General Discussion : Hypnotic Films

[AFlickering]

Any recommendations? The benchmarks for me are Aguirre: The Wrath of God and Stalker.

[TheAlliance]

Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey has something like that towards the end, imo.

btw..Aguirre, most beautiful opening ever. Unbelievable scenery

[KGB]

Beware of hypnotic films. Hypnotic films are not for everyone, I learnt that the hard way being a film newbie (that was barely a year and a half algo, if I recall).
'Stalker' is a magnificent film full of symbolism and some fantastic dialogues, especially towards the end. But hypnotic? I fell asleep at least three times, on my first watch. It's a wonderful film really, but you have to be very careful with it.
'Aguirre: The Wrath of God' symbolizes for me all that I wasn't a year and a half ago and I can proudly say I am now. It really has some wonderful shooting and spectacular acting, but again, it's not hypnotic. Some scenes are, like the ending, and if you're not scared away by the slow pace it's a cosmic film to follow, but I won't quite say it's hypnotic.
'2001: A Space Oddysey' should be the one. For reasons I cannot fathom myself, I saw this film about five times without understanding nothing and falling asleep more than once, and that's until I got a clue of what's going on. But since then, the film was no less than hypnotic for me. If I happen to come across it I have to sit down and watch it; it's my weakness. I never get tired of it; actually, the excitement only grows each time I watch it. As far as I see it, '2001' is perfect. It's one of my favourite films, and anybody who doesn't get it (I don't like saying this, but I cannot resist) is a jerk.

Other film you can try (at least I get hypnotized watching them): 'A Clockwork Orange', 'Barry Lyndon' (yes, I'm a Kubrick fan) and 'Fanny and Alexander'. The latest was not only one of the longest films I ever saw (and I saw the three hours cut), but one of the longest experiences I ever had: it seemed like it would never end. I could swear it was at least six hours (no, I did not see the complete version, I can assure you). But somehow, it was worth it; 'Fanny and Alexander', as well, is one of my favourite films.

[AFlickering]

Cheers guys. I've seen 2001 of course, and A Clockwork Orange. Been wanting to see Barry Lyndon and Fanny & Alexander for a while.

Let's now substitute the word "hypnotic" for "dreamlike" and see if you can come up with any more. I recently saw Last Year at Marienbad which fits the bill methinks.

[KGB]

If 'dreamlike' is what you seek then check out the Luis Buñuel repertoire. I say, go for 'Un Chien Andolou' (it's only seventeen minutes long, it's even on YouTube) and 'The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie' first. The second one is not exactly a tier 10 film, but it's very fun and has a sharp criticism on many themes, as most of Buñuel's films.
There many other examples, but they just don't come to me now. Orson Welles' 'The Trial' may be a good choice; I haven't seen the film, but I'm currently reading the book by Kafka and I trust Welles to make the best out of it.
Yet another one is '8 1/2' by Fellini, which is actually the last film I saw. To be completely honest, I didn't really like it; it's very good, but as for sitting through it, I felt something was missing (you can check out my mini-review, for that matter).

[vincente]

Here is the short film "Un Chien Andalou" KGB mentioned - in 2 parts.

[AFlickering]

Bunuel is a good idea, only one I've seen is The Exterminating Angel which actually bears similarities with Last Year at Marienbad (though I greatly prefer the latter). Cheers for the vid, I'll watch that soon. I find surrealism to be hit and miss, hopefully this'll hit but even if it doesn't I'll be looking into more Bunuel no doubt.

The Trial is on my shelf in book form, don't want to watch the film before I read it but I suspect you're right that I'll love it.

8 1/2 I adore, I'm a sucker for all things meta especially when they flow like a stream. It requires the right mood to fully appreciate though, seemingly.

Cheers.

[KGB]

I've actually been quite stupid about 'The Trial' - I started watching the film, and decided that I definitely had to read the book first (reading Kafka for me was unbearable for me last time I tried, but then again, that was two years ago, I was about 12-13, and I was a retarded, weird little brat). So I'm reading it right now, and I compare the half I've seen to what I'm reading, what's requiring me to read every sentence twict so I don't get lost (well, not literally, but it's tough).
'Un Chien Andalaou'... Ahh, sometimes I wonder if I am overrating this film, but really, it just shows my how much I love cinema. I have a very good story to tell on that one, but in my stories I tend to lean towards unrelevant matters very quickly, so it turned out to long and I had to put it on the film's forum page. But check it out, it might be worth reading, at least for discovering the secret behind 'Un Chien Andalou' as revealed by a 15-years-old with too much time on his hands (hey, it's summer vacations. I do have a tough school, just not until march) and a good taste for cinema.

[pilgermann]

I'd recommend Picnic at Hanging Rock. It has the hypnotic and dreamy quality that you're after, and I thought it was a strangely frightening movie.

[Spunkie]

Going through films I ranked, here are the films with that hypnotic/dreamlike quality to it, totally open to debate;

Grand Illusion(I don't know how Renoir manages it, the movie totally mindboggles me), Ran, Three Colors: Blue, Persona(may be the definitive one), Hiroshima mon amour(it sets in the mindscape more than a physical one just like Marienbad), Apocalypse Now(just like Aguirre we are on our way to hell), Eraserhead(out of all Lynchian experience this is the one that does it absolutely), Mind Game, Waking Life, Badlands(and every other Mallick), Play Time(this is a peculiar one and is able to short circuit any reasoning I have), Brazil, Crash(the feeling kicks in the first moment it starts), Spirit of the Beehive(a rare gem), Bad Timing(one of the most efficient use of flashback), La Jetée(I remember watching it for a lesson in class everyone was bound by silence), Empire of the Sun(again Ballard, one of the two times Spielberg manages it along with 3rd kind), Dersu Uzala(two years in the steeps of syberia), The Assassination of Jesse James(the reason movie is considered arthouse instead of mainstream), Sonatine(Kitano tries it everytime and with Dolls...), Reconstruction, Blow Up, L'Atalante, Audition (and The Bird People in China), The Return (2003), High Plains Drifter, I Want You, Tenshi no tamago, Cemetery Man(other than the hypnosis this movie doesn't have much), The Hunger, Europa, Seom.......it's getting lenghty, better to stop .

With a quick glimpse at what I listed the general binding properties of hypnotic/dreamlike movies are simply visual scenery,shifty time or space, entrapment into a mind/feeling/idea/phase. I remember arguing what made Mallick unique in his ways with a cinema academician friend, the technique is one for sure. But more than that he proposes a perception that we are supposed to be familiar with but are not or can not define it, that lures one into a hypnotic state imo.