The Continuous Shot : Mikhail Kalatozov vs Baillie Walsh

Baillie Walsh is definitely my favorite director, hands down, and to my surprise much under appreciated for his incredible talent.

He was one of the first directors to use continuous shots in music videos, one of the best known perhaps Unfinished Sympathy by Massive Attack.

The in the mid 90's re-discovered film I Am Cuba , my favorite film to date, was shot wide angle and became famous for (seemingly) technically impossible continuous shots, and was shot in the early 60's by Mikhail Kalatozov.

There are too many to mention, but this scene is great example of the beautiful cinematography of the film:

Baillie Walsh's New Order Video "World" has so many elements of "I Am Cuba" that I was surprised to learn that he had shot all those videos long before he could have possibly seen "I Am Cuba" - this one was shot 1990, 5 years prior to its release.
This video reminds me of the famous "Havana Roof" scene in "I Am Cuba" .....

This is a great little clip, someone pasted different music over it, but it is the above mentioned scene with the much talked about 3 story camera drop that continues underwater as the camera follows a cuban beauty in the pool:


Maybe you can blame the Collective Unconscious ?

Either way - a beautiful thing.

If you haven't seen "I Am Cuba" , I'd highly recommend to buy it, because you'd want to watch it over and over again....
The visual poetry of the film can only be matched by the poetry that continues through it from the beginning:

I am Cuba.
Once Christopher Columbus landed here.
He wrote in his diary:
”This is the most beautiful land ever seen by human eyes.“
Thank you Señor Columbus.
When you saw me for the first time,
I was singing and laughing.
I waved the fronds of my palms to greet your sails.
I thought your ships brought happiness.

I am Cuba.
Ships took my sugar and left me tears...
Strange thing — sugar, Señor Columbus.
It contains so many tears, but it is sweet...

I am Cuba.
Why are you running away?
You came here to have fun.
Go ahead, have fun!
Isn’t this a happy picture?
Don’t avert your eyes. Look!
I am Cuba.
For you, I am the casino, the bar, hotels and brothels.
But the hands of these children and old people are also me.
I am Cuba.

I am Cuba.
Sometimes it seems to me that the trunks of my palm trees are full of blood.
Sometimes it seems to me that the murmuring sounds around us are not the ocean,
but choked-back tears.
Who answers for this blood?
Who is responsible for these tears?

I am Cuba.
There are two paths for people when they are born.
The path of slavery — it crushes and decays.
And the path of the star — it illuminates but kills.
These are the words of José Marti.
You will choose the star.
Your path will be hard, and it will be marked by blood.
But in the name of justice wherever a single person goes,
thousands more will rise up.
And when there will be no more people,
then the stones will rise up.
I am Cuba.

I am Cuba.
Your arms have gotten used to farming tools,
but now a rifle is in your hands.
You are not shooting to kill.
You are firing at the past.
You are firing to protect your future.