John Wilson Selects: Session 3
John Wilson, the brilliant filmmaker and creative genius behind the hit HBO show How To With John Wilson, has captivated audiences with his unique style of essayistic storytelling and observational prowess. With an uncanny ability to find humour and beauty in the everyday, Wilson has transformed the quotidian activities of New York City into captivating narratives that resonate with viewers worldwide.
Several months ago, John Wilson was invited by the prestigious New York City Anthology Film Archives to guest-curate a special series titled ‘John Wilson Selects’, featuring a variety of films that have influenced or inspired him. We are excited to have John Wilson with us in Sydney to present a version of this series at Antenna.
INNOCENTS ABROAD
Les Blank | 1991 | 84 min
An amusing look at how Europeans and Americans stereotype each other by following a bus full of tourists as it winds through Europe. Some have been planning this trip much of their lives and want to grab it all in one bite; one is returning to Cologne for the first time since he flew a WWII bombing raid; a woman describes the view out of the bus window to her nearly blind husband. Blank’s special genius is for recognizing and appreciating the particularity of his subjects – curious as their motives may be for gobbling up Europe in a series of air-conditioned, heavily cushioned gulps, we eventually catch their viewpoint