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.........is a really important part of our culture. It's a while since I've written here partly because that's how it is and partly because I've not really been inspired by many films recently. However, I was struck Norman Stone's film 'Man Dancin' with music by Collin Towns. This was a low-budget film which kept me up until 1.30 in the morning when I should have pressed the video recorder or just gone to bed. What struck me as important about this, apart from teh drama, was that it was now possible to do this kind of thing on a low-budget. On the website, Stone asks what you would do if you were reinventing the film making process today. That's a good question which we could ask about many things.
The Man Dancin' link will put you in the picture.
I suppose that La Haine (1995) is a similar low-budget, gritty film set in a decaying and crumbling society. Director Mathieu Kassovitz examines youth disaffection and police brutality in the suburbs of Paris. Additional features on the DVD provide an interesting commentary on the film as well as an insight into the creative processes and political values which inspired the film. I've watched this quite a few times now and still find it fascinating. The ending took my breath away - quite uncompromising and an amazing antidote to the 'happily ever after' values seen in so many films.
