From silent cinema to modern prose: what celebrities are advised to read and watch during self-isolation

Every day, Internet users publish more and more collections with recommendations of interesting films and literature that will help pass the time in self-isolation or quarantine. Lists of books and films designed to prevent boredom, cheer up or pay attention to global problems, many famous personalities share.

So, the director Pedro Almodovar self-isolation keeps a diary and publishes it on a specialized Spanish site. One day, Almodovar recommended readers to watch films at home during a pandemic. The list of 11 titles includes mainly the work of classic directors of the mid-20th century.

This is the comedy "In Jazz Only Girls" by Oscar-winning Billy Wilder and his own "Front page"; “Monkey labor” (“Monkey tricks”) and “Soldier in a skirt” by Howard Hawks; George Cukor's films Rich and Famous, Philadelphia Story, and A Star Is Born (1954 version with the Hollywood diva Judy Garland).

In addition, the list contains the paintings “To be or not to be” and “Serenade of three hearts” by Ernst Lubich, “Midnight. You can’t order the heart ”of Mitchell Leisen, as well as the“ House of Flora ”of the Spaniard Ramon Fernandez.

Almodovar offered fans and entertaining literature. First of all, these are the works of modern writers Valeria Luiselli and Ivan Monalisa Ohieda. The stories of the latter, according to the director, remind him of his own book - “Patty Difus and other texts” (it is a collection of notes for La Luna, written in the 1980s).

Almodovar also said that during self-isolation he was developing adapted scripts for Lucia Berlin's collection of short stories “A Handbook for Housekeepers” and Jean Cocteau's play “The Human Voice”.

The director of Guardians of the Galaxy and producer of the last parts of the Avengers franchise, James Gunn, has also compiled a list of films that should be quarantined. And at the same time - he expressed the hope that his subscribers observe social distance.

10 GREAT MOVIES YOU LIKELY HAVEN'T SEEN TO STREAM WHILE YOU SELF-QUARANTINE. It's important for the health of our world to practice social distancing as much as possible. In the service of you doing this & in the hopes you will, I've come up with this list. #QuarantineAndChill

There are ten films from different years on the Gann list. The earliest of them is the American comedy “Glory to the Victorious Hero” of 1944, and the freshest is the three-year-old Japanese comedy horror “Zombies in one plan!”.

It is interesting that Gann clearly sympathizes with Asian cinema: he mentions such South Korean films as “Mother” by Pong Joon Ho, “The Yellow Sea” by Hong-jin, and “The Villain” by Jong Byung-gil. However, the director did not disregard the European colleagues - Sergio Leone (“For a Fistful of Dynamite”) is on the list.

• © Shot from the film "Mother" (2009)

American cinema is presented by tapes “Bob and Carol, Ted and Alice” by Paul Mazursky, “Sweet Poison” by Noel Black, “Wanderers” by Philip Kaufman and “Bad Lieutenant” by Werner Herzog.

Russian journalist Vladimir Shahidzhanyan in an interview with the FAN noted that there are no universal recommendations on what to watch or read in self-isolation, however, he advised to familiarize himself with the works of the classics - Stendhal, Hugo and Balzac.

Also, Shakhidzhanyan suggested re-reading fairy tales or paying attention to biographical works: “Thirst for Life” by Irving Stone about Vincent van Gogh or “Condemnation of Paganini” by Soviet writer Anatoly Vinogradov.

The deputy of the State Duma of Russia Natalya Poklonskaya on her social media pages recommended three books to her subscribers: Hermann Hesse’s parable novel “Siddhartha”, John Kehoe’s non-fiction self-development book “Subconsciousness can do anything!” and the work of motivational speaker Barbara Cher “What to dream about.” The politician advised citizens "not to lose their temper."

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Dear friends! This unusual weekend, I want to wish each of us to be restrained not only in relation to other people, but also to ourselves too. Do not be tormented by thoughts that "everything is lost." Everyone understands that the consequences of the emerging coronavirus are not only the disease itself, but also massive psychoses with financial losses. I will not hypothesize the man-made or natural nature of the new virus. Another thing is obvious: any facts (cataclysms, crimes, pandemics, epidemics ...) without a twinge of conscience are used for different purposes. Unfortunately, it is not always positive for people. In order not to lose my temper during the days of quarantine, I advise you to read such wise books: Hermann Hesse "Siddhartha", John Kehoe "The subconscious mind can do anything", Barbara Cher "What to dream about."

Posted by Natalya Poklonskaya (@nv_poklonskaya) Mar 29, 2020 at 3:26 am PDT

In a conversation with Nation News, the writer Lyudmila Ulitskaya also called her favorite authors. She said that she reads the poetry of Nikolai Zabolotsky, an autobiographical book directed by Sergei Eisenstein, “Yo. Memoirs ”, prose of the musician Vsevolod Zaderatsky“ Golden Life ”and the collection“ Scary Poems ”compiled by Dmitry Bykov. Ulitskaya also re-read Pushkin’s play “Feast During the Plague,” which is part of a series of small tragedies.

“This alarming time for many does not require easy tram reading, but one that requires attention, concentration and, in a sense, work,” she said.

Ulitsky’s colleagues Platon Besedin and Arif Aliyev also told the publication about their preferences during quarantine. Both recommend the works of Eduard Limonov, Besedin also advises reading Michel Welbeck (Serotonin), Andrei Rubanov (Tough and Sullen) and Vasily Rozanov (Fallen Leaves).

Directors Edgar Wright (“Scott Pilgrim Against Everyone”, “Kid on the Drive”) and Ryan Johnson (“Get the Knives”) shared tips on the letterboxd platform, designed specifically for exchanging opinions on cinema and creating movie lists.

• © Shot from the film "Graduate" (1967)

Wright posted a list of hundreds of comedies, while emphasizing that he could easily name as many (by the way, modesty does not allow him to add his own films). Among the director’s favorite films were “Tootsie” and “Graduate” (both starring Dustin Hoffman), “Rushmore Academy”, “School of Rock”, Charlie Chaplin’s dumb tape “City Lights”, Woody Allen’s mokeymentari “Grab the money and run ”and much more.

Ryan Johnson limited himself to a short list of 1970s musicals, which included Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club (The Beatles tribute), Jesus Christ Superstar, Cabaret, All That Jazz, and a number of other hits of the decade.