Tuesday, December 10, 2019

RAIN (1928, NETHERLANDS), THE BRIDGE (1928, NETHERLANDS),THE SPANISH EARTH (1937), A TALE OF THE WIND (1988, NETHERLANDS)

Rain

Experimental Dutch documentary filmmaker Joris Ivens made this short film titled Rain at the end of the silent film era. It's about rain...Before the rain, during the rain and after the rain. The umbrellas do come out at some point.

Rain...I don't mind-The Beatles

The Bridge

Ivens also made another short film during this time about a bridge titled The Bridge (De Brug). The bridge is there. It's sturdy. There are trains passing on top of it and ships passing underneath. There are enough ships to make me think this film could have been called The Boat. But no, It's The Bridge.

Like a bridge over troubled waters, I will lay me down-Simon and Garfunkel

This Spanish Earth

Ivens made a later film in the 30's (with collaborator Ernest Hemingway) titled This Spanish Earth. This film is a documentary record of a village defending itself against the fascists during The Spanish Civil War and before the outbreak of World War II.

You will never find peace with these fascists
You'll never find friends such as we
So remember that valley of Jarama
And the people that'll set that valley free-Woody Guthrie


A Tale of the Wind

If Joris Ivens wanted to end his creative and physical life making a film in which he searches for wind (and providing an appropriate bookend to Rain from sixty year before), then by all means he has my blessing!

All we are is dust in the wind-Kansas
The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind-Bob Dylan
Everyone knows it's Windy-The Association

Joris Ivens 1899-1989

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