Went to see Jan Švankmajer's new film 'Surviving Life' last night. It's the only film I've seen in the London Film Festival this year (oh dear)... I sat eating ice cream and had a great night in the company of an old hero. Seeing his stuff on the young Channel 4 may have made as big an impression on me as Oliver Postgate's stuff from childhood. And that's part of why I'm here at Middlesex doing this course...
Sadly he wasn't there in person, but he appeared on screen to introduce it and apologise it's only an animated film! After consulting a stop watch his head split in two, his skull rolled out and fell down an open sewer cover... I guess it's another meditation on dream and reality / consciousness and unconsciousness, but billed as a mid-life crisis. It has a narrative, and he refered to it as his Psychoanalytical Comedy, but I had already jumped into the same sewer cover and took whatever came my way. At times both Freud AND Jung covered their eyes and ears...
It's made with cut outs (see pic), stop motion and some live action. There is the strong indication that this will be his last feature (he's maybe 76, no-one seemed to be sure)... I don't like to think that is the case, because he still inspires me and I don't want him to ever stop. But he has left us with another classic. Thank you for the ticket Middlesex, and thank you Mr Švankmajer xxx
I dunno but Svankmajer might be noordy for Mr Spank-major, which on the whole is often how I feel about meditations on dream/reality... Not sure how this moves the conversation on at all, but there it is. Spontaneous response to blog-post, I can't always be relied upon to make much sense... x
ReplyDeleteHey Lu, a follower is a follower, I won't lead you wrong xxx
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