Fave Movie Quotes: Agnes of God

I was lying on the grass, looking at the sun.
The sun became a cloud, and the cloud became... the lady.

- Agnes

Cinematography: West Side Story

WEST SIDE STORY (1961)

Directors: Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins
Cinematographer: Daniel L. Fapp

West Side Story is a film adaptation of the hit musical. Set in 1950s NYC, West Side Story is Romeo and Juliet with a whole new twist. Most audiences remember West Side Story because of its remarkable songs and choreography, but the film is also noted for its groundbreaking cinematography. Daniel L. Fapp won an Oscar® for his astonishing work in this film.

Fapp is a fan of silhouettes, and it is evident in quite a lot of scenes.

Beauty and Madness

Go Muskies!

DROP DEAD GORGEOUS
Michael Patrick Jann, 1999

"This isn't an American Teen Princess Pageant. This is... this is... this is Nazi Germany!"
- Amber Atkins

Every year the American Teen Princess Pageant is held; it's one of the oldest and most prestigious beauty pageants in the US. Sponsored by Sarah Rose Cosmetics, the pageant embodies the dream of an "American-made" girl: personal growth, scholarship, travel, and (eventually) fame.

Existential Boredom

BLOWUP
Michelangelo Antonioni, 1966

Lots of significant events took place during the swinging '60s. The rise of the hippie culture. The names Che and Fidel became synonymous with the word "revolution." The Beatles conquered the music scene. And Neil Armstrong became the first person to land on the moon.

Isabelle at 18

LA GIFLE
Claude Pinoteau, 1974

Before La boum — Sophie Marceau's breakthrough film — there was La gifle. The film is a coming-of-age dramedy featuring an 18 year-old Isabelle Adjani in her first major role. It also features Nathalie Baye in a supporting role.

Simply Magical

AMÉLIE
Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001

Wanting to spread felicity is human nature. The feeling that you get after making other people happy is priceless. Most people, even filmmakers, aim to be an instrument of genuine happiness.

Amélie isn't the first time French filmmaker Jean-Pierre Jeunet charmed audiences with his vivid imagination. Delicatessen, his 1991 film co-directed with Marc Caro, is also packed with surrealist images.

It's Carrie, Not Cassie!

CARRIE
Brian De Palma, 1976

The '70s was a decade of good horror films: Alien, The Exorcist, Halloween, The Omen, and Carrie. In 1976, acclaimed filmmaker Brian De Palma directed Carrie. The film starred the splendid Sissy Spacek as the title character. Carrie is the first Stephen King novel to be made into a film.

Things I Learned from "Barbarella"

Before she pioneered those workout tapes, Jane Fonda starred as Barbarella. This 1968 film was directed by French filmmaker Roger Vadim. It's based on a comic book by Jean-Claude Forest.

A Dance Into Madness

(Photo belongs to its owner/s. I don't own or claim to own this photo.)

THE NIGHT PORTER
Liliana Cavani, 1974

Rainy Vienna as a backdrop. Isn't that interesting? In The Night Porter, Italian filmmaker Liliana Cavani tackles sadomasochism and the Stockholm syndrome. Thanks to Charlotte Rampling's iconic costume, The Night Porter became Cavani's best remembered film.

Reading the Past

THE READER
Stephen Daldry, 2008

The Reader was on Star Movies a while ago. The film was directed by Stephen Daldry, the guy who introduced us to Billy Elliot. Daldry's film is set in Germany, after the second World War. It stars Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes.