{ the jaunty magpie }

This Bird has a Jaunty love of movies and gets easily swept-up in the Mood. Recently, I saw the 1998 film Dark City again, with the benefit of seeing the director's cut, containing a stronger narrative from the theatrical release. Watching it again evoked memories of film noir classics like Metropolis and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari -- stunning examples of maverick filmmaking made all the more eerie and unnerving by the fact that they are silent films. Dark City was a melancholic journey of shadowed corridors and stark lighting contrasts in a rich vintage setting, but never clear over what the exact era was, as there were notes of post-war fashion and 1960s cars. The story is like a thinking man's The Matrix, where a single person grasps their destiny, takes the power away from ghoulish overseers who are manipulating memories and lives, and interprets the meaning of the human soul. To be honest, it's way better than the Matrix, which just looks like pointless violence in comparison to this introspective version.

This inspired a baleful Mood, where this Bird collected some favorite modern films that echo the strange, sometimes terrifying themes of film noir, as well as some work by artists and designers who echo the cultural movement of sturm und drang: {1} Terry Gilliam's film, Brazil, {2} Sruli Recht r¿ng with interchangeable diamonds, {3} Steven Soderburgh's film, Kafka, {4} John Clark's print, Be Afraid, {5} Alex Proyas' film, Dark City, {6} Grey beaded top and beaded chain necklace from Elvi, {7} Samantha Cole's Warrior collection, as shown on Latemag blog, {8} Stoplight Arts' The Pedals pendant with original photograph in brass setting