This collection of clips from movies and newsreels assembled by Thom Andersen, who teaches the history and theory of film at the California Institute of the Arts in Santa Clarita, represents a very personal overview of cinema as both an art form and a reflection of 20th-century history. The excerpts, which begin with silent classics by D.W. Griffith and Erich von Stroheim and extend through the French New Wave, are presented without narration (or even identification), but arranged—at least in part—according to post-structuralist ideas about images propounded by French philosopher Gilles Deleuze (quotations from his writings are inserted as captions throughout the film, although other thinkers—Henri Bergson and Walter Benjamin, for example—are cited as well). The clips are certainly eclectic: archival materials (showing Hitler touring occupied Paris, the battles of Leningrad and Stalingrad, an American pilot being captured in Vietnam, the aftermath of the bombing of Hiroshima, and Patty Hearst helping the Symbionese Liberation Army rob a bank) are juxtaposed with footage from Soviet films portraying happy workers and comedy routines by Harold Lloyd, Laurel & Hardy, and the Marx Brothers (followed immediately by an execution scene from a Japanese gangster film). Musicals are represented by very odd examples—Maria Montez camping it up in Cobra Woman and Debra Paget (whom Andersen indicates is his favorite movie star) dancing with a snake in The Indian Tomb. The resulting idiosyncratic mélange presents no coherent cinematic theory, although a general critique of capitalism and imperialism is evident; rather, the choice of clips reveals a good deal about Andersen's views on art and society. A strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)
The Thoughts That Once We Had
(2015) 118 min. DVD: $375. Grasshopper Film. PPR. Volume 32, Issue 2
The Thoughts That Once We Had
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: