Author Topic: Amela and the Angel  (Read 5865 times)

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Offline BoyScoutKevin

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Re: Amela and the Angel
« Reply #9 on: January 29, 2015, 11:44:32 PM »
Buskers
We actually have buskers in the city in which I live, but they are restricted to the downtown area of the city, and as in all things, their musical talent varies from individual to individual.

Narrator
I can understand about the narrator, but my question is, if there was no narrator nor narration, would it even be possible to understand what is going on?

Siblings
While I have not seen everything that Ken has done, they do seem to be in short supply in Ken's films.

In "Lair of the White Worm" you do have the sisters at the film's Bed and Breakfast.

In "Gothic," while not technically sisters, you do have the two female cousins, who interact much like sisters would.

In "Savage Messiah," when our hero returns to his home in that one scene, we seemingly see that he has brothers and sisters.

In "The Music Lovers," we do get the Von Meck twins, who are actually played by twins.

But only in "Women in Love," one of Ken's early films, do we get a major role for siblings, with the sisters Gudrun and Ursula. And Gerald seems to have siblings of some sort. At least there are characters in the film that share his last name, who I presume are thus his siblings.

Next time: another of Ken's films.

Offline Iain Fisher

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Re: Amela and the Angel
« Reply #8 on: January 25, 2015, 09:11:18 PM »
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07. What is interesting in this part is the relationship between Amelia and her brother. Since so many of Ken's films are somewhat autobiographical in nature, one cannot help but wonder if Ken is not expressing something of the relationship between himself and his younger brother.

I was trying to think of any brothers in any others of Ken's films.  Fathers don't come over well in the films, and marriages don't seem to survive, but no brothers.  There is a brother/ sister relationship in Clouds of Glory (William and Dorothy Wordsworth).

Offline Iain Fisher

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Re: Amela and the Angel
« Reply #7 on: January 25, 2015, 09:03:42 PM »
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10. The story also works, because it did away with amateur actors trying to recite their dialogue and had the story told by a narrator.

I agree about the amateur actors, and Ken could always get a good performance from a non-professional.  Not sure about the narrator, I think I would prefer the film to have no narration and just music.  The narration doesn't add anything for me.

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11. London in 1957. I imagine much of what we see in the film was, and I do not know what they call it in the U.K., was replaced by what we call  "gentrification."

Yes London has seen a lot of gentrification.  The Olympics also helped, moving a run-down area of London to a very up-market area, with affordable houses.

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12. Buskers. They probably still exist in London. Though, I can imagine not in the numbers that existed in 1957.

Various buskers.  On the underground they are now legal, with permits and specific areas for them to play.  Going to work I regularly get "Where do you go to my lovely", a British hit by Peter Sarstedt, the busker seems to like it.  Otherwise jazz and blues, rarely pop.  And a really bad busker doing Simon and Garfunkel on the train.

Offline BoyScoutKevin

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Re: Amela and the Angel
« Reply #6 on: January 23, 2015, 12:26:35 AM »
Amelia and the Angel
Part V

20. Men who look like women.
Women who look like men.
The artist's model, not as severe as in some of Ken's films, but even before Ken was making films, this seem to be one of his interests.

21. The painter becomes a Christ like figure.

22. London. How different it was in 1957, then it is now. Does that make the now London or the 1957 London better, or just different?

23. Perfect ending.

Next time: Unknown at this time.

Offline Iain Fisher

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Re: Amela and the Angel
« Reply #5 on: January 12, 2015, 10:02:15 PM »
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Good use of music in the film. Though, Ken was always one of those directors who knew how to best use music in a film. For example, the party at D'Ampton Manor in "Lair of the White Worm." Why tell the backstory of the worm with a film flashback, when you can tell the same story in song? There are many other examples in Ken's films.

I hadn't thought of the song in this way, but I agree.  And it is a good music video, he did a few good ones, particularly Nikita by Elton John.

Offline BoyScoutKevin

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Re: Amela and the Angel
« Reply #4 on: January 08, 2015, 09:55:52 PM »
Amelia and the Angel
Part IV

14. Sidewalk art. Again something I imagine you see less of in the London of today, as opposed to the London of 1957.

15. Besides the use of sidewalk art in this film, one of the best known uses of it is in "Mary Poppins" of 1964, which helped matte artist Peter Ellenshaw to win an Oscar for his work on the film.

16. Peter Ellenshaw. There was a man who was well known in Hollywood for his matte paintings.

17. Though, contrary to the rumor, he was not discovered by Walt Disney doing chalk drawings on the sidewalks of London.

18. Lord! Those baby carriages in the park. There certainly has been some changes in the design of those over the years.

19. Good use of music in the film. Though, Ken was always one of those directors who knew how to best use music in a film. For example, the party at D'Ampton Manor in "Lair of the White Worm." Why tell the backstory of the worm with a film flashback, when you can tell the same story in song? There are many other examples in Ken's films.

Next time: Part V

Offline BoyScoutKevin

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Re: Amela and the Angel
« Reply #3 on: December 31, 2014, 06:48:05 PM »
Amelia and the Angel
Part III

09. A simple story that works, because the concept is so simple.

10. The story also works, because it did away with amateur actors trying to recite their dialogue and had the story told by a narrator.

11. London in 1957. I imagine much of what we see in the film was, and I do not know what they call it in the U.K., was replaced by what we call  "gentrification."

12. Buskers. They probably still exist in London. Though, I can imagine not in the numbers that existed in 1957.

13. Which is why this film is an important part of both film history and London's history, as it shows what life was like in the past. A life that no longer exists in the present.

Next time: Part IV

Offline BoyScoutKevin

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Re: Amela and the Angel
« Reply #2 on: December 22, 2014, 10:17:33 PM »
Amelia and the Angel
Part II

07. What is interesting in this part is the relationship between Amelia and her brother. Since so many of Ken's films are somewhat autobiographical in nature, one cannot help but wonder if Ken is not expressing something of the relationship between himself and his younger brother.

08. W. Jones. Does it still exist in that area of London? If not, then are there stores like that still in that area of London?

Next time: Part III

Offline BoyScoutKevin

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Amela and the Angel
« Reply #1 on: December 14, 2014, 07:59:58 PM »
Amelia and the Angel
One of Ken's 1st shorts and in 5 parts.
Part I

01. A simple story, but one surprisingly high in tension.

02. And one that arouses a great deal of questions as to what will happen.

03. Watching it, it gave me this strange sensation. Maybe because of its primitive realism. For what we see is life as it was in London in 1957, a type of life that no longer exists.

04. Actually, as fictional as this film may be, and the other fictional films made by Ken, there is yet a certain degree  of realism to them.

05. It apparently sat on the shelf for 2 years, before it was released in 1959 and shown in all places--Australia!

06. The role of Amelia was played by Mercedes Quadros.
a. Who was only 9 years old in 1957.
b. Who I believe, was the daughter of the ambassador from Uruguay to the U.K.
c. This would be her only film appearance.
d. And, as of September 2010, she was living in Argentina. Married. And with a family of her own.

Next time: Part II