Joseph Morder's 2-DVD Box Set: Diaries and Clouds

A collector's edition 2-DVD set features Gérard Courant's film "Journal de Joseph M" and Joseph Morder's "Nuages américains" (American Clouds). Morder has kept a super-8 film diary since 1967, initially silent, then with voice-over, then direct sound until 1997 when super-8 cameras became silent again. In 1999, he started a second diary in digital format. The set includes a written journal and color/black-and-white photos. Courant's film features companions including Moullet, Noguez, Païni, and Hanoun, whose "Octobre à Madrid" (1964) inspired Morder's "Été madrilène" in 1978. Some are associated with the Morlocks (from H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine"), such as pie-thrower Noël Godin. "Nuages américains" begins in 1982 at Morder's home in Belleville; a broken window leads to a trip to the United States. The film moves between Los Angeles and Texas, mixing reveries with current events (deaths of Aragon and Tati), with a sense of disorder and constant derision, echoing Stendhal's Fabrice character.