Category Archives: Cinema

Notes on the Blographer. Remembering “Notes on the Cinematographer”.

“The devil jumped into her mouth. Don’t show the devil jumping into her mouth.”

Notes on Cinematography by Robert BretonThat’s the way I remembered it.

I was editing a project where images needed to match the words in the narration. It seemed unnecessary. Besides, I didn’t have enough images. That’s when that quote, as I remembered it, popped into my head.

I bought my first copy of Notes on Cinematography by Robert Bresson in 1979. Soon after, I gave it to a friend who, in my opinion, needed to own that book. I bought a fresh copy for myself but not long after I gave it to another friend. A pattern was emerging. It happened every few years.

In 1997 Green Integer published a pocket size edition. It was Green Integer 2. A new translation. The title was now Notes on the Cinematographer. I bought two copies. A year or so later another two copies. One was a Christmas present.

When the quote, as I remembered it, popped into my head last week I didn’t currently own a copy of the book. I wasn’t surprised to not find it in bookstores but it wasn’t until I checked Amazon and saw that used copies were going for over a hundred bucks that I realised … it was out of print.

I thought it would always be there when I needed it.

“The devil hopped into his mouth”; don’t have a devil hop into a mouth. “All husbands are ugly”: don’t show a multitude of ugly husbands.

Notes on the Cinematographer by Robert BressonThere is some light in the darkness. You can find a PDF of Notes on Cinematography on the internet.

I have one here and you can and should download it. It’s the last time I’m giving a copy to a friend.

I’m trying to romanticize file sharing. Is it working?

Let nothing be changed and all be different.