Swimming Pools and Movie Stars

An allusion to The Beverly Hillbillies, in case y'all didn't get it. ;)

The film crew have started filming as of today, and have been here in the apartment all week (if you don't remember why a film crew might be in my apartment, this post should refresh the memory). I will have as little comment as humanly possible in my post, mainly because, although I feel offended and intruded upon, I guess some people out there might think this is really cool.

One thing I have to point out is the effort they went through to make everything really "lived-in" and real - to the point of framing photos of the actors and replacing my landlady's family photos with fake ones. You can't really see the minuscule details in the photos, but presumably they will show up in film.

Here are photos of what they've done with the apartment to make it into a film set:

KUNSTHALLE: Le Surréalisme, c'est moi!

An exhibit at the Kunsthalle, and one I was very excited about seeing, Le Surréalisme, c'est moi! was, I'll be honest, a bit disappointing.

I would consider myself a true Salvador Dali fan. I have seen lots of exhibitions. I even have a finger puppet Dali:

Dali in front of the Trevi Fountain

So I was disappointed to see only a handful of Dali originals, with the rest of the exhibit a painful "contemporary artist do Dali." Yuck. This is a) false advertizing. I expected DALI! and b) not real art if you are just copy catting a great artist.

I did however receive a dual entrance ticket for my €10.50 to see "Das Kabinett des Jan Svankmajer" exhibit on the floor above. I was highly impressed. Svankmajer is a relatively well-known Czech animator and film director. He dabbles in other art forms, but his most famous pieces are short films. I remember seeing Dimensions of Dialogue at some point on TV - maybe the arts channel...here is a link to the first part on YouTube. I remember distinctly the different heads devouring each other, and thought it was weird when I was about 15. But now I find it strangely beautiful. I found the entire exhibit beautiful, in fact. Sometime a bit creepy, but always a true artistic vision.

Svankmajer's Encyclopedia sketches

Svankmajer has been touted as the Czech Tim Burton (though his work predates Burton's, so I would say he inspired Burton). As more or less a contemporary of Ingmar Bergman, I would also compare him to Bergman, in the sense that his films deal with social issues in a surreal or unexpected context. Although Bergman's work is more or less "normal" (set in a contemporary, real-life world) and live-action (no animation), I think they share a conceptual vision, in a way.

Svankmajer's work is dark - no doubt about that - imaginative, and very much influenced by the culture of central Europe. I've noticed in my time here (and in reading plenty of German texts in college) that there is a bit of an obsession with the Devil in German, Bohemian, and Alpine cultures - just look at the Brothers Grimm! Or Kafka, or E.T.A Hoffmann, or Heine. Or basically any German-language author for that matter. His Kafka-esque "The Flat," revamping of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher," and his haunting critique of Communism, "The Garden."

So, although the Dali part was a bust, I think I've found a new favorite cineaste in Svankmajer.

Film Fantasy

Some interesting news has come my way: a film might be shot in my apartment! Well, I use "my" loosely...the apartment I'm renting. I'm not quite sure the filming dates, or the type of film (drama, I assume) or even if the crew will decide to film here (though it's looking pretty good), but the cinematographer, director and director's assistant have come to look at the apartment several times, which is a good indication.

The film director is Barbara Albert. I didn't recognize her when I met her (she is purportedly quite famous in Austria) but after doing a Google search, I discovered that I have actually seen one of her films: Free Radicals, one of my many "art house" picks from the APL during my college days...I liked it, I think. The thing is, I had a bit of trouble following the various schizoid plots. Which is the point of the film, I guess, that life make no sense, it's just a bunch of meaningless events strung together by the fact of experiencing them. Which is not necessarily a philosophy I agree with, but at least I found the film interesting. I assume Ms. Albert's latest project is in a similar vein. She likes doing disconnected vignettes, so presumably the apartment will be the setting for one of those.

The cinematographer promised that if they do choose the apartment, filming will be brief, I wouldn't have to do anything, and filming would occur sometime in November. If this comes to fruition, we'll see how many of those promises hold true.

In any case, I find it quite exciting, having considered a brief film career (after finishing a screenplay with the one and only CB) -- and who knows? I might end up writing for Hollywood one of these days. At least I can cross my fingers...or daydream as the case may be. Writers should always look into possibilities, even if they are little logical or plausible.

Summer Camp Austria: the Beginning

Starting on the 26th of July, I have been hired to teach German at an international sleep away summer camp in Zell am See. After a week of orientation with all of the staff members, the campers arrived yesterday. It's been pretty hectic getting all of the kids situated and dealing with parents, regulations, etc. I'm a bit afraid the kids are going to be spoiled brats from what I've heard about the socioeconomic standing of some of them...

The kids come from all over, but mostly Russia, the Middle East, Switzerland and other parts of Europe. I was on airport duty picking up the kids from Munich, which was incredibly stressful. I never realized how hard it can be to try to wrangle 60+ kids around an airport!!

All of my co-workers seem pretty cool, though. I met two on the train ride from Salzburg to Zell am See and the rest when I got to the camp. They've traveled all over the place, and many of them are from New Zeeland, though there are also a number of Americans, a couple of Canadians, an Australian, and various Europeans. Our orientation was a bit less hands-on than I had imagined, but I guess it did the trick.

I will stop here, being absolutely pooped. Hopefully more news will pop up soon...and pictures, too!

Famous Austrians IV: Fritz Lang

Fritz Lang with monocle

One of my absolute favorite directors, Fritz Lang, is the latest "famous Austrian" to be honored on this blog. Expressionism is one of the art movement I find myself most drawn to, and I closely relate my own artistic output closely to Expressionism.

Because Lang is so often associated with Berlin, having worked for UFA during the Weimar era before leaving Europe for Hollywood, it is unsurprising that many might mistake him for being German. On the contrary, Fritz Lang was born and grew up in Vienna, born to a Catholic father and Jewish mother, and attended the Technische Universität, studying art and civil engineering.

My obsession with silent film began with Lang: Metropolis, The Testament of Dr. Mabuse, M and Die Niebelungen, to name a few. Also his talkies: Lilliom staring Charles Boyer (another fave - made while Lang was in France after fleeing Nazi Germany), Hangmen also Die, and Clash by Night with Marilyn Monroe.

Although many "film critics" consider much of his stuff to be simple, moralistic film noir, I don't really give a damn. His films are stunning visual masterpieces that can be simply enjoyed, or analyzed to bits...the choice is yours, and I have mine. 

Plus, what fashion sense (see photo)!