MEDIA CONTACT: Judy Moore at (847) 491-4819 or jkm229@northwestern.edu

September 23, 2003

September/October 2003 Block Cinema Calendar

Block Cinema, a collaboration of the School of Communication and the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, 40 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston campus, screens classic and contemporary films in the museum’s James B. Pick and Rosalyn M. Laudati Auditorium.

Block Cinema features a series on different themes, directors or countries during each quarter of the academic year.

Throughout fall 2003, Northwestern University faculty members will introduce their favorite films and lead post-screening discussions. These “Professor’s Pick” screenings will showcase the talents of professors from across the University, providing a wide variety of views on movies and methods of interpretation.

Inspired by the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art’s “Drawn Toward the Avant-Garde: Nineteenth and Twentieth Century French Drawings from the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Copenhagen” exhibition (Sept. 26 to Nov. 30), Block Cinema has programmed a series of “Classic French Films.” They include movies directed by Jean Renoir, the son of French impressionist Auguste Renoir; Jean Vigo, the “poet maudit” of 1930s French cinema; Robert Bresson, a devout but doubting Catholic, whose minimalist direction strips cinema to its essential elements; and a few from the cadre of directors who made up the French New Wave.

There also will be an “Independent Film” series that will focus on some of the best independent films of the 1980s and early 1990s by such directors as John Sayles, Jim Jarmusch, Todd Haynes and the Coen brothers, who were heavily influenced by such iconoclastic mavericks as Orson Welles, John Cassavetes and the directors of the French New Wave. Each film will shed light on a very specific group of people whether it is a minority group, a bunch of down-and-out losers, or wealthy New York debutants.

Block Cinema, in partnership with like-minded groups, also brings numerous special and rare screenings to Chicago, in addition to its regular schedule. All foreign films are subtitled in English, unless otherwise noted. Detailed descriptions of the films are available in the tri-quarterly Block Cinema calendar and on the Block Cinema Web site listed below.

Block Cinema is curated by Block Cinema staff and a student group called the Film and Projection Society (FPS).

General admission is $6, or $4 for Northwestern faculty and staff, Block Museum members, students and senior citizens. Special Block Cinema events are $10, unless otherwise noted. A season pass is $20, but does not include admission to special events. Tickets and season passes are available at the door 30 minutes before showtime.

For more information about the fall screenings, call the Block Cinema Hotline at (847) 491-4000 or go to the Block Cinema Web site at http://www.blockmuseum.northwestern.edu/education/nufilms.html.

SEPTEMBER 2003

New Student Week, Chungking Express, 8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 22 (Wong Kar-Wai, 1994, Hong Kong, 97 minutes, 35 mm). Isolated by failed relationships, two Hong Kong police officers privately struggle to regain love. Block Cinema Film Curator Will Schmenner will introduce the film and lead a discussion afterward. Admission is free.

New Student Week, “Touch of Evil,” 9 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23 (Orson Welles, 1958, United States, 105 minutes, 35 mm). “Touch of Evil” is a border town crime drama filled with moral ambiguities and grotesque characters including Charlton Heston as an ambitious by-the-book Mexican cop. Northwestern’s Scott Curtis, assistant professor of speech, radio, television and film, will introduce the film and lead a discussion afterward. Admission is free.

Classic French Cinema, “L’Atalante,” 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24 (Jean Vigo, 1934, France, 89 minutes, 35 mm). Jean Vigo, the “poet maudit” of French Cinema, died at age 29, after making just three short films and this feature. In “L’Atalante,” a newlywed couple living on a houseboat faces all the demands and uncertainties of love. Vigo mixes surrealism with straightforward narrative, turning a love story into a fantastic adventure.

Professor’s Pick, “The Thing from Another World,” 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25 (Christian Nyby, 1951, United States, 87 minutes, 35 mm). A riveting, tense Cold War movie that is part horror and part science fiction that is set in the Arctic north where a team of military scientists discovers a flying saucer. Paul C. Edwards, associate professor of performance studies, Northwestern’s School of Communication, will introduce the film and lead a discussion afterward.

Independent Film, “Repo Man,” 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26 (Alex Cox, 1984, United States, 92 minutes, 35 mm). A cult classic, “Repo Man” is a twisted joyride through science fiction, comedy and satire. It stars Emilio Estevez.

Late Night Movie, “Blood Simple,” 11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26 (Joel and Ethan Coen, 1984, United States, 97 minutes, 35 mm). When a bar owner in a small Texas town hires a shady detective to spy on his wife (Frances McDormand), mayhem descends into murder. The director’s cut, released in 2000, will be shown.

French and Italian Movie Marathon, Sponsored by the French and Italian Department, 4 p.m. to Midnight, Saturday, Sept. 27. “Lola,” 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27 (Jacques Demy, 1969, France and Italy, 91 minutes, 35 mm). Three men fall in love with Lola, who seems almost oblivious to their desire. This film is a testament to the storied importance of being lucky in love, and a triumph of the French New Wave. 6 p.m. “Amarcord” (Federico Fellini, 1973, Italy and France, 123 minutes, 35 mm). Fellini achieved a balance between the real and the absurd in this masterwork. Set in the small town of Rimini during the 1930s, “Amarcord” is an episodic and surreal voyage through fascist Italy. 9 p.m. “Alphaville” (Jean-Luc Godard, 1965, France and Italy, 98 minutes, 35 mm). Science fiction met film noir in this classic Godard film. Lemmy Caution – a pastiche of every hard-nosed detective from Sam Spade to Phillip Marlowe – finds himself caught in a cold, stark city known as Alpha 60. 11 p.m. “Black Sabbath” (Mario Bava, 1963, Italy and France, 99 minutes, 35 mm). Style has always mattered more than substance to Italian horror maestro Mario Bava, as evidenced by this grotesque, odd, whimsical and even baroque film. Admission is free.

Professor’s Pick, “Forbidden Planet,” 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 30 (Fred Wilcox, 1956, United States, 98 minutes, 35 mm). A classic science fiction film, “Forbidden Planet” melds Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” with a little bit of Freud and a ground-breaking electronic soundtrack.

OCTOBER 2003

Classic French Cinema (two films), “A Day in the Country,” 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1 (Jean Renoir, 1936, France, 45 minutes, 16 mm). Based on a Guy de Maupassant story, this film is Renoir at his best: brilliant, but subtle, and sensuous and generous toward his characters. “The Rules of the Game,” (Jean Renoir, 1939 France, 110 minutes, 35 mm). The film, a scathing indictment of the French aristocracy, concerns a hunting party at a country estate where a young outsider refuses to play by the “rules of the game” and suffers brutal consequences.

Studio 22 (three films), “His Girl Friday,” 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2 (Howard Hawks, 1940, United States, 90 minutes, 35 mm). Few entries in the romantic comedy genre are as funny and as flawlessly executed as Howard Hawks’ screwball classic “His Girl Friday.” Conniving editor Walter Burns (Cary Grant) has 24 hours to stop his top reporter, his ex-wife (Rosalind Russell), from remarrying and leaving the paper. “Reservations” (Joey Elkins and Blake Silver, 2003, United States, 10 minutes, BetaSP). A young man is faced with the question of proposing or not proposing. “The Handbook to Casual Stalking“ (Christal Karge, 2003, United States, 15 minutes, BetaSP). This short film inventively borrows from the romantic comedy, the musical, the instructional film, and the Muppet movies. Sponsored by Studio 22 Productions, a student-run, not-for-profit production company based at Northwestern University. Admission is free.

Independent Film, “Choose Me,” 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3 (Alan Rudolph, 1984, United States, 106 minutes, 35 mm). In looking to settle down, Mickey (Keith Carradine) brings two women who are roommates -- vulnerable bar owner (Lesley Ann Warren) and a radio show host (Genevieve Bujold) -- into an uncomfortable love triangle.

Professor’s Pick, “Some Like It Hot,” 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7 (Billy Wilder, 1959, United States, 120 minutes, 35 mm). On the run from the mob, musicians Jerry (Jack Lemmon) and Joe (Tony Curtis) cross-dress and join an all-girl jazz band heading to Miami. The comedy features one of Marilyn Monroe’s best performances as Sugar Kane. Lane Fenrich, assistant dean for freshmen and senior lecturer of history, Northwestern’s Judd A. and Marjorie Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, will introduce the film.

Classic French Cinema, “The Crime of Monsieur Lange,” 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8 (Jean Renoir, 1936, France, 85 minutes, 35 mm). This leftist allegory positions a dreamy, idealistic writer who pens western adventure stories against the evil and manipulative publisher.

Professor’s Pick, “Ride Lonesome,” 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9 (Budd Boetticher, 1959, United States, 73 minutes, 35 mm). The film’s hero, an aging lawman portrayed by Randolph Scott, will not stop his search for his wife’s killer. The film features immutable villains and heroes whose loyalties and desires shift often. The film will be introduced by Northwestern’s Scott Curtis, assistant professor of speech, radio, television and film.

Independent Film, “Down by Law,” 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10 (Jim Jarmusch, 1986, United States, 106 minutes, 35 mm). Against a sordid New Orleans backdrop, the film’s offbeat story spins a yarn about two down-and-outs who are thrown into prison -- Zack, the disc jockey (Tom Waits) and Jack the pimp (John Lurie). Roberto (Roberto Benigni), their befuddled cellmate, has a cheerful, eccentric manner that seems at odds with the harsh realities of imprisonment.

Late Night Movie, “Stop Making Sense,” 11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10 (Jonathan Demme, 1984, United States, 88 minutes, 35 mm). Years before Jonathan Demme became famous for “The Silence of the Lambs,” he shot this incredible concert documentary. “Stop Making Sense” combines great film production and the art-school punk performance and funk of the band Talking Heads.

Professor’s Pick, “Eight Men Out,” 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 14 (John Sayles, 1988, United States, 120 minutes, 35 mm). A scandal erupted in the press when it was suggested that the Chicago White Sox had thrown the 1919 World Series. “Eight Men Out” focuses on the external forces that fueled that controversy: the Sox’s tyrannical owner, Charles Comiskey; mob bosses; and the stunned fans who watched their heroes destruct.

Classic French Cinema, “Children of Paradise,” 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16 (Marcel Carné, 1945, France, 190 minutes, 35 mm). Set in Paris in 1828, a mime named Baptiste (Jean-Louis Barrault) falls in love with the beautiful Garance. Failing to win her heart in real life, he expresses his passion on the stage. The film was shot in Paris during the Nazi occupation.

Independent Film, “Working Girls,” 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17 (Lizzie Borden, 1986, United States, 91 minutes, 35 mm). An upscale Manhattan whorehouse provides the dreary setting for Lizzie Borden’s “Working Girls.” Borden interviewed prostitutes for six months before writing the screenplay that, in a dry, matter-of-fact tone, covers a single day in the lives of three prostitutes. Done in a documentary style, the film neither dramatizes or pardons the characters and depicts prostitution as a job little different from any other.

Classic French Cinema “The Wages of Fear,” 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22 (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1953, France and Italy, 144 minutes, 35 mm). In the 1950s there was a blossoming of thrillers and film noir in French cinema. This film, among the best, builds suspense through a simple plot, explosive situations and black-and-white cinematography. Four desperate men, out of work in the fictional shantytown of Las Piedras, take jobs with an American oil company driving two truckloads of nitroglycerin across 300 miles of mountain road.

Professor’s Pick, “Casablanca,” 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23 (Michael Curtiz, 1943, United States, 102 minutes, 35 mm). “Casablanca” is a great love story that starts in Paris and ends in unoccupied French Morocco during World War II. Humphrey Bogart stars as Rick Blaine and Ingrid Bergman portrays Ilsa Laszlo. Northwestern’s Thomas A. Bauman, professor of music academic studies and composition, School of Music, will introduce the film.

Independent Film, “Matewan,” 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24 (John Sayles, 1987, United States, 132 minutes, 35 mm). “Matewan” is a rarity among independent films which are usually set in contemporary urban environments. Instead, it is set in a small West Virginia town in the 1920s and is a gripping tale of violent tension between coal miners and their bosses.

Classic French Cinema, “A Man Escaped,” 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29 (Robert Bresson, 1956, France, 99 minutes, 35 mm). Bresson tells the true story of a French Resistance worker’s escape from a Gestapo prison during World War II.

Special Event, “The Black Pirate,” 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30 (Albert Parker, 1926, United States, 94 minutes, 35 mm). This swashbuckler, starring Douglas Fairbanks, was filmed in two-strip Technicolor, which produces colors on the screen unlike anything you’ve ever seen. It will be screened with an original score and live musical accompaniment by the Alloy Orchestra.

Independent Film, “Metropolitan,” 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31 (Whit Stillman, 1990, United States, 98 minutes, 35 mm). “Metropolitan” is Whit Stillman’s semi-autobiographical study of the self-proclaimed “Urban Haute Bourgeoisie.” The UHB are a group of wealthy Manhattan youths who dress well, frequent debutant balls, and idly discuss intellectual topics. The film maps the splintering of a group drawn together by geography and class.

Halloween Special, “Dawn of the Dead,” 11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31 (George Romero, 1978, United States, 126 minutes, 35 mm). “Dawn of the Dead” is the 1978 sequel to George Romero’s groundbreaking “Night of the Living Dead.” It tells the story of a pair of television station employees and a pair of SWAT officers who seek refuge from flesh-eating zombies in a Pittsburgh mega-mall.

REELTIME FILM SERIES

REELTIME is an independent film and video forum jointly sponsored by the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University and the Evanston Public Library in partnership with project directors Andrea Leland and Kathy Berger. This program is partially sponsored by a grant from the Illinois Humanities Council, The Playboy Foundation and many individual donors.

The free admission, monthly series of award-winning independent features, documentaries and short-subject videos is held either at the main branch of the Evanston Public Library, 1703 Orrington Ave., in downtown Evanston, or the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, 40 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston campus. Each screening is followed by a discussion between filmmakers and the audience.

Free parking is available on Northwestern’s Evanston campus after 5 p.m. weekdays and all weekend. For more information, call the Block Museum at (847) 491-4000 or the Evanston Public Library at (847) 866-0300 or visit the Block museum Web site at www.blockmuseum.northwestern.edu or Reeltime at www.reeltimeevanston.org/.

Reeltime, “Amandla! A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony,” 8 p.m. Wednesday, October 15, Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art (Lee Hirsch, 2002, United States, 108 minutes). “Amandla!” features the extraordinary role of freedom songs in South Africa’s long struggle against apartheid. The film mixes interviews with previously exiled activists and musicians with archival footage of organized protests. Ethnomusicologist Johann Buis, who is currently at work on a companion book with director Lee Hirsh, will join a discussion after the screenings. Admission is free.