Atomic Cafe Cinema: Dial H-I-S-T-O-R-Y & Buster Keaton

DIAL H-I-S-T-O-R-Y  1997

Directed by Johan Grimonprez
68 minutes
In English

This film is one wild piece of cinematic dynamite. It's a very early work by Belgian artist/filmmaker Johan Grimonprez (Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat) which traces the history of international airplane hijackings in the 20th century, starting from the first transatlantic hijacker Raffaele Minichiello in 1969, up into the mid-90s. This essay film mixes together news broadcasts, pop music, personal reflections and the illuminated science-fiction writing of Don DeLillo (White Noise, Mao ll) in an attempt to explore the birth of this phenomena.

It should therefore be clear this documentary enters into some pretty crazy territory. There are cultural landmines detonating everywhere! Some of the cases deal directly with the Palestinians whose cause wasn't being reported in the mainstream media, and the tactics they used to re-inscribe themselves in history again. Some of the clips and the editing have a joyous sense of humor, and at other times they are totally absurd and confronting. This flick also serves as a razor-sharp critique of the mass media, and how its increasingly sensationalistic reporting of events mirror our own self destruction. So many documentaries these days are so dull and standardised—this one-hour video montage by Grimonprez fuses together archival material, astute analysis, and imagination. No stuffy 'talking heads' formula here, this flick is on the run...

The music score is composed by John Zorn collaborator David Shea, but it is also cranked up with pop and disco tunes. The result is disorientating and exhilarating... it feels like a breath of fresh air. It easily remains one of the most subversive films of the last few decades, and also an aesthetically fascinating one.

+ short film:

COPS  1922
Directed by Edward F. Cline, Buster Keaton
18 minutes
English inter-titles

Hey let's go back to the poetry of early cinema again, with this brilliant Buster Keaton flick. So much imagination, with hands-on skills that are astounding. The power of a human, rather than technology. It's just the kind of film that ignites your sense of creativity and uplifts your spirit. This particular short film follows a young man (Buster Keaton) who finds himself being chased by the entire Los Angeles Police force. It's about capitalism and class division, but also the age-old story of love versus authority.

ATOMIC CAFE CINEMA @ VONDELBUNKER
(The nuclear fallout bunker under the bridge in the Vondelpark)
Doors open at 20:00, film starts at 20:30
Entrance: free