SELECTING THIS YEAR’S LINEUP WAS OVERWHELMING. I HAD WAY TOO MANY MALFORMED THEME IDEAS FOR THIS YEAR’S FESTIVAL. I WANT TO THANK ALL OF YOU, WHO (DESPITE OR BECAUSE OF MY INCESSANT PESTERING) HELPED ME TO FINALLY DECIDE ON… DANCE!
I DON’T KNOW WHAT GOT ME THINKING ABOUT DANCE AS A THEME EARLIER THIS YEAR. MAYBE IT WAS WATCHING THE TRAINWRECK THAT IS BAZ LUHRMANN’S ELVIS AND REALIZING I HAD NEVER SEEN HIS DEBUT FILM, STRICTLY BALLROOM (1992) (THIS YEAR’S 3RD FILM OF THE FESTIVAL), OR PERHAPS IT WAS PURCHASING THE ESSENTIAL JACQUES DEMY BOXSET FROM CRITERION AND LEARNING ABOUT THE UMBRELLAS OR CHERBOURG (1964) AND THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT (1967) (THE 4TH FILM OF THE FESTIVAL), THE LATTER OF WHICH I FOUND IRRESISTIBLE DUE TO ITS CANDY-COLORED CINEMATOGRAPHY, ART DIRECTION, AND COSTUMING.
THIS LED ME DOWN A PATH OF REALIZING I HAVE SOME PRETTY GLARING POP CULTURE BLINDSPOTS, ESPECIALLY 1980S HITS LIKE FAME (1980), FLASHDANCE (1983), AND DIRTY DANCING (1987) - NONE OF THE 80S FLICKS ENDED UP MAKING THE CUT though. AS WELL AS EARLY AUGHTS BLOCKBUSTERS, CHICAGO (2002) AND MOULIN ROUGE!(2001) - ONE LUHRMANN FILM IS MORE THAN ENOUGH.
AS ALWAYS, I WANTED TO CREATE A LINEUP THAT IS AS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE BREADTH AND SCOPE OF THE THEME AS POSSIBLE. NATURALLY, I BEGAN WITH DOCUMENTARY, AND SEEING THAT BOTH MARTHA GRAHAM: DANCE ON FILM (1959) AND PINA (2011) ARE IN THE CRITERION COLLECTION, I ADDED THEM TO MY LIST. PARIS IS BURNING(1990) WAS ALSO IN CONTENTION AS A DOCUMENT OF A SUBCULTURE WHOSE INFLUENCE PERMEATES MAINSTREAM DANCE MORE BROADLY. UPON MENTIONING THE MARTHA GRAHAM FILM TO CLARE, SHE WAS BEYOND EXCITED, SO THAT SETTLED THAT. I DON’T THINK I EVEN GOT TO TELL HER ABOUT THE OTHER TWO DOCS.
NEXT, I WANTED TO FIND A FILM THAT WAS REPRESENTATIVE OF EARLY HOLLYWOOD, AND HAVING ALWAYS HEARD ABOUT “ASTAIRE AND ROGERS,” I KNEW WHERE TO FOCUS MY SEARCH. THE TWO FILMS THAT KEPT POPPING TO THE TOP OF THE PILE WERE SWING TIME (1936) AND TOP HAT (1935). SWING TIME IS IN THE CRITERION AND OFTEN NAMED AS THE BEST OF ASTAIRE AND ROGERS’ FILMS, BUT IT TURNS OUT THAT THERE IS A TROUBLING MOMENT IN THE FILM. DURING THE DANCE NUMBER “BOJANGLES OF HARLEM,” ASTAIRE DONS BLACKFACE. IN ROGER EBERT’S REVIEW, HE SAYS “ENLIGHTENED SENSIBILITIES ARE JARRED BY THE SIGHT OF ASTAIRE IN BLACKFACE, BUT THE CINEBOOKS ESSAY CALLS THIS “PERHAPS THE ONLY BLACKFACE NUMBER ON FILM WHICH DOESN'T MAKE ONE SQUIRM TODAY. HIS SKIN MADE UP AS AN AFRICAN AMERICAN RATHER THAN A MINSTREL-SHOW CARICATURE OF ONE, ASTAIRE DANCES AN OBVIOUS TRIBUTE TO THE GREAT BILL ROBINSON”.” WHILE THAT MAY BE THE PREVAILING WISDOM OF THE CINE-SPHERE, I’D RATHER NOT TEST OUR SQUIRMING ABILITIES SO EARLY IN THE DAY, SO, I CHOSE TOP HAT INSTEAD.
MY OBVIOUS (TO ME ANYWAY) NEXT STOP WAS WITH BOB FOSSE. THE TWO FILMS I WAS MOST INTERESTED IN WERE ALL THAT JAZZ (1979) AND CABARET (1977). IT WAS A BIT OF A TOSS-UP AND COULD HAVE GONE EITHER WAY, BUT HAVING FORGONE THE THEATRICS OF MOULIN ROUGE! AND CHICAGO, AND HAVING HEARD SO MUCH ABOUT LIZA MINELLI’S PERFORMANCE (INCLUDING SEEING IT RE-HASHED ON SCHITT’S CREEK), THERE WAS REALLY NO CONTEST.
THERE WERE QUITE OF FEW FILMS THAT I WAS MILLING OVER THAT FEATURED BALLET AND SINCE MARTHA GRAHAM HAD THAT COVERED, IT DIDN’T MAKE SENSE TO USE ANOTHER OF MY LIMITED SLOTS ON A SECOND BALLET MOVIE, SO I NAME THEM HERE: BILLY ELLIOT (2000) WHICH IS A FANTASTIC EMOTIONAL FILM OF A WORKING-CLASS BOY WHO IS A BALLET VIRTUOSO. THE RED SHOES (1948) AND THE TALES OF HOFFMANN (1951), BOTH POWELL AND PRESSBURGER TECHNICOLOR MASTERPIECES. BLACK SWAN (2010), ARONOFSKY’S DEMENTED NIGHTMARE BALLET THAT I STILL REMEMBER VIVIDLY. AND SUSPIRIA (1977) WHICH IS GREAT BUT ONLY NOMINALLY HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH BALLET, AND SUSPIRIA (2018) WHICH I HAVEN’T YET SEEN BUT APPARENTLY HAS MUCH MORE BALLET IN IT THAN THE ORIGINAL.
THE NEXT SORT OF SUB-GENRE OF DANCE FILM THAT I WAS COMING ACROSS WAS THE “WORKING CLASS DANCE MOVIE,” WHERE DANCE IS AN ESCAPE FROM ONE’S WORKING-CLASS ENVIRONMENT, SPIRITUALLY AS AN ARTISTIC ESCAPE, OR A MEANS, FINANCIAL MAYBE, TO GET OUT OF DODGE: THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON’T THEY? (1969), SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER (1977), AS WELL AS THE AFOREMENTIONED FAME AND BILLY ELLIOT. TO AVOID A REPEAT OF LAST YEAR’S LACK OF DIVERSITY BEHIND THE CAMERA, I LOOKED A LITTLE MORE AND FOUND STEVE MCQUEEN’S SMALL AXE ANTHOLOGY AND THE FILM LOVERS ROCK (2020) ABOUT BRITISH AFRICAN-CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY MEMBERS ATTENDING A REGGAE PARTY IN WEST LONDON IN THE EARLY 1980S.
THERE WERE ALSO A NUMBER OF FILMS FROM THE 2010S THAT I WAS CONSIDERING: SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK (2012), FRANCIS HA (2012) - A PERSONAL FAVORITE OF MINE, AND THE FITS (2015) WHICH I FIRST HEARD ABOUT WHEN IT WAS REVIEWED ON THE FILMSPOTTING PODCAST. FOR A LONG TIME I CONSIDERED FRANCIS HA A LOCK, BUT, I WAS TRYING TO AVOID yet another year where no women directors were included. TOO LITTLE TOO LATE, BUT BETTER LATE THAN NEVER?
THE FINAL CATEGORY TO CONSIDER WAS THE LAUDED MIDNIGHT SPOT. AFTER LAST YEAR’S “SUCCESS” WITH TheNEON DEMON (2016), I FEEL A LITTLE BIT OF PRESSURE TO DELIVER. AFTER MUCH HAND-WRINGING AND POLLING OF FRIENDS, I NARROWED IT DOWN FROM MAGIC MIKE (2012), CLIMAX! (2018), AND SHOWGIRLS (1995), WITH PAUL VERHOEVEN’S CAMP MASTERPIECE/NOTORIOUS FLOP COMING OUT ON TOP. DESPITE VERHOEVEN’S RECURRING DIFFICULT “THEMES”, INCLUDING SEX, VIOLENCE, AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE; HE’S BARELY MADE A MOVIE THAT DOESN’T FEATURE A RAPE SCENE, SHOWGIRLS IS WELL KNOWN AS A POWERHOUSE IN THE MIDNIGHT MOVIE CATEGORY.
THERE ARE A FEW OTHER FILMS THAT WERE ALSO CONSIDERED, BUT EITHER DUE TO THE LIMITATIONS IN THE SCHEDULE OR FOR THE SAKE OF VARIETY, I COULDN’T INCLUDE THEM. MARCEL CAMUS’ BLACK ORPHEUS (1959) - A MEANDERING DESCENT THROUGH THE MADNESS OF A RIO DE JANEIRO CARNAVAL, JEAN RENOIR’S FRENCH CANCAN (1955) - AN HOMAGE TO THE PARISIAN CAFÉ-CONCERT OF THE FIN DE SIÈCLE, KALPANA (1948) - THE ONLY FILM BY THE VISIONARY DANCER AND CHOREOGRAPHER UDAY SHANKAR IS A CELEBRATION OF INDIAN DANCE, AND SHALL WE DANCE? (1996) BY MASAYUKI SUO - A JAPANESE BALLROOM DANCE DRAMEDY THAT WON 14 AWARDS AT THE JAPANESE ACADEMY AWARDS. WITHOUT A DOUBT, I’LL BE WATCHING SOME OF THESE RUNNERS-UP LEADING UP TO THE FESTIVAL.
HAPPY VIEWING!
-HUGO
fa·shn
THIS SELECTION OF FILMS ACTUALLY STARTED LAST YEAR. FA·SHN WAS THE ORIGINAL IDEA FOR THE 2021 FESTIVAL BUT WAS ABANDONED EARLY ON BECAUSE BOTH PHANTOM THREAD AND BLOW-UP WEREN’T READILY AVAILABLE ON STREAMING. I KNOW THAT THESE MIGHT NOT BE THE STARTING POINT FOR MOST PEOPLE THINKING ABOUT FASHION INDUSTRY MOVIES, BUT I WANTED TO SEEK OUT FILMS I HADN’T SEEN OR FELT A NEED TO REVISIT. WHILE THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA IS A PERFECT FILM FOR THIS THEME, EVERYONE HAS SEEN IT, I’VE SEEN IT 3 OR 4 TIMES, SO IT FELT A LITTLE OBVIOUS, AND HONESTLY THE SAME GOES FOR ZOOLANDER.
THERE ARE ALSO SEVERAL FASHION DOCUMENTARIES THAT COME UP A LOT: THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE, FIRST MONDAY IN MAY, THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ANDRÉ, DIANA VREELAND: THE EYE HAS TO TRAVEL, AND BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK. WHILE ALL OF THESE FILMS ARE APPROPRIATE AND WELL REGARDED, VOGUE MAGAZINE AND NEW YORK FASHION ARE THE OVERWHELMING FOCUS (THEY ALL OVERLAP IN TIME PERIOD AS WELL). I ENDED UP CHOOSING IRIS, WHICH DOES OVERLAP WITH ALL OF THE AFOREMENTIONED AND WILL COVER SOME OF THE SAME MATERIAL, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY TO ME, I CHOSE IT BECAUSE IT IS DIRECTED BY ALBERT MAYSLES (WHO ALSO DIRECTED SALESMAN, GIMME SHELTER, AND GREY GARDENS WITH DAVID MAYSLES).
ANOTHER COMMON THREAD WITH FASHION DOCUMENTARIES IS THE FOCUS ON PERSONALITIES IN FASHION. THIS CAN BE SEEN IN MANY OF THE FILMS LISTED ABOVE, ALONG WITH DIOR AND I, VALENTINO THE LAST EMPEROR, L'AMOUR FOU, AND MCQUEEN. IN ORDER TO ADD SOME VARIETY I WAS LOOKING FOR SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT. I CAME ACROSS THE FILMS MACHINES (2016) AND NO SWEAT (2006), ONE ABOUT THE INDIAN TEXTILE INDUSTRY, AND THE OTHER ABOUT THE REVITALIZATION OF THE L.A. GARMENT INDUSTRY. WHILE BOTH FILMS WOULD BE ILLUMINATING TO IMPORTANT ISSUES THAT ARE RELATED AND RELEVANT TO FASHION, AT THEIR HEART THEY ARE FILMS ABOUT LABOR. CONTINUING MY RESEARCH FOR A FILM THAT MET MY CRITERIA, I LEARNED THAT THE FILMS OF THE PREEMINENT DOCUMENTARIAN FREDERICK WISEMAN (HIGH SCHOOL, HOSPITAL) HAD BEEN ADDED TO KANOPY, I WAS THRILLED TO DISCOVER HIS FILM, MODEL.
ALSO NOW THAT PHANTOM THREAD IS ON NETFLIX, IT WAS AN AUTOMATIC CHOICE. IT WAS ONE OF MY FAVORITE FILMS OF 2017, WHICH WAS A GREAT MOVIE YEAR (THE SHAPE OF WATER, DUNKIRK, BLADE RUNNER 2049, LADYBIRD, GET OUT, LOGAN). BLOW-UP WAS ANOTHER AUTOMATIC CHOICE, I HAVEN’T SEEN IT, IT IS IN THE CRITERION COLLECTION AND THE WINNER OF THE 1966 PALME D'OR. I ALSO LOVED THE JUXTAPOSITION OF BLOW-UP, A FILM THAT DEALS WITH THE MILIEU OF 1960S FASHION, WITH THE SATIRE WHO ARE YOU, POLLY MAGOO? (ALSO RELEASED IN 1966). ADDITIONALLY, POLLY MAGOO HAS THE DISTINCTION OF BEING SUPERMODEL DOROTHY MCGOWAN’S ONLY FILM ROLE, AND IS DIRECTED BY FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER WILLIAM KLEIN.
OTHER EARLY CANDIDATES WERE THE AUDREY HEPBURN FILM FUNNY FACE, WHICH I ENDED UP DECIDING AGAINST DUE TO THE DIFFICULTY OF SLOTTING A MUSICAL INTO THIS LINEUP. THE OLIVIER ASSAYAS FILM PERSONAL SHOPPER, WAS ALSO IN CONTENTION; I WAS HOPING TO FIND A FILM THAT WOULD SPOTLIGHT THE RETAIL SIDE OF FASHION, BUT THIS ISN’T A FOCUS OF THE FILM, AND IT ENDED UP BEING A BAD FIT. AT THIS POINT I BECAME WORRIED AT THE “WHITENESS” AND “MALENESS” OF THIS YEAR’S SELECTION, A PROBLEM ENDEMIC TO BOTH “THE FILM CANON” AND THE FASHION INDUSTRY (NO WONDER MY LIST WAS SIMILARLY BELEAGUERED). THE DIANA ROSS FILM MAHOGANY, WHICH WAS PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN TO ME, WOULD HAVE BEEN AN INTERESTING ADDITION BUT UNFORTUNATELY, IT IS NOT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE ON STREAMING. I WAS ALSO CONSIDERING THE 1966 FILM BLACK GIRL BY OUSMANE SEMBÈNE, BUT THE FASHION ANGLE WAS A STRETCH AT BEST (A YOUNG SENEGALESE WOMAN BECOMES A MAID FOR A COUPLE IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE WITH THE PROMISE OF HAND-ME-DOWN FASHIONABLE CLOTHING AND A SHOPPING TRIP). I ALSO DISCOVERED THE 2019 ALGERIAN FILM PAPICHA, BUT THE HEAVY THEMES OF THE FILM WERE DIFFICULT TO PAIR WITH THE CURRENT SELECTIONS. I HAD ALSO HOPED TO FIND A JAPANESE OR HONG KONGESE FILM, BUT NEVER CAME ACROSS ANY…
A FEW OTHER FILMS I CONSIDERED WERE PRÊT-À-PORTER BY ROBERT ALTMAN, WHICH SEEMED INTERESTING DUE TO THE DIRECTOR AND CAST, BUT IT HAS TERRIBLE REVIEWS, AND WOULD BE A RISKY CHOICE. COCO CHANEL & IGOR STRAVINSKY AND COCO BEFORE CHANEL WERE BOTH INTRIGUING DUE TO THE LEADS IN THE RESPECTIVE FILMS, MADS MIKKELSEN AND AUDREY TAUTOU, BUT IN THE END, DESPITE THE ACTORS, I DECIDED OTHER FILMS WERE A BETTER FIT BASED ON THEIR DIRECTORS, THEMES, AND AESTHETICS.
THE BITTER TEARS OF PETRA VON KANT WAS A LATE ADDITION, I HADN’T REALIZED THE FASHION CONNECTION IN THIS FILM UNTIL LATE IN MY SELECTION PROCESS. AS IT IS DIRECTED BY RAINER WERNER FASSBINDER, AND WIDELY CONSIDERED ONE OF HIS TWO MASTERPIECES, ALONGSIDE THE MARRIAGE OF MARIA BRAUN, AND WHOSE FILM THE MERCHANT OF FOUR SEASONS OPENED THE FIRST FESTIVAL IN 2020, I’M THRILLED TO HAVE STUMBLED UPON THIS TITLE IN TIME TO INCLUDE IT. OTHER ELEMENTS OF THIS FILM THAT ATTRACTED ME WERE THE ALL FEMALE CAST, THAT THE ENTIRE FILM TAKES PLACE IN ONE APARTMENT, AND THAT IT IS PARTLY THE INSPIRATION FOR OLIVER ASSAYAS’ FILM CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA. ANOTHER NATURAL PICK WAS THE NEON DEMON. IT IS A PERFECT FIT FOR THE “MIDNIGHT MOVIE” SLOT DUE TO ITS HORROR-GLAM-CAMP AESTHETIC ALONE. THE DIRECTOR, NICOLAS WINDING REFN, IS ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PUSHER TRILOGY, VALHALLA RISING, BRONSON, AND DRIVE, ALL FILMS I GREATLY ENJOYED. FURTHERMORE, CLIFF MARTINEZ WHOSE FILM SCORE FOR DRIVE I LOVE, ALSO SCORED THE NEON DEMON.
HOPEFULLY, YOU’LL ENJOY THIS YEAR’S SELECTION AND MAYBE EVEN WATCH SOME OF THE FILMS MENTIONED IN THIS ESSAY.
