53rd Melbourne International Film Festival Daily Reports from the 53rd Melbourne International Film Festival Histoire de Marie et Julien: Jacques Rivette’s Material Ghost Story by Michael J. Anderson Part erotic ghost story, part reflexive commentary on filmic form and narrative, Rivette’s latest opus may be his most personal yet. A Divine Tragedy: Kim Ki-duk Searches for Redemption in The Samaritan Girl by Acquarello Acquarello probes the link between transactions, transformative encounters and transcendence in Kim’s tenth film. The Missing: An Interview with Lee Kang-sheng by Volker Hummel Muse and principal actor in the cinema of Tsai Ming-liang, Lee discusses his experience behind the camera and the theme of loss which permeates his directorial debut. Border Zones: The Films of Ulrich Seidl by Mattias Frey Tracing the many subjects and styles of the “staged reality” of Austrian filmmaker Ulrich Seidl, Frey concludes with a look at his latest film, Jesus, You Know. The Road Well Travelled: Coffee and Cigarettes by Michael Joshua Rowin Hipster posturing yields diminishing returns in this disappointing anthology from Jim Jarmusch. The New American Old West: Bruno Dumont’s Twentynine Palms by Darren Hughes A newly-available sports utility vehicle, a new socio-political context and a new set of cinematic references inform Dumont’s examination of masculine authority, human miscommunication and the Californian desert. “Do I Exist?”: The Unbearable Blankness of Being in Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Bright Future by Jared Rapfogel More comprehensible than the prolific Kurosawa’s previous efforts, this story of an unlikely friendship between a hopeless youth, an older man and a jellyfish is still unconventional and moving.

Guy Maddin Particles of Illusion: Guy Maddin and His Precursors by Darragh O’Donoghue Symbolism, fragmentation and the two “births” of cinema: a close look at the origins of Maddin’s unique style. The Private Guy Maddin by Adam Hart Maddin’s films both invite and resist “personal” interpretations. Hart wonders what the filmmaker really wants to say.

Features Beyond the Clouds: An Interview with Nuri Bilge Ceylan by Geoff Andrew Equally masterful at depicting small, awkward dilemmas as he is the human condition, the director of Uzak proves to be just as honest and compassionate in conversation. Hiroshi Shimizu: A Hero of His Time by Alexander Jacoby More than a director of children, Shimizu advanced a strong critique of the political and social situation of Japan in the 1930s in much of his work. Before the Revolution: Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Dreamers by Maximilian Le Cain This misunderstood film is not a nostalgic reconstruction of May ‘68 but a maturing cinephile’s reverie on Utopian Possibility. “The Company of Magicians”: Orson Welles, Abb Dickson, Scarlet Plush, and Purple Hokum by Peter Tonguette Welles’ fascination with magic fuelled one of his most intriguing late projects. His collaborator recalls its making. Bringing the World to the Nation: Jia Zhangke and the Legitimation of Chinese Underground Film by Valerie Jaffee In response to the announcement that Jia is now officially allowed to make films in his own country, Jaffee follows the trail of the “underground” filmmaking of the “sixth generation” and wonders “where to from here?” An Interview with Jia Zhangke by Valerie Jaffee In the context of Jaffee’s piece on the cinema of the Chinese underground, Jia is here interviewed on the set of his new film, The World. Too Cool for School: Social Problems in Elephant by Tony McKibbin Not just another teen movie: beyond the Columbine massacre, Van Sant’s latest work explores the philosophical problem of identity. Brother’s Intimacy: Patrice Chéreau’s Son frère by Violeta Kovacsics Through the depiction of the body in pain and the shame of shamelessness, Chéreau locates a balance between intimacy, dignity and crudity. You Say You Want a Revolution: How Yoko Ono’s Rape Could Have Changed the World by Mark Richardson Despite its provocative title, Ono’s film has lost its power due to the “enigma of postmodernism”. Using the theory of Alain Badiou, Richardson argues there are still ways to overcome the “consensus” politics inherent in this “enigma”. Double Exposure: Films by Bill Mousoulis and Mark La Rosa by Bill Craske Australian experimental narrative lives, in these shorts and features from a couple of true independents. For Criticism (Again): Movie Love in the Fifties by James Harvey review by William D. Routt Routt explains why this is a great book of film criticism, and what it made him think about. Making Reality by Tag Gallagher The “amazing grace” of Rossellini’s historical TV films.

Beyond the Grave of Genre To Live and Die in L.A.: Ritual in the Films of Willem Dafoe by Edith Hallberg A martyr to the cinema: Hallberg traces the meta-narrative of death and transcendence guiding Dafoe’s film performances. The Light and the Darkness: Myth in the Films of Richard Stanley by James Rose From Voudou to the spaghetti Western: the mythic underpinnings of Stanley’s Gnostic horror films. What is the Matrix? Cinema, Totality, and Topophilia by Charles Leary Leary maps the vertiginous images of “totality” presented in The Matrix and its sequels. Tarantino and the Vengeful Ghosts of Cinema by Maximilian Le Cain Kill Bill’s battle-of-the-exploitation-genres both fascinates and disappoints. Isolation and Subjugation: The Telephone in the Slasher Film by Charles Spiteri 20 years of menacing phone calls show the changing role of the world’s most omnipresent communication technology. Looking Away to See: Frazer Lee’s Duty of Care Films by Patricia MacCormack Revealing the danger of passively trusting in those signifying authorised power, these two short horror films emphasise the agency of the viewer in producing meaning and affect.

Festival Reports For the Love of Cinema: The 28th Hong Kong International Film Festival report by Janice Tong Readjusting Perspective: The 57th Cannes Film Festival report by Christoph Huber Dying at a Film Festival: The 6th Udine Film Festival report by Brandon Wee Taking Off: The 47th San Francisco International Film Festival report by Brian Darr Social Engagement: The 21st St Kilda Film Festival report by Kyle Weise A Certain Kind of Semiological Infinity and Excess: The 51st Sydney Film Festival report by Saul Symonds Riders on the Storm: The 15th Human Rights Watch International Film Festival report by Ioannis Mookas

Book Reviews Looking for a Common Ground: Cinema of the Other Europe: The Industry and Artistry of East Central European Film by Dina Iordanova review by Ewa Mazierska The Outsider Auteur?: Jean-Pierre Melville: An American in Paris by Ginette Vincendeau review by Adrian Danks Against Cinephiliphobia: Movie Mutations: The Changing Face of World Cinephilia edited by Jonathan Rosenbaum and Adrian Martin review by Benjamin Halligan To Each Their Own: Multiple Modernities: Cinemas and Popular Media in Transcultural East Asia edited by Jenny Kwok Wah Lau review by Brian Hu A City Under the Influence: The Place of the Audience: Cultural Geographies of Film Consumption by Mark Jancovich and Lucy Faire with Sarah Stubbings review by Maria Walsh From Leotards to Lyotard: Pandora’s Box: Essays in Film Theory by Barbara Creed review by Tara Brabazon Can Theory See the City?: Screening the City edited by Tony Fitzmaurice and Mark Shiel review by Bill Stamets Skimming the Surface: Walkabout by Louis Nowra review by Dan Edwards You can order these books directly from

Also new this issue 8 profiles have been added to the Great Directors critical database: Peter Bogdanovich • Arthur Lipsett • Antonio Margheriti • Georges Méliès • Mamoru Oshii • Idrissa Ouedraogo • Don Siegel • Preston Sturges 27 annotations have been added to the Cinémathèque Annotations on Film section: Alone: Life Wastes Andy Hardy • Hold Me While I’m Naked • Homicide: “Flashpoint” • Der Letzte Mann • Love Me Tonight • Jürgen Reble • Summer Holiday • Sürü Stan Brakhage: Brakhage • The Dante Quartet • Daybreak and Whiteye • Desistfilm • The Garden of Earthly Delights • I… Dreaming • Mothlight • The Wold Shadow Yasujiro Ozu: Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family • Late Autumn • The Only Son • Passing Fancy • Record of a Tenement Gentleman G.W. Pabst: Diary of a Lost Girl • The Joyless Street • Kameradschaft • Pandora’s Box • The Threepenny Opera • Westfront 1918 17 new lists and 4 revised lists have been added to the Top Tens section.