Matt — an amazing drummer, all around good guy, and one of the biggest cinephiles I know — owns hundreds of movies, each significant in their own way –

– partly for their monetary value:

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– or their sentimental worth:

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Matt is also working on his collection of vintage movie posters, which includes these very cool pieces:

But not all that is valued is cinematic. When I asked Matt what armload of possessions he would take if he had to abandon all his stuff, he replied: “My cat, my 50 years of Janus box set, my first edition Sea of Fertility tetralogy, my Wustof knives.  I would carry it all on my 21″ Jack Dejohnette unfinished ride cymbal.”

Nice.

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Olivier Assayas‘ Summer Hours shows the simultaneously solemn, humorous, and emotional introspection that occurs when one has to decide how to deal with the belongings of a recently deceased loved one. It questions the true value of objects and examines attachments to material things. It’s a quiet, thoughtful movie that moved me so much that I found it difficult to hold back tears when recounting the story to a friend.

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Objectified, on the other hand, touches on sentiment, but focuses more on the utility, efficacy, and aesthetic of objects. Gary Hustwit, the design-focused filmmaker who aimed his camera at Helvetica two years ago, now turns his attention away from typography and towards industrial design. He speaks with some big names in the field who offer their historical knowledge and philosophical outlook on the subject. It was clever, enlightening, and certainly gave me a deeper appreciation for the potato peeler. (Seriously.)

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Since watching these films I’ve been absorbed with material objects. I’ve thought about my own — what I love, what I’ve paid loads for, what affection and memory won’t let me part with, etc.  This got me thinking about my friends and their possessions — particularly those whose interests have led to the accumulation of a lot of… stuff. So I asked them about it. And they told me about it…

I’ve seen it a number of times. It’s a really silly movie but it cracks me up every time I watch it!

The movie is a lot of fun and I think the opening credits do a good job in showing that.

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Just as charming are the film posters for the movie, with the lovely type from the time period and (surprise, surprise) a lot of images of Nick and Nora Charles, my favorite detective team.

They’ve also produced some badass film posters.

(This is a DVD cover.  And it has Klaus Kinski in it! I didn’t know he did Spaghetti Westerns!)

(The head on the ground is disgusting. I could do without that…)

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And, in case you missed Mike’s comment, check out this wonderful short film by Salla Tykka featuring music by the great Morricone.

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It’s the perfect introduction to the film. The zither score contributes so much to the tone of this movie and is far more versatile than I ever imagined. The Third Man is about an American writer who travels to Vienna to visit his old friend, but ends up investigating this friend’s death instead — all this to the sweet playfully melancholic sound of the zither.  Like I said — versatile.

Other reasons why I enjoy this movie:
1) My infatuation with Joseph Cotten. We also share the same birthday, so I’m pretty sure that if fate did a better job of coordinating the year of our births we would have been an awesome match.

2) The sinister brilliance of Orson Welles.

3) The sharp and clever dialogue of Graham Greene.

4) The subtle and beautiful imagery of Carol Reed, reinforcing the emotion and mood at the core of the scene (a swinging door and a coat on the floor; fingers through a sewer grate; the twisted body of a teddy bear). I would frame the final scene if I could.

If you’ve seen this film, then you know that these are fairly obvious reasons and you understand why ‘The Third Man’ is now stuck in my one-track mind.

Third Man Theme by The Band

Ingmar Bergman’s Scenes from a Marriage is an examination of the relationship of Johan and Marianne, a married couple who, after 10 years of a seemingly happy union, sever their marital ties when Johan leaves Marianne. The separation forces them to develop strengths, face weaknesses, and forge an unexpected bond their marriage never offered.

Originally a six-part mini-series that aired on Swedish television, Mr. Bergman edited it for cinematic release.  It was one of his more accessible projects, drawing the general public to their television screens, as opposed to the usual art-house crowd. Part of its appeal, of course, is that the subject matter is so relatable and the characters so real and engaging. It was easy for me to lose myself in this three hour film — the acting so amazing and intense,  the angles and close-ups punctuating the sheer agony, joy, shock, anger, and heartbreak of this couple.

While there is a lot of raw emotion here, it is, after all, called ‘Scenes from a Marriage.’  It does include all the rote and mundane things that occur, and most times this benign scene is what is on display for the outsider.  So fitting then, I think, is The Criterion Collection’s simple and beautiful packaging for the film’s DVD.

The bedroom, as other movies show, is a place without inhibitions; this is where one (or two) can let hair and guard down.

(Note: In Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert’s bedroom scene, their acquaintance is only a few hours old, hence the “wall of Jericho” between them.)

The Criterion packaging captures Johan and Marianne in conversation. Johan is in the middle of reading a book and presumably Marianne, glasses on her face, was in the middle of one herself when she decided to share what looks like, based on Johan’s reaction, just a casual observation. I imagine that this is probably one of the most unexciting aspects of marriage — the random thoughts that couples share with each other in bed — but the very idea of involving someone else in even the meaningless that the mind absorbs is in itself a display of the level of intimacy at work.

The clean type that flows above Johan and Marianne’s heads contrast and complement the colors of their pajamas.  As in marriage, the different words in different shades flow into each other, working together to complete the  rectangular shape their union creates.  Eric Skillman, the designer for this packaging, recounts the creative process involved with this project. His blog shows the earlier treatments of this work, which present the couple in the more heart-wrenching scenes from the movie.

While I think the images Mr. Skillman chose for these versions are powerful, moving and fitting, I very much like the austerity of the final product, which offers a look at the quiet and understated aspects of intimacy and effectively acts as a calm before the storm.

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Anyway, that’s what I enjoy about movies that involve playing dress-up.  The protagonist develops: an awareness of his/her surroundings; an appreciation for his/her colleagues, peers, and companions; and an understanding of the other gender, as well as his/her self.  Plus, it makes for good comedy.

The film posters for Some Like It Hot include hand-drawn lettering, bright colors, and its cast of comedians.

And of course Marilyn.

***

Tootsie uses the memorable Dorothy Michaels in its promotion. The Russian film poster even shows the character metamorphosis.

***

Just One of the Guys just uses sex appeal– of both genders.

I don’t even get that last poster.  Oh well — blame it on the 80’s.

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In an attempt to recreate a page from my teenage-decorated notebooks, I offer a collection of photographs of some of my favorite collaborators: Burton & Taylor; Bergman & Rossellini; Fellini & Masina; De Beauvoir & Sartre; Lennon & Ono; Carter & Cash; Hepburn & Tracy. These pairs are far from perfect, but their energy and intensity make even their moments of scandal and dysfunction just as captivating as their displays of tenderness and devotion.

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