Tag Archives: RIP

RIP Robert Downey Sr. (1936 – 2021)

Chafed Elbows (1966)
Putney Swope (1969), trailer
 Greaser’s Palace (1972)

Robert Downey Sr. was an American film director and film person, father of Robert Downey Jr. He is known for having written and directed underground films such as Chafed Elbows (1966), almost entirely consisting of film stills; Putney Swope (1969), a satire on the New York Madison Avenue advertising world; and Greaser’s Palace (1972), an acid Western based on the life of Jesus. The films are typical of 1960s counterculture.

RIP Richard Lewontin (1929 – 2021)

Not in Our Genes

Richard Lewontin was an American evolutionary biologist noted for many things, but also for opposing Sociobiology: The New Synthesis (1975) by E. O. Wilson, co-writing  Not in Our Genes (1984), in the preface of which is stated:

“We [Richard Lewontin, Steven Rose, and Leon Kamin] share a commitment to the prospect of the creation of a more socially just—a socialist—society. And we recognize that a critical science is an integral part of the struggle to create that society, just as we also believe that the social function of much of today’s science is to hinder the creation of that society by acting to preserve the interests of the dominant class, gender, and race.”

RIP Richard Donner (1930 – 2021)

Donner’s film The Goonies (1985) featured a Rube Goldberg machine to open a gate. The cage of the chicken in that sequence bore the text: “RUBE G. 83”.

Richard Donner was an American film director of blockbuster movies.

His film The Goonies (1985) featured a Rube Goldberg machine to open a gate. The cage of the chicken in that sequence bore the text: “RUBE G. 83”.

RIP Raffaella Carrà (1943 – 2021)

Raffaella Carrà  dancing in “Prisencolinensinainciusol” (1972)

Raffaella Carrà  was an Italian showbiz person known for her dancing in “Prisencolinensinainciusol” (1972) and her singing and low-cut suit in “A far l’amore comincia tu” (1976).

“A far l’amore comincia tu” (1976)

The song is featured prominently in Water Drops on Burning Rocks (2000) by Ozon.

Water Drops on Burning Rocks (2000)

In 2011, French DJ Bob Sinclar sampled the original Italian version of “A far l’amore comincia tu” and included it in his single “Far l’amore” which was later featured in The Great Beauty (2013).

“Far l’amore” as featured in The Great Beauty (2013).

RIP Donald Rumsfeld (1932 – 2021)

Donald Rumsfeld was an American politician.

Normally, I do not cover politics but Rumsfeld, by saying there are “unknown unknowns”, entered the field of philosophy.

And by becoming the subject of the documentary The Unknown Known (2013), he makes a good entry point to the documentaries of Errol Morris.

Donald Rumsfeld famously saying “there are unknown unknowns”.