Locked-Down Cinema

Film reviews of all the films I should have seen but didn't...

What do you do if you receive a Christmas present that is a membership to the British Film Institute when there's a pandemic on...?

"Une Chambre En Ville", Dir: Jacques Demy, 1982

Jacques Demy's 1982 film "Une Chambre En Ville" (Eng: "A Room In The Town") qualifies it to be "Late Demy"...

Ravi Swami

Jan 15, 20225 min read

"Peau d'âne" / "Donkey Skin", Dir: Jacques Demy, 1970

I discovered that "Donkey Skin" was as much of a commercial success as Demy's earlier films...

Ravi Swami

Jan 3, 20225 min read

"Summit of The Gods" & "Tokyo Godfathers", Dir: Patrick Imbert, 2021, Dir: Satoshi Kon, 2003

Two films that fall under the blanket term of being "Anime", one French and the other Japanese..

Ravi Swami

Dec 12, 20214 min read

A Bit About Biopics...

Love them or hate them, biopics can vary enormously when they invariably focus on cultural "icons"...

Ravi Swami

Nov 28, 20214 min read

"Les Bonnes Femmes", Dir : Claude Chabrol, 1960

I knew of Claude Chabrol as a director of the French New Wave but had not watched any of his films upon to this point...

Ravi Swami

Oct 31, 202110 min read

"Subway" Dir: Luc Besson, 1985

The film opens with a furious breakneck car chase through Paris as Fred is being pursued by the gangster's henchmen..

Ravi Swami

Oct 23, 20216 min read

"La Haine", Dir: Mathieu Kassovitz, 1995

"La Haine" came up as highly recommended on Apple+ as a breakthrough film for its' director, Mathieu Kassovitz, and for the subject matter..

Ravi Swami

Sep 25, 20214 min read

"Lions Love...& Lies", Dir: Agnes Varda, 1969

Varda used actors who would not normally be cast in Hollywood films and there really is a strong "Withnail & I" comedic vibe...

Ravi Swami

Aug 31, 20215 min read

"La Grande Bouffe", Dir: Marco Ferreri, 1973

I watched Marco Ferrari's 1973 film "La Grande Bouffe" (Eng: "The Blow-Out", though it translates more accurately as "The Big Feast")..

Ravi Swami

Jul 30, 20215 min read

"Rififi", "Bob Le Flambeur", "Big Deal On Madonna St", Dir: Dassin, Melville, Monicelli, '55,'56,'58

As per usual, I watched these three films - all first-time viewings - out of chronological order...

Ravi Swami

Jul 26, 20216 min read

"Les Amants", Dir: Louis Malle, 1958 & "Adua and Her Friends", Dir: Antonio Pietrangeli, 1960

There's nothing particularly thematic to connect these two films that I watched recently, one on BFI Player and the other via Amazon Prime..

Ravi Swami

May 23, 20219 min read

"Touchez Pas Au Grisbi", Dir: Jacques Becker, 1954

All becomes a little clearer with the English title of "Hands Off The Loot", which is a loose translation...

Ravi Swami

May 13, 20214 min read

A Duo of Rohmer Shorts, 1962, 1964

Currently curated on Criterion Channel is a series of early formative Éric Rohmer shorts and I find myself irresistibly drawn to his films..

Ravi Swami

Apr 12, 20213 min read

A Pair Of Shorts - Martin Scorcese & Chantal Akerman, 1974 , 1968

Tucked away in amongst a series of shorts on the theme of films made in a single location...

Ravi Swami

Apr 11, 20213 min read

"The Green Ray", Dir: Éric Rohmer, 1986

As usual I'm not taking much notice of the intended sequence of Éric Rohmer's films in his "Comedies & Proverbs" series...

Ravi Swami

Mar 16, 20213 min read

"The Testament of Orpheus", Dir: Jean Cocteau, 1960

The last of Cocteau's "Orphic Trilogy" and following on from "Orpheus" which was preceded by two decades with "The Blood of a Poet"..

Ravi Swami

Mar 7, 20214 min read

"Orpheus" - Dir: Jean Cocteau, 1950

Based on the Greek myth of Orpheus, the film is a contemporary (to the early 1950's) re-telling of the story of the poet/musician Orpheus..

Ravi Swami

Feb 23, 20213 min read

"Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne", Dir: Robert Bresson, 1945

The films of Robert Bresson came highly recommend by a friend..

Ravi Swami

Feb 18, 20213 min read

"Judex", Dir: Georges Franju, 1963

The film is a remake of an earlier film directed by Louis Feuillade, an early 20th Century filmmaker..

Ravi Swami

Feb 13, 20215 min read

"Model Shop", Dir: Jacques Demy, 1969.

As a flashback to earlier in lockdown, I'm re-visiting films that featured as a passing mention in previous blog posts

Ravi Swami

Feb 7, 20214 min read

Contact

Thanks for your interest in Lockdown Cinema. For more information, feel free to get in touch and I will get back to you soon! - Ravi

Subscribers are welcome, but if you have nothing sensible to add in comments, you will be deleted.

London, United Kingdom

thenakedswami@gmail.com

Locked-Down Cinema

"Une Chambre En Ville", Dir: Jacques Demy, 1982

"Peau d'âne" / "Donkey Skin", Dir: Jacques Demy, 1970

"Summit of The Gods" & "Tokyo Godfathers", Dir: Patrick Imbert, 2021, Dir: Satoshi Kon, 2003

A Bit About Biopics...

"Les Bonnes Femmes", Dir : Claude Chabrol, 1960

"Subway" Dir: Luc Besson, 1985

"La Haine", Dir: Mathieu Kassovitz, 1995

"Lions Love...& Lies", Dir: Agnes Varda, 1969

"La Grande Bouffe", Dir: Marco Ferreri, 1973

"Rififi", "Bob Le Flambeur", "Big Deal On Madonna St", Dir: Dassin, Melville, Monicelli, '55,'56,'58

"Les Amants", Dir: Louis Malle, 1958 & "Adua and Her Friends", Dir: Antonio Pietrangeli, 1960

"Touchez Pas Au Grisbi", Dir: Jacques Becker, 1954

A Duo of Rohmer Shorts, 1962, 1964

A Pair Of Shorts - Martin Scorcese & Chantal Akerman, 1974 , 1968

"The Green Ray", Dir: Éric Rohmer, 1986

"The Testament of Orpheus", Dir: Jean Cocteau, 1960

"Orpheus" - Dir: Jean Cocteau, 1950

"Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne", Dir: Robert Bresson, 1945

"Judex", Dir: Georges Franju, 1963

"Model Shop", Dir: Jacques Demy, 1969.

Subscribe Form

Contact

Subscribe Form