Director Index & Latest Posts

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Titles A – K

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Titles L – Z

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Le bonheur

Le bonheur. Agnès Varda, 1965.
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Edition screened: Included in Criterion Blu-ray box set The Complete Films of Agnès Varda (disc 5) released 2020, and also as DVD #420 in Criterion box set #418 4 by Agnès Varda, released 2008. French language with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 80 minutes.

Summary: No particular depictions of violence or harm to animals.

The Criterion Blu-ray includes numerous follow-up shorts and reflective commentaries, the best three of which are listed first below: 


• Démons et merveilles du cinéma (excerpt: “Agnès et Bonheur”, 1964, dir: Jean-Claude Bergeret, approx. 5 minutes): A stylish glimpse of Varda directing and designing shots on set.

• The Two Women of “Le bonheur” (1996, approx. 6 minutes): The two female stars of Le bonheur sit down with Rosalie Varda-Demy to reflect on perceptions of the film and ways it has impacted their lives.

• Jean-Claude Drouot Returns to Fontenay-aux-Roses (2005, approx. 10 minutes): The leading man of Le bonheur visits with residents who remember the filming forty years earlier.

• Thoughts on “Le bonheur” (1996, approx. 15 minutes)

• Happiness? The People of Fontenay Respond (1996, approx. 6 minutes)

• Bonheur: Proper Name or Concept? (1996, approx. 6 minutes)

• Agnès talks about “Le bonheur” (1998, approx. 3 minutes)







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Blue Is the Warmest Color

Blue Is the Warmest Color (La vie d'Adèle - Chapitres 1 et 2). Abdellatif Kechiche, 2013.
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Edition screened: Criterion Blu-ray #695, released 2014. French language with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 179 minutes.


Summary: No particular depictions of violence or harm to animals.


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The Blue Hour

The Blue Hour. Sergei Goncharoff and Ron Nicholas, 1971.
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Edition screened: Vinegar Syndrome DVD #021, released 2013. English language. Runtime approximately 82 minutes.

Summary: No depictions of violence or harm to animals. 2/5❤

The Vinegar Syndrome DVD also contains One Naked Night (1965) and 3 in a Towel (1969).


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Blithe Spirit

Blithe Spirit. David Lean, 1945.
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Edition screened: Criterion #606, included in 4-Blu-ray set # 603 David Lean Directs Noël Coward, released 2012. English language. Runtime approximately 96 minutes.

Summary: No depictions of violence or harm to animals.















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Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson and the Story of ‘Smile’

Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson and the Story of ‘Smile’. David Leaf, 2004.
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Edition screened: Included on Rhino DVD Brian Wilson Presents ‘Smile’ released 2005. English language. Runtime approximately 109 minutes.

Summary: No depictions of violence or harm to animals.

This deluxe 2-DVD package also contains a 2-hour live performance of Smile by The Brian Wilson Band (John Anderson, 2005).


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A Bay of Blood

A Bay of Blood (Ecologia del Delitto, Twitch of the Death Nerve). Mario Bava, 1971.
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Edition screened: Arrow Blu-ray, released 2015. English language or original Italian dub. Runtime approximately 84 minutes.

Summary: Hobbyist animal abuse.

Details:
1) A fisherman chews on a (live, raw, wtf) squid he has just harvested from the bay, 11:32-11:37.
2) A large beetle squirms while pinned to cardboard, 39:16-39:21.

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Back to God’s Country

Back to God’s Country. David Hartford, 1919.
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Edition screened: Included on Image/Milestone DVD Back to God’s Country/Something New, released 2000. Scored and with English intertitles, no dialogue track. Runtime approximately 74 minutes.

Summary: Violence to dogs.

Details:
1) Chained dogs fight outside a cabin, 51:30-51:45.
2) The villain Rydell shoots a rifle at 1:07:03 and we see his target, a dog, lying dead 1:07:15-1:07:19.
3) A fight between sled dogs 1:08:20-1:08:54, with apparently dead dogs lying in the snow 1:09:12-1:09:14.

The dog violence is not gory or explicit, and the strong theme of the movie is about kind and compassionate treatment of both animals and people. 

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The American Film Theatre Collection

The American Film Theatre: The Complete 14 Film Collection. Various directors, 1970-1975.
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Edition screened: Kino DVD box set, released 2008. English language. Cumulative runtime approximately 1829 minutes.

Summary: No particular depictions of violence toward animals.

Feature presentations in this set include:

Rhinoceros (1973)
Butley (1974)
Galileo (1975)
Luther (1973) 
The Maids (1974)

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The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (Gilliam)

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. Terry Gilliam, 1989.
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Edition screened: Columbia TriStar Blu-ray, released 2008. English language. Runtime approximately 121 minutes.


Summary: No particular depictions of violence or harm to animals.


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4 by Agnès Varda

4 by Agnès Varda. Agnes Varda, 1956-1986.
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Edition screened: Criterion DVD box set #418, released 2007. French language with English subtitles. Collective runtime approximately 401 minutes.

Summary: Some films have brief depictions of comparatively naturalistic harm to animals.

The set includes the four feature films
Le bonheur (1965)
Vagabond (1985)

along with significant short works by Varda including

and numerous ‘making-of’ or reunion pieces by Varda, as well as supplemental material gathered elsewhere.

 @ BL
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3 in a Towel

3 in a Towel. Marty Rackum, 1969.
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Edition screened: Included on Vinegar Syndrome DVD #021 The Blue Hour, released 2013. English language. Runtime approximately 66 minutes.

Summary: No depictions of violence or harm to animals. 0/5❤

An unentertaining and badly made bore.

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Retaliation

Retaliation (Shima wa moratta). Yasuharu Hasebe, 1968.
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Edition screened: Arrow Blu-ray, released 2015. Japanese language with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 94 minutes.

Summary: No depictions of violence or harm to animals.

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Quiet City

Quiet City. Aaron Katz, 2007.
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Edition screened: Included in Ryko 2-DVD set, Quiet City and Dance Party, USA, released 2008. English mumbling. Runtime approximately 78 minutes.

Summary: No particular depictions of violence or harm to animals.

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Punishment Park

Punishment Park. Peter Watkins, 1971.
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Edition screened: Eureka! Masters of Cinema Blu-ray #29, released 2012. English language. Runtime approximately 88 minutes.

Summary: No depictions of violence or harm to animals.

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The Player

The Player. Robert Altman, 1992.
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Edition screened: New Line ‘Special Edition’ DVD, released 1997. English language. Runtime approximately 124 minutes.

Summary: A snake is beaten to death.

Details:
1) A large carp is seen floating dead in a pool, 47:34-47:44.
2) Tim Robbins finds a snake in his car and begins beating it to death with an umbrella at 1:10:55, finally dragging the snake’s body out of the car with the umbrella 1:11:04-1:11:06.

I do not compare films to reality. It is not interesting, clever, or astute to point out that characters or their actions are not believable or realistic. Films are works of fiction and the characters are functioning correctly when they act exactly as the writer wants. Films are not documentaries about the perfect, intelligent person you and how you would react in a specific situation.

But I make an exception in this case. There is absolutely no reason that Tim Robbins would choose to confront the rattlesnake in his car. He had safely pulled over and exited the vehicle, leaving the rattlesnake trapped inside. It is absurd that he would walk around to the back of the car, open the hatch, get an umbrella, walk to the passenger’s side, open the door, and confront the rattlesnake on a city street rather than calling for emergency assistance.

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The Pearls of the Crown

The Pearls of the Crown (Les perles de la couronne). Sacha Guitry, 1937.
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Edition screened: Included in Criterion Eclipse Series 22: Presenting Sacha Guitry 4-DVD set, released 2010. French language with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 105 minutes.

Summary: No particular depictions of violence or harm to animals.
















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