Week Fourteen (5-5-08)

The work we saw this week was odd and interesting at the very least. George Kuchar's films were strange, but they definitely had something to them. It was quite a contrast to see him so young in Hold Me While I'm Naked and then to see him more than thirty years later in The Inmate. I actually liked both of these films. The Inmate at first seemed really slow and tedious and I thought I would get bored with it, but after a certain point I kind of enjoyed it - and then it ended. I didn't quite understand the meaning behind this film - other than it being a some sort of document of Kuchar's travels. The whole thing had a very handheld amateurish feel to it. Kuchar's narration was funny, though. This definitely added to the film and I think it gave the audience a sense of who Kuchar is. Even in his older age, he still has a sense of humor. Hold Me While I'm Naked was pretty odd and I didn't really understand it fully. I did like the way it was shot - really good cinematography. It had some great use of color. And, like The Inmate, it gave us a glimpse of Kuchar's humor. He seemed to have a very deadpan way about him. It's basically a film within a film with Kuchar playing the director in the film. From what I could get from the film is that his character was unable to make the film he wanted to. I think the film tries to be ridiculous and borders on camp. There are a lot of example of over-the-top elements - the mise en scene, the acting, the costumes, even the fake bird. And I think that the overt sexual tones help it seem more like camp than anything else. But I think that is what Kuchar was going for.