Posts tagged as:

documentary

Viewfinder: Dinner With Murakami

by Amber on February 5, 2010

Murakami

Dinner with Murakami is a 2007 documentary directed by Yan Ting Yuen about the life and work of legendary Japanese author Haruki Murakami.

“Largely structured round Murakami’s enigmatic absence, the film dramatizes Murakami’s impact on his readers and takes the camera into the hinterland to determine what is “Murakamian” in the Japanese landscape. The resulting film has a beautiful sense of form and poetic structure.” [Indie Flick Pick]

In the film everybody from groupies who hang outside Murakami’s old jazz club to schoolchildren, share their piece on the publicity shy writer. Norwegian Wood has been likened to the Nippon equivalent of J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye; so it is unsurprising most Japanese people have a story to tell about their relationship with Murakami’s work.

See also: Imagine, a BBC documentary series. Alan Yentob goes on A Wild Sheep Chase: In Search Of Haruki Murakami.

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VIEWFINDER: GREY GARDENS

by Amber on April 24, 2009

Grey Gardens

Grey Gardens

I remember first watching the 1975 Grey Gardens cult documentary when I was 15. Edith Bouvier Beale and Edith “Little Edie” Bouvier Beale made such an impression. The film is mostly awash with eccentric style and dilapidated lives; but every so often you could see a touch of refinement flare in their eyes. It’s really worth watching, beyond being a study in human relationships; as many designers and photographers have used the film as a visual reference.

Of course, I’m mad about animals, but raccoons and cats become a little bit boring.

Now Jessica Lane and Drew Barrymore have starred in a 2009 telemovie based on the Edies’ lives. Reports say Barrymore really committed herself to this role – staying in character and withdrawing from family and friends.

I can’t wait to see it. Here’s the trailer:

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