Some Thoughts on Jack Cardiff 1914-2009

by Kimberly Lindbergs | April 22, 2009

Categories | News, Directors, British Cinema, Alain Delon, Bikers, Marianne Faithfull, Girl On a Motorcycle, Jack Cardiff, Featured

Jack Cardiff with Marianne Faithfull on the set of The Girl on a Motorcycle (1968)

The talented director and cinematographer Jack Cardiff has passed away at the age of 94. As the tributes start to roll out from various news sites and film blogs its become clear to me that most people regard Jack Cardiff as a great cinematographer and have little regard or knowledge of his directing contributions, which is a shame. Cardiff was a brilliant photographer and his groundbreaking contributions to cinematography are well worth celebrating. But his impressive work as a director on films like the wonderful D.H. Lawrence adaptation Sons and Lovers (1960), the entertaining spy thriller The Liquidator (1965), the excellent erotic drama The Girl on a Motorcycle (1968) and the effective horror film The Mutations (1974) is also worthy of applause.

My favorite Cardiff film is The Girl on a Motorcycle (on my list of Favorite Films from 1968), which starred Marianne Faithfull and Alain Delon as two motorcycle obsessed lovers named Rebecca and Daniel. Jack Cardiff directed, photographed and edited the film, and it holds a special place in my heart for numerous reasons. First and foremost is the ingenious casting. Marianne Faithfull and Alain Delon were two of the most beautiful, transgressive and fascinating pop culture icons of the ’60s and teaming them up in The Girl on a Motorcycle was a brilliant idea. They’re incredibly sexy together in the film and Cardiff did a remarkable job of capturing their youthful beauty as well as the erotic heat generated by his two stars.

Jack Cardiff said of filming Marianne Faithfull, “Never since I first saw Marilyn Monroe through the camera lens have I seen such irresistible beauty. To focus on her is to focus the camera on your innermost heart.”

This touching observation is made crystal clear when you watch the film. Cardiff’s camera was clearly infatuated with Marianne Faithfull and there’s an intimacy between the director and the actress on display in The Girl on a Motorcycle that is impossible to overlook.

Cardiff’s penetrating exploration into the mind, heart and body of Marianne Faithfull’s Rebecca is loaded with impressive visual cues and mesmerizing camera effects. The psychedelic edginess of Girl on a Motorcycle may seem somewhat dated now and many people will probably find the movie unworthy of all my praise, but Cardiff’s film is still effective if you’re willing and able to give in to its many pleasures. The sensual nature of the film’s plot combined with Cardiff’s mesmerizing photography and experimental editing make The Girl on a Motorcycle a truly unforgettable film and one of the most fascinating and genuinely sexy movies to come out of Britain in the late ’60s.

In a 1968 interview with Philip Bradford, Jack Cardiff called The Girl on a Motorcycle the only film that was, “truly, entirely my own.” He added that, “On other films in the past I have often been prevented from shooting a picture entirely as I may have wished. But this time I worked on the script, have directed and edited, and have been responsible for the choice of music. I am delighted to have had this total freedom.”

It’s a shame that Jack Cardiff didn’t get that kind of opportunity more often because his directorial efforts showcase the work of an extremely talented man with a painter’s eye and literary ambitions who was willing to take risks and buck convention. We need more film makers like Jack Cardiff.

In a strange coincidence I was planning to devote an entire week to The Girl on a Motorcycle next month because the film is being re-released on DVD by Redemption Films. Instead of waiting until May, I’ve decided to go ahead and start posting some of The Girl on a Motorcycle material I was planning on sharing. Keep your eye on Cinebeats in the coming days for more posts about Jack Cardiff’s film.

Recommended Links:
- BFI: A Tribute to Jack Cardiff OBE
- Gallery Chiaroscuro, the official website for the Jack Cardiff Collection
- Internet Encyclopedia of Cinematographers: Jack Cardiff
- Jack Cardiff at IMDB.com
- David Hudson’s collection of Jack Cardiff Obits at IFC.com

My tribute to the film continues here.

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12 Films I Must See

by Kimberly Lindbergs | September 17, 2008

Categories | Rants & Raves, Alain Delon, Pupi Avati, Terence Stamp, Jean-Luc Godard, Freddie Francis, Pierre Clementi, Marianne Faithfull, Florinda Bolkan, Anna Karina, Catherine Deneuve

I’ve mentioned before how much I dislike blog memes. I find most of them really dull and pointless, but occasionally I get asked to participate in one that sparks my interest. The following 12 Films I Must See meme was forwarded my way by Dennis at Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule and it’s a doozy. The point of the meme is to list 12 movies that you’ve never seen before and are difficult to find on video or DVD.

In other words, if you can get it at Netflix or your local Blockbuster, don’t bother mentioning it. But Dennis made up his own rules and included some films that are easy to find but he had just never got around to viewing them so the meme is obviously open to interpretation. I decided to follow the original rules only because there are lots of films I’d like to see made more accessible to American audiences and doing this meme gave me the opportunity to mention a few of them. This list could have been much longer but I decided to just list the first 12 that came into my head in no particular order. And the 12 films are . . .

Shinjuku dorobo nikki (1968) and L’ Insoumis (1964)

1. Shinjuku dorobo nikki (Nagisa Oshima; 1968) aka Diary of a Shinjuku Thief
I’ve only seen a few of Nagisa Oshima’s films (Cruel Story of Youth, In the Realm of the Senses, Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence and Gohatto) but they all left a big impression on me and I really want to see more of his work. Diary of a Shinjuku Thief is the one Nagisa Oshima film I’d like to see above all others. I believe bootleg copies of the film are floating around online and the movie is occasionally revived and shown at theaters but so far it has managed to evade me.

2. L’ Insoumis (Alain Cavalier; 1964) aka Have I the Right to Kill?
TCM recently dusted off what seems to be the only print of this hard-to-find thriller and showed it once back in April. Unfortunately I missed it and I don’t know when I’ll have the opportunity to see it again. The movie stars the magnificent Alain Delon who wields a gun and falls for the pretty Italian actress Lea Massari in the film. L’ Insoumis is often referred to as one of Delon’s “best movies” so I can’t understand why it’s so hard to see. Hopefully someone will release it on DVD soon or TCM will do us all a favor and show it again.

Top: Terence Stamp in Una Stagione all’inferno (1970)
Bottom: Angela Pleasence in Symptoms (1974)

3. Una Stagione all’inferno (Nelo Risi; 1970) aka A Season in Hell
Terence Stamp stars as Rimbaud in this film about the poet’s life and Jean-Claude Brialy plays Paul Verlaine. Does anything else need to be said? How about this - the movie also stars the wonderful actress Florinda Bolkan and features a score by Maurice Jarre that’s easier to find than the actual movie. I’ve been trying to track down a copy of this film for years but I haven’t had any luck and it seems as if there’s virtually no information about the movie available anywhere.

4. Symptoms (José Ramón Larraz; 1974)
I’ve enjoyed all of the José Ramón Larraz’s films that I’ve seen but so far but his 1974 feature Symptoms has escaped me. The film stars Angela Pleasence (daughter of Donald Pleasence) who always seems extremely uncomfortable in her own skin and it’s often referred to as the directors best film. Unfortunately it’s not available on DVD but I hope some company will release the film in the future since I’m sure it would find an audience. In the meantime I’ll have to make due with a poor quality bootleg copy of the film if I want to see it.

Benjamin (1968) and Chelsea Girls (1966)

5. Benjamin (Michel Deville; 1968)
Catherine Deneuve and Pierre Clementi are two of the most beautiful creatures to appear in French films during the ’60s and I love watching them together in Luis Buñuel’s wonderful Belle de jour (1967) so I know I’d enjoy watching them together in this film. Benjamin claims to be a “French Tom Jones” and so I expect it will probably be a light-hearted French sex comedy. I haven’t come across much info about the movie but Roger Ebert awarded Benjamin with “the 1968 strawberry parfait award” and added that it would float off your fork ” before you can get your mouth open.” He also said that it would appeal to “empty-headed would-be sophisticates who want to attend a pretty French movie that doesn’t make them think, or depress them, or anything.” Sometimes I don’t want to think. Sometimes all I want to do is laugh and watch beautiful people like Catherine Deneuve and Pierre Clementi frolic on screen nude or dressed in lovely period costumes, so I suspect that I’d find something worthwhile about Benjamin if I ever get the chance to see it.

6. Chelsea Girls (Andy Warhol & Paul Morrissey; 1966)
I’ve seen bits and pieces of Chelsea Girls but never the entire thing which is approximately 3 1/2 hours long. The film has become a curiosity piece over the years and it has never been officially released on DVD in the US as far as I know. There is an Italian DVD of the film available but I believe it’s currently out of print. Due to the film’s split-screen format I’d prefer to see it in a theater but in all honesty it’s lengthy running time has kept me away from screenings over the years. Hopefully I’ll get the opportunity - and the patience - to see the film in its entirety sometime.

Le Moine (1972) and Balsamus l’uomo di Satana (1970)

7. Le Moine (Adonis Kyrou; 1972) aka The Monk
Le Moine is based on the the classic Matthew Lewis novel “The Monk” and stars the handsome and charismatic actor Franco Nero along with the beautiful Natalie Delon. The film also features a script by Luis Buñuel, cinematography by Sacha Vierny and a score by Ennio Morricone & Piero Piccioni. How could this film be anything but great? Le Moine is available on Region-2 DVD but I haven’t had a chance to see it yet. Hopefully that will change soon.

8. Balsamus l’uomo di Satana (Pupi Avati’; 1970) aka Blood Relations
I’ve mentioned before that I’d love to see more of Pupi Avati’s early horror films and Balsamus l’uomo di Satana is at the top of my “must see” list. The tagline for the film is a “Grotesque ‘Bordello’ of Nightmares!” and that’s got me more than a little intrigued. Unfortunately as far as I know Balsamus l’uomo di Satana has never been released on DVD or video and it seems impossible to find. Avati’s latest films continually get rave reviews from critics and win plenty of awards so why aren’t more of his older films available on DVD? I can only hope that the director’s early work will become more accessible in the future.

Top: Made in USA (1966)
Bottom: The Psycopath (1968)

9. Made in USA (Jean-Luc Godard; 1966)
Out of all the Godard films I haven’t had the opportunity to view yet Made in USA is at the top of the list. The complicated plot intrigues me. The cast (which includes Anna Karina, Jean-Pierre Léaud, László Szabó and Marianne Faithfull) is tops and the clips and still shots that I’ve seen look absolutely breathtaking. The film is currently available on DVD in the UK as part of the Region-2 Jean-Luc Godard Collection Vol.1 but I haven’t had any interest in buying the entire set just to see that film since I already own copies of all the other Godard films in the collection.

10. The Psychopath (Freddie Francis; 1968)
The Psycopath is one of the few Freddie Francis‘ films that I haven’t had the chance to see yet because it’s so hard to find. I love all the British thrillers and horror films that Francis made and I’m fond of Amicus films in general. I just know that I’m going to enjoy this movie once I get the chance to see it. Any horror film that involves creepy dolls is high on my “must see” list but when you add Freddie Francis’ name to the mix along with Amicus, well I don’t think I need to say much more.

Tantei jimusho 23: Kutabare akuto-domo (1963) and Das Indische Tuch (1963)

11. Tantei jimusho 23: Kutabare akuto-domo (Seijun Suzuki; 1963) aka Detective Bureau 23: Go to Hell Bastards
This is the first crime film that director Seijun Suzuki made with Joe Shishido and the only film they made together that I haven’t had the pleasure to see. From all the accounts I’ve read it appears to be a predecessor to one of my favorite Suzuki films, the amazing Youth of the Beast. It was written by Haruhiko Oyabu who also wrote Youth of the Beast and Shishido plays the role of Joji ‘Jo’ Mizuno again. Many of the actors who appeared in Youth of the Beast also have roles in Tantei jimusho 23: Kutabare akuto-domo. As far as I know, the film is not available on DVD anywhere but I really hope Criterion will consider releasing it in the future since I think the film would obviously appeal to anyone who has enjoyed Criterion’s previous Suzuki/Shishido DVD releases.

12. Das Indische Tuch (Alfred Vohrer; 1963) aka The Indian Scarf
There are plenty of German Krimi films featuring the incredible Klaus Kinski that I could have included on this list but I just decided on this one because I love the poster art so much. Many of my regular readers know that Kinski is one of my favorite actors and I’ve seen a lot of his films, which is saying something since the man appeared in hundreds of movies (what it’s saying I’m not exactly sure, except maybe that I spend too much time watching movies?) . The real black spot in my Kinski viewing is all the krimi films he made in the ’60s since I’ve only had the oportunity to see 3 or 4 so far and there must be at least 20 more that I’d like to see. I absolutely love the krimi films I have managed to see and I’m fascinated with the work of Edgar Wallace. Many of these films are available on DVD in Germany but I haven’t had the extra funds to purchase them yet. I keep hoping that many if them will be released in a DVD boxset in the US but that looks more and more unlikely as the years roll by. Hopefully I’ll get the opportunity to see all the Kinski krimi films sooner or later.

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Stephen Weeks’ Ghost Story (1974)

by Kimberly Lindbergs | November 18, 2007

Categories | Movie Reviews, Horror, British Cinema, Marianne Faithfull, Barbara Shelley

Marianne Faithfull in Ghost Story (1974)

Ghost Story (aka Madhouse Mansion) is an interesting low-budget independent horror film made in 1974 by the British director Stephen Weeks. The film tells the story of a small group of privileged young men in the 1930s that gather together for a weekend in the country at a sprawling British estate. As soon as they arrive, personality clashes, petty arguments and the gloomy environment start to wear on everyone’s nerves. To make matters worse, the estate’s owner (Murray Melvin) neglects to mention that the place might be haunted. When evening comes one of the men (Larry Dann) begins having strange dreams and visions involving a creepy doll and the ghost of a beautiful young woman (Marianne Faithfull). As the story progresses the tenuous ties that bind the men together begin to unravel and the strange visions become more and more vivid until they threaten to drive one of the men mad.

The film suffers from its low-budget, Stephen Weeks’ somewhat lackluster direction and a distracting score by composer Ron Geesin who some viewers might know from his work with Pink Floyd and Roger Waters. Weeks is capable of creating an unsettling mood, but he seems to have trouble sustaining it for any substantial period of time.

Besides its numerous problems, I still think Ghost Story is an entertaining supernatural thriller with a fascinating premise. It contains some truly eerie moments and dabbles in all sorts of interesting topics including incest, madness and the arcane arts but unfortunately it never fully explores any of them.

Top: Larry Dann and Murray Melvin
Bottom: Vivian Mackerall and Leigh Lawson

My favorite thing about Ghost Story was Marianne Faithfull’s wonderful performance as a ghostly apparition. I adore Marianne Faithfull and she’s perfectly cast here as the tortured, yet lovely and effervescent Sophy. Marianne does a wonderful job of injecting the film with some much needed vitality and charm. The rest of the cast is good but they often seem uncommitted to the material. The talented actress and Hammer regular Barbara Shelley also has a small role as the matron of a madhouse but she’s never given enough screen time.

Marianne Faithfull had just overcome a rough patch in her personal life when she made Ghost Story. After her relationship with Mick Jagger ended she lost custody of her son and became addicted to heroin. Thankfully she managed to pull herself together with the help of some friends and started acting again in television. Before making Ghost Story Marianne had appeared in numerous stage productions and had memorable roles in films like Made in U.S.A. (Jean-Luc Godard; 1960), I’ll Never Forget What’s ‘is Name (Michael Winner; 1967) and The Girl on a Motorcycle (Jack Cardiff; 1968).

Director Stephen Weeks had only made a few films before making Ghost Story in 1974, including the entertaining Amicus production I, Monster (1971), which starred Christopher Lee and was based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic horror novel Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. The independently made Ghost Story has a much more adult script, but it lacks the raw energy found in I, Monster. Both of the director’s horror films are well worth seeking out if you enjoy British thrillers with a gothic sensibility and period setting.

Unfortunately Ghost Story is only available on video at the moment and the print seems damaged and distorted. I, Monster is available on DVD from Image Entertainment, but the quality isn’t much better. Both films would really benefit from being restored and I’m sure I would enjoy them more if I was able to see them under better circumstances. Hopefully that will happen in the future.

Recommended Link:
- The Official Website of Marianne Faithfull

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