Strange Sinema: Oddities From The Archives June 27, 2009

Event: “Strange Sinema: Oddities from the Oddball Archives” featuring new finds, buried junk and avant garde gems including Ken Rudolph’s Gallery, a pulsating montage of the history or art with soundscore by electronic wiz, Walter Carlos, the classic American documentary The Plow That Broke the Plains (1936), Tibetan Traders (1968), a rare look at a mountain people, Belles of Burlesque-showgirls from the 40s and 50s, Claude LeLouche’s stunning montage- Iran (1971), Toothache of a Clown, the notorious Weegee’s Camera Magic (1945), swingin’ 70s commercials like Big Yank! and much, much more!
Date: Saturday, June 27th, at 8:30PM.
Venue: Oddball Films, 275 Cap Street, San Francisco
Admission: $10.00 RSVP Only to: 415-558-8117 or [email protected]
Web: http://www.oddballfilm.com/oddballftp/Strange _Sinema_14.pdf

"Strange Sinema”
Oddities From the Archives
Screens at Oddball Films

Saturday, June 27th we present “Strange Sinema: Mind Altering Oddities from the Archives”, a collection of films from our unarchived collection. Showtime is 8:30PM and admission is $10.00. Seating is limited so RSVP is preferred to: [email protected] or 415-558-8117.
Deep in the stacks of Oddball Films’ 50,000 film collection lie hundreds of unviewed and undiscovered curiosities that have never seen the light of a projection lamp. In many cases the purpose they were made (though some seem to have no purpose!) has long since outlasted their exhibition possibilities.
These offbeat and bizarre medical, mental hygiene, arty, adult, educational, music, movie trailers, home movies and commercial throw-aways were collected and archived by curator Stephen Parr in his quest to make the world a stranger cinematic place. As historical detritus they provide valuable insight into the rich variety of sub-cinema culture that lies beneath the surface of conventional feature film fare.
Some of these are films that will, in all likelihood never be screened anywhere again. Join us as we unearth and re-screen these filmic finds never to reappear on dvd or any other format again. Tonight we present some truly remarkable oddities recently retrieved from our South of Market Storage space.

Featuring

The Plow That Broke the Plains (1936) This classic U.S. government-commissioned documentary directed by Ralph Steiner is composed of breathtaking black and white images illustrating a story of promise and hardship surrounding the migration and settlement of the Great Plains. A milestone in American documentaries.
Tibetan Traders (1968)
A rare look at the lives of Tibetan traders in the Himalayas, their rituals, daily activities, schools, crafts and agriculture.
Tibetan Traders was directed by J. Michael Hagopian who made over 70 films on the subject of international cultures, most of which were distributed by Atlantis Films, the company he founded in 1954. Many of his films were made for the educational market, spanning the world’s geographies and cultures, and winners of numerous educational film awards.

Belles of Burlesque (1940s+50s)
New acquisitions to the Oddball Archives include Faith Bacon’s Fan Dance, Arabian Hijinx and many more historic gems from the golden age of nudies, Soundies and burlesque. Don’t miss the Battle of the Burlesque Queens!
Iran (1971) London was swinging in the 60s and so was Teheran, (though not like the past few weeks!) according to this remarkable film by Claude (“A Man and a Woman”) Lelouch. Far more than a travelogue, this little-known film is among the best of its type ever made. Iran consists of spectacular geographical and archaeological footage interspersed with "slice of life"' shots, and crisp juxtapositional editing. Oddly apolitical, we learn nothing of land or other reforms. The focus is on culture - heritage, modernity and (what soon would be named) Westernization.
The past and present meet - veils and miniskirts, camels and helicopters, remains of ancient Persia, the highlights of Islamic art, caviar, jewels and oil fields. The Shah and Farah Diba appear, resplendent in formal attire. This charming couple did’nt copy European royalty, rather they appeared as an Eastern equivalent to Mr. and Mrs. John F. Kennedy - Pax Americana had succeeded Rule Britannia. The Pahlevi dynasty was a young one, but here the Shah is depicted as the modern link in an ancient tradition. During this time Iran was beginning to change. There was more talk of political refugees than of hairstyles. Some years passed and after the Islamic revolution, Westernization was banned. The musical score by Francis Lai is a priceless timepiece, rich with heavy early-70s euro-pop wah-wah guitar. An intriguing, beautifully crafted, and dynamic film, this visual poem transcends the didactic. -Academic Film Archive of North America
Toothache of a Clown (1972)
Clowns are creepy the same way mimes are annoying. This film attempts to calm children's fear of the dentist by having a sad ass clown get his cavity filled. Watch our clown whine, accompanied by half baked actors and cheap sets in this nitrous oxide-inspired nightmare!

Gallery (1971) Watch the history of Western Art in 8 minutes! Ken Rudolph’s fast-paced stream of consciousness montage of art takes us from the caving paintings of the ancients, through the Renaissance to the surrealism of Dali and the pop art of Warhol. With electronic music by music by Walter (now Wendy) Carlos, creator of the soundscore for “A Clockwork Orange”.
Fall Line (1981) With music by Pierre Meorlen’s Gong
A lone skier surfs the upper regions of Wyoming's Grand Tetons to ski slopes that once were considered too dangerous to ski or climb. The breathtaking descent down a nearly vertical slope emphasizes how skill and determination make even seemingly impossible tasks achievable. A pre “Extreme Sport” cinema wonder. With music by Pierre Meorlen’s French Prog-rock group Gong.

Camera Magic (1946) This rare curio by notorious oddball photographer Arthur “Weegee” Felig demonstrates a variety of camera techniques which can be used to produce special effects with an ordinary 16mm motion picture camera without employing special equipment. A man moves to embrace a woman and we watch her vanish. On the beach a woman smiles while her decapitated head lies next to her. More offbeat scenes demonstrate tips and tricks for the amateur and professional alike. Wacky, weird and nothing like it in the entire Castle film collection this came from!
About Weegee
Weegee captured tenement infernos, car crashes, and gangland executions. He found washed-up lounge singers and teenage murder suspects in paddy wagons and photographed them at their most vulnerable -or, as he put it, their most human.
Weegee (Arthur Fellig) was the most famous of tabloid photographers, whose shocking photos of murder victims and gunned-down mobsters often graced the front pages of New York’s Daily News during the 40s. Operating from a car with a police radio, Weegee was often on the scene of murders, fires, and accidents even before the police arrived. His work continues to be displayed in galleries around the world. Some of his publications include “Naked Hollywood”, “Weegee’s Creative Camera” and “Naked City”.
Today Weegee is credited with ushering in the age of tabloid culture, while at the same time being revered for elevating the sordid side of human life to that of high art.
Plus! Offbeat commercials, double screen strippers and much more!