He had two installments of ‘The Godfather’, which half a century ago were already one of the most important films in history, but Francis Ford Coppola wanted to continue cultivating his legacy, so he decided to adapt the novel by Joseph Conrad, ‘Heart of Darkness’, but set in the Vietnam War. She would get it though for it he lived his own particular war: to begin with he had an odyssey to find the cast of the film, then came the eventful shooting in the Philippines where a typhoon destroyed the set, Martin Sheen would have from malaria to a heart attack, to which were added the differences between Marlon Brando and Dennis Hopper, the excesses with the team’s drugs… After more than two years of filming, Coppola took a mortgage to finish editing it. It would be crazy, that he bequeathed us a masterpiece, but hell just the same.
What would it have been like to jump right into such a notoriously disastrous shoot? The history of cinema is full of adventures and absolutely epic situations, although sometimes these are reduced to the closeness of the personal taunt (billy wilder vs. Marilyn Monroe in ‘With skirts and crazy’, Roman Polansky vs. everyone on the set of ‘Chinatown,’ the drinking problems of Montgomery Clift and Frank Sinatra in ‘From Here to Eternity’). The cinema is made “despite” so many obstacles, and the most stormy shootings would deserve a behind-the-scenes film for each one. It is understandable why cinema about the world of cinema (or “meta” cinema) is so popular. Below, a list of ten titles that you should know to glimpse the confines of this large subgenre of movies. Essential gems and unknown jewels to discover… Who knows if after reviewing them with us you will be encouraged to shoot something.
And all this mess, why do we set it up? The two leading actors of ‘Official Competition’ ask us the same thing, a film that premieres on February 25 and which has given rise to this small list-tribute. Antonio Banderas is Félix Rivero, a hyper popular actor, recognized by the public and the Academy. Oscar Martinez is Iván Tirres, a theater actor, stuck to the method and his professed hatred of the awards and gears of the entertainment industry. The two are hired by a very famous “auteur” filmmaker, Lola Cuevas (Penelope Cruz) to form the duo of brothers who are the protagonists of their new, and very tearful, film.
Both are legends, but not exactly best friends. In a series of rehearsals eccentrically designed by Lola (authentic interpretive torture chambers), Félix and Iván will face each other, until only one remains. Will there be a movie? This satire is directed by Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat (‘The Illustrious Citizen’)which is written by the filmmakers together with Andres Dupratand that promises a healthy dose of heartburn and unapologetic satire.
1
The Modern Sherlock Holmes (Buster Keaton, 1924)
What is it about?
Keaton is a projectionist who dreams of being a detective. when, miraculously, he finds himself inside the movie he is showing, where he will try to save his beloved from the clutches of the villain. One of the most acclaimed silent film films, although at its premiere Variety considered it “as unfunny as a hospital operating room.”
Your big “goal” moment
buster keaton he learns to kiss thanks to the film he projects. A moment that perfectly captures the second school that the screen has been for many.
two
Twilight of the Gods (Billy Wilder, 1950)
What is it about?
A young screenwriter in debt runs away from his creditors and ends up taking refuge in the luxurious mansion of Norma Desmond, movie star come less after the arrival of the sound. There, Desmond will ask her to assist her in a script that he has written and that, according to him, will mean her triumphant return to the forefront of Hollywood.
Your big “goal” moment
how not, Gloria Swanson honoring all the discarded women of the silent period, and billy wilder refereeing a tragic climax for her: “Whenever you want, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready to roll.”
3
The Panic Photographer (Michael Powell, 1960)
What is it about?
A slasher, with a serial killer who is a camera focus-catcher by day and kills by night. The peculiarity of it: it is a voyeur with an obsession for filming his victims while he kills them. It was a complete disaster in its day, but today it is seen as a masterpiece about violence behind the male gaze.
Your big “goal” moment
The opening scene, which later John Carpenter would recover in his own way in ‘Halloween night’. A long sequence shot in which we see the first crime through the lens of the killer’s camera.
4
Contempt (Jean-Luc Godard, 1963)
What is it about?
The painful marital crisis between a French playwright (michel piccoli) and his wife, played by Brigitte Bardot, when they moved to Capri to rewrite some scenes for the new project by the German director Fritz Lang. An history about misunderstandings, jealousy and resentment, but above all in a twilight cinema way.
Your big “goal” moment
The credit titles are recited rather than written over the opening sequence, which uncovers the intricate choreography of a small film crew headlined by the film’s actual cinematographer, Raoul Coutard.
5
8 ½ (Federico Fellini, 1963)
What is it about?
guido is a movie director tries to relax after his latest big hit. However, between his previous collaborators, who keep asking him for a job, and his own artistic block, who can’t find ideas for his new film, the filmmaker becomes frustrated. To get out of his confused state, he will travel inside himself, in memory of the women in his life.
Your big “goal” moment
Guido directs all the characters in the film in an ending that reminds us that the cinema has the light and subversive character of a great fanfare.
6
Inland Empire (David Lynch, 2006)
What is it about?
Hated by some for its apparent lack of meaning and at the same time loved as the last capital work of surrealism, the first great film cathedral of the 21st century found a Laura Dern unfolded between an actress, the character she plays, a character in her character’s nightmare, a prostitute… A layered film that is best unraveled calmly.
Your big “goal” moment
The funny-disturbing conversation between Grace Zabriskie and Laura Dern, which could be any movie star’s nightmare and that makes our hair stand on end in anticipation of the evil that is to come.
7
The Congress (Ari Folman, 2013)
What is it about?
Robin Wright he sells his image to a film studio, which scans his body and expressions to replicate them intact as many times as they want, in the roles they want. Twenty years later, at the Futurology Congress organized by the production company, Robin is going to meet an escapist and dystopian future who, much to his chagrin, has used his mask for his own purposes. Based on ‘The Futurology Congress’, a novel by Stanislaw Lem (‘Solaris’).
Your big “goal” moment
It’s funny how he anticipated the movie Ari Folman the use that Disney and the other big movie houses are making of the bodies of deceased performers. It is also surprising the vision that someone like Lem, in 1971, about a possible future as avatars in the metaverse.
8
Claire’s Camera (Hong Sang-soo, 2017)
What is it about?
Manhee (Kim Min-hee) is a press agent for a distributor at the Cannes Film Festival. Despite being fired from her for having an affair with the director she represents, the girl decides to stay until the end of the Festival and ends up meeting Claire (Isabelle Huppert), a nice but too nosy teacher who gets her involved in disputes with her ex-lover again. A lot of drunken discussion and a celebration of the other side of the film industry.
Your big “goal” moment
Actually, the usual collaboration between Hong Sang-soo and Kim Min-hee, a couple in real life, is a kind of purge for the Korean: after all, Min-hee always gives life to women in the field of cinema who are mistreated by their directors.
9
One Cut of the Dead (Shinichiro Ueda, 2017)
What is it about?
A team with a lot of ingenuity and few resources shoots a zombie movie for television. The surprise comes when they realize that the apocalypse is really hanging over them. The phenomenon of Shinichiro Ueda conquers for its eternally affectionate homage to cinema made with four female dogs.
Your big “goal” moment
The moment, half an hour into the film, when we finally discover What is this endearing comedy of the dead (of hunger) about?
10
Cut! (Marc Ferrer, 2021)
What is it about?
Marcos (his own marc ferrer) is a film director without much success who is immersed in the shooting of his new film, a queer giallo set in Barcelona, when a series of terrible murders begin to happen, and all seem to be related to the director.
Your big “goal” moment
Marga Sarda suffers the unspeakable as a producer for Ferrer, who intends to shoot a film “punk style”.
Mariona Borrull
(elle/her) She writes about movies and series in too many media, she is a regular on Catalan radio talk shows, and yet she barely makes it to the end of the month.
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