Watches worn by film directors [PART.2] ~Actor's Watch #40~

"Actor's Watch" focuses on watches worn by actors in movies, television, etc.
This is the 40th installment of our series, and following on from last time, we will be bringing you part 2 of the watches favored by film directors .

In [PART.1], we introduced movie directors who love Rolex, but this time we would like to focus on movie directors who love brands other than Rolex . Let's take a look at what kind of preferences directors have in the brands and models they choose.

Director Stanley Kubrick

■ Representative works

"Dr. Strangelove" (1964)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
The Shining (1980)

Director Stanley Kubrick was known as a perfectionist who not only wrote and directed but also checked the shooting, editing, and foreign language subtitles of the films he directed. Even though he was in the Hollywood film industry, where popularity and box office revenue are emphasized, Kubrick continued to demonstrate high artistic quality and innovation, and it is no exaggeration to say that he is one of the most influential film directors in the history of cinema.

*Source: http://www.onthedash.com/

The watch that Kubrick wore was the TAG Heuer Monaco (Ref. 1133G) . This watch, which has made its mark in history as the world's first square waterproof chronograph, is a watch that combines the "speed and innovation" that is characteristic of Kubrick, who was a qualified pilot and employed a former F1 racer as his chauffeur. The Monaco is also famous for being worn by Steve McQueen in the racing film "Le Mans" (1971). It is unclear when this photo was taken, but perhaps Kubrick admired McQueen...? This makes us fantasize.

■ Recommendation: "The Shining" (1980)

Jack, an unsuccessful novelist, is appointed as the live-in manager of a hotel that is closed during the snowy winter with his wife and young son. His son Danny, who has a mysterious psychic ability called "the shining," witnesses various paranormal phenomena in the hotel, where no one is supposed to be, but Jack, the father, gradually becomes seized by madness... Although the original author Stephen King was furious at this film, saying "It's completely different from the novel!", it was a huge success at the box office. With a composition that focuses on "symmetry" in the elevator hall and the mysterious twin girls, and dynamic moving shots using a Stadicam, this film has left its mark in history as an innovative horror movie masterpiece that does more than just shock the audience.

*Source: https://www.distractify.com/

The two-second scene in which Jack Nicholson peeks his head out from a door that has been smashed open with an axe, which is a familiar sight on DVD packaging, took more than two weeks to film and 190 takes . Kubrick's perfectionist nature is also fully demonstrated, with Shelley Duvall , who plays his wife, giving dozens of critiques of her performance.

Directed by James Gunn

■ Representative works

Slither (2006)
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
The Suicide Squad (2021)

Director James Gunn has worked on numerous B- and C-grade movies at Troma, Hollywood's pride and joy. Even fans probably never imagined that he would achieve great success with Guardians of the Galaxy , produced by Marvel and distributed by Disney, and rise to the top of Hollywood. After the huge success of the second film in the series , Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, his past inappropriate tweets were dug up and his appointment as director of the third film was in jeopardy, but thanks to the pleas of fans and actors, he returned to direct the series. We can't wait for the release of Guardians of the Galaxy 3 (tentative title), scheduled for 2023.

*Source: https://www.watchuseek.com/

Gunn's favorite watch is the Seiko Astron . As a child, he watched Ultraman and Kamen Rider , and he has no qualms about being influenced by Junji Ito 's horror manga and Goichi Suda 's cult games. He is also a big fan of Jet Jaguar rather than Godzilla , so he seems to prefer multi-function quartz watches, which Japan is known for.

■Recommended work: "Guardians of the Galaxy" (2014)

This sci-fi action comedy is based on the Marvel Comics original and depicts the exploits of the Guardians of the Galaxy, a hero team made up of five wanted men: treasure hunter Star-Lord, female assassin Gamora, physical warrior Drax , plant lifeform Groot , and the most dangerous raccoon in the universe, Rocket.

*Source: https://wallhere.com/

Enjoy the outrageous adventures of Star-Lord and friends as they fly across the galaxy and fight evil while listening to a cassette tape he inherited from his mother, filled with 1970s hits by artists such as David Bowie , Jackson 5 , 10cc , and The Runaways , on an original Walkman .

Directed by Terry Gilliam

■ Representative works

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
"Bandit Q" (1981)
Brazil (1985)
12 Monkeys (1996)

Director Terry Gilliam is known as a member of the legendary British comedy group Monty Python . His dark science fiction and fantasy, filled with absurdity and fantasies based on black humor, are similar to the worldview of Monty Python. However, he has had a series of troubles in film production. For "Brazil, " he was involved in a lawsuit with a film company that wanted a happy ending, for "Baron," production funds ran out due to a corrupt producer, and for "Terry Gilliam's Don Quixote," the project began in 1998, but it was completed 22 years later in 2018 after a series of difficulties, including the repeated withdrawal and death of the lead actor, and delays in filming due to floods. For this reason, it has been called "a cursed project that will be engraved in film history . " The reason he continues to make major films is undoubtedly because Gilliam is such a talented film director that director Stanley Kubrick considered him as a candidate to direct the sequel to "Dr. Strangelove."

The watch that Gilliam loves to wear is the Mondaine Evo2 . It is a watch based on the official watch of the Swiss National Railways. The red lollipop second hand makes one revolution in 58 seconds and stops for two seconds at the 12 o'clock position, making this railway watch highly accurate and legible. Its design is so sophisticated that it is even housed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York . That said, Terry Gilliam's style of film, which is packed with the contradictions and complexities of modern society despite production problems, seems to be the polar opposite of the Mondaine railway watch, which is precise and simple. However, it can be said that these contradictions and complexities are what make Gilliam so appealing, and in that sense, it could be said that it suits him.

■Recommended work: "Brazil" (1985)

In a highly controlled society where even repairing an air conditioner requires numerous government documents, a malfunction occurs in the printer that prints wanted posters. One of the wanted posters for "Harry Battle" is printed as "Harry Tuttle," and an upstanding citizen dies as a result of a false accusation. What will be the outcome of the incident that unfolds between the government trying to cover up the situation, a female truck driver trying to uncover the truth, and an official who has feelings for her?

*Source: http://www.jasonwerbeloff.com/

With the bright and liberating bossa nova classic "Brazil" playing in the background, the film depicts a confrontation between the individual and the controlled society, which could be called an absurd nightmare, like a modern interpretation of Kafka's "The Trial." One of the major highlights is the important roles played by Michael Palin , a fellow member of "Monty Python," and Robert De Niro , who plays an illegal air conditioner repairman, who bring madness to the work.

Directed by John Carpenter

■ Representative works

Halloween (1978)
"Escape from New York" (1981)
The Thing (1982)
Mouth of Madness (1994)

If Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" is a masterpiece of modern horror film with excellent artistic merit, then John Carpenter 's "Halloween" and "The Thing" are masterpieces of modern horror film as entertainment, taking violence and grotesque depictions to the extreme and creating the foundation of "splatter films" . Even in recent years, related works such as "Halloween" and "The Thing" have continued to be made, and their innovative nature has led to a reevaluation of John Carpenter.

*Source: https://www.digitalspy.com/

*Source: https://monochrome-watches.com/

The watch that Carpenter wears is a Cartier Pasha . It's an elegant French watch that doesn't seem to fit the aura of the "horror maestro" Carpenter, and I was quite surprised. However, this watch was designed by the late Gerald Genta , a famous watch designer who was also known as the "maestro." And the music for "The Thing" was written by Ennio Morricone, who was also known as the "maestro." It's all connected by the great "maestro," but whether you believe it or not is up to you!

■ Recommended work: "The Thing" (1982)

An alien "object" that fell into the Antarctic 100,000 years ago and was frozen in ice is revived and begins possessing the members of an Antarctic research team one by one. Not knowing "who is human and who has been possessed," all the characters become suspicious and distrustful as they fight against the "object's" invasion in order to survive in this sci-fi suspense horror film.

*Source: https://screenrant.com/

The Thing, having its true identity discovered, twists its human form in all sorts of directions, and attacks with tentacles and antennae stretching from its entire body, creating a spectacular display of physical destruction. Even in today's world where CG is mainstream, this horror expression remains timeless. The creator of The Thing was SFX artist Rob Bottin . The Thing is grotesque, yet has a certain artistic quality to it, perhaps because Bottin designed it with reference to the paintings of Francis Bacon .

summary

What did you think?
Compared to movie directors who wear Rolexes, movie directors who wear watches from other brands tend to be "unique directors" with their own quirks and quirks, and they seem to be far removed from popular award races such as the Academy Awards. At the same time, it seems that their style is supported by enthusiastic fans who say, "If you like it, you love it."

Perhaps this is related to his strong preference to not choose Rolex, which is loved by everyone, but instead wear other brands of watches that are widely loved and disliked, and this preference is linked to his style.

If we continue to research, we are sure we can find many more watches worn by film directors, so if you are interested, we would like to dig deeper.

see you!