Gustav Deutsch, Edward Hooper and The Impeccable Art of "Shirley" (Film Pick)

I was sitting in the Austrian Alps last weekend, after attending the closing ceremony of the Kitzbuhel Film Festival, and I discovered a director I had never heard of before. Or rather, I was gifted the knowledge by a man with the same name.

Gustav Deutsch.

Gustav Deutsch was an Austrian artist and director who often used his art to explore the relationship between time and movement. His series “Film ist…” is a collection of different scenes, captured at different tempos, or in reverse - a montage of emotion simply effected by the tempo and the movement.

Gustav Deutsch - Credit: Criterion

We were sitting outside the exhibit opening of Verena Rempel, when a man I had met that day asks if I have ever heard of the film “Shirley”.

I said no.

He explained that Shirley was a film by Gustav Deutsch that brought to life 13 of the paintings of Edward Hooper.

Nighthawks by Edward Hooper

Edward Hooper is the artist behind famous paintings like Nighthawks, Room in New York, and A Cape Cod Morning. His paintings are masterpieces of color and light, conveying the emotion of the people and the beauty of the environment with poignant singularity.

I was familiar with Edward Hoopers work. I am a fan, in fact.

But I was not ready for what I saw when I googled “Shirley: Visions of Reality” by Gustav Deutsch. At first, I thought I was looking at an animation of the paintings of Hooper. But as the tape continues to roll, i realised I was watching a cinematic recreation - a perfect recreation - of his paintings.

Stills from "Shirley: Visions of Reality"

It is stunning. You can watch the trailer here and the full film here.

At first I was simply blown away by the dedication to recreation that Gustav displayed in bringing these paintings to life. But then I listened to the voiceovers - interpertations of what the director assumed the characters must be thinking. The voices were most often women, as women feature prominently in Hooper’s work. They are the thoughts of women around the world, in different situations. In times of change and times of contentment.

It is thoughtful, honest and … beautiful.

I was very happy to have discovered a previously unknown director that was so startlingly unique! I love learning things I didn’t know before.

But then, as I spoke with the man who mentioned Gustav at all, I began to think in a broader sense. About why and how I had never heard of this filmmaker or this film. About what is being missed in modern film history and modern filmmaking.

Left: Still from “Shirley” Right: Edward Hooper “New York Movie” Credit: Kblog.it

Looking Back To Move Forward

My conversation partner was also named Gustav (popular name in Austria) and he used to be a film history teacher. I could tell, he LOVED cinema. When he saw the joy I had in discovering this new director he began to rattle off a list of other lesser known auteurs and I could barely write them down fast enough.

I was starving for depth of information - for art cinema - for dedication of craft.

In today’s industry of box office’s and limited releases, in a world where we talk about the streaming wars like they are actually wars…

We have lost so much.

Our industry - our craft - started in a much deeper place. Directors focused less on box office potential and more on creative use of lighting. On doing things that had never been done before. Most importantly, they looked to previous masters to learn and further develop their own voices.

They incorporated the work and styles and themes of those before them to continue the conversation. The global discourse that is filmmaking.

And I am craving that.

Aren’t you?

I am a bit fed up with “names and numbers”. Famous faces against done-before story lines. And unless you actually have a degree in film history, you will no doubt be surprised to discover the pure quantity of amazing directors and writers that you have never heard of.

I want to be wowed. I want to be intrigued. I want to be jealous that a mind could be SO CREATIVE. SO DEDICATED.

I want us ALL to discover forgotten works and to consume them… for meaning.

So tell me… Who is a director I have never heard of?

Let me know in the comments.

Me at Kitzbuhel Film Festival!

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