Hello all,
Welcome to our first ever Editorial, which also marks my first month and a half editing for History of Cinema! Going into 2019, we have made several improvements to our website, adding higher quality images, a different look, and have further streamlined articles, in order to improve readability.
I’m an enormous fan of the site’s original content, from Laura Zapien’s article about positive Mexican representation in Cinema, to Jessica Matthews’ brilliant analysis of Solo: A Star Wars Film, and we would love to continue this trend.
We welcome all types of genres, and all ranges of popularity – as long as it fits under the banner of History of Cinema. Got an incredibly niche, historically-relevant film that you’ve been dying to tell the world about? Perfect! Go ahead and tell the world about it! Want to defend a particular favourite of yours with a fresh perspective? Absolutely.
In the History of Cinema, even some of the worst films of all time can still be somewhat historical, either by being the biggest box office flop, or by being laden with a cursed production, and so on, so don’t be discouraged if a particular suggestion of yours wasn’t particularly well received at release.
We aren’t looking for anything in particular, but we do favour analysis pieces, and as previously noted – we need more articles dedicated entirely to specific films, with a brief plot summary, with an equally brief making-of section. Short, sweet and aimed at fans of film. We continually welcome writers of all ages, ability and experience – I am constantly learning myself editing for this site, as I take note of facts, insights, and more from our talented team of writers. Freedom and flexibility is the name of the game here, as there is no set article deadline, and you can pick up and go when you please.
Created in 2014 by our founder Cleiton De Veras, History of Cinema began as an idea to create a truly global community of fans of film from all around the world. Five years on, and that dream has become realised. We are also very proud of the fact that we are one of the only film-focused pages on Instagram that is accompanied by a dedicated website, regularly hosting original content from a talented – and global – team of writers.
As I will also be using these Editorials to comment on some of the most recent films that I have seen, I had briefly wanted to touch on a specific moment that I had found especially interesting in Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma.
Without spoiling anything, the moment (and scene) in question features a fully nude Fermin (Jorge Antonio Guerrero, above) talking to Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio) – whilst he practices a complicated martial arts routine. Nudity in film is very often sexualised (unsurprisingly, you might think) as in 2013’s The Wolf of Wall Street, or used for more direct shock value, as in 2009’s Antichrist or 2013’s Nymphomaniac. (Both directed by Lars Von Trier – seeing a pattern?)
In contrast, Cuaron uses it as a sign of vulnerability. Here, Fermin is baring all (both figuratively and literally) by revealing an anecdote from his childhood, bringing into the light an upbringing marred by violence and misery. The scene feels oddly intimate, despite the directly explicit image on-screen.
This ‘boring’ nudity (for lack of a better word) is entirely normal for absolutely anyone in a relationship (or otherwise) but is very rarely seen in modern films. Love – Gasper Noé’s feel-good family-friendly romance film released in 2015, had made something of an attempt to showcase exactly this, raising interesting questions about what we do and do not deem cinematically appropriate. As central star Karl Glusman explained in an interview given to The Guardian in November 2015:
“He ( Noé) told me that we weren’t going censor or sugar-coat sex, but show something we all experience on a regular basis. He wanted to know why, when you depict intimacy in a room with the blinds closed, people get so upset.”
I may be reading into this small scene ever so slightly, but it was interesting to see something so unique, and something so hardly shown on screen – the ‘boring’ nudity of the everyday. At the end of each of these articles I will also include four random recommendations out of the numerous films that I have enjoyed over the course of my life, that I feel are in need of wider appreciation. Here are my four picks for March 2019:
- The Prince of Egypt (1998)
- Capote (2005)
- The Place Beyond The Pines (2013)
- Seven Psychopaths (2012)
Finally, if you are interested in writing for History of Cinema, don’t hesitate to get in touch! You can either email us at – contact@thehistoryofcinema.com – or by contacting me directly at – benhaynesjones@gmail.com
Thank you, and enjoy reading!
Ben