Unspoken Cinema

17 years already since this blog opened with a collective blogathon (whatever happened to those? who has time for blogs anymore?) to celebrate the underexposed, little commented, the "boring" contemplative cinema booming in these years... Much has been said and published since then, both in film criticism and film academia, as for proof is the Library page at Unspoken Cinema . Contrary to the Cassandras doomsday prophecies, this kind of cinema is thriving, now more than ever, in its 50 years of existence. And since Akerman's Jeanne Dielman tops the 2022 S&S canon (for cinema in general), it seems appropriate to poll today cinephiles from around the world, lovers of Contemplative Cinema, asking them which are the greatest masterpieces, in their opinion, of what is known as "Contemplative Cinema".  Would you like to contribute to the 2023 survey on Contemplative Cinema ? The rules are simple : there is no rule for selection. Each voter's own perception ...

Entretien avec Sharunas Bartas (Centre Pompidou, Paris, 2016) 15'28" English subtitled in French ( YouTube ) * * * Où en êtes-vous Sharunas Bartas ? (Centre Pompidou, Paris, 2016) 22'32" Sous-titré en français

Los Bastardos Par HARRYTUTTLE Au fond d'un canal de crue à sec, postée dans l'axe au milieu des larges berges de béton inclinées, la caméra attend l'arrivée des deux protagonistes encore confondus avec le point de fuite. En temps réel l'aube blanchit sur la zone périurbaine de Los Angeles. Une entrée en matière depuis les égouts. Une patiente "traversée du désert" métaphorique du pénible franchissement de la frontière hautement gardée entre le Mexique et les États-Unis. Les silhouettes minuscules, impersonnelles, méconnaissables s'approchent lentement, précédées de nos préjugés hâtifs. Finalement, nous distinguons à l'écran deux jeunes Mexicains qui vont escalader le parapet après un panoramique sur la gauche et disparaître de dos dans la ville qu'il ne nous est pas donné de voir. Amat Escalante montre la grande mégapole californienne du point de vue des émigrés clandestins, et non la carte postale des séries télé. On n'en voit que des car...

"In recent years the term “slow” has acquired a certain reputation among the cinephile community, connoting a range of positive cinematic qualities that brings (mainly non-Hollywood) filmmaking into proximity with “slow food”: locally sourced, traditionally prepared and part of a sustainable eco-system.[..]  [..] They [Béla Tarr's The Turin Horse & Pedro Costa's In Vanda's Room ] epitomize much of what the positive evaluations have in mind: their uncompromising reduction of narrative and spectacle, their focused concentration on the sacred moments of the ordinary, their close attention to the everyday, their steadfast gaze on the characters who want neither sympathy nor open themselves to empathy, since we are told very little about them. Among the qualities that keep one riveted are the films’ attention to the materiality of objects and the figures’ rapport with the spaces they inhabit, physically specific yet universal in their minimalism; and finally it is th...

" Ainsi toute notre vie oscille, comme un pendule, de droite à gauche, de la souffrance à l'ennui. " Schoppenhauer Pas le bonheur, pas le malheur : l'ennui (André Comte-Sponville) 21 janvier 2016 (YouTube) 6' Le bonheur au travail, par André Comte-Sponville : ce philosophe et écrivain de renom s'intéresse au sens du travail et nous propose une réflexion philosophique autour du travail et de la santé. Travailler et être heureux: comment jongler avec nos ambivalences ? Conférence donnée le 21 janvier 2016 aux Hôpitaux universitaires de Genève.

"[..] Contemplative Cinema is neither a genre nor a school, but "slow films" share certain family ressemblances. Slow films distinguish themselves through long and fluid camera takes and infrequent editing as well as through a certain visual and narrative simplicity that can lead to a voluntary lack of mobility and expressiveness. [..]  [..] The contemplative way of looking produces a surplus of understanding and this works better when the process is slow. To contemplate does not merely mean to collect information about what is seen. Information can be quantified and rationalized, and when it comes to the processing of information, speed is an advantage. For contemplation, on the other hand, slowness is a virtue. [..] In Contemplative Cinema the slowness is interior and will be perceived as such by the viewer while analysis does not lead to awareness unless the results of the analysis are contemplated. Contemplation creates awareness, which means that it transforms the c...

PORTUGUES Iniciação ao Cinema Contemplativo O Cinema Contemplativo é uma forma cinematográfica minimalista inovadora, iniciada nos anos 1960 e 1970, que tem se desenvolvido amplamente desde os anos 2000. É um modo narrativo ascético, caracterizado pela lentidão (o ritmo da vida cotidiana), mutismo (com diálogo contido), ausência de arco dramático (sem começo nem fim) e pouca música (muitas vezes com som direto). Por onde começar se você é um novato? Eu recomendo bastante os filmes a seguir (ver lista abaixo), relativamente fáceis de encontrar, filmes envolventes mas não muito longos nem muito austeros. Aqui estão 5 títulos em ordem de acessibilidade : Primavera, Verão, Outono, Inverno... e Primavera (2003) de KIM Ki-duk (falecido no final de 2020), um conto Zen que retrata as cinco etapas da vida de um homem ecoado pelas cinco estações do ano. O Paraíso, Provavelmente (2019) de Elia SULEIMAN, uma absurda comédia agridoce sobre as peregrinações do cineasta na Palestina, em Paris e Nov...

What is Slow Cinema? (Luka Wrenshall) 17'16" 3 april 2022 (YouTube) See also at Unspoken Cinema : CCC Videographic Criticism

ITALIANO  Iniziazione al cinema contemplativo Il cinema contemplativo è una forma cinematografica minimalista innovativa, iniziata negli anni '60 e '70 e che si è ampiamente sviluppata a partire dagli anni 2000. È una modalità narrativa ascetica caratterizzata da lentezza (il ritmo della vita quotidiana), silenzio (con dialoghi contenuti), assenza di arco drammatico (senza inizio né fine) e poca musica (spesso dal vivo). Da dove iniziare se si è alle prime armi? Raccomando vivamente questi film relativamente facili da trovare, che sono coinvolgenti, ma non troppo lunghi o stantii. Ecco 5 titoli in ordine di accessibilità: Primavera, estate, autunno, inverno... e ancora primavera (2003) di KIM Ki-duk (morto alla fine del 2020), un racconto zen in cui le cinque fasi della vita di un uomo riecheggiano le cinque stagioni dell'anno. Il paradiso probabilmente (2019) di Elia SULEIMAN, una commedia assurda e agrodolce sulle peregrinazioni del regista in Palestina, a Parigi e a Ne...

Viewer Question 36 (from Aidan Cseh): "Slow Cinema" (YouTube) 12'33" 5 Sept 2021 See also at Unspoken Cinema : CCC Videographic Criticism

BLOGATHON 2007 [Non-]Narrativity (Marina) - 31 Oct 2006 Contemplative cinema blogathon (HarryTuttle) - 21 Oct 2006 Team blog (HarryTuttle) - 20 Oct 2006 Blogathons archives - 31 Dec 2006 Contemplative Acting (Marina) - 6 Dec 2006 FILM REVIEWS Thoughts from an (Experimental?) Documentary Film (Jo Custer) - 13 Dec 2006 CITATIONS The State of Cinema (Michel Ciment) 2003 - 30 Oct 2006 INTERVIEWS Straub-Huillet : Sicilia  - 20 Oct 2006 OTHERS References (HarryTuttle)  - 21 Oct 2006 Chronology (HarryTuttle) - 20 Oct 2006 Table of Content 2007 - 20 Oct 2006 Yearly Tables of Content / Sommaire général annuel

Masterclass du cinéaste TSAI Ming-liang ( Centre Pompidou , Paris, décembre 2022) 129min MANDARIN & FRENCH Pour accompagner le cycle Tsai Ming-Liang, le Centre Pompidou propose une masterclasse avec le cinéaste taïwanais. Cette rencontre est animée par Amélie Galli, programmatrice de la rétrospective, et des étudiantes et étudiants de la Sorbonne, de la Fémis et de l'École du Louvre. En duo, ils questionnent l’invité sur ses œuvres, ses processus artistiques et les réflexions qui mènent à la création. * * * Entretien TSAI Ming-liang (Centre Pompidou, Paris, dec 2022) 4min Voir aussi : Retrospective TSAI Ming Liang (Paris 2022)

Chatbot GPT (for Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is an Open AI artificial intelligence translating any prompt into a structured answer. ( Wikipedia ) Let's ask it about Contemplative Cinema... _____________________________ Prompt: What is the definition of Contemplative Cinema? ChatbotGPT : "Contemplative cinema is a term used to describe a style of filmmaking that emphasizes slow pacing, minimalism, and a focus on internal psychological states and emotions. It often utilizes long takes, static shots, and a lack of traditional narrative structure to create a meditative or contemplative experience for the viewer. The term is used to describe a broad range of films, including art house and experimental films, as well as some documentaries." * * * Prompt: What is the history of Contemplative Cinema? ChatbotGPT : "The concept of contemplative cinema is not a new one, and its origins can be traced back to the earliest days of the medium. Many of the earliest films, s...

Contemplative walk Snowfall In Bukchon Hanok Village Seoul Korea | Relaxing Snow Walk | Ambience Sounds 4K HDR 6 jan 2023 ( YouTube ) 1h33' "It began to snow again in Seoul at 10 p.m. on Friday. I walked through my favorite Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul. Still, the road was slippery and there were so many hills that it was not easy to walk. But it was a very quiet place, so I could hear my footsteps and the sound of snow falling completely. I hope you feel better after watching this video. I wish you a happy day! Filmed: January 6, 2023, 10:00PM" See also at Unspoken Cinema : Flâneries urbaines sans paroles (Yuki Eikawa)

"[..] L’enjeu de cet article sera d’étudier les implications spatiales de l’étirement de la durée d’un plan. Il s’agira donc de mettre en rapport les questions du temps et de l’espace filmiques. Bien sûr, l’idée que le cinéma pose de façon spécifique la question de la relation entre le temps et l’espace n’est pas neuve. On la retrouve, sous des formes différentes, dans les écrits de Jean Epstein, Serguei M. Eisenstein, Erwin Panofsky, André Bazin, Pierre Francastel, Edgar Morin et Pier-Paolo Pasolini, pour ne citer que quelques exemples. De façon plus ou moins explicite, ces auteurs situent leurs réflexions dans la lignée de la contestation moderniste de la traditionnelle distinction entre arts du temps et arts de l’espace, et répercutent dans la théorie du cinéma certains des bouleversements entraînés par les découvertes de la physique cosmologique au tournant du XXe siècle (en particulier la notion einsteinienne d’un continuum espace-temps) : même ramenés à l’échelle de l’homme ...

Tarr Béla: I used to be a filmmaker (2013/Jean-Marc Lamoure/France) DOC ( YouYube ) 1h25' Friends and collaborators discuss Bela Tarr as he finishes his final film, "The Turin Horse." From December 2008 till June 2010, Béla Tarr and partner Agnès Hranitzky gathered their cinema family near Budapest for a last film. During the time of the shooting, everyone unveils a part of a reality involved into Béla Tarr's cinema. An illuminating and extremely rare documentary profile of one of the great filmmakers of our time, Bela Tarr. Filmed during the production of The Turin Horse, his final film, it features clips, behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with longtime collaborators. A rare glimpse behind the curtains of The Turin Horse, Hungarian auteur Béla Tarr's final film. Unpicking the film's singular spiritual vision and profound existential descent, Jean-Marc Lamoure smartly approaches Tarr as he does his own subjects: with patience, grace, and lucidity.

O que é Slow Cinema? (Arthur Tuoto) 13 july 2018 (YouTube) 11'39" "Em 2003, o crítico Michel Ciment reconhece em alguns filmes contemporâneos o que ele chama de “um cinema da lentidão”. A partir disso, alguns teóricos formulam uma tendência cinematográfica denominada Slow Cinema." See also in Portuguese on Unspoken Cinema : O que é Cinema Lento? (Matheus Benites)  PORTUGUES Você conhece o Slow Cinema??? (Pinheiro) PORTUGUES And see also at Unspoken Cinema : CCC Videographic Criticism

Préambule potentiel de mon futur livre en français sur le  Cinéma contemplatif : « Trop contemplatif ou pas assez contemplatif ? » Les films art & essai de ce nouveau siècle, qui s’affichent dans les festivals de cinéma internationaux, posent souvent cette question… De fait le sens caché n’est autre que : « était-ce un film ennuyeux ou un film qui se mérite ? » Si les festivals raffolent de ce cinéma-là, qu’il vienne des quatre coins du monde, les critiques surtout sont récalcitrants, y opposant toutes sortes d’excuses au sortir d’un ronflement par trop gênant, le cinéaste incriminé de subreptice hypnose... Mais il existe un public fidèle et enthousiaste chaque fois que sort un nouveau film de cette veine-là, comme s’il y avait un manque dans l’offre du cinéma mondial que le film contemplatif, seul, comblerait. Quoique la majorité parle d’un genre nouveau, d’autres diraient « film de festival » ou encore « style international », nous allons définir ici un mode narratif (comme s...

Você conhece o SLOW CINEMA??? (Guilherme Pinheiro) 9 sept 2022  (YouTube) 16'05"  Nesse vídeo falo um pouco sobre o conceito de "Slow Cinema", comento suas características principais e grandes expoentes. Comenta abaixo se já conhecia esse tipo de cinema e se já viu algum filme do "Slow Cinema". Produzido pela Galeria Produções. See also in Portuguese on Unspoken Cinema : O que é Cinema Lento? (Matheus Benites) PORTUGUES O que é Slow Cinema? (Arthur Tuoto) PORTUGUES And see also at Unspoken Cinema : CCC Videographic Criticism

SLOW CINEMA (Elizabeth Wijaya) 26 march 2020 (YouTube) 2'41" Entry by Elizabeth Wijaya, University of Toronto Part of the Audiovisual Lexicon for Media Analysis, edited by Vincent Longo and Matthew Solomon, University of Michigan. Project funded by LSA Technology Services, University of Michigan. This is a draft version of the video provided by the author and the editors for temporary use during the Covid-19 pandemic. We expect the final videos will be available on an open-source platform sometime next year. See also at Unspoken Cinema : CCC Videographic Criticism

Français | English | Español |  한국어 | 日本語 FRANÇAIS Le Cinéma Contemplatif est une forme de film minimaliste et novatrice, initiée dans les années 60-70 et largement développée depuis les années 2000. C’est un mode narratif ascétique caractérisé par une certaine lenteur (au rythme de la vie quotidienne), un mutisme (avec un dialogue contenu), sans arc dramatique (sans début ni fin), et peu de musique (souvent en son direct). Par où commencer si vous êtes néophyte ? Je vous conseille vivement ces titres relativement faciles à trouver, qui sont accessibles et prenants, ni trop longs, ni trop austères. Voici ces suggestions en ordre de difficulté progressive. Printemps, été, automne, hiver… et printemps  (2003) de KIM Ki-duk (qui nous a quitté fin 2020), un conte Zen en cinq âges de la vie trouvant écho dans cinq saisons.  It Must Be Heaven  (2019) d’Elia SULEIMAN, une comédie absurde douce-amère à propos des pérégrinations du cinéaste entre la Palestin...