In my first post ever on CineRobot I mentioned the film Days of Heaven (1978) regarding my newfound appreciation of the b-film actress Brooke Adams. When I watched that film for the first time one of the first things that jumps out to me is just how beautiful director Terrence Malick made wheat look on screen. I have never seen wheat look so captivating before as the way Malick made it look. Honestly, the parts of it shimmying in the wind, all green against the flat terrain of the film is some of the most breathtaking moments in cinema history for me. Why do I find the wheat so beautiful to look at?
Maybe it's me tapping into some kind of primal, early film appreciation as the wheat in Days of Heaven reminds me a little of something that early film pioneers the Lumiere Brothers might have filmed and released. The early "hits" in penny or nickel houses were not stories but real life events: trains moving, trees swaying in the breeze, panning shots of a cityscapes or rural horizons.
When Malick lets his camera stay on the wheat for long periods of time I am reminded of these short films in the early days of cinema. I could watch the wheat move for hours. A few years ago I was lucky to see a restored 35 mm print of Days of Heaven (after having to watch it on tv the previous times I'd seen it) and I was blown away by its meditation on nature and love (and how Malick lingers over wheat like he's lusting after it!).
I thought I'd never see Malick's wheat topped but a few months ago I saw a great little film from Italy called I'm Not Scared (2003). I'm Not Scared is worth seeing as an interesting coming of age thriller and character study as a young boy discovers something about the people close to him that changes him forever.
But, the first thing that stood out to me regarding I'm Not Scared is the unbelievably gorgeous use of wheat by director Gabriele Salvatores. It's the closest I've seen to matching the wheat in Days of Heaven. Salvatores uses the wheat just as Malick does (it's clear he's seen Days of Heaven) as a way to create isolation and lushness in the film's setting at the same time. Wheat can present this duality of meaning when it's filmed in such a concentrated way and connected to the film's story.
In these two films, the wheat is a character in the story and you can't help but notice it, admire it, and if you are like me, wish that you were standing in the field itself. Check out these two films to see wheat filmed the way it dreams of being filmed.
2 comments:
Hey J1, I think you should include some links in your blogs to filmographies or fansites for the actors you mention. That way, we could see what the actors look like and say "oh yeah, I remember that guy's funny face!"
I'm enjoying your posts.
J2
i would if i knew how to do that...even as simple as this site is, it's still over my head komputer wise.
i'd like to add links, pictures, etc...maybe i'll figure it out?
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