2009
For those who are interested, Melbourne Cinémathèque's website is now live for the 2009 season and the full program is up. The full-size calendars are now available from ACMI and the season opens next Wednesday with Nicholas Ray's Bigger Than LifeSome and Vincente Minnelli's Some Came Running.
Feb 11
7:00pm
Bigger Than Life (Nicholas Ray, USA, 1955) 95 mins
A terminally ill schoolteacher (James Mason) is prescribed a wonder drug, becomes hooked & descends into a paranoid nightmare. Based on then current scientific research, Ray’s expose of middle-class American values (the family, education, religion, individual freedom) is one of the great ‘50s melodramas, a profoundly disturbing portrayal of the madness & zealotry lurking just beneath the surface of ordinary suburban life. With Barbara Rush & Walter Matthau. 35mm print courtesy of the BFI.
8:45pm
Some Came Running (Vincente Minnelli, USA, 1958) 136 mins
Sensitive & visually dynamic ‘scope adaptation of James Jones’ (The Thin Red Line, From Here to Eternity) novel about small Midwestern town life after WWII. The characters (the disillusioned writer & the floozy with a heart of gold) are archetypal “soap” figures but Minnelli’s stylistic flamboyance, inspired by the inside of a jukebox, fashions this material into his best romantic film, marked by an intensely anguished tour de force climax. Stars Rat Packers Frank Sinatra, Shirley MacLaine & Dean Martin. Music by Elmer Bernstein. 35mm print courtesy of the BFI.
Feb 11
7:00pm
Bigger Than Life (Nicholas Ray, USA, 1955) 95 mins
A terminally ill schoolteacher (James Mason) is prescribed a wonder drug, becomes hooked & descends into a paranoid nightmare. Based on then current scientific research, Ray’s expose of middle-class American values (the family, education, religion, individual freedom) is one of the great ‘50s melodramas, a profoundly disturbing portrayal of the madness & zealotry lurking just beneath the surface of ordinary suburban life. With Barbara Rush & Walter Matthau. 35mm print courtesy of the BFI.
8:45pm
Some Came Running (Vincente Minnelli, USA, 1958) 136 mins
Sensitive & visually dynamic ‘scope adaptation of James Jones’ (The Thin Red Line, From Here to Eternity) novel about small Midwestern town life after WWII. The characters (the disillusioned writer & the floozy with a heart of gold) are archetypal “soap” figures but Minnelli’s stylistic flamboyance, inspired by the inside of a jukebox, fashions this material into his best romantic film, marked by an intensely anguished tour de force climax. Stars Rat Packers Frank Sinatra, Shirley MacLaine & Dean Martin. Music by Elmer Bernstein. 35mm print courtesy of the BFI.
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