Schrader claims that he does not make films under the “transcendental style” — but does that make it so?
Abstract
Though American-filmmaker Paul Schrader expressed great admiration for what he called the “transcendental style” of filmmaking, he always insisted that his own films were not made in this manner. However, a close examination of Schrader’s latest film, First Reformed (2017), reveals a number of elements that it shares with the transcendental films of Japanese-filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu. …
Examined through John Cassavetes’ “Opening Night”
How can cinema best depict reality? This is a question that filmmakers have sought to answer as long as stories could be told through film. John Cassavetes, an American actor and filmmaker, attempted to answer this question in his 1977 film, Opening Night. Centered around the production of a play, the film stars his wife, Gena Rowlands, who plays the lead character, Myrtle. The film focuses on Myrtle, an aging stage actress who wishes to return to Hollywood. In Opening Night, John Cassavetes showcases the many sides of a production of a play. …
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Confused after watching it? This may help.
Preface
Ok, I know where you’ve been. You just watched 2001: A Space Odyssey… but you don’t really know what just happened.
Last week, for the 3rd time, I saw 2001 (but this time in 70 mm) and I left the theater both stunned and pretty confused. It being one of my favorite films of all time, I needed to, of course, figure it out in its entirety. So, I’ve spent the last few days collecting and combining information from many sources (which I have cited using “(author name)”) to create a working understanding of the film. The following content is…
Manny Rothman
student // wannabe film editor
