One of the highlights of SensesofCinema is the virtual library of film directors from many different genres. I chose this site based on Nelson Kims excellent interview of fellow director Charles Burnett. The general tone of the director write-ups is positive which is good since the profession of directing itself is a hit and miss proposition. After having read several bios one of my favorites is John Carpenter. He is best known for his horror and sci-fi films but doesn't work in these genres exclusively. Assault on Precinct 13 would be a notable exception that was redone recently. Carpenter is considered by many to be low-brow but his use of sound in a minimalist way always impressed me. Many of the scenes in his films are accompanied by a single note played on a synthesizer that is very effective in enhancing the action onscreen. The sound is similar to that produced by drone instruments such as the tambura used in India. His do it yourself approach gives his films a certain continuity that has spanned several decades. Carpenter may be be best known for his Halloween series but many of his films, such as Escape From New York and The Thing have stood the test of time and become classics of their respective genres.
Like John Carpenter, George Romero chose to work within the limited scope of genre films and is best known as the director of Night of the Living Dead. He's been an inspiration to many filmmakers looking to get a start by doing genre films, in his case horror. Romero has had some success since Night of the Living Dead such as Monkey Shines but it would be hard to measure up to his first effort. It would be hard to say what the horror genre would be like today if it wasn't for Romero.
Sensesofcinema is also a resource of information on festivals in various regions and also has a number of articles on different subjects. The site also includes a section on book reviews. Nevertheless, the main focus of sensesofcinema is on directors, but used along with other sites it can be a valuable tool for any student or fan of cinema. One aspect of the site that I like in particular is that most of writers of the director bios' avoid a Freudian type of analysis of the directors work. In the future I will be spending more time reading articles and keeping up with reports of festivals and other activities.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Steve - thanks for the overview of John Carpenter's work - and the appreciative comment on his selectively spare use of sound. I can't say I know his work that well though I always thought there was a great deal to like in "Christine" and admire the leanness of his "Assault on Precint 13" very much. (On what scale are, or, how do you mean that "Escape from New York" and "The Thing" are classics?) (And weird - we were just talking about "Escape from L.A. in the equipment room.)
I digress...
Help me out: I am not sure what articles you have read from Senses of Cinema? Or which two? You do offer a sufficient report on the site, but it feels like a site summary without offering comment on specific articles. You do drop the name of Nelson Kims, but confused: you read several bios of John Carpenter on the Senses of Cinema site? What articles did you specifically grapple with?
Also - have you found that Freudian analysis is an issue in a lot of directors' bios? Do you run into that a lot?
Steve, you show a facility and/or willingness to talk about specific issues and to relate them to your won thoughts and ideas. Next time, just direct your attention and your focus to engaging with a specific article.
Post a Comment