Wednesday, August 27, 2008
" Le Mani Sulla Citta` "...
Images above from "Le Mani Sulla Citta`" directed by Francesco Rosi .You can find a couple of minutes of this film , English translation "Hands Over the City" , on the internet in Italian with French subtitles . To view the entire film , recently released on DVD , with its worthy supplimenary disc though you'll have to either rent it or buy it . Netflix has it for rental and Barnes & Noble has it for sale . Your local video rental store likely has it too. With this film you can watch Rod Steiger's lips move to English and speak Italian .
The closing title of "Hands Over the City" states "The characters and events shown are imaginary . The social and environmental context is real ". The environmental and social context is circa 1960 Napoli . The subject is urban planning and failure with a Black&White Neapolitan setting . Actual city council members are among the actors . Rosi claims a realist film .
The relevance of this dramatically powerful and aesthetically beautiful B&W film today is that in its presentation , an almost continuous debate among the players , of government involvement with developers in Napoli , high-lighting men willingly participating in activities manifesting considerable conflict of interest and corruption , it provides numerous illuminated striking and significant parallels with the individuals , government agencies and corporations involved in the questionable on-going urban planning and property developement activities in today's New York City . Activities that are so effectively changing our city , mostly for the benifit of a wealthy few at the expense of what was once a dominating middle class .That is ,once upon-a-time the people that actually did the work in this town had a significant say in how it was run and could as well afford to live here .
"A Neapolitan Diary " , on the supplimental disc , a documentary of Rosi's return to Napoli 30 years later made for Italian television , presents some of the consequences of the descisions and actions of 1960s. Perhaps also presaging some of the undesireable consequences to come of today's questionable on-going planning and developement activities here and now for the New York City of tomorrow .
Comments:
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la la, on my, so they are full of chitta and it is like this, you can cross the street with the light and a car can blow the red light and hit you.
I think when you focus on the corruption and the gentrification you are right and it is good work that let us hope makes a difference in some ways.
There are no police or systems set in place to protect the people and some of the people are so awful -- their behavior is just like the vile developers and landlords but because they feel the threat of eviction they kid themselves the are not fascists that beat people up for not living, thinking and being what they define as true east villagers so may be they are worse than the soulless greedy developers or as bad in different ways.
Keep up the good work and the brave work.
The reality is that maybe one of the bigger rats will find these rats inconvenient and expose their corrupt wheelings and dealings only because it works for the bigger rats corrupt goals.
You are doing some excellent work and the photos form the film are punchy but Bob you must tell yourself you can be right or happy....if you want some peace and happiness today look at everything beautiful today in the neighborhood, the trees, the faces and watch a movie that affirms life Bob.
Keep up the good work but give your self some breaks and ask your self do I want to be right or feel some peace.
I get up set but karma is always served, not in the time I want and in many cases far harsher than I could have ever imagined.
You are doing very good work. The photos are very powerful. You have a lot to be proud of.
On a personal level I don't want to be your friend but on a community level and as someone who understand and have read a lot about newspapers and art you have a lot to be proud of and you should continue on.
Peace
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I think when you focus on the corruption and the gentrification you are right and it is good work that let us hope makes a difference in some ways.
There are no police or systems set in place to protect the people and some of the people are so awful -- their behavior is just like the vile developers and landlords but because they feel the threat of eviction they kid themselves the are not fascists that beat people up for not living, thinking and being what they define as true east villagers so may be they are worse than the soulless greedy developers or as bad in different ways.
Keep up the good work and the brave work.
The reality is that maybe one of the bigger rats will find these rats inconvenient and expose their corrupt wheelings and dealings only because it works for the bigger rats corrupt goals.
You are doing some excellent work and the photos form the film are punchy but Bob you must tell yourself you can be right or happy....if you want some peace and happiness today look at everything beautiful today in the neighborhood, the trees, the faces and watch a movie that affirms life Bob.
Keep up the good work but give your self some breaks and ask your self do I want to be right or feel some peace.
I get up set but karma is always served, not in the time I want and in many cases far harsher than I could have ever imagined.
You are doing very good work. The photos are very powerful. You have a lot to be proud of.
On a personal level I don't want to be your friend but on a community level and as someone who understand and have read a lot about newspapers and art you have a lot to be proud of and you should continue on.
Peace
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