Monochromatic Monday: Bleu de Chanel – Commercial – Directed by Martin Scorsese

Posted on by bernardovillela

Martin Scorsese has, of course, left an indelible mark on the craft of filmmaking. What may be less well known is that he has an impressive resume in other short form visual media. One of the more noticeable endeavors being the music video for Michael Jackson’s
“Bad”. This isn’t Scorsese’s first venture into the realm of directing commercials and/or short films that are ostensibly advertisements, however, his latest for Bleu de Chanel shows that Scorses always has an artistic direction.

Scorsese approached Chalamet asking him if he’d ever seen Fellini’s short Toby Dammit, he hadn’t but that was the inspiration here: Chalamet plays himself dealing with his fame and being a personality, while trying to balance the desire to be an artist against that reality.

While this selection one bends the definition of monochromatic as it does not remain in shades of gray, but the only color to break into this film is blue, as per the name of the fragrance. However, I share it here because the color is a main storytelling component and because it seems a bit short to share on a Saturday. Enjoy!

Music Video Monday: Baticano – Bad Bunny

Posted on by bernardovillela

When I reintroduced Monochromatic Monday I didn’t really lay out a plan about how or when I’d bring back the themes mentioned in my Manifesto. However, when I happened to discover this music video by Bad Bunny it reminded me that I have from time to time done a Music Video Monday as well and it is worthy of such a spotlight. The reasons are clear: first, its an homage to Nosferatu. Second, Steve Buscemi is in it. Third, in what’s already an homage to Nosferatu it drops a perfectly done Dalí/Hitchcock reference. Fourth, it’s just damn good in its own right in terms of editing, blocking, cinematography, set design, and performance. 

Watch it here.

Monochromatic Monday: The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

Posted on by bernardovillela

Looking back at my Manifesto that I posted upon launching this website, it promised certain persistent themed posts.  Rather than going back and editing something written by a much younger man, I’ll try to stick more closely to it by reintroducing these themes that have appeared sparsely at best over the years.

First, I’ll bring back Monochromatic Monday, featuring a black and white film that was easy to find free online. 

Every year new films are available to the public domain. This makes certain classics that were easier to find for aficionados more readily available and I’ve always like sharing these films here.

I figured an ideal choice to recommence would be The Passion of Joan of Arc. It’s a riveting silent that tells a familiar tale, but employ canted camera angles, dynamic edits to make this a film that was ahead of its time and is still vibrant nearly 100 years later.

I’ve included links to both a YouTube version but also included I link to the Internet Archive for higher resolution, downloadable versions, and as a failsafe if the YouTube link breaks. 

YouTube

Internet Archive