***image1***Pretention, wrapped in a box.
ESSENTIAL ART HOUSE-50 YEARS OF JANUS FILMS
Fans of art house, foreign and classic cinema are sure to have a few of the titles included in
Essential Art House-50 Years of Janus Films
on their shelves already. The collection, however, will fill in gaps that even the most avid cinephile won't know exist.
Beginning in 1922, with Benjamin Christensen's
Häxan
, and ending with 1973's
The Spirit of the Beehive
, Janus Films brought cinema from around the world to the US and introduced some of the most influential names in film: Michelangelo Antonioni, Jean Renoir, Akira Kurosawa, Jean Cocteau, Roman Polanski, Ingmar Bergman and Federico Fellini are only the tip of the legendary iceberg.
The 50 films included in
Essential Art House
are enough for an intellectual indulgence that could lead to mental meltdown. In addition to challenging
and entertaining films, a 200-page book both describes the history of Janus and takes in-depth looks at the movies themselves, introduced by none other than Martin Scorsese.
The Rules of the Game
,
Pygmalion
and
The Fallen Idol
will be familiar to moviegoing Santa Feans, as all three have recently had short runs in town. Though seeing these films on celluloid is a treat, being able to watch them time and time again without the rush to get to one of only a few showings is the pleasure of this collection.
Essential Art House
offers a few ways to explore the history of cinema. There's always the chronological approach, but the best bet is to find a few familiar names, like
Rashomon
, with its much-copied retelling of an event through different eyes, or Fellini's unique betrayal of innocence in
La Strada
, and then move toward the less familiar territory of
Umberto D
and its destitute hero, Umberto Domenico Ferrari.
Many of these films can be found on the local video store shelves, but being a connoisseur and collector of fine cinema is akin to loving great literature. There's something special about showing off fine taste.
