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ol' both ol‘ them llilx year would be redundant.
In fact. there ix a \\'llt)lL‘ area be}ond the interrentionixt aspect ol‘ lilm leslthtlx that would still be l'ClCVillll il' \tc woke tip tomorrow and Scotland had become utopic. Beneath llx l'unction to improve things. a liextiral l\ purcl) lltlx: an aesthetic. An expression of l'orm. The} the the cities and cottlllt'lc‘x in uhich the) are located lidinburgh and Scotland in [his case it\ a stage or an exhibition space and the l‘estix'al director becomes a theatre director or museum curator. This argument probany \titlllds strange in the political era ol' ‘crcatiVe industriex'. }et lurking beneath the l'unctionalixm ol' lilm l‘estix'als ll;t.\;tl\\'1t_\l\ been the l\\lle ol' the relationship betxteen a country in \thich people Inc and work and the lilmx which are projected in it.
ll~ this stitilitlx abstract. consider some examples: imagine projecting one ol‘ Suedixh landscape director Victor Sioxtl'ottt‘x l'iltiix onto the lxland ol‘ Slal‘lia. ()t' extracting Burt Lancaster‘s dialogue in I.U('(l/ Hero and planning it in sound onl_\ l‘rom speakers in the sea \\;ill\ at l’ennaii. where some ot‘ that lilm “as shot. ()r liaxe Sean (‘onnei'y speak the traffic announcements at Cl'ti\\lllg\ for blind people t'tbe tral‘lic coming from Princes Street has been shignalled to slitop‘i. lla\e ()l'Still \Vellex' great speech about independent cinema. \xhich he deli\ered at what is now the ('ameo in lidinburgh. etched in steel into the pavement at ’l‘ollcrosx. .-\ndrei 'l'arkouk}\ great film .lli'rmr pictures the stitll ol‘ ll\ characters as a uind \lo\\l_\ hltHVlltg trees. 'l‘arkouk} \‘lSllCtl Scotland — again for the lidinbtirgh Film Festival. \\'h_\ not hate wind-actix'ated sound recordings ol" the llittxle l'rom .lli'rrur pla} in whichever l'orested areas that he Visited \VllllC here'.’
Laurel and Hardy pla_\ ed to packed houses in (ilaxgoxt.
Wouldn't it be amusing and thought prmoking to place a piano. it\ it it \\;t\ permanentl) careering doun hill} \Vext ('ameell Street. in \urreal tribute to one ol' the duo‘s \ ixual gagx'.’ .\la\erick l'S director Sam l'uller \\a\ a regular \ixitor here. In lil\ \xar lilmx he ol‘ten named a character (irill' alter a blend uho \\;t\ \t) injured in World War II that he \xax permanentl} hoxpitalixed and ltixl his mind. llo\\ about. in tribute to that lriend and to l'uller'x lioncxt} ltx a l'ilmiiiakcr. placing a neon sign ol' (iRll-‘l- on the War Memorial at lidiiibtirgh ('axtle. high tip \t) that it could be \cht l'rom all o\ er the cit_\ 1’
l0 realise thexc ideas or lttl' better tillex \\t)llld be It) equate Scotland to cinema in lieu ua'u. (‘ulttiral lt)llt'l\l\ \\ould be interested. \xhich \xould be no bad thing. btit intellectuall}. Scottixlt lilm culture \xould leap ahead. .\'o\\here in the \\til'ld not e\ en those places \}non_\mou\ \xith cinema such a\ his .’\ngele\ and (‘aniiex llit\ rethought il\ public space\ in cinematic terms.
'liti do \o \totild be lexli\e indeed.
Mark Cousins can be seen hanging round the obscurer fringes at this year’s EIFF.
THE LIST WOULD LIKE TO THANK . . .
I Mark Cousins dowmenian/ maker. broadcaster. writer and 10umaiist for taking the time to write this and last week's feature for us. We realise y0u're a busy man watching all those movies and that. like. Cheers.
From left: 9am at your local multiplex should always be Ozu time. Above: ‘The traffic has been shignalled to shtop'
-, THE LIST FESTIVAL GUIDE 39