January 8, 2004

New winter series at Block Cinema

Block Cinema, a collaboration of the School of Communication and the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, will screen three new film series for Winter 2004 that focus on modern-day Taiwan, classic Hollywood comedies and film noirs, and films by legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa.

Block Cinema will screen classic and contemporary films in the James B. Pick and Rosalyn M. Laudati Auditorium, the museum’s 150-seat facility. The films begin at 8 p.m. or as noted below.

• New Taiwanese Cinema Series. In celebration of a gift of 16 mm prints from the Taiwanese Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago, Block Cinema has curated a series of New Taiwanese Cinema that will be screened Wednesday evenings. These new Taiwanese films have played a crucial role in critiquing and understanding Taiwan’s history and culture. Films in this series are Hou Hsiao-hsian’s “Dust in the Wind” (Jan. 21), “City of Sadness” (Jan. 28) and “Good Man, Good Woman” (Feb. 25); Ann Hui’s “Song of the Exile” (Feb. 4); Ang Lee’s “Pushing Hands” (Feb. 10); Huang Shugin’s “Soul of a Painter (Feb. 18); Edward Yang’s 2000 film “Yi Yi” (March 3); and Tsai Ming Ling’s film “What Time Is It There?” (March 10). The series is sponsored by the Center for Global Culture and Communication at Northwestern University.

• Class in Classic Hollywood Series. In conjunction with the “American Expressionism: Art and Social Change, 1920s-1950s” exhibition on view in the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art’s Main Gallery from Jan. 30 to May 9, Block Cinema will present a film series on “Class in Classic Hollywood” on Thursday evenings. The series of class comedies usually affirms the status quo while the film noirs draw attention to the plight of the less fortunate. Among the comedies that Block Cinema will present George Cukor’s “Holiday” (Jan. 15) and “The Philadelphia Story” (Jan. 22); John Ford’s “The Grapes of Wrath” (Jan. 29); Preston Sturges “Sullivan’s Travels” (Feb. 5); Orson Welles’ “The Lady from Shanghai” (Feb. 12); Abraham Polonsky’s “Forces of Evil” (Feb. 19); Delmer Daves’ “Destination Tokyo” (Feb. 26); Jules Dassin’s “Night and the City”(March 4); and Herbert J. Biberman’s “Salt of the Earth” (March 11).

• Akira Kurosawa Series. Friday nights, the students of Northwestern’s Film and Projection Society (FPS) have programmed a series of Akira Kurosawa’s movies. One of Japan’s greatest filmmakers, Kurosawa‘s influence on American and European film is difficult to over estimate. Especially influencing the Western with his sense of spectacle and tragedy, Kurosawa made movies of all genres. The Kurosawa series features “Ikiru” (Jan. 16); “The Seven Samurai” (7 p.m. Jan. 23); “Throne of Blood” (Jan. 30); ”Yojimbo” (Feb. 6); “Red Beard” (7 p.m. Feb. 13); “Dersu Uzala” (Feb. 20); “Kagemusha” (Feb. 27); “Ran” (March 5); and “Dreams” (March 12).

Special screenings include three free films -- Guy Maddin’s “Pages From a Virgin’s Dairy” and “The Heart of the World” -- and Joe Grazulis’ 20-minute short feature “Trailers” (Jan. 27).

There also will be a Valentine’s Day showing of Cameron Crowe’s “Say Anything,” starring John Cusack (Feb. 14) and a Reeltime screening of two films -- Conrad Friberg’s 1932 documentary “Halsted Street” and David E. Simpson’s 1999 documentary “Halsted Street, U.S.A.” (7:30 p.m. Feb. 11).

On Feb. 19 there will be a 6:15 p.m. pre-concert screening of D. A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus’s 1980 film “Elliott Carter at Buffalo” prior to the 7:30 p.m. New Music Northwestern “Elliott Carter 95th Birthday Celebration” concert at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, in honor of the American composer.

The free Block Cinema screening will include a pre-concert talk by several of the artists featured in both the film and the celebration concert. (Single concert ticket prices range from $3.50 to $6.50. For tickets to the Pick-Staiger concert, call (847) 467-4000.)

Herbert Brenon’s 1928 film “Laugh, Clown, Laugh” (Feb. 21) will be presented with an original score and live musical accompaniment by Pinetop Seven, a musical ensemble from Chicago that combines film noir song with exotica style orchestrations. Tickets for this special event are $10.

General admission is $6 or $4 for students with identification. Special events are $10. A season pass is $20. Free parking is available in the lot directly south of the Block Museum. For more information about all of the winter screenings, call (847) 491-4000 or go to www.blockmuseum.northwestern.edu/blockcinema.