Thanks to my father’s interest in browsing through the
culture of a place by its television channels, I chanced upon some pleasant old
Italian films on ‘Telecapri’.
It made me think of the French and Italian films I had
chanced upon or recollect snippets of. The wonderful humorous, sensual and
morally liberal but balanced films of Italian cinema.
The French Connection in similar genre films of the past
were the subtle contrast, muted colours, dress, colour of light and skill
portrayal of the beauty of a woman - ‘Rigatza Bellissimo’. Most fascinating was
their ability to communicate clearly without me comprehending the language.
Every depiction of the leading lady was visually romantic
and sensual when intended. Detailed attention to hairstyles and faces to define
the characters amazed me. The scenes where the ladies were shown passionately,
had enough to see, but enough left to want to imagine and fantasize rather than
watch porn crassly depicting elaborate sex scenes. I was immediately reminded
of the crude and sexual illustrations of American and at times Indian cinema,
unfortunately encouraging “cheap”* entertainment.
Two things struck me. One that this style of portrayal,
subtlety and simplicity of subject seem to be a returning trend, visible in ads
and some films, definitely in most high quality photography. That said, there
are a few distinct, striking approaches by some fashion photographers today,
which stand out in their own individual way.
However, on the whole, the shift suggests a possible
overload in the past on the eyes and mind which can be pacified the simple yet
ornate and elaborately thought out portrayals like that of Somerset Maugham.
The second thing that struck me was the love and
affectionate nature inherently associated with French and Italians from where
such beautifully balanced cinema hails from. It was a step into the past to
look for it, but Rosselini, Fellini, Godard and Truffaut are wonderful examples
of ‘auteurs’ of films recognized by film critics/aficionados around the world.
A little more scrounging would dig up many local directors working with similar
abilities to create beautifully balanced cinema.
The terminology to describe the crew is also intriguing, it
almost encourages them to be more a part of the film process and final outcome.
Directors who are authors or ‘auteurs’ of their film, and ‘translatoris’ or
translators of the film, the role played by the actors.
The magic and love reminded me a little of Wong Kar Wai, and
his sometimes slightly complex themes dealt with simply and surreally.
Thinking of magic created in cinema by the films from the
Balkan region, I was introduced to by Rada Sesic in Srishti School of Art and
Design in Bangalore. A name that stood out when thinking of ‘magic realism’ was
Emir Kusturica. But more about all that in another note, some other time in the
future.
*“cheap” – using less intellect, less skill, less
consideration to the impact on the viewer and sometimes costing less (but not
guaranteed)
Tags: Telecapri, Cinema, Italy, Italia, fashion, French, connection, beauty, woman, Rigatza, Bellissimo, Emir Kusturica, Rada Sesic, Srishti School, Art and Design, Bangalore, Wong Kar Wai, magic, realism, humorous, sensual, moral, liberal, balanced, Rosselini, Fellini, Godard, Truffaut, Somerset, Maugham, photographers, today, American, Indian, unfortunately, encouraging, cheap, entertainment, language, porn, crude, sexual illustrations, elaborate, dress, colour, light, subtle, detail
