Saw Listen to Britain, a short propaganda film which opens with a Canadian poet quoting (in his words) a famous American, reinforcing the allied forces here. This quotation is the last bit of dialogue we hear. After that the camera bounces, impressionistically, between bombers flying overhead as radios play in living rooms, dancehalls full of singing people while men strap on their helmets in grim, silent, silhouette. It's very stirring, kind of pokey and old, and sort of nice.
The film reminded me of other experimental, character-free films, such as Man with a Movie Camera or (to a much lesser extent) Meshes of the Afternoon. This film is only 20 minutes long so it never really drags, but it is also a bit old and pokey. The version I saw (linked above) had an unfortunately poor sound track, which undermines the impact of the film a bit. Even with a decent soundtrack however, Roll Out the Barrel does not give the same mood it once did, centuries ago and miles away.
It's an interesting sort of curiosity of a film. Definitely peaceful and pleasant, but not terribly accessible or gripping.
No comments:
Post a Comment