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fall 2005 - series descriptions

Mikio NaruseA Wanderer’s Notebook: The Films of Mikio Naruse
Saturdays, September 3 – November 19
Although he is often considered by Japanese film critics as one of the three great Japanese directors of his generation (along with Yasujiro Ozu and Kenji Mizoguchi), Mikio Naruse has yet to receive his due in the West. After cutting his teeth as a prop man during his teens, Naruse quickly rose through the Japanese studio system and went on to direct over 80 films in his 37-year career. Like Mizoguchi, Naruse was drawn to portraying unhappy and exploited women in a male-dominated world. Though his characters are often handicapped by circumstances beyond their control, they always confront life with courageous determination and without delusion. About his characters, Naruse has said, “If they move even a little, they quickly hit the wall. From the youngest age, I have thought that the world we live in betrays us; this thought still remains with me.” Japanese film scholar Audie Bock has noted, “There are no happy endings for Naruse but there are incredibly enlightened defeats.” On the occasion of the centenary of Naruse’s birth (1905-1969), the Cinematheque is proud to present this sixteen-film retrospective of the underrated auteur’s work. Special thanks to James Quandt of the Cinematheque Ontario for coordinating the retrospective.

her lonely lane
her lonely lane
Global VisionsGlobal Visions
Fridays, September 2 – October 14

It’s hard to imagine that only twenty years ago the word “globalization” was rarely used in business, politics, or media. Indeed the term wasn’t commonly heard until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Then usage accelerated with the end of the Cold War, the formation of the World Trade Organization, and the popularization of the Internet. Suddenly, by the mid-1990s, it seemed that globalization was upon us, but its meaning and significance remained the subject of much controversy and debate. Global Visions showcases the diverse ways in which filmmakers have tried to address what is perhaps the central social and cultural challenge of our time. Through drama, documentary, and even comedy, in films set in such places as Thailand, Argentina, and Cameroon, Global Visions explores what it means to be part of a world that is growing ever more interconnected and interdependent. The series is sponsored by Global Studies and member programs of the UW International Institute. For more information, please see: http://global.wisc.edu/.
Mercano the Martian
mercano the martian
Global VisionsListen Up!: America�s First Talkies
Fridays, October 21 � November 18

As the story goes, the American cinema's transition from silent to sound film during the late 1920s was one of the most eventful periods in the industry's history. During the span of only a few years, studios and exhibitors invested in the new technology, and the "talkies" spread like wildfire across the country. Nevertheless, sound films did not attract outright enthusiasm; they sparked contentious debate over the aesthetic virtue of sound film, as industry personnel, critics, and moviegoers spoke vehemently in favor or against the novel feature of the film medium.  In short, it was a period of experimentation and refinement of filmmaking practices -- the results of which this Cinematheque series presents with an enthralling run of films from Hollywood's first sound stages. Look out for the second installment of this series next semester. The series was curated by UW Madison CommArts grad students Katherine Spring and Rebecca Swender, who are indebted to the assistance of Paul Ginsburg (Universal Pictures), Mike Mashon (Library of Congress), Todd Wiener and Jennifer Teefy (UCLA Film and Television Archive), and Caroline Yeager (George Eastman House).

under a texas moon
under a texas moon

Taiwainese new waveMade in Taipei: The Taiwanese New Wave and Beyond
Sundays, September 11 – November 6

From a crow-pleasing comedy about a kidnapping to a pair of early masterpieces by famed auteurs, Made in Taipei offers a variety of films both emerging from and following in the footsteps of the Taiwanese “new wave.” Much like in the French and Czech New Waves, the filmmakers in the Taiwanese New Wave, also known as the New Taiwanese Cinema movement, challenged the dominant sociopolitical orthodoxies of postwar filmmaking in their country. Beginning in the early eighties and lasting well into the nineties, the New Wave produced some of the most internationally celebrated auteurs (Hou Hsiao-hsien, Edward Yang) and brought Taiwanese cinema to the world’s stage. The eight films in our series have been made available by the Information Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago and the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research.

Special thanks to Benjamin Che at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago, Maxine Ducey at the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research, David Bordwell, and James Udden.

Boys from Fengkuei
Boys from Fengkuei

polish film festivalPolish Film Festival
Friday through Sunday, December 2 – 4

One of our most popular events, the Polish Film Festival returns to the Cinematheque in December, co-sponsored by the Polish Students Association.  This year's festival continues to emphasize recent Polish films, all of which deal with issues in contemporary Polish society.

This year's festival is made possible through the generous sponsorship from CREECA (the Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia) and ASM (the Associated Students of Madison).

polish film festivalFriday, December 2, 7:30 p.m.
St. Barbara’s Day  (Barborka) (Poland, 2004, 84 min., BetaSP)

Director/Writer: Maciej Pieprzyca; Production Company: TVP S.A. Producer: Janusz Morgenstern; Cinematography: Marek Traskowski; Editing: Leszek Starzyński; Music: Patryk Zakrocki; Cast: Iwona Sitkowska (Basia), Marcin Dorociński (Jakub), Robert Talarczyk (Andrzej), Tadeusz Madeja (Father), Grażyna Zielińska (Mother).

A coalmine director invites Jacob, a TV series star, to add splendor to the celebration of St. Barbara's Day, the patroness of miners. Basia, a worker from the sorting department, is chosen to hand Jakub the welcoming loaf of bread. The two completely different worlds come together: flashy, success oriented strangers from Warsaw and traditional, modest and unwilling to change Silesians.

polish film festivalFriday, December 2, 8:45 p.m.
Angel in Love (Zakochany aniol) (Poland, 2005, 107 min., 35mm)

Director: Artur Więcek "Baron”; Writers: Witold Bereś, Artur Więcek "Baron"; Production Company: Bereś & Baron Media Productions; Producer: Witold Bereś; Cinematography: Piotr Trela; Editing: Marek Klimaszewski; Music: Grzegorz Turnau; Cast: Krzysztof Globisz (Angel Giordano), Jerzy Trela (Szajbus), Janusz Gajos (Arsen Lupin), Kamil Bera (Karol), Anna Radwan-Gancarczyk (Roma), Marta Bizoń (Irenka Rajska).

The main character of Angel in Love is the angel Giordano, known from the previous film An Angel in Krakow. After his friend Hanka’s death, he still lives in Krakow, takes care of her son and helps people. Giordano cannot come back to heaven any more but he can always count on some discreet help from above. Every month he finds a wallet full of money and he also has a magical aerosol spray that can fix or heal what is broken or sick. However, heaven has a limited budget and has to stop helping Giordano - no one answers the phone up there any more and the aerosol spray is running out.

polish film festivalSaturday, December 3, 7:30 p.m.
Hell and Heaven (Pieklo, niebo) (Poland, 2005, 60 min., BetaSP)

Director: Natalia Koryncka-Gruz; Writer: Andrzej Gołda; Production Company: TVP S.A.; Cinematography: Damian Pietrasik; Editing: Milenia Fiedler; Music: Michał Lorenc; Cast: Justyna Lorenc (Girl), Bartek Głogowski (Priest), Jan Frycz (Marchwinski), Anna Radwan-Gancarczyk (Marchwińska), Krzysztof Kiersznowski (Kulawik).

Father Piotr, a young Catholic priest, arrives to the small town to help the old pastor with his duties. It is the beginning of May - time for preparation for the First Communion. Suddenly the old pastor gets a heart attack and is taken to the hospital. Now Father Piotr has to do all duties himself. When teaching the religion class, a young girl Marta gets Father Piotr's attention. She is sad, very reserved, sometimes aggressive. She is a daughter of the wealthiest man in the town. During the confession, Father Piotr has the feeling that Marta hides something from him. When the day of the First Communion comes, the girl runs away from the church. After a long search Father Piotr finds her hidden in the sacristy. Marta confesses a horrifying secret…

polish film festivalSaturday, December 3, 8:30 p.m.
My Nikifor (Moj Nikifor) (Poland, 2004, 97 min., 35mm)

Director: Krzysztof Krauze; Writers: Joanna Kos, Krzysztof Krauze; Production Companies: Zebra Film Studio, TVP S.A., Canal+; Producers: Juliusz Machulski, Jacek Bromski; Cinematography: Krzysztof Ptak; Editing: Krzysztof Szpetmański; Music: Bartłomiej Gliniak; Cast: Krystyna Feldman (Nikifor), Roman Gancarczyk (Marian Włosiński), Lucyna Malec (Hanna Włosińska), Jerzy Gudejko (Stefan Nowak).

This is a story of friendship between Marian Wlosinski, a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow and an artist in sanatorium in Krynica, and based on true story of life of Epifan Dworak, a primitive painter known as Nikifor from Krynica. On April 15, 1960, Nikifor came to Wlosinski's studio and said: I will paint here! He came to stay for a little while, but he reminded for the rest of his life. The film shows the period of three months of 1960 and two days in 1967 when the great exhibit of Nikifor's works was opened in Zacheta, Warsaw, as well as the one day of 1968 - Nikifor death's day.
The film tells about artist's spirituality and his personal freedom which allow him to create works of the best quality.

polish film festivalSunday, December 4, 5:00 p.m.
The Bench (Laweczka) (Poland, 2004, 84 min., 35mm)

Director: Maciej Żak; Writers: Robert Mąka, Maciej Żak, based on the play by Aleksander Geltman; Production Company: Kino Swiat; Producer: Jacek Lipski; Cinematography: Grzegorz Kuczeriszka; Editing: Leszek Starzyński; Music: Piotr Mikołajczak and SPOT; Cast: Jolanta Fraszyńska (Kasia), Artur Żmijewski (Piotr), Artur Pontek (Rudy), Sylwester Maciejewski (Kapitan), Katarzyna Sadowska (Angela).

Kasia, a single woman in her thirties, works at the cafeteria on the cruse ship. Piotr, who imports cars from Germany, is very handsome and likes to flirt with women. One of them is Kasia. It turns out that they have met before and even spent one night together. Piotr, however, has totally forgotten about it. They try to start again, but Kasia is searching for a true and lasting relationship, while Piotr is afraid of it. Their relationship shows the conflict between the need of closeness and the lack of ability to communicate, between the desire of love and the fear of responsibility.

IFVCIFVC Film and Video Collaborative Showcase
Friday, December 9

The Cinematheque concludes its Fall, 2005 season with the presentation of the Independent Film and Video Collective’s bi-annual Showcase. The Fall show highlights work produced in Communication Arts Film and Video Production courses at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, as well as work by other local filmmakers. The 90-minute program is curated by the instructors of these courses and gives new filmmakers the opportunity to present their work on screen for the first time.

 

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