Page 72 – Establishing Shot

Tanna: Molten Lovers in the Pacific Ring of Fire

Posted on September 7, 2021 by Establishing Shot

Still of the two lovers at the center of TANNA — Wawa (Marie Wawa) and Dain (Mungau Dain) are fugitive lovers in *Tanna*

Guest post by David Stringer, Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies at the Department of Second Language Studies.

The film series Islands of Resilience opens in IU Cinema’s virtual screening room with the visually stunning Tanna (2015), a tale based on a true story of forbidden love on the lush, hypnotically beautiful island of Tanna, in the Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu. The setting is the village of Yakel and its surrounding environment, with verdant forests, heavenly waterfalls, and a bleak, glowering volcano at the heart of it all. (more…)

Lee Miller, Undeterred

Posted on September 6, 2021 by Establishing Shot

Lee Miller in an army uniform and helmet — Lee Miller

Guest post by Lauren Richman.

It is 1929 and Lee Miller (American, 1907–1977) has just settled in Paris. At only 22 years old, Miller had already lived one of what would be many remarkable lives: after a chance meeting with publisher Condé Nast, she was propelled into the fashion world, her drawn likeness appearing on the cover of Vogue magazine in 1927. After years spent in front of the camera, Miller heeded the advice of famed photographer Edward Steichen and relocated to the French capital to both pursue photography and immerse herself in its dynamic arts scene.

By way of a letter of introduction, Miller connected with Man Ray — one of the most influential avant-garde artists of the period and seventeen years Miller’s senior — and offered to work as his bookkeeper and lab assistant. Not long after, Man Ray photographed Miller nude; then, they became lovers. Regardless of Miller’s fierce independence, ambition, and savvy, the inherent and significant power imbalance is difficult to ignore. In fact, their artistic collaboration has only more recently been recognized as just that: a collaboration. (more…)

Monthly Movie Round-Up: August

Posted on August 31, 2021 by Establishing Shot

It's Always Fair Weather — It’s Always Fair Weather

Every month, A Place for Film brings you a selection of films from our group of regular bloggers. Even though these films aren’t currently being screened at the IU Cinema, this series reflects the varied programming that can be found at the Cinema and demonstrates the eclectic tastes of the bloggers. Each contributor has picked one film that they saw this month that they couldn’t wait to share with others. Keep reading to find out what discoveries these cinephiles have made, as well as some of the old friends they’ve revisited. (more…)

Physical Media Isn’t Dead, It Just Smells Funny: Blu-ray Reviews for August 2021

Posted on August 30, 2021 by Aja Essex

Full transparency: all Blu-rays reviewed were provided by Kino Lorber, Criterion, Code Red, and Cohen Film Collection.

The semester has started, summer is coming to a close, but the Blu-ray reviews are back in full swing. If there was a theme to this month’s titles, it would be stellar performances and star personas, with the exception of one title that actually played at the IU Cinema in a long-ago era known as “November of 2019.” Cohen Film Collection has a great double feature of French crime films (The Gang/Three Men to Kill) featuring the magnetic and alluring Alain Delon. Kino Lorber brings us a film featuring a major and culturally significant performance from the noble and charming Sidney Poitier in Lilies of the Field. New addition to the blog Code Red kicks off the spooky season with queer-adjacent horror featuring a movie-devouring performance from the great Susan Tyrell in Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker. And finally, there is my pick of the month, a contemplative and bittersweet piece of cinema from the master of contemplative and bittersweet cinema, Hirokazu Kore-eda’s international breakthrough film After Life. (more…)

Oja Kodar & The Male Gaze: An Imaginary Dialogue with Laura Mulvey

Posted on August 23, 2021 by Laura Ivins

Oja Kodar runs in blue sheer fabric — Oja Kodar in *F for Fake* (1973)

One of the more memorable moments in F for Fake (Orson Welles, 1973) has seemingly little to do with the main plot about Elmyr de Hory and art forgeries. Toward the beginning of the film, Oja Kodar walks along the street in a mini-dress, and a slew of men ogle her as she passes. “Girl watching,” Orson Welles calls it, a national sport. (more…)

The Enduring Magic of War and Peace (1966)

Posted on August 16, 2021 by Jesse Pasternack

If I had to describe Sergei Bondarchuk’s 1966 version of War and Peace in one word, it would be “big.” Almost everything about it — from its seven-hour running time to its famous battle sequences — conveys an epic scale the likes of which few films attempt, much less achieve. But while it remains famous for its astoundingly gigantic production values, what really makes this film shine is how it uses cinematic techniques to portray the magic of Tolstoy’s most indelible scenes. (more…)