1057 – The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980)

timespace coordinates: South Africa / Botswana 1980 –  the Kalahari Desert

The Gods Must Be Crazy is a 1980 South African comedy film written and directed by Jamie Uys. Financed only from local sources, it is the most commercially successful release in the history of South Africa’s film industry. Originally released in 1980, the film is the first in The Gods Must Be Crazy series. It is followed by one official sequel, The Gods Must Be Crazy II, released by Columbia Pictures.

Set in Botswana, it follows the story of Xi, a San of the Kalahari Desert (played by Namibian San farmer Nǃxau ǂToma) whose tribe has no knowledge of the world beyond, Andrew Steyn (Marius Weyers), a biologist who analyzes manure samples for his PhD dissertation, and Kate Thompson (Sandra Prinsloo), a newly hired village school teacher.

The final scene was filmed at God’s Window, a site located at the edge of the escarpment between the Highveld and Lowveld, in the province of Mpumalanga, South Africa.

imdb   /   rt

1043 – The Wild Pear Tree / Ahlat Ağacı (2018)

timespace coordinates: 2010’s coastal Turkish town of ÇanakkaleThe Wild Pear Tree (Turkish: Ahlat Ağacı) is a 2018 Turkish drama film directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan. Rotten Tomatoes critical consensus reads, “The Wild Pear Tree uses a young man’s post-graduation experience to pose thoughtful, engaging questions about life in modern Turkey — and the rest of the world.”

According to Nuri Bilge Ceylan, The Wild Pear Tree is about a son’s unavoidable slide towards a fate resembling that of his father.

imdb   /  rottentomatoes

1032 – The Last Samurai (2003)

timespace coordinates: 1876 – 1877 California > JapanThe Last Samurai is a 2003 American period action drama film directed and co-produced by Edward Zwick, who also co-wrote the screenplay with John Logan and Marshall Herskovitz. The film stars Tom Cruise, who also co-produced, with Timothy Spall, Ken Watanabe, Billy Connolly, Tony Goldwyn, Hiroyuki Sanada, Koyuki, and Shin Koyamada in supporting roles.

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Tom Cruise portrays a United States Captain of the 7th Cavalry Regiment, whose personal and emotional conflicts bring him into contact with samurai warriors in the wake of the Meiji Restoration in 19th Century Japan.

1877 — In 1877, nine years after the Meiji Restoratin, a major rebellion in Kyushu concentrated the opposition of conservative elements to the westernization of Japan. The traditional forces, including for example samurai infuriated at no longer being allowed to carry swords, were defeated by the new conscript army. Thousands were executed. Here the brave new officers in their western-style uniforms accept the surrender of un-uniformed rebels. — Image by © Asian Art & Archaeology, Inc./CORBIS

The film’s plot was inspired by the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion led by Saigō Takamori, and the westernization of Japan by foreign powers, though in the film the United States is portrayed as the primary force behind the push for westernization. To a lesser extent it is also influenced by the stories of Jules Brunet, a French army captain who fought alongside Enomoto Takeaki in the earlier Boshin War and Frederick Townsend Ward, an American mercenary who helped Westernize the Chinese army by forming the Ever Victorious Army. (wiki)

imdb   /  Criticism and debate

1001 – T-34 (2018)

timespace coordinates: 1944 Germany–Russia

T-34 is a 2019 Russian war film directed by Aleksey Sidorov.  It stars Alexander Petrov as Nikolay Ivushkin, with Irina Starshenbaum, Viktor Dobronravov and Vinzenz Kiefer. The T-34 is a World War II-era Soviet medium tank used during the invasion of the Soviet Union.

imdb   /   165

0984 – The Golem (2018)

timespace coordinates: 1673 Lithuanian village

“In 1915, the first of a trilogy of silent films was produced. The Golem, based on Gustav Meyrink’s 1914 novel mixed with general European folklore, is the first in a trilogy all written and directed by Paul Wegner (along with others, specific to each film). The first movie is partially lost, though it is possible to watch the clips that do remain for free online. Its first sequel is lost, again, save for a few pieces. The third film, commonly referred to as The Golem as well, released in 1920, is a prequel and is the most well known, in part because the whole thing is intact. It also happens to be my favorite German Expressionist horror film from that timeframe. Aside from that notable early movie, the magically-created creature has been mainly out of the popular culture sphere. It has shown up on occasion in a random horror movie here, an X-Files episode there, or in a book every once in a while, but compared to its other terror-inducing brethren, it is not as well known or iconic. Now, thanks to horror imprint Dread (formerly Dread Central Presents) a new horror movie based around the ancient Jewish monster is being released.” Bobby LePire (read more)

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The Golem is a 2018 Israeli/American supernatural horror feature film directed by Doron and Yoav Paz (JeruZalem). The movie stars Hani Furstenberg, Ishai Golan and Alex Tritenko. It was produced by Shalom Eisenbach in conjunction with Shaked Berenson and Patrick Ewald of Epic Pictures Group. (horrorpedia)

imdb   /   rottentomatoes

0981 – Defiance (2008)

timespace coordinates: the occupation of Belarus by Nazi Germany

Defiance is a 2008 American war film directed by Edward Zwick set during the occupation of Belarus by Nazi Germany. The screenplay by Clayton Frohman and Zwick was based on Nechama Tec‘s 1993 book Defiance: The Bielski Partisans, an account of the Bielski partisans, a group led by Belarusian Jewish brothers who saved and recruited Jews in Belarus during the Second World War. The film stars Daniel Craig as Tuvia Bielski, Liev Schreiber as Zus Bielski, Jamie Bell as Asael Bielski, and George MacKay as Aron Bielski. (wiki)

imdb

0980 – At Eternity’s Gate (2018)

timespace coordinates: 1888 – 1890 Arles – Saint-Rémy – Auvers-sur-Oise

At Eternity’s Gate is a 2018 biographical drama film about the final years of painter Vincent van Gogh‘s life. The film is directed by Julian Schnabel, from a screenplay by Schnabel, Louise Kugelberg and Jean-Claude Carrière. It stars Willem Dafoe as van Gogh, Rupert Friend, Oscar Isaac, Mads Mikkelsen, Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner and Niels Arestrup. (wiki)

imdb   /   412   /   839