It’s so Belgian.

Is that Akerman?

Yes, after a false start the other day, this is the first movie proper on the Akerman box set from BFI.

So, this seems to be a series of short tableaux where we see a couple people interact. They’re all lit like this — one or two bright lights placed pretty far off, so much of the screen is #000. Apparently no sound was recorded when filming, but there’s some hyper active foley artists working very hard — every step has a STEP STEP STEP sound, and every door has a creak and a BONK.

So far none of the characters have made a return… but perhaps that’s the movie — just a series of encounters in one night, and no plot?

In any case, this definitely seems like a scaled back production from Akerman’s 70s movies. Did she lose financing?

Does everybody in Belgium have their own code displayed on the houses?

29.M.57 ISO 368.HB.

I really like the way it looks, but unlike other Akerman films, I’m not really hypnotised by this one.

OK, there are storylines of a kind… characters reappear and we can (sort of) follow along some stories.

It’s morning!

I liked this movie. It did fall off a bit towards the end when we spend more time with a handful of the characters — the vagueness of the main part of the movie was quite appealing.

Toute une nuit. Chantal Akerman. 1982. ⚄

Oh, now I remember… I’ve seen this one before. That psycho’s gonna kidnap some poor woman, right?

I think I got this bluray because it was on Hazel Flagg’s list, but I’m not completely sure. I can’t really think of any other reason…

There’s the victim.

What a creep!

I probably saw this on VHS in the early 80s, and while I don’t actually remember anything concrete from the movie, it must have made an impression — I mean, I knew immediately that it was about a kidnapping when I saw that butterfly. On the other hand, that’s not exactly subtle…

I like what he’s done with the place… Did Fritzl see this and go “yes! this is what I’ll do!”

Man, that Terence Stamp is a terrific actor.

I dunno… it’s really well made and well acted — the set design is fantastic — but I’m not altogether all in on this. It’s difficult not to imagine this made by Hitchcock instead: There’s be so much more going on; more tense scrapes; more escape attempts… a less passive kidnappee. It’s hard to believe that somebody would just submit in this way and not try to get an escape plan going.

On the other hand, I don’t think Hitchcock would have managed to make something as creepy as this.

That’s a nice house. Could use more chimneys. MORE CHIMNEY

Anyway, I can’t really say I enjoyed this that much. I guess I kind of respect it? But eh.

The Collector. William Wyler. 1965. ⚃

I’ve started watching the Alan Clarke box set again…

It’s very weird. The previous Clarke BBC films have mostly been very straightforward things, but this is all very … psychological.

The seventies was a fun decade for television. In most of the European countries, there were only a couple a TV channels, and most of them felt an impulse to give the viewers some Real Culture. You’d be watching, and then randomly there would be a Bergman movie.

This is a Play For Today movie, which was a BBC series designed to give people some real culture.

I always liked watching these things as a child and a teenager.

But… I’m not quite sure about this one. It’s done really well — it’s all pensive and weird and stuff. But it’s also a bit cringe-worthy?

I liked this. It’s so in-your-face “we’re gonna shock and befuddle the people in front of the TV”. It’s very strange, in a good way.

Penda’s Fen. Alan Clarke. 1974. ⚄