Tag: cinema
Seeing with the ear: Meditations on the use of sound in the films of Dario Argento
It may seem odd to make an argument about the supremacy of sound in the films of Dario Argento, which bear such a recognisable visual flair. While it’s impossible to discount Argento’s expressive imagery, his creative use of sound is an often overlooked element of his style. This isn’t too surprising, since I believe sound…
Moving with the Beats: Words on the big screen
How do you portray on film a movement as influential, radical and ground breaking as that of the Beat Generation? It seems hard to fathom now, but what the Beats did for the literary world was akin to what the Beatles did for music. The Beats were a crazed frenzy of creativity that came kicking…
Reviewing “Inside Llewyn Davis”
Enter The Gaslight Poetry Café 1961, smoky and atmospheric lighting highlights a dim stage and a singer under spotlight. The surrounding audience is still except for some bar staff in the background and a few draughts of smoke barely taken in. The onstage performer is giving it his all, completely heartfelt and eerily resonate. The…
Blood and Bandages: Paramedics on film
For most of my life, I have only ever seen ambulance crews and paramedics portrayed in two ways on film. They were either the much respected platoon medic, featured in so many war films, particularly American ones, or the laughable buffoons of English comedies, in particular, the ‘Carry On’ series. In the latter, ambulancemen were…
Elvis Presley and the movies: Watching ‘The King’ at work
I never gave Elvis Presley much thought until the Christmas of 1961, when my older sister broke down in tears after opening the Blue Hawaii soundtrack album. I got a pair of bongos that same morning, and played along on them to the record. I had seen Elvis the previous year in the western Flaming…