Tual Working Time) Set by the Com Puter
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• F I L M R E v I E w 5 • tual Working Time) set by the com puter. All these workers talk of the THE BIG SNIT psychological stress of being monitored MIN I REVIEWS In the city, an odd married couple by a machine which "spies on you and by Pat Thompson play Scrabble. She keeps taking off reports everything." One woman can • • her eyeballs (rather like pince-nez') didly admits about her home-life that "I and shaking them during the game. yell a lot these days." He shuffles his letters endlessly and, But it is precisely this spark of protest since he's dithering about, she goes that Quel nurnero/What Number? com off to vacuum. With great glee, the veys and honours. In their interviews husband turns on the TV to his fa and discussions for this film, the women vourite program, Sawing for Teens. workers are wonderfully alive and witty With saw in hand, he watches in ut and incisive in their assessment of the ter delight. Falling asleep in front of technological revolution. Whether in the screen, he misses the emergency pooling their talents to write the theme announcement of a worldwide nu song for the film, or in acting out satir clear war! ical skits that reveal the pressures of The husband awakes and ignores their jobs, these women consistently the noise of paniC in the streets, and convey a spirited energy that resists de the noise of his wife vacuuming the feat. As Bissonnette has written in her bathroom, including tub and taps, production notes for Quel numero/ and the inside of a large cupboard. What Number? "Where does hope re She returns to the Scrabble game, side in this film? For me, it lies in the and accuses her husband of looking strength, the humour and the desire for • The camera just loves Linda Griffiths in Passion at her letters. He counters with yells change of the women who participate of, "You're always shaking your in it." eyes!" She bellows, "Stop sawing the Yet the very fact that this film dares THE AGE OF INVENTION table," while the husband attempts to challenge the dominant ideology of to conceal his pet saw. computerized "progress" is in itself This month, films from two recent A short sharp overview of the transition The shooting match peaks, the grounds for hope. By its point of view festivals. The first two were at To from The Age of Innocence to The Age wife rushes out in tears. Attempting and structure, it does more than inform. ronto's Festival of Festivals, and the of Invention. The fascination of this pie a reconciliation, the husband goes It enrages and energizes, reminding us third one at the Montreal World ce is the skillful editing of archival ma into the hall and plays his concertina that (as the women's song says) "When Film Festival. terial - a wide variety of still photo to soothe and serenade her. Overco the machine has hands/I won't be graphs plus early film - into a smoothly me with loving emotion, they make needed anymore." cohesive and interesting whole. The up and, unaware of the disintegrating The film reaches its moment of su soundtrack is particularly artful, utili world, open the door to go outside... preme irony in a sequence devoted to zing to great effect old phonograph re Another winner from Richard one of the nine new computerized cord~, voices from the past, and the Condie, the talented animator who machines now used to send out un PASSION: wonderful clackings, rumblings, ring gave us the procrastinating teenager employment insurance cheques. As the A LETTER IN 16MM ings ~nd hissings of machinery. in Getting Started, and the prolific technology writes out the cheque, Covering the steam engine, the type bugs smuggled through Customs in places it in the envelope, addresses and writer, and up to tl).e movie camera, Anna, filmmaker., delivers a cinema Pig bird. The wonderfully detailed pewriter, and up to the movie camera, tic message to a departed lover. Her drawing and bizarre characters serve monologue to the camera, intercut radio and the aeroplane, with the final horrors of the machine-gun and tank in to heighten and punch across the with flashbacks as she recalls the idea of what really constitutes The "obsession, passion and ecstasy," ex World War I, this snappy, evocative pre sentation manages to impart a lot of in Big Snit. The human emotions dis poses some of the problems and di played, though small in comparison, lemmas of today's woman. Full of formation (coupled with a dash of so are every bit as earth-shattering as energy and talent, wanting to make cial comment) in an engrossing and ly shattering the earth. That's one easy a mark in her profession - yet stri rical vein. interpretation, but there are many ving to preserve a private, intimate Note: The NFB have prepared an at others to be deduced from this little personal life - Anna struggles and tractive little illustrated information animated film, which may even lead suffers. folder on this film, giving a few details to a new national diversion - sawing! The camera loves Linda Griffiths and dates relating to the inventions, which is worth reading. (the Maggie and Pierre actress) and, dJscJanim. Richard Condie, p . Michael Scott, without her, one's attention would Condie, anim,cam. Gordon Manson, inker: Sha flag. This good-looking debut film pJdJed. Albert Kish, exec.p. Adam SymanskylBarrie ron Condie, sd.ed. Ken Rodeck, mus. Patrick Howells, cam. Andy Kitzanuk, loc.sd. Bev Davidson! Godfrey, voices: Jay Brazeau, Ida Osler, Randy from Patricia Rozema falls down on Hans Domes, mus. Ben Low, running time: 10 mins. Woods, Bill Guest, running time: 9 mins.49 its script. Such florid phrases as "an 45 secs., col. I6mmlvideotape. p.c. & dist. National secs., col. 35mmll6mmlvideotape. pc. and dist.: exquisite ache," "the sublime mad Film Board. National film Board. ness," and "perhaps what it is all about is my being able to say to you without fear or blame, it is over," at the finish, serve to emphasize that the writing leaves much to be desi 'licks' it, and applies proper postage, we red. realize that not only do machines have Griffiths' shining performance is hands and tongues, they also increas the mainstay here - a lesser actress ingly have all the jobs. What's left for would have foundered in the words. human beings to do seems to be It's to be hoped that the interpreta epitomized in the film by the computer tion was decided upon between this convention salesmen who dutifully sing talented player and the director. How the praises for their new technological ever, it's fair to say that this ambi masters. tious first film, with good production Joyce Nelson • values squeezed out of (one guesses) a small budget, certainly engenders an anticipatory feeling for the next QUEL NUMEROIWHAT NUMBER?: one. THE ELECTRONIC SWEATSHOP d. Sophie Bissonnette p. Jean-Roeh Marcotte, Bisson· d J ed./sc. Patricia Rozema. cam. Peter Mettler. nette Serge Giguere ed. Liette Aubin res. Sophie cam. Iighting/assl.cam. Doug Koch, art.d. Barbara Bissonnette sd. Diane Carriere, Claude Beaugrand Tranter, casl. Maria Armstrong, I.p. Linda Grif mus. jean Sauvageau, Denis Larochelle, Clemence De fiths, 16mm, col., running time: 26 mins. Availa srochers 16mm., color, running time: HI minutes, bility: Vos Productionsrroronto (q 16) q61-H87~ . 1985 dist. (English Version) DEC Films, 229 College, Produced with assistance from the Onuri" Arts S!., Toronto, (416) 964-6901 , (French Version) CounciVNalional Film BoardfThe Canada Council. • The wife with the removable eyes in The Big Snit Cinema Libre, 4872 rue Papineau, Montreal, (5 H) 526·0473. November 1985 - Cinema Canadal31 .