Jean-Paul (Delon) and Marianne (Schneider) indulge in their passion for each other while borrowing a friend's luxurious villa in the south of France. When the friend (Maurice Ronet) and his daughter (Birkin) arrive unexpectedly, rivalries and insecurities surface and events take a sinister turn. In this tightly constructed and gripping thriller from the director of Symphony for a Massacre, “Seething passion and emotional chaos lie beneath the symbolically placid surface of the villa’s swimming pool, which becomes the site for both seduction and violent revenge” (Dave Kehr, The New York Times).

In what might be his most charismatic and memorable role, Gazzara is Jack Flowers, an amiable American pimp living by an increasingly outmoded code of honor in Singapore during the Vietnam-era. In the episodic story adapted from Paul Theroux’s novel, Jack has his run-ins with U.S. soldiers, British businessmen, and CIA spooks, all while attempting to build the brothel of his dreams. After his fall from grace with Hollywood in the mid 1970s, Bogdanovich reunited with producer Roger Corman for this medium budget, character-driven gem that delivered the director some of the best reviews of his career. 

What We Left Unfinished looks closely at the era of state-funded filmmaking from Afghanistan’s Communist era, bringing together dozens of writers, actors, and filmmakers to discuss five unfinished, unedited projects produced between 1978 and 1991.  After each regime change, leaders always saw propagandistic potential in Kabul’s rich filmgoing culture and the high quality of Afghan filmmaking. Scenes from the five never-before-seen films, beautifully restored, testify to the immense resources provided to filmmakers willing to play by certain rules. The studio politics and mishaps that accompany any film’s production here rise to the level of life-and-death conflict, as filmmakers recall coming up against the censorship of an authoritarian government, as well as unceasing threats of violence. This feature debut from artist Mariam Ghani raises potent, eternally relevant questions about art and politics, freedom of speech, and what happens when the truth becomes a bargaining chip. Presented with the support of UW Madison’s Center for South Asia. Special thanks to Sarah Beckham and Darshana Sreedhar Mini.

In what may be his coolest screen portrayal, Alain Delon is the detail-oriented, fedora-wearing hitman named Jef Costello. Betrayed by his underworld employer and hounded by a persistent cop (Périer), Jef tries to survive his predicament without violating his personal, Bushido-like code of honor. Perhaps the most iconic and stylish movie of director Melville’s career, the hypnotic and meticulously planned Le samouraï delivers a lot of movie thrills from its minimalist story of crooks and cops. 35mm print courtesy of Cultural Services of the U.S. French Embassy.

A small circle of singer-songwriters fall in and out of love with each other while trying to navigate the modern Nashville country scene in this unjustly ignored late period Bogdanovich gem. Buoyed by a charming cast, as well as extended cameos from real-life country stars such as K.T Oslin, Trisha Yearwood, and Jimmie Dale Gilmore, the film also boasts Phoenix’s final completed performance and a scene-stealing early-career highlight from Bullock. (BR)

“Cross over, children. All are welcome. All welcome. Go into the light.” Haunted by a host of ghosts, an ordinary suburban family’s home suddenly becomes a house of horrors. The vivid and extraordinary special effects, terrific performances, and eerie Jerry Goldsmith score make this marvelously creepy film a must for fans of the genre. Although he’s not credited as director, the enduring qualities of this spectacular and satirical ghost story owe much to the talents of its co-writer and producer, Steven Spielberg, who was directing E.T. simultaneous to Poltergeist’s filming. Both films were released one week apart 40 years ago this summer.

A successful young novelist throws his comfortable life away after falling under the spell of a mysterious woman who claims to be his half-sister. Deemed untouchable after the ruinous production of his masterpiece The Lovers on the Bridge, enfant terrible turned filmmaker maudit Carax reemerged eight years later with this audacious, sexually explicit Melville adaptation—and it would be another decade before his next feature, Holy Motors. Carax’s characteristically astonishing images and pure cinematic style are matched by cult icon Scott Walker’s soundtrack, produced at the dawn of his late-career foray into full-on experimental music, and featuring songs by Sonic Youth and Smog. 35mm collection print courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive. (MK)

Reynolds, Shepherd, Kahn and a game cast of fine character actors sing and dance to the songs of Cole Porter in this entertaining tribute to 30s musicals. The story revolves around a quartet of socialites who couple and then re-couple. Using direct sound recording (as opposed to having actors lip-synch to a pre-recorded track), Bogdanovich’s daring experiment is a forgotten 70s gem worth re-discovering. This definitive version, compiled in 2013 represents the director’s third and final attempt at re-editing At Long Last Love.

After the adventures of the original Police Story, the romance of danger-loving cop Ka-kui (Chan) and his ever patient girlfriend May (Cheung) is put into serious jeopardy when May is kidnapped by a band of serial bombers. Attempting to outdo the outrageous stunts and action sequences of the first installment, Chan delivers, especially with a climactic brawl in an abandoned factory.