U.K. filmmaker Vugar Efendi establishes the agenda of “Here’s Looking At You,” his four-minute supercut of memorable cinematic moments, with this quote from Martin Scorsese: “Films that I constantly revisited, that I saw repeatedly, held up longer for me over the years not because of plot but because of character. And a very different approach to story.” Fittingly, this pocket history of the movies, drawing from over a century’s worth of images, focuses especially on the many memorable characters who have graced the silver screen, starting with the silent film days and extending to modern blockbusters like The Dark Knight Rises. There are boxers, gangsters, politicians, cops, soldiers, Superman, and at least one extremely noteworthy taxi driver. True to the video’s title, many of these people (although not all) are staring directly into the camera lens, i.e., right at the viewer.
HERE’S LOOKING AT YOU from Vugar Efendi on Vimeo.
The video is accompanied by an excerpt from Philip Glass’ score for Mishima: A Life In Four Chapters (although that movie doesn’t make the cut.) Efendi has previously produced short film primers on the history of stop-motion animation and the intersection of film and fine art. You can net an MFA in cinema studies in an hour or so by visiting his site.