Director: Ozu Yasujiro
Country of origin: Japan
Year of release: 1953
Running time: 136'
Language: Japanese, with English subtitles
One of the masterpieces of world cinema, Tokyo Story follows the lives of an elderly couple, Shukichi and Tomi, after they set out from their small seaside hometown to visit their children and grandchildren in bustling postwar Tokyo. When they arrive, however, they are disappointed to find that the children, busy with their own families, jobs and lives, have little time to spend with them.
The children send their parents to a cheap spa resort, after which Tomi goes to stay with her war-widowed daughter-in-law, Noriko. Noriko is the only person who has taken a genuine interest in the elderly couple’s visit, and Tomi tries to convince her to get remarried. After Shukichi and Tomi decide to return home, Tomi falls seriously ill, and the neglectful children rush to be at her side.
Considered the greatest film by arguably the most visually distinctive director in film history, Tokyo Story is calmly understated, yet deeply moving. Though uniquely Japanese in its style, its profound meditations on life—in particular its exploration of how, with the passage of time, the different generations inevitably grow apart—make it a universal film, and a timeless one.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Screening for Monday 23rd November: The Piano
Director: Jane Campion
Country of origin: Australia-New Zealand
Year of release: 1993
Running time: 122'
Language: English, Maori, Sign Language, with English subtitles
Set in the mid-nineteenth century, The Piano is the story of Ada McGrath (Holly Hunter, in an Academy Award-winning role), a mute Scotswoman who is married off by her father to Alistair Stewart (Sam Neill), a New Zealand frontiersman. Ada is sent out to her new home with her young daughter, Flora (Anna Paquin, who also won an Academy Award), and her piano.
Ada is forced to leave the piano on the beach by her new husband, who claims there is no space for it in their house. Stewart then makes a deal with Baines (Harvey Keitel), a European who has taken on many of the indigenous Maori ways, to give Baines the piano and playing lessons from Ada, in exchange for some land.
Furious, Ada goes along with the scheme in order to be near her beloved instrument. Soon she is drawn into an affair with Baines. Stewart finds out about the affair, and makes Ada vow not to see Baines again. But then Stewart discovers, through Flora, that Ada is actually in love with Baines—a discovery that will have profound consequences.
Country of origin: Australia-New Zealand
Year of release: 1993
Running time: 122'
Language: English, Maori, Sign Language, with English subtitles
Set in the mid-nineteenth century, The Piano is the story of Ada McGrath (Holly Hunter, in an Academy Award-winning role), a mute Scotswoman who is married off by her father to Alistair Stewart (Sam Neill), a New Zealand frontiersman. Ada is sent out to her new home with her young daughter, Flora (Anna Paquin, who also won an Academy Award), and her piano.
Ada is forced to leave the piano on the beach by her new husband, who claims there is no space for it in their house. Stewart then makes a deal with Baines (Harvey Keitel), a European who has taken on many of the indigenous Maori ways, to give Baines the piano and playing lessons from Ada, in exchange for some land.
Furious, Ada goes along with the scheme in order to be near her beloved instrument. Soon she is drawn into an affair with Baines. Stewart finds out about the affair, and makes Ada vow not to see Baines again. But then Stewart discovers, through Flora, that Ada is actually in love with Baines—a discovery that will have profound consequences.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Screening for Monday 16th November: Mr Deeds Goes to Town
Director: Frank Capra
Country of origin: USA
Year of release: 1936
Running time: 115'
Language: English
Mr Deeds Goes to Town is a Cinderella Man screwball comedy from the golden age of Hollywood. In it, Gary Cooper plays Longfellow Deeds, a simple small-town dweller who loves nothing more than playing his tuba. One day he unexpectedly becomes the inheritor of $20 million, and that’s when his troubles start.
Thrust into the big city, Deeds must struggle to maintain his integrity, especially against those trying to prevent him giving away his wealth to the poor. Enter Louise “Babe” Bennett (Jean Arthur), a hard-nosed reporter who, for the sake of a story, poses as a damsel in distress to get close to Deeds, before inevitably falling in love with him.
Mr Deeds Goes to Town is a romantic comedy that regards the broader themes of innocence and corruption, and the power of the common man to fight the forces of a greedy, unjust establishment. It wields a message that would have been gratifying to the Depression-era audiences who first saw it, and remains a funny and supremely entertaining experience.
Country of origin: USA
Year of release: 1936
Running time: 115'
Language: English
Mr Deeds Goes to Town is a Cinderella Man screwball comedy from the golden age of Hollywood. In it, Gary Cooper plays Longfellow Deeds, a simple small-town dweller who loves nothing more than playing his tuba. One day he unexpectedly becomes the inheritor of $20 million, and that’s when his troubles start.
Thrust into the big city, Deeds must struggle to maintain his integrity, especially against those trying to prevent him giving away his wealth to the poor. Enter Louise “Babe” Bennett (Jean Arthur), a hard-nosed reporter who, for the sake of a story, poses as a damsel in distress to get close to Deeds, before inevitably falling in love with him.
Mr Deeds Goes to Town is a romantic comedy that regards the broader themes of innocence and corruption, and the power of the common man to fight the forces of a greedy, unjust establishment. It wields a message that would have been gratifying to the Depression-era audiences who first saw it, and remains a funny and supremely entertaining experience.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Screening for Monday 9th November: Hyenas
Director: Djibril Diop Mambéty
Country of origin: Senegal
Year of release: 1992
Running time: 110'
Language: Wolof, with English subtitles
Hyenas tells the story of Linguère Ramatou, who as a young woman fell in love with and became pregnant for a certain Dramaan Drameh. Dramaan denied paternity of the child, and bribed two men to say they had slept with Linguère. Disgraced, Linguère was driven from her village.
Years later Linguère, now miraculously wealthy—“as wealthy as the World Bank”—returns to the village seeking revenge. She offers the villagers untold material riches if they will kill Dramaan. Seduced by this lure, the people all join together in the name of greed to effect Linguère’s wishes. Inexorably, the village descends into a mad hell of corruption, degeneration and decay.
A striking and surreal satire of neocolonialism and consumerism, Hyenas blends compelling imagery and symbolism with a unique voice and perspective. The result is a brilliantly original example of African cinema, the last feature film from perhaps the continent’s most distinctive filmmaker.
Country of origin: Senegal
Year of release: 1992
Running time: 110'
Language: Wolof, with English subtitles
Hyenas tells the story of Linguère Ramatou, who as a young woman fell in love with and became pregnant for a certain Dramaan Drameh. Dramaan denied paternity of the child, and bribed two men to say they had slept with Linguère. Disgraced, Linguère was driven from her village.
Years later Linguère, now miraculously wealthy—“as wealthy as the World Bank”—returns to the village seeking revenge. She offers the villagers untold material riches if they will kill Dramaan. Seduced by this lure, the people all join together in the name of greed to effect Linguère’s wishes. Inexorably, the village descends into a mad hell of corruption, degeneration and decay.
A striking and surreal satire of neocolonialism and consumerism, Hyenas blends compelling imagery and symbolism with a unique voice and perspective. The result is a brilliantly original example of African cinema, the last feature film from perhaps the continent’s most distinctive filmmaker.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Screening for Monday 2nd November: The Harder They Come
Director: Perry Henzell
Country of origin: Jamaica
Year of release: 1972
Running time: 103'
Language: English, Jamaican creole
In The Harder They Come reggae star Jimmy Cliff plays Ivan O. Martin, a Jamaican country boy who heads for Kingston in search of fame and fortune as a singer. Faced with the harsh reality of city life, Ivan ends up taking work with a local preacher, and is later jailed for participating in a knife fight.
Upon his release, Ivan finally gets to record his song “The Harder They Come”, but is then exploited by a dishonest record company executive. Ivan turns his back on the establishment, and slides into crime and the drug trade. He keeps the police at arm's length by offering them a slice of the action, but ultimately finds himself in the middle of a bloody raid. Ivan kills several cops and escapes, whereupon "The Harder They Come" is released, elevating the fugitive to the status of folk hero.
Adopting a take-no-prisoners approach to its material and presenting an unadorned view of Jamaican ghetto life, The Harder They Come is the first true classic of Caribbean cinema, packing an emotional impact that is undeniable. And it features one of the all-time great music soundtracks, including unforgettable songs from Desmond Dekker, Toots and the Maytals, and of course Jimmy Cliff himself.
Country of origin: Jamaica
Year of release: 1972
Running time: 103'
Language: English, Jamaican creole
In The Harder They Come reggae star Jimmy Cliff plays Ivan O. Martin, a Jamaican country boy who heads for Kingston in search of fame and fortune as a singer. Faced with the harsh reality of city life, Ivan ends up taking work with a local preacher, and is later jailed for participating in a knife fight.
Upon his release, Ivan finally gets to record his song “The Harder They Come”, but is then exploited by a dishonest record company executive. Ivan turns his back on the establishment, and slides into crime and the drug trade. He keeps the police at arm's length by offering them a slice of the action, but ultimately finds himself in the middle of a bloody raid. Ivan kills several cops and escapes, whereupon "The Harder They Come" is released, elevating the fugitive to the status of folk hero.
Adopting a take-no-prisoners approach to its material and presenting an unadorned view of Jamaican ghetto life, The Harder They Come is the first true classic of Caribbean cinema, packing an emotional impact that is undeniable. And it features one of the all-time great music soundtracks, including unforgettable songs from Desmond Dekker, Toots and the Maytals, and of course Jimmy Cliff himself.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Screening for Monday 19th October: Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Country of origin: Spain
Year of release: 1987
Running time: 90'
Language: Spanish, with English subtitles
Pedro Almodóvar’s international breakthrough, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown is a farce built upon coincidences of mounting improbability, which bring the film’s various characters into unlikely but hilarious collision with one another. Pepa, an actress, is desperate to save her relationship with serial womaniser Iván. Tracing his movements, she stumbles upon another of his lovers, the deranged Lucia, with whom she discovers Iván has a grown up son, Carlos.
Carlos meanwhile is hoping to rent an apartment with his formidable girlfriend Marisa, in which context they turn up at Pepa's penthouse, unaware of Carlos’ connection with its owner. Meanwhile Pepa's friend Candela has troubles of her own: she's on the run from the police and is in hiding at the apartment. Chaos, masterfully orchestrated, ensues.
A film that is both hugely theatrical and richly cinematic, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown revels in the glossy, larger than life potential of cinema to be the purveyor of magic and dreams, not to mention nightmares. For sheer delerious entertainment value, it is perhaps the director’s most enjoyable film to date, full of sparkling wit and invention, relentless style and panache.
Country of origin: Spain
Year of release: 1987
Running time: 90'
Language: Spanish, with English subtitles
Pedro Almodóvar’s international breakthrough, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown is a farce built upon coincidences of mounting improbability, which bring the film’s various characters into unlikely but hilarious collision with one another. Pepa, an actress, is desperate to save her relationship with serial womaniser Iván. Tracing his movements, she stumbles upon another of his lovers, the deranged Lucia, with whom she discovers Iván has a grown up son, Carlos.
Carlos meanwhile is hoping to rent an apartment with his formidable girlfriend Marisa, in which context they turn up at Pepa's penthouse, unaware of Carlos’ connection with its owner. Meanwhile Pepa's friend Candela has troubles of her own: she's on the run from the police and is in hiding at the apartment. Chaos, masterfully orchestrated, ensues.
A film that is both hugely theatrical and richly cinematic, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown revels in the glossy, larger than life potential of cinema to be the purveyor of magic and dreams, not to mention nightmares. For sheer delerious entertainment value, it is perhaps the director’s most enjoyable film to date, full of sparkling wit and invention, relentless style and panache.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Screening for Monday 12th October: Bicycle Thieves
Director: Vittorio de Sica
Country of origin: Italy
Year of release: 1948
Running time: 93'
Language: Italian, with English subtitles
The Academy-Award winning Bicycle Thieves has been hailed as one of the greatest films ever made, and one of the most influential. Set in early post-World War II Rome, Bicycle Thieves centres around Antonio, a man who has been out of work for nearly two years and finally gets a job putting up movie posters, work that requires a bicycle.
Not in possession of a bicycle, Antonio pawns the family’s bed linen to get one, only to have it stolen. With the help of his young son, Bruno, Antonio begins a desperate search through the city to recover the bicycle—if he does not, he will lose his precious job and the only means of support for his family.
Bicycle Thieves, with its emotional clarity, social righteousness, and brutal honesty came to define the Italian Neorealist style of filmmaking, and served as a catalyst for new movements in filmmaking around the world. Yet it is the film’s simple, universal story, of the struggle for a dignified life in the face of overwhelming adversity, that continues to resonate with viewers everywhere.
Country of origin: Italy
Year of release: 1948
Running time: 93'
Language: Italian, with English subtitles
The Academy-Award winning Bicycle Thieves has been hailed as one of the greatest films ever made, and one of the most influential. Set in early post-World War II Rome, Bicycle Thieves centres around Antonio, a man who has been out of work for nearly two years and finally gets a job putting up movie posters, work that requires a bicycle.
Not in possession of a bicycle, Antonio pawns the family’s bed linen to get one, only to have it stolen. With the help of his young son, Bruno, Antonio begins a desperate search through the city to recover the bicycle—if he does not, he will lose his precious job and the only means of support for his family.
Bicycle Thieves, with its emotional clarity, social righteousness, and brutal honesty came to define the Italian Neorealist style of filmmaking, and served as a catalyst for new movements in filmmaking around the world. Yet it is the film’s simple, universal story, of the struggle for a dignified life in the face of overwhelming adversity, that continues to resonate with viewers everywhere.
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