Kid: The Tramp (and The Kid)

The recreation of heartwarming scenes and the combination of varying colorful type make for some very sweet and touching film posters for the Tramp’s The Kid.

The Kid, Poster

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Wednesday, April 8th, 2009 film, film poster, poster, typography No Comments

Tangent from: Kid (by The Pretenders)

I’m currently on a Pretenders kick. Oh, heck, I’m on a Chrissie Hynde kick. Not sure what inspired this. (Could it be the near daily visual assault of these street ads penetrating my design/music psyche? I hope not…) But here she is, with her killer boots, dark wild hair, and black eyeliner, kicking at my shins like an angry kid that needs to be mollified.

The first time I heard this song, it was stuck in my head for days. And now, despite multiple listens, it’s still happily lodged in my brain. Maybe it’s the holiday-esque opening. Maybe it’s Chrissie’s soothing voice singing ‘Kid…’ Maybe it’s all the fun flourish within the song. Maybe it’s the Fellini scene I imagine of a pouty child and an apologetic and hopeless parent. Or maybe it’s because I could sing this to some adults and it would still apply. Whatever it’s got, I like.

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Friday, April 3rd, 2009 music, tangent No Comments

The Third Man: Graham Greene

I love the consistent use of imagery on the Graham Greene covers from Penguin Classics.

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Wednesday, April 1st, 2009 book jacket No Comments

The Third Man: The Waltz

” By Jove, by Jing, by Strauss is the thing…”

Or so the Gershwin tune goes. What else is just as delightful as “the free-’n'-easy waltz that is Vienneasy?” Why, the lovely lettering on ye olde sheet music!

Sheet Music

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Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 music, typography No Comments

The Third Man: Totally Crushing

I am totally crushing on Joseph Cotten.

Joseph Cotten

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Monday, March 30th, 2009 film poster, photography No Comments

The Third Man: The Cuckoo Clock

Mecahinical Cuckoo from 1650

Mechanical Cuckoo from 1650

One of the most well-known lines from The Third Man was not written by Graham Greene, but was actually added by Orson Welles to fill an awkward pause in the middle of a scene.

“…in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.”

Oddly enough, the cuckoo clock actually originated in the Black Forest of Germany and not Switzerland, a point that the Swiss were quick to make to Mr. Welles.

Regardless of its origin, the cuckoo clock is not a simple time piece. It’s often a complex mechanism housed in an intricately decorated… um… house.

Cuckoo

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Sunday, March 29th, 2009 interior design No Comments

The Third Man: Zither

The zither looks like an overwhelmingly complicated instrument to play and I’m amazed at people who can master it. Apparently, in the late 1800s, there were zither clubs — full of people who could play this crazy-stringed instrument (some have more than 40 strings)! Members of German communities in America would gather to play music and drink beer. While these socials ended because of Prohibition and the anti-German sentiment that developed during World War I, they have since seen a revival at cultural centers and within the music community.

Zither Club

. . .

Just as impressive as the number of strings are the ornate features and the craftsmanship that goes into creating this instrument.

Zither

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Saturday, March 28th, 2009 music No Comments

Tangent from: The Third Man

I’d forgotten all about the excellent opening credits to The Third Man until I borrowed the DVD from a friend and watched it again this week.

It’s the perfect introduction to the film. The zither score contributes so much to the tone of this movie and is far more versatile than I ever imagined. The Third Man is about an American writer who travels to Vienna to visit his old friend, but ends up investigating this friend’s death instead — all this to the sweet playfully melancholic sound of the zither. Like I said — versatile.

Other reasons why I enjoy this movie:
1) My infatuation with Joseph Cotten. We also share the same birthday, so I’m pretty sure that if fate did a better job of coordinating the year of our births we would have been an awesome match.

2) The sinister brilliance of Orson Welles.

3) The sharp and clever dialogue of Graham Greene.

4) The subtle and beautiful imagery of Carol Reed, reinforcing the emotion and mood at the core of the scene (a swinging door and a coat on the floor; fingers through a sewer grate; the twisted body of a teddy bear). I would frame the final scene if I could.

If you’ve seen this film, then you know that these are fairly obvious reasons and you understand why ‘The Third Man’ is now stuck in my one-track mind.

Third Man Theme by The Band

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Friday, March 27th, 2009 film, music, tangent, video No Comments

The Wife: Scenes from a Marriage

This is, undoubtedly, one of my favorite movies.

Marriage Marriage Marriage

Ingmar Bergman’s Scenes from a Marriage is an examination of the relationship of Johan and Marianne, a married couple who, after 10 years of a seemingly happy union, sever their marital ties when Johan leaves Marianne. The separation forces them to develop strengths, face weaknesses, and forge an unexpected bond their marriage never offered.

Marriage Marriage Marriage

Originally a six-part mini-series that aired on Swedish television, Mr. Bergman edited it for cinematic release. It was one of his more accessible projects, drawing the general public to their television screens, as opposed to the usual art-house crowd. Part of its appeal, of course, is that the subject matter is so relatable and the characters so real and engaging. It was easy for me to lose myself in this three hour film — the acting so amazing and intense, the angles and close-ups punctuating the sheer agony, joy, shock, anger, and heartbreak of this couple.

Marriage Marriage Marriage Marriage Marriage

While there is a lot of raw emotion here, it is, after all, called ‘Scenes from a Marriage.’ It does include all the rote and mundane things that occur, and most times this benign scene is what is on display for the outsider. So fitting then, I think, is The Criterion Collection’s simple and beautiful packaging for the film’s DVD.

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Thursday, March 26th, 2009 film, packaging 2 Comments

The Wife: Architecture In Helsinki

PosterJoan Castleman’s thoughts on Nordic building designs are evident when she describes an acquaintance’s features: “…I was formally introduced to the president, a man of my age named Mr. Timo Kristian with a stern face not unlike Finnish architecture.”

She is clearly not thinking of the upbeat playful pop that is Architecture in Helsinki. One can see how the bright cartoon charm of their packaging, video, and photos is an accurate representation of their sound.

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Album Art Album Art Album Art

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Wednesday, March 25th, 2009 music, packaging, photography, poster No Comments
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