Stanley Schtinter's Last Movies explores final films of historical figures through screenings and book
The Last Movies initiative by Stanley Schtinter delves into the last films seen by prominent 20th-century individuals prior to their passing, merging historical inquiry with film selection. Kicking off on November 22, a five-month screening series at London's Institute of Contemporary Arts will showcase titles such as Jane Campion's The Piano, which Kurt Cobain viewed before his death, and From Russia With Love, which JFK watched prior to his assassination. Schtinter's accompanying book spans figures from Franz Kafka to Steve Jobs, aiming to debunk myths surrounding their final film experiences. He also raises questions about Ian Curtis's last viewing, positing that he likely watched J. Lee Thompson's Cape Fear rather than Herzog's Stroszek. The project highlights the intersection of cinema with historical events and political violence.
Key facts
- Stanley Schtinter's Last Movies project traces final films watched by historical figures before their deaths
- A five-month screening program opens November 22 at London's Institute of Contemporary Arts
- The project includes films like Jane Campion's The Piano (Kurt Cobain's last cinema visit) and From Russia With Love (JFK's last film)
- Schtinter has published a book with chapters on figures from Franz Kafka to Steve Jobs
- Research challenges the legend that Ian Curtis watched Werner Herzog's Stroszek before his May 1980 suicide
- Pier Paolo Pasolini watched his own Oedipus Rex before his November 1975 murder
- John F. Kennedy's assassination was captured in the Zapruder film, connecting to structural filmmaking
- Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested during a screening of Burt Topper's War is Hell in 1961
Entities
Artists
- Stanley Schtinter
- Karel Doing
- Bill Morrison
- Jane Campion
- Kurt Cobain
- Franz Kafka
- Steve Jobs
- Pier Paolo Pasolini
- Giuseppe Pelosi
- Werner Herzog
- Ian Curtis
- Deborah Curtis
- Tony Wilson
- J. Lee Thompson
- John F. Kennedy
- Lee Harvey Oswald
- Woodrow Wilson
- D.W. Griffith
- Marilyn Monroe
- Abraham Zapruder
- Arthur Bremer
- Richard Nixon
- George Wallace
- Martin Scorsese
- John Hinckley Jr.
- Jodie Foster
- Charlie Chaplin
- Juliet Jacques
Institutions
- Institute of Contemporary Arts
- BBC2
- Factory Records
- The Onion
- Warren Commission
- Italy's anti-mafia commission
- ArtReview
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Stockholm
- Sweden
- Italy
- White House
- Washington D.C.
- United States
- North America