Movies
Nothing But Time is considered the first city symphony, an avant-garde/essay/documentary niche that tries to capture the soul of an entire city. Cavalcanti took Paris as his big inspiration and made a film in which the city and its people are followed as they go through their daily business. It's an interesting look at Paris as it was almost a century ago. Cavalcanti gives a little context here and there (saying he prefers to portray reality rather than give an idealized view of the city), but it's mostly just his camera focusing on people and cityscapes throughout various moments in the day. I can't say I was really impressed with Cavalcanti's style, as he gets a bit too cheesy/artistic(closeups of flower and such). The somewhat iffy soundtrack didn't really help either, though I did like the overall concept of the film. No doubt a milestone, it's a shame the form itself was a bit off-putting.Read all
An early horror anthology. I say horror, but the film is mostly a mystery, with lots and lots of dialogue, sometimes regarding supernatural phenomena. I can see how this setup could've been quite influential, but by modern standards, it's a pretty dull collection of supernatural stories. An architect drives out to the countryside to work on a home. Once there, he recognizes the place and the people present as part of a recurring dream he has had. He tells them about his dream, but not everyone is willing to believe him. The others have some mysterious stories of their own to share though. Dialogue-driven, like so many other films of its time. It's the opposite of what I look for in a film, so it's no surprise this didn't really do it for me. The performances weren't great either, and the stories were pretty underwhelming. The anthology-like setup did mean there was enough happening to keep me occupied at least.Read all