R6dw6C wrote: That's the typical kind of cinematic double standard today. Hopefully, the same people will also discover my admired Dario Argento as the serious auteur he is in my opinion. It doesn't seem they already do, though he once was member of the Jury at the Berlinale a few years ago (Roland Emmerich also was...). 

Absolutely, but not just of today. Look at the respect now granted to the likes of Sam Fuller and Anthony Mann. But we're dependent on that (rather large) faction of the critical establishment and of the moviegoing audience who don't know what "art" is, what an "auteur" is. No matter how loudly we shout, our voices will continue to be drown out by theirs because they have the numbers on their side. But as I mentioned to you in another thread, time can do justice to the those who deserve it, especially the so-called "genre" filmmakers. Dario will be fine, I have no doubt in my mind (even now, he's much better off than many), but that hack you mentioned won't be. Speaking of the Berlinale, it pains me to see the Golden Bear, which once went to Alphaville and Love Streams, La notte and The Thin Red Line, being awarded to relatively mediocre, middlebrow films over the last few years. 

"Thanks a lot! Your description of "Diamonds of the Night" sounds intoxicating... I tracked down a German dubbed VHS-Copy of "Fruits of Paradise" but it was in unwatchable shape. I also have heard (and read) tons of intriguing things about "Valerie and her Week of Wonders" but as long as I can't purchase a subtitled DVD for a human price (the UK and US-DVDs are OOP as far as I know), I can't do much more than waiting. Anyway, I'm out of money and czech cinema will have to wait (but there's a VHS of Milos Forman's "Black Peter" waiting for me )." 

That's funny because I just watched Forman's new film called Goya's Ghosts. Not a disaster, but long ways away from his 60's efforts.