Cinéma du Réel Report 2
It is raining cats and stones in Paris. No spring feeling yet. Nevertheless the cafés are full outside as all the smokers are situated there now. No smoking inside.
Full houses at the festival for the two screenings in the Cinéma 1 that I attended. The series “Americana” draws a lot of people. Not only people who experienced the happy 60’es but also a young generation, who wants to know what it was all about. Ed Pincus “One Step Away” and “Pictures from Life’s Other Side” by Jim McBride. The first one far the most interesting about the totally stoned long haired hippies, who live in a commune in the year of 1967. Harru wants to leave for New York with child and girl friend but it takes a looong time before he realises his intention. Funny to look. Nostalgia? Not for me even if the main character reminds me of a good friend, who also had big difficulties in moving.
And then “Holunderblüte” by our old friend Volker Koepp, this time from Kaliningrad with a complete children cast. Allan will review this later in this place.
Full houses but a lot of audience leaving the cinema before the films are over. Why this disrespect for the film? It disturbs the rest of us and it is seldom that I experience this. French arrogance?
Joaquin Jorda, the late Catalan documentarian, said that “you only sleep at good films, for the bad ones you stay awake”. Volker Koepp does not make bad films. Grand old man in (East)German documentary, wonderful memories from his films that we showed on Baltic Film/TV Festival on Bornholm in the 90’es.
Neil Young is played in the café where this is written. The 60’es never end.
www.cinereel.org Still: Ed Pincus to-day.
