Notebook on Cities and Clothes - Wim Wenders

After reviewing Notebook on Cities and Clothes, I believe that it is a documentary not only on Yamamoto, but also on Wim Wenders himself, who indicates his own thoughts of life and the society as a director. Wim Wenders presents both of their ideas by using picture-in-picture and frames of different qualities especially.

First of all, lots of frames are shown by picture-in-picture, which is rarely seen on the screen. When the magnetic voice-off, which expresses the director’s mind, mentions one Yamamoto’s favourite book, the lens focuses on the book turned by Wim Wenders while in the monitor which is put top-left to the book, Yamamoto is turning the same book page by page in the same speed and telling his feelings about it. The things living in the screen do not exist, nor do the feelings told by others. What we need is touching, reading and feeling the things really by ourselves. What’s more, we should also display the things in a straight way.

Secondly, when representing the fashion show, Wim Wenders puts two monitors under the T-stage on the screen, and that makes it possible to see the moving models on Yamamoto’s clothes, the preparation of the show and the talk of Yamamoto about his design idea at the same time. The frame implies that the idea and the manufacture form the foundation of a work. So putting cause and effect on the same page may make the thing more persuasive.

Many frames were taken by an old 35mm and DV or were got directly by shooting at the monitor, so they are coarse and not true to the original color, and that make me doubt whether the film was made in late 1980s. Together with the revolving or inverted shooting, these unintentional fragments are intentionally combined with the rest regular parts. Here, Wim Wenders well organizes the proportion of regular and alternative, just like Yamamoto inspirationally cut out two pockets on a well-arranged dress. How to balance the plan and impulse is also a question for me.