Film of the Week: The Conformist

The Ritz theaters do not show repertory films all that regularly, but the plus side when they do, there are multiple screenings for the week. That gives plenty of opportunity to go see The Conformist (1970) this week. It's one of Berolucci's most famous films and justifiably so: it's a work which achieves a remarkable balance of the modernist currents of 1960s art cinema with a literary-thematic storytelling centered around Italian war and postwar history. And, if anything, seeing it on a big screen is an opportunity to enjoy cinematographer Vittorio Storaro's work.

The Conformist

Ritz Bourse

Friday, September  19 - Thursday, September 25

showtimes: 1:20 4:05 7:00 9:30

This Week at International House

This week is a busy one at the International House, so I thought I'd highlight the upcoming screenings.

Wed. 10/9 7pm
This is Not a Film 
dir. Jafar Panahi & Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, Iran, 2011, 35mm, Persian with English subtitles, 75 min.

Thurs. 10/10
Mekong Hotel
dir. Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thailand/UK, 2012, HD, Thai with English subtitles, 61 min.

Fri. 10/11
Our Nixon
dir. Penny Lane, US, 2013, HD, 84 min.

Sat. 10/12
The Illusionist
dir. Sylvain Chomet, France, 2010, 35mm, English, 80 mins.

Sun. 10/13
Revanche
dir. Götz Spielmann, Austria, 2008, 35mm, German with English subtitles, 122 min.

Albanian cinema at I-House

I have never seen any Albanian cinema, and as a national cinema, it's definitely not on the radar of most cinephiles. All the more reason the International House's series of "uncovered" European cinemas is exciting to me. Tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 5, 7pm, they will be screening Nëntori i dytë (The 2nd November, dir. Viktor Gjika, Albania, 1982, 84m), a classic historical drama.

Albanian cinema scholar Bruce Williams will be present to introduce the film and lead a Q&A afterward.

Poster image courtesy Albanian Cinema Project

Milcho Manchevski in person

A mini Macedonian film festival will take place next Saturday on Temple's campus. Admission is free.

two films directed by Milcho Manchevski: 

Before the Rain (1994) 

and Mothers (2011) 

Milcho Manchevski is a Macedonian director, writer, photographer, and an artist. He is well known for directing feature films such as Dust, Shadows, Mothers, and the Oscar nominated Before the Rain.

The director will be present and for a Q&A session after each film.

the Reel Cinema, 

basement in Temple's Student Center

13th and Montgomery

cosponsored by Temple Slavic Association and Film and Media Arts department

Marker (and Varda)

There's an embarrassment of riches this week, as Penn, Temple, and Slought are organizing a commemorative symposium on Chris Marker's work, with visiting filmmakers to include Agnes Varda. Here's a rundown of events:

Wed. March 13

6pm
Agnès Varda, in conversation with Molly Nesbit

University of Pennsylvania, Meyerson Hall

Thurs. March 14
7PM
Screening: Beaches of Agnes (Varda 2008)

Varda in person

International House

Friday, March 15

5:30PM

opening panel and reception for Chris Marker event

Slought Foundation

reservation recommended

Saturday, March 16

10AM-6PM

Chris Marker event

Slought Foundation

reservation recommended

Saturday, March 16

7PM

Screening: early Chris Marker collaborations

International House

Peter Greenaway at Slought

Penn Cinema Studies presents

Peter Greenaway in person

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

5:00pm & 8:00 pm
at the Slought Foundation, 4017 Walnut Street
Screening: The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover and Rembrandt's J'accuse

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

6:00pm

University of Pennsylvania, B1 Meyerson Hall

Lecture: "Cinema is Dead, Long Live Cinema"

Thursday, April 12, 2012

6:30pm
at the Slought Foundation, 4017 Walnut Street
Conversation with Jean-Michel Rabaté and Alan Singer: "Golitzius and the Pelican Company"

Dinner Cinema

Tonight and next Wednesday, Ambler and County Theaters are hosting an event pairing a 35mm screening of Babette's Feast (Gabriel Axel, 1987), one of the ultimate food movies, with a meal inspired by the film.

On March 8th, the lobby of the Ambler will be transformed by Chef [Joseph] Koye as he presents his interpretation of this meal. On March 14th, Chef [Drew] Abbate will transform The Vine and Fig Tree Bistro (across the street from The County) into a candle-lit version of the movie with his own take on the film’s signature dishes.

...

The screenings begin at 5:45 and will include a complimentary glass of wine and hors d’oeuvres. Dinner will be served at 8pm immediately following the screening. Tickets are available online for both the movie (which includes wine and appetizers) and the full movie and feast package.

Tickets are limited and need to be bought in advance. More details available at the theaters' blog.

Man Who Fell To Earth

I've been traveling and otherwise estivating over the summer break so far, but I hope to pick up more postings here. All this next week, the Ritz Bourse is showing Nicholas Roeg's The Man Who Fell to Earth, perhaps most famous for starring David Bowie. Matt Prigge has a write-up, with the pithy summation, "It’s a mess, but the kind of mess that goes to unexplored areas, and is open to odd touches..."

Showtimes: 1:00, 4:00, 6:50, 9:40

Mizoguchi tonight

Image from Ferdy on Films' review

Tonight the International House will be screening Sansho the Bailiff (dir. Kenji Mizoguchi, Japan, 1954, 35mm, 124 mins, b/w, Japanese w/ English subtitles).

When an idealistic governor disobeys the reigning feudal lord, he is cast into exile, his wife and children left to fend for themselves and eventually wrenched apart by vicious slave traders. Under Kenji Mizoguchi’s dazzling direction, this classic Japanese story became one of cinema’s greatest masterpieces: a monumental, empathetic expression of human resilience in the face of evil.

Film starts at 7:00pm. All Proceeds Donated to Philadelphia – Japan Disaster Relief Fund.

1960s Omnibus Art Film

One of the semi-forgotten genres of the 1960s wave of international/European art cinema is the omnibus film. Producers would package feature length compilations of short films by New Wave and art cinema directors, often around an organizing theme. The practice would help market the work of lesser known directors and could take advantage of coproduction-oriented film policy.

This Thursday (Feb. 3), Secret Cinema is screening The Oldest Profession, an omnibus film about prostitution, featuring leading female stars of the decade (Raquel Welch, Jeanne Moreau, and Elsa Martinelli) and auteur directors, including Jean-Luc Godard and Philippe de Broca. The print is a dye-transfer 35mm print, including the Technicolor sequences of the American print. That means, too, it is dubbed in English, but it's worth noting that all versions of films like this were post-dubbed, since they had international casts.

Screening takes place at 7:00pm at the International House's cinema. Admission: $8.00 ($5.00-$6.00 for members, students & seniors)

Atom Egoyan retrospective

I am working on updating the repertory film calendar for the winter. In the meantime, I wanted to flag an Atom Egoyan retrospective series going on this weekend at the International House. It kicks off tonight:

Thurs 1/20. Next of Kin (1984, 72m) 7pm

Fri 1/21. Family Viewing (1987, 96m) 7pm

Sat 1/22. Speaking Parts (1989, 92m) 5pm

Sat 1/22. Calendar (1993, 75m) 7pm

All screenings in 16mm.

The image above from Calendar - Jonathan Rosenbaum's review is a good orientation to the Armenian-Canadian director's work.

Breathless

All this week the Ritz Bourse is running a 50th-anniversary revival of Breathless (Godard, 1960). I have to say I'm not invested in the anniversary occasion, since the film has been kept in the canonical eye so consistently, it lacks the full sense of rediscovery and retrospection. But whatever: any occasion for a new screening of the film is welcome. The Ritz website promises that this is the first 35mm restoration of the print. Given that previous versions I've seen (granted, some years ago) were grainy, washed out and with ssubtitles hard to read, I'm curious to see how much of this raw quality will be in the restoration.

I Fidanzati

This Saturday (May 15, 7PM), the International House (3701 Chestnut) will be screening as part of their Janus Film series Ermanno Olmi's second film, I Fidanzati. I've not seen this one yet, but am a big fan of Olmi's Il Posto, so I eagerly await the chance to see the follow up on film. Olmi has a knack for observed, documentary-like social realism combined with amazing formal rigor and composition. Not cheery films, but ultimately they have a humanist redemption.

Program notes available at the I-House website.