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URBAN VISIONS is an urban odyssey experienced through 11 short episodes. This compilation on DVD brings together experimental films from young and undiscovered artists from London, Paris, New York, Helsinki, Milan and other international urban centers. What all of these films have in common is the search for a new visual language in sync the rhythm of the city.
Further Information:
Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese
| Catalog Number: MC-176 |
Type: Shorts Compilation |
Genre: Mixed Genre, Modern Culture |
| Copyright: 2003 |
Length: 91 minutes |
Format:
DVD Region: 0 (All) |
| TV System: NTSC |
ISBN: |
UPC: 3760073440024 |
| Label: |
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Films In Compilation
Push directed by
Gorka
Aguado
Spain,
Experimental,
2001,
DV,
Color,
Magnetic Stereo,
00:14:23
On/Off, On/Off, On/Off – this is the urban rhythm of PUSH by the Spanish film-maker Gorka Aguado. Through the use of switches, buttons, and handles from ordinary objects like microwaves, stereos, cars, doors, and toilets, Gorka has succeeded in choreographing a mechanical dance of daily routines. The different forms, textures, and colors are superimposed to reveal the richness and variety of these objects that almost unconsciously make up our daily lives.
PUSH aims to make us think about the complexity behind each of the pots and switches that appear onto our screen. These seemingly simple devices in constant sync with our daily motions are mere portals into vast systems of mechanical production all linked together. Regardless of their innocent appearance, these tools of modern technology function only after human intervention, a pre-established design, which in turn puts man in the same place as machines.
For Gorka, the use of these buttons and switches are not limited to a visual performance but include the elements of sound and rythm. As a result of pushing doors, setting off machines, and flushing toilets, Gorka has created a musical soundtrack made up of mechanical noise and electronic pulses.
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One Last Thing directed by
Hilton
Earl
United Kingdom,
Narrative,
2001,
16mm,
Color,
Magnetic Stereo,
00:05:17
A night in London accompanied by a free jazz solo.
Hilton Earl’s camera follows the late-night walk of one of its habitants that shares with us his love of London, its ambiance, its frivolity, and its people. He observes. Then he observes himself and confides in us his questions on the meaning of life.
Isn’t life but a moment, unique amongst others, a pause between other moments, a moment like no other with death as an inevitability?
This film, in 16 mm, is Hilton Earl’s first in which he succeeds in brushing in a lot of style and poetry.
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Fausse Solitude directed by
Pierre-Yves
Cruaud
France,
Experimental,
2000,
mini DV,
Color,
Magnetic Stereo,
00:05:40
Who has never felt lost in a crowd? Who has never questioned their own identity through the anonymity of the city streets? In FAUSSE SOLITUDE Pierre-Yves Cruaud lets himself go in an urban merry-go-round until he reaches dizziness. With the camera fixed on the image of his face, he pulls us into his solitude.
Accompanied by electronic noises created by the film-maker himself, the different urban images are presented as a circular wall surrounding Pierre-Yves, faster and faster, to give us a feel for the crushing pressure of speed that is part of every modern city. The film is almost a physical phenomenon in itself as the pain and stress of the fast-paced reality of urban life seems to be inescapable
Pierre-Yves presents FAUSSE SOLITUDE as an experimental digital creation as a personal portrait of his city, Paris. The eventual suffocation that we feel as a result of watching his film is in stark contrast with the image that we have of Paris as the city of romance.
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Der Letzte Flug directed by
Lombardi
Clan
Germany,
Narrative,
1999,
16mm,
Color,
Magnetic Stereo,
00:11:00
From the beginning the Lombardi-Clan had the intent of adapting a real story to film with DER LETZTE FLUG (THE LAST FLIGHT) as its result. “Please come to 8 Richter Stein Street. Someone tried to climb onto the balcony and fell. “ The drama of this story is given away at the very beginning of the film. In an apartment building in Nuremberg, Germany, a night amongst four young adults has just begun.
Talk, laughter, and a few intravenous shots to escape and fly towards another place. But one amongst them seems to have not returned from his trip. The jury speaks: His heart is no longer beating, the dose seems to have been fatal. What are they to do now? How should they get rid of the body? A solution is found, make him fly, but the landing turns out to be not so soft for those left behind.
According to the film-makers they chose this story because it was a perfect illustration of what can happen at any time in any big city. They have adapted it as a black comedy that brings chills up one’s spine.
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Pako directed by
Nosfe
Finland,
Experimental,
2001,
DV,
Color,
Magnetic Stereo,
00:01:30
Everyone needs to be free, even if the cost of this freedom is high – this is the message that Nosfe, a young Finnish film-maker delivers via his short film PAKO completed in 2001. This rebellious work captivates us through a succession of provocative slogans that accompany a rapid flow of images of Helsinki.
The crudeness of this film shows that the city can also be at the origin of repressive systems in which we need to break from in order to be free. Through digitally manipulated images of a certain beauty not evident to everyone, the artist puts into focus the sheer potential and power of the city.
In order to accentuate the impact of the film’s words, Nosfe shows us dirty industrial sites with reworked light and shadows creates contrasts almost forcing us to take a stand. The articulation of the images, the words and accompanying noise creates an nerve-wracking ensemble that suggests the need for a better world.
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Hi-Fi directed by
Sean
Baker
USA,
Narrative,
2001,
16mm,
Color,
Magnetic Stereo,
00:05:50
A car drives through the streets and tunnels of New York City. On board, four teenagers talk, play, and flirt. An innocent joyride amongst friends?
Right away the viewer understands that this is not just simple fun as the drugs get in the way…
On the ride back, the kids seem to have completely forgotten the presence of each other’s company with the simple joy of riding around town replaced by the feeling of isolation and solitude that comes with taking heroin. Through watching the film, the distance, despite the fact that they are sharing a car together, can be felt between the four teens.
Sean Baker has avoided making his film look like an anti-drugs public service announcement by focusing on the search for pleasure and the pleasure of sharing. The techno soundtrack plays a crucial role in keeping the rhythm going of this film and to embody the lifestyle of the the generation that he represents.
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Novanta directed by
GG
Tarantola
Italy,
Animation,
2001,
DV,
Color,
Magnetic Stereo,
00:12:00
NOVANTA is an animated short produced and written by the Italian artist GG Tarantola. And inspired by the number 90 bus in Milan. NOVANTA aims to illustrate a bus ride in order to make us experience some of the everday aspects of urban life including traffic, accidents, school kids, office, crowds, and ticket inspectors. The artist paints a unique portrait of daily life in the city through this funny and outright bizarre animation mixes skin textures and textile fabrics with abstract black and white drawings.
Supported by an experimental soundtrack invoking conversations, noises, traffic, and all sort of urban sounds, NOVANTA takes into the ambiance of the city Italian style.
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When the Floor Became the Ceiling directed by
Rudolf
Buitendach
South Africa,
Narrative,
2001,
DV,
Color,
Magnetic Stereo,
00:06:03
An encounter between a man and his upstairs neighbor…
In between shots of whiskey and lines of coke, a young man tries to learn some lines for his audition the next morning when he hears sounds of lovemaking from the floor above. A few knocks of the broom against the ceiling to calm things down and then the neighbor comes knocking at the door. The finally meet. Will it lead to neighborly conflict?
And nevertheless, the two neighbors stay on their side of the floor/ceiling, but with each one penetrating into the other’s side through overheard suggestive noises.
This is a film full of humor on the topic of neighborly relationships within a typical urban apartment block where the walls are merely an illusion of separation that in fact hide nothing. Appearances can be deceiving.
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Raus Aus Seinen Kleidern directed by
Corinna
Schnitt
Germany,
Experimental,
1998,
16mm,
Color,
Magnetic Stereo,
00:07:50
"In fact, I find it very important to be well in one’s clothes that’s why I wear my clothes only once, unless I've had a very good day which I want to remember, in this case I will sometimes wear things longer but after 2 days I wear new clothes that are all fresh."
And so begins the film RAUS AUS SEINEN KLEIDERN [GET OUT OF ONE’S CLOTHES] created by the German artist Corinna Schnitt in 1999. Here she presents us the relfections of a young woman on her balcony shaking her laundry. The private thoughts of this woman are drowned in her own delirium which is accentuated and framed in by film’s repetitive imagery. The camera slowly zooms out to reveal the urban decor in which the film was made. The anonymous facades of the surrounding apartment blocks pushes us to imagine that behind each one of these buildings hides a collection of unique lifestyles and thoughts. The artist brings this to light through a strange and almost sad sense of humor.
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Promenaux directed by
Stefano
Canapa
Italy,
Experimental,
0,
16mm,
B&W,
Magnetic Stereo,
00:11:00
Despite the stress and anguish associated with living in the city, as a place it remains a inexhaustible source of inspiration for those who take the time to walk around and observe. Here Stefano Canapa delivers a poetic panorama of Paris with his short film, PROMENAUX.
The film-maker takes us on foot, via metro, and bus through the city of light to capture some unique images. At first it’s just a take on reality, a game of observation amongst an anonymous crowd. Then it’s a strange night fall with words from Rimbaud with the search for new images becoming primordial. In the morning we discover a fascinating reality, a space without limits, fluctuating in a dreamlike state.
Time seems suspended in this work of art that wavers between documentary and private diary. It’s a subtle study, in black and white, of the actions and behaviors that have no purpose beyond their presence. An original soundtrack contributes to the successful impression of a sleepwalk through Paris.
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Strip Mall Trilogy - Part 1 directed by
Roger
Beebe
USA,
Experimental,
2001,
16 mm,
Color,
00:03:00
Part 1 in a series of city symphonies that attempt to liberate form and color from the sprawling consumerist landscape of postmodern America.
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2002-10-30 DVD Times
By Mark Boydell
In the plethora of DVDs being released there seems to have been very few releases focussing solely on short films: they have quickly become a mere DVD extra coaxing us into buying a full-length film. Lowave however are hoping to buck this trend and the first release from this Parisian editor showcases eleven shorts. The films range from the purely experimental (such as Push and Pako) to more conventional narrational styles (Der Letze Flug, One Last Thing) but all deal with the artist's vision of urban life. Even though shorts or experimental films may not be everyone's cup of tea, this collection is particularly engrossing; granted this is not going to become a Saturday night favourite, but all of the films are of quite a high standard and the experimental films are all accessible enough: none of the films can really be rated as self-indulgent or abstruse.
Here's a breakdown of what's featured on the disc:
Push (Gorka Aguado; 4:29): Using the sounds and images of buttons being switched on and off, the film develops cleverly choreographs these buttons at a constant, relentless rhythm.
One Last Thing (Hilton Earl; 5:15): Against a jazz soundtrack and a narrated voice-over, the camera follows a man in a night-time walk through London.
Fausse Solitude (Pierre-Yves Cruaud; 5:45): Paris swirls faster and faster around the director/author as the electronic soundtrack speeds up. Very much experimental and probably a little overlong , the film does offer an interesting comment on the individual pitted against the high-speed society.
Der Letzte Flug (Lombardi Clan; 11:24): Based on a true event, the films looks at four friends getting high and how they deal with one of their friends overdose. With impeccable performances and a great taste for expressionistic lighting, this is an excellent short film.
Pako (Nosfe; 1:27): using Zoo-TV like messages, the director toys with the audiences mind against a backdrop of noise and oppressive imagery. Very much experimental but very concise.
Hi-Fi (Sean Baker; 5:34): Using a rough and ready style and no dialogue, Baker follows four youths in NY getting high in a car and driving aimlessly though the city. Despite reminding me of Aaronorfsky at times, the film is well edited and filmed making it another high point in the collection.
Novanta (GC Tarantola; 12:10): In a truly bizarre combination of computer animation and morphed skin textures, we see the chaotic trip of bus number 90 through Milan. Although quite unsettling to watch, there's no denying the artist's visual flair here.
When the floor became the ceiling (Rudolf Buitenbach; 6:03): An actor is trying to learn his lines but his concentration is constantly being broken by his neighbours noisy habits.
Raus aus seinem kleidern (Corinna Schnitt; 7:18): Against the monologue of a woman explaining to us why she prefers taking caring of her clothes more than human contact, a camera passively looks at her repetitively airing an item of clothing. A poignant but clever look into the world of a person suffering from compulsive obsessive disorder - intelligently the filmmaker chooses to not laugh at the person but attempt to understand it by "putting herself in her clothes".
Promenaux (Stefano Canapa; 11:19): Filmed in grain B&W, Canapa gives us a loving vision of Paris with much in common with Robert Doisneau's eye for the individual in the masses. Voluntarily grainy and strangely lit, this is a brilliant but hypnotic film.
The Strip Mall Trilogy (Roger Beebe; 9:06): Taking the garish visuals of these shopping malls, the film kicks off with a manic rush of images cycling through shapes and colours to then moves to a child singing the alphabet to a thrashy guitar... A successful attempt by Beebe to convey his stress and angst to the audience.
Bonus film: Street Crossing (Pablo Altès; 5:58): Filming a NY street in slow motion with a static camera, Altès' film is designed to be played as an eternal loop.
The DVD:
The image: Given that the source material for most of these films was not of the highest quality (most were filmed on the likes of 16mm , Super 8 or mini DV), this was going to be a difficult collection to transfer. I'm delighted to say that they've taken the utmost care in transferring the films adding anamorphic enhancement when needed (only one film was filmed in a non-4:3 ratio) and showing themselves more than competent with the more difficult materials. There are a few occurrences of print damage but overall they have done an excellent job.
The sound:They have stuck with the original mixes of each film which was either stereo or mono. No 5.1 mix in sight thank goodness! The sound is all very clear and audible - nothing to flaw here either
The menus:The menus are basic but mostly easy to navigate - there's a slight problem with the play all function - it didn't work on my player but it seems that it works on most players. Also the inclusion of three languages on the menus may not be to everyone's taste (a better option may have been to select the language right at the start and have separate menus) but we can only applaud Lowave for attempting to cater for most of Europe with this DVD.
The subtitles:Lowave should really be commended for their efforts here - there are German, English, French, Italian and Spanish subtitles for the films. The English and the French subtitles were very good translations from what I could make out. The subtitles are generated on the fly but may be a little small for some people's taste.
The extras:The extras despite not being numerous are really quite good. There's a detailed biography and filmography of all the participants (in English, French and German) and a "director's commentary" film - each artist giving a short comment on their film - it only runs for a total of 6 minutes but is well edited together and really gets the essential message from each participant. To round it all off, we also get a short trailer advertising the DVD.
Conclusions:A very well chosen collection of short films is given an excellent release by Lowave - the care and effort that has gone into this project is evident as is their wish to share these films with as wide an audience as possible. Highly recommended for all those interested in experimental or truly independent film making. Although I don't think this DVD is available via a UK online retailer, you can order this, from their site. |
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Cityscapes
MC-499, 2005
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CITYSCAPES is a program of 4 videos by the Norwegian artist HC Gilje, who manipulates and transforms urban images from numerous international cities. His collages recreate the universal spirit of urban life, capturing it's frenetic energy and poetry... more >
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