On this day, which would have been his 100th birthday if the world were a fair and just place, we present a gallery of photographs of a man who was not only one of the great actors of the screen – but also an undeniably great movie star: Toshiro Mifune. The camera loves some people more than others, and you can see which side of that equation Mifune falls on. In an era when Americans and Europeans were the major male screen sex symbols, Mifune brought a force and authority that arguably blew them all away. So, obviously, watch all his movies, but until then, enjoy the magic of Mifune.
This is the pissed-off Mifune who thrilled arthouse audiences as a man of war or bandit starting in the 1950’s.
But prior to that, he had been a smoldering young romantic figure in films like his first, 1947’s SNOW TRAIL.
And had appeared in modern crime films like Akira Kurosawa’s STRAY DOG (1949).
By 1958’s THE HIDDEN FORTRESS he was an established screen figure, and an actor at the top of his game.
Here he is relaxing at home.
Here he is pretending to relax in a photo studio.
Here he is smoking a cigarette like it owes him money. Don’t smoke, but let’s admit that it looks cool.
And here he is in the last collaboration with Akira Kurosawa, RED BEARD (1965), proof that shaving is a complete waste of time.
For many of us, this period is a good time to do some deep listening. Sure, watch movies and TV, read books, all that, but also take some time to just listen to music. It’s a great way to clear the head and to reset your emotional and sensory responses – science says so.
Here’s a selection that is appropriately cinematic, it is the suite from Fellini’s absolutely crucial film LA STRADA, composed by Nino Rota and played by our close friends the Münchner Rundfunkorchester, led by that baton master Ulf Schirmer. Rota’s scores in Fellini films often came first in priority and the images were edited to illustrate the music. Rota himself was no fan of cinema and at one point told fellow composer Michel Legrand that he had never watched a film except ones he himself had scored!
When we get the old AFS Cinema up and running again, we will be celebrating Federico Fellini’s birth Centennial with this and a number of his other great films. In the meantime, just sit back and enjoy this.
It should come as no surprise that Andrew Bujalski (SUPPORT THE GIRLS, COMPUTER CHESS, FUNNY HA HA) is one of our favorite filmmakers. From his micro-budget beginnings to his current status as one of the most respected writer-directors out there, he is a force not only as an artist but also as an educator and reliable source of great movie recommendations.
We asked Andrew for some of his streaming recommendations during this period when so many of us are restricted to our homes. Here’s what he sent.
HIS GIRL FRIDAY (Amazon Prime)
1940, D. Howard Hawks
You’re stuck at home, might as well enjoy pretty much the most fun and delightful movie ever. Don’t think it’s lost a step in 80 years.
W.R. MYSTERIES OF THE ORGANISM (Criterion)
1971, D. Dusan Makavejev
I don’t think anyone before had attempted such a wild, fluid erasure of the walls between fiction and documentary, comedy and politics and fever dream, and doubt anyone’s come close since.
THE LITTLE FUGITIVE (Kanopy, Sundance Now)
1953, D. Morris Engel, Ruth Orkin, Raymond Abrashkin
A total charmer and a mainspring for all indie cinema that followed. If you’re trapped in the house with children whose attention spans haven’t been too Disney-fried yet, they may actually be willing to sit through this with you and you’ll all feel the richer for it.
Speaking of indie cinema, this movie won the Grand Jury Prize at SXSW in 2008, it’s one of the best microbudget indies of the digital-video era, and the director is so horrid at self-promotion (a fair indicator of integrity) that you can only–but thankfully!–watch it on his own Vimeo page. Well worth it.
LIFE IS SWEET (Criterion)
1990, D. Mike Leigh
…or maybe bittersweet. Any Mike Leigh should be good for the soul right now, and this one about the people closest to us in particular.
THIS IS THE END (Netflix)
2013, D. Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen
I can’t in good conscience suggest you watch apocalypse movies right now, but if you must, this one is funnier than CONTAGION and OUTBREAK combined. (Though I guess Romero’s DEAD series comes close for comedy.) Like all good Hollywood satires it is fueled by blazing coals of self-loathing.
The COVID-19 crisis has affected all sectors of our lives and our various forms of work. The cancellation of SXSW has had enormous ramifications for our city and region. Take a moment to consider one small corner of this disaster – it’s not as serious as the loss of life, of course, but it is enormously meaningful to the people affected.
Film festivals offer short film programs for a very good reason. For many filmmakers it provides an entry-point into festival-going. Time and time again, the inclusion of a short into a respected fest has been the beginning of a productive film career for its maker – and often for cast and crew as well. The chance to spend time among peers and meet potential funders is an enormous help, and the loss of this opportunity will necessarily have a negative effect on their professional development, and on the art form in an unquantifiable way.
As many of you know, AFS supports filmmakers with production grants, travel funding and finishing resources. It is a big part of why we’re here. So in that spirit, we wanted to share some of the short films created by AFS-supported filmmakers and members with you and encourage you to share the ones you like with others on social media or in whatever way suits you. And don’t stop there. Watch all the available SXSW selected shorts here.
A fight to be born, a fight to survive, a fight to find your place, and the fight to maintain. All degrees of the same struggle.
THE PAINT WIZZARD
Dir. Jessica Wolfson & Jessie Auritt, AFS Grant-supported film
A portrait of Millie “The Paint Wizzard” McCrory, who decided at the age of 58 to change her name and pronouns and embrace her authentic self, cat ears and all.
WAFFLE
Dir. Carlyn Hudson, AFS Filmmaker Support programs alum
Kerry attends a sleepover with Katie, a socially awkward, mysteriously orphaned heiress. Kerry learns the hard way that Katie gets what she wants.
The great star of stage and screen Marlene Dietrich was interviewed as part of the BBC’s long-running “Desert Island Discs” program in 1965. She was in a theater dressing room while on one of her many cabaret tours. As you might expect from her screen persona, the real Dietrich was a brilliant and restless explorer of life. This is reflected in her musical selections.
The interviewer gives a brief recital of her career, frequently interrupted by Miss Dietrich’s corrections and amendments. The musical numbers are omitted in this recording, but if you have the time – and you probably do, let’s face it – you can find them all on YouTube, Spotify, or, perhaps in your own collection.
And, because it is one of the most incandescent entrées into stardom, below is Miss Dietrich’s screen test for her self-professed debut film THE BLUE ANGEL in 1930. In fact, she had done a good amount of screen acting before this, but out of respect for this great artist, we will allow her story to stand. We think you can detect some glimmer of screen presence here:
A passionate tale of love and liberation set amidst the conservative confines of modern Georgian society, And Then We Danced follows Merab, a devoted dancer who has been training for years with his partner Mary for a spot in the National Georgian Ensemble. The arrival of another male dancer, Irakli-gifted with perfect form and equipped with a rebellious streak-throws Merab off balance, sparking both an intense rivalry and romantic desire that may cause him to risk his future in dance as well as his relationships with Mary and his family.
https://youtu.be/fG4SE7pzmvw
REVIEWS
“Part political rebellion, part masterpiece romance, and a true privilege to witness.” – Taryn Allen, Chicago Reader
“A film full of life, emotion and – though the authorities may not like to hear it – uninhibited sexuality.” – Donald Clarke, Irish Times
From acclaimed director Diao Yinan, THE WILD GOOSE LAKE is the eagerly anticipated follow-up to his 2014 Berlinale winning neo-noir BLACK COAL, THIN ICE. Toppling box office records in Diao’s native China, THE WILD GOOSE LAKE “cements his status as a master filmmaker with another ingenious crime epic” (Little White Lies).
When small-time mob leader Zhou Zenong (Chinese superstar Hu Ge) accidentally kills a cop, a dead-or-alive bounty is placed on his head, forcing him on the lam from both the police as well as dangerous gangsters out for the reward. Hiding out in China’s densely populated (and deeply divided) Wuhan province, Zhou becomes entangled with a beautiful, enigmatic woman, who has mysterious intentions of her own. Featuring gorgeous, neon-drenched cinematography and bursts of shocking, expertly choreographed action, THE WILD GOOSE LAKE is “spellbinding” (Rolling Stone), “brilliant” (Indiewire) and “downright Hitchcockian” (AV Club).
https://youtu.be/SjC4w3sFvS8
REVIEWS
“This movie doesn’t recycle film noir conventions so much as contrive — with a genuine sense of discovery — to locate these conventions in a realistic contemporary context… The movie exhilarates.” – Glenn Kenny, New York Times (NYT Critic’s Pick)
“An exercise in pure cinema, an abstract painting of a crime story.” – Peter Howell, Toronto Star
Co-directed by AFS Grant alumnus Cristina Ibarra, THE INFILTRATORS is a docu-thriller that tells the true story of young immigrants who are detained by Border Patrol and thrown into a shadowy for-profit detention center—on purpose. Marco and Viri are members of the National Immigrant Youth Alliance, a group of radical DREAMers who are on a mission to stop unjust deportations. And the best place to stop deportations, they believe, is in detention. However, when Marco and Viri attempt a daring reverse ‘prison break,’ things don’t go according to plan. By weaving together documentary footage of the real infiltrators with re-enactments of the events inside the detention center, THE INFILTRATORS tells an incredible and thrilling true story in a genre-defying new cinematic language.
Watch our Virtual Intro by Erica Deiparine Sugars:
https://youtu.be/f4od1V21_Bo
Watch our Virtual Q&A with filmmakers Cristina Ibarra and Alex Rivera:
REVIEWS
“Despite all its importance this is, at its core, almost a popcorn movie.” – Evan Saathoff, Birth Movies Death
“Equal parts journalistic exposé and taut drama, and one hundred percent cinema.” – Christopher Llewellyn Reed, Hammer To Nail
In the whole nearly-three years of AFS Cinema history, no film has been seen by more people than FANTASTIC FUNGI. It is a fascinating mix of science, spirituality and truly stunning time lapse photography.
Now it’s available to watch at home and share with your family and friends. Plus, as a special bonus, there are three live Q&As on March 26 with mycologist extraordinaire Paul Stamets and FANTASTIC FUNGI director Louie Schwartzberg that you can participate in from the comfort of your home, or a wi-fi enabled mossy knoll near your home if you prefer.
We like the film a lot, and we love the fact that the filmmakers are not only providing us with this chance to share it, but also in the process to gain some greatly needed income in this time of our greatest need.
Meiko Kaji, the Japanese screen star and singer, was born on this date in 1947. Her film career began with bit parts in Yakuza films for Nikkatsu Studios. There the outlaw provocateur director Teruo Ishii met her and cast her in the lead role of a film that would in many ways foretell the heady mix of violence and elegance that she became identified with. BLIND WOMAN’S CURSE (1970) is very bloody, super strange and it contains a stylized duel in a beautifully artificial studio setting. Kaji also sang the theme ballad for the film, and it became her first record release of many.
Here’s the trailer for BLIND WOMAN’S CURSE. Warning: the video clips posted in this article are seriously violent and not for everyone.
Next, Kaji was cast as the second banana to pop singer Akiko Wada in the wonderfully titled STRAY CAT ROCK: DELINQUENT GIRL BOSS, a teenage gang movie that crammed every possible exploitation element into the mix. Though Wada was the star of the film, audiences responded best to Kaji and she became the lead in the remaining entries in the STRAY CAT ROCK series.
Here’s the trailer for the fourth installment of that series: STRAY CAT ROCK: MACHINE ANIMAL, in which Kaji’s proto-goth persona feels a little strange against the backdrop of roaring motorcycles and LSD.
Then, Kaji jumped to a new studio, Toei, and teamed up with director Shunya Ito for the extraordinarily strange women-in-prison-based FEMALE CONVICT SCORPION series. Here, Kaji’s gothic tendencies were given free rein, especially in the astonishing second chapter FEMALE CONVICT SCORPION: JAILHOUSE 41. She plays an action hero, but the film has some unexpected supernatural touches as well, and is imbued with what appears to be a leftist political message. Watch the trailer, but be warned: it’s VERY strong stuff.
That was Kaji singing the dirge-like ballad again, of course. After this series had run its course, she played the lead in a few Yakuza films for Toei and then made the leap to the big leagues. Toho Studios cast her as the lead in a film that would define her legacy as much as any of the above films. LADY SNOWBLOOD was, like the SCORPION series, an adaptation of a popular manga series. It also gave Kaji a chance to truly showcase all of her best attributes, her elegance, her ghostly distance and her graceful way with a blade. She has appeared in more movies since LADY SNOWBLOOD and its sequel, but these films would be the capper to this particular part of Kaji’s iconic career as one of the most imposing and dynamic screen presences we have yet seen.
Watch a live-streamed Q&A with the filmmaker and cast of BACURAU on Wed, April 1, at 7 PM. WATCH HERE >>
The experience of watching uncommon films in the dark on a big screen, with friends and strangers alike, is central to our identity and culture. After a few days’ closure, we already deeply miss the connection we feel every day at the AFS Cinema as audiences share their passion for the stories and visions on our screens.
Our doors are shut, and the cinema experience is temporarily unavailable. We want to keep Austin a center of great film culture for years to come, and with the support and dedication of this incredible community of film lovers, we know that this vision is possible.
For now, we are happy to announce that, through a new partnership with Kino Lorber, AFS will offer some of our anticipated programming during our period of closure via their virtual cinema. Proceeds from the virtual ticket purchases will help sustain our programming and support our efforts to reopen the AFS Cinema.
Our first virtual screening will be BACURAU, previously scheduled to open at the AFS Cinema in early April. Co-directed by one of our favorite filmmakers, Kleber Mendonça Filho (AQUARIUS and NEIGHBORING SOUNDS), the film draws from the cinematic legacy of exploitation and siege films to make a provocative, ingenious and gloriously entertaining parable about the current state of global inequality. As an added bonus for Texas viewers, two of the film’s co-stars are products of the Austin film community, actors Chris Doubek (LOVERS OF HATE, COMPUTER CHESS) and Jonny Mars (THE HAPPY POET, SATURDAY MORNING MASSACRE). The film features a number of our other cult obsessions: Udo Kier, the great Sonia Braga (who previously starred in Mendonça Filho’s AQUARIUS) and the brilliant Karine Teles, who emerged on the global arthouse scene with THE SECOND MOTHER.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on the film. We’ll start a thread over at AFS Viewfinders on Facebook, where viewers can share their ideas and reactions to the movie.
ABOUT BACURAU
Set a few years from now… Bacurau, a small village in the Brazilian sertão, mourns the loss of its matriarch, Carmelita, who lived to be 94. Days later, its inhabitants (among them Sônia Braga) notice that their village has literally vanished from online maps and a UFO-shaped drone is seen flying overhead. There are forces that want to expel them from their homes, and soon, in a genre-bending twist, a band of armed mercenaries led by Udo Kier arrive in town picking off the inhabitants one by one. A fierce confrontation takes place when the townspeople turn the tables on the villainous outsiders, banding together by any means necessary to protect and maintain their remote community. The mercenaries just may have met their match in the fed-up, resourceful denizens of little Bacurau.
REVIEWS
“Critic’s Pick! “A heart-thumping political allegory that tips its hat to masters like John Carpenter.”
– Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
“[A] boldly inventive political fantasy… offers a thrillingly imaginative playbook for resistance.”
– Richard Brody, The New Yorker
“A genre-busting entertainment that is at once a portrait of a community, a horror thriller and a timely piece of political filmmaking. Bacurau is one of those movies like Parasite… where you’re never quite sure which way it’s heading.”– John Powers, NPR
At the 20th Annual Texas Film Awards this Thursday, March 12, AFS will honor Robert Altman’s 1970 film BREWSTER MCCLOUD with the Star of Texas Award. Shelley Duvall, who starred in the film, will also be inducted to the Texas Film Hall of Fame.
Written and directed by Altman (MASH, MCCABE & MRS. MILLER, THE PLAYER, SHORT CUTS), BREWSTER MCCLOUD was shot on location in and around Houston. The story centers on a strange boy (Bud Cort) living in the Houston Astrodome who spends his days crafting a pair of wings, when his plans are derailed by a serial killer, a beautiful girl (Shelley Duvall), and a detective trying to get to the bottom of it all (Michael Murphy).
On Wednesday, March 11, AFS will host a sold outspecial screeningof BREWSTER MCCLOUD with Duvall in attendance at the AFS Cinema.
To celebrate this honor and the 50th anniversary of the film, we’re sharing a selection of behind-the-scene photos from the film and quotes from Robert Altman.
The Astrodome in Houston
“The Astrodome was new then and it was an indoor area that size that nobody had experienced. Somebody somewhere said something about it and that fascinated me. I went down to look at it and I said “Great.” It was quite an accomplishment just to be able to do it. I think how else can you show that this guy flies unless he’s trapped. He’s like in a cage so that became his freedom. He wasn’t free.” –Altman
Shelley Duvall on the set of Brewster McCloud
“I was making Brewster McCloud in Houston, Texas. I had a small part in the film, and I wanted very much to have not an actress but a local girl who had the accents, who was awkward…I just wanted somebody from that area. And we found Shelley down there, and she was quite remarkable—and put her in the film—she served the purpose of that film very well. And Shelley just developed to the state where she is now. I mean, she’s peerless.“ –Altman
Bud Cort on the set of Brewster McCloud
“I think that the things that were imitative in Brewster McCloud were imitative from other mediums—it might be pretentious in other ways- it was cartoon and road runners—but that’s what it was intended to be. Everyone worked in different levels of comedy and I like it.” –Altman
Cast members on the set
“A film like Brewster McCloud can’t be related to anything…That’s what a lot of the critics said…”– Altman
Director Robert Altman in Brewster McCloud’s wings
“It’s probably the most creative, most original film that I’ve done… I was cockiest at that point and I stretched the furthest.” – Altman
“You always hope you’ll be adored. Brewster was much more of a critical success than MASH was…I really like most of my films, but I think you tend to love your most unsuccessful children the most.”– Altman
