25 november 2009

Alexander Nevsky cementary


 Alexander Nevsky (Prokofiev)

The film was the first of Eisenstein's dramatic films to use sound. (The earlier Bezhin Meadow, had also used sound, but production was shut down and most of the finished scenes were destroyed.) The film's score was composed by Sergei Prokofiev, who later reworked the score into a concert cantata. The creation of Alexander Nevsky was a collaboration in the fullest sense of the word: some of the film was shot to Prokofiev's music and some of Prokofiev's music was composed to Eisenstein's footage. Prokofiev viewed the film's rough cut as the first step in composing its inimitable score. The strong and technically innovative collaboration between Eisenstein and Prokofiev in the editing process resulted in a match of music and imagery that remains a standard for filmmakers. Valery Gergiev, the principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, has stated his opinion that Prokofiev's music for this film is "the best ever composed for the cinema".


24 november 2009

Nordiska museum Stockholm


 


Nordiska museet is Sweden’s largest museum of cultural history. It is home to over one and a half million exhibits, including exclusive items and everyday objects, all with their own unique history. The collections, which are managed by the Nordiska museet foundation, reflect life in Sweden from the 16th century to the present day. The museum has been referred to as a home for memories, but today it is a place where memories and innovations exist side by side


 

22 november 2009

Music in the park


Ever since the first sound movie, The Jazz Singer was made in 1929 on Stage 5 of the Warner Bros. lot in Hollywood the movie going public has been spoiled. They have come to expect that when they see a movie they will not only see life up on the screen but they will also hear it too. There is a certain level of technical quality they expect when they see movie. However, when it comes to hearing a movie, things are quite different: their standards for sound quality are much higher than their standards for visual quality. The eyes have a higher threshold for pain than the ears do, and the brain of a typical human being cannot handle uncomfortable noises for very long.


20 november 2009

The new filmmuseum



The Filmmuseum is Holland's museum for cinematography. The museum's collection of films covers the whole of the history of cinema from the very first silent films, dating from the late 19th century, up to the latest contemporary digital productions.This internationally renowned collection, to which many Dutch and foreign titles are regularly added, is the source of inspiration for the museum's film programmes, exhibitions and events. Every year, there are major thematic programmes examining the history of film and contemporary cinematographic developments. In addition, the museum organises open-air screenings, festivals, theatrical family shows and retrospectives.The Filmmuseum houses the largest film library in the Netherlands. The museum also acts as distributor of classics and contemporary, independent films.

19 november 2009

Beach in winter



The problem with letterboxing is that it shrinks the viewing area of the television screen, which, if you have a small set to begin with, can make it fairly difficult to see the movie. For this reason, letterboxing is not the most popular formatting option. Most viewers are bothered by the black bars at the top and bottom of their screen more than they are bothered by the idea of not seeing the picture as it was originally filmed, so full-frame movie presentations are much more prevalent than letterbox presentations. But if you are a student of film and want to fully experience the movie as a work of art, then the letterbox format is the only way to go.