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Poster: LE HAVRE (dir. Aki Kaurismaki) 2011 so i may not have been crazy about the film itself (Kaurismaki’s deadpan humanist wit is more than intact, but this uncharacteristically straightforward story allows for but a fraction of the sly heft and rich sense of community that imbue his best work), but Janus’ poster for LE HAVRE’s theatrical release is delightful. wouldn’t be too surprised to see this double as the cover of Criterion’s release next year.

Poster: LE HAVRE (dir. Aki Kaurismaki) 2011

so i may not have been crazy about the film itself (Kaurismaki’s deadpan humanist wit is more than intact, but this uncharacteristically straightforward story allows for but a fraction of the sly heft and rich sense of community that imbue his best work), but Janus’ poster for LE HAVRE’s theatrical release is delightful. wouldn’t be too surprised to see this double as the cover of Criterion’s release next year.

Aki Kaurismaki on Ozu

“I’ve made 11 lousy films, and it’s all your fault.”

Criterion linked to this video yesterday, but it’s well worth dragging out all over again. what makes Kaurismaki’s tribute to Ozu so endearing and eminently watchable is that he not only vocalizes his affection for the Japanese master, but also cinematically expresses Ozu’s impact on his art and worldview… i mean, this little slice of sentimental fun is a Kaurismaki film to the bone, dripping with his dry wit, and it bows to Ozu while reminding us via formal illustration how the great japanese filmmaker contributed to a brand of cinema that is indistinguishably Kaurismaki’s own.

it’ll be curious to see if the epitaph on Kaurismaki’s grave really is  ”I was born, but…” (though i obviously hope we don’t find out for a long time)

Trailer: LE HAVRE (dir. Aki Kaurismaki) 2011

our first significant glimpse of Kaurismaki’s latest film — a deadpan charmer which emerged as the best-reviewed entry to this year’s Cannes Film Festival — you can expect to see LE HAVRE pop up in the Criterion Collection towards the end of 2012. the folks over at The Playlist are right to warn that Kaurismaki’s films don’t make for ideal trailer fodder, so it’s best to appreciate how this clip sets the mood more than anything else. 

here’s the film’s official description: “An elderly working-class couple living in the famous Norman port city find themselves harbouring a young African illegal immigrant from the authorities as he tries to make his way to England. The local police inspector suspects that they are protecting illegals and a cat-and-mouse game ensues.”