The Cleveland Cinematheque's January/February 2015 Schedule

 [ Press release from the Cleveland Cinematheque.]

“Provocatively Pre-Code,” a series of 11 Hollywood classics from the late 1920s and early 1930s, will run weekly from January 10 through March 1 at the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque, 11141 East Boulevard in University Circle. These early talkies were made before the strict enforcement of the puritanical Motion Picture Production Code (or “Hayes” Code) in 1934, so they tend to be naughtier, sexier, tougher, more irreverent, more unsavory, and more violent than subsequent Hollywood movies (at least until the late 1960s).

 

“Pre-Code movies teem with loose women, lustful men, cruel villains, psychotic criminals, suggestive language, revealing clothing, and repugnant behavior,” says Cinematheque Director John Ewing. “All this makes these films seem more realistic and relevant than the straight-jacketed, straight-laced movies that followed, and probably accounts for their perennial popularity among modern moviegoers.”

The Cinematheque’s Pre-Code series consists of 11 features it has never shown during its 28+ year history. There are comedies, dramas, horror films, and musicals, with stars like Mae West, Cary Grant, Clara Bow, Greta Garbo, Clark Gable, James Cagney, Barbara Stanwyck, Jean Harlow, Spencer Tracy, and Fredric March, among many others. All movies will be shown in 35mm film prints, including two archival copies from the Library of Congress. Pat Day, a Professor of English and Cinema Studies at Oberlin College and an expert on 1930s Hollywood, will introduce the opening night film, SHE DONE HIM WRONG, on Saturday, January 10, at 5:00 pm.

 

Admission to each program in this series is $10; Cinematheque members, CIA I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $8.

 

PROVOCATIVELY PRE-CODE

 

SAT        1/10       5:00 PM                SHE DONE HIM WRONG introduced by Pat Day

SUN       1/11       6:30 PM                SHE DONE HIM WRONG

SAT        1/17       5:15 PM                THE WILD PARTY

SUN       1/18       6:30 PM                THE WILD PARTY

FRI          1/23       7:00 PM                THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME

SAT        1/24       5:15 PM                MATA HARI

SUN       1/25       6:30 PM                MATA HARI

SUN       1/25       8:20 PM                THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME

SAT        1/31       5:15 PM                NIGHT NURSE

SUN       2/1         6:30 PM                NIGHT NURSE

SAT        2/7         5:00 PM                SAFE IN HELL & DIPLOMANIACS (double feature)

THU       2/12       8:35 PM                RED DUST

SAT        2/14       5:15 PM                MAN’S CASTLE

SUN       2/15       4:30 PM                RED DUST

SAT        2/21       5:15 PM                FOOTLIGHT PARADE

SUN       2/22       1:30 PM                FOOTLIGHT PARADE

SAT        2/28       5:15 PM                DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE

SUN       3/1         6:30 PM                DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE

 

Beyond its survey of Pre-Code movies, the Cinematheque will present many other offerings during the first two months of the new year. There will be exclusive premieres of new international films, three silent Charlie Chaplin comedies with live music, an in-person appearance by legendary documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman, other films classics, and much, much more. The complete two-month schedule follows.

 

Unless noted, admission to Cinematheque films is $9; members, CIA I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $7. A second film on the same day costs an additional $7-$8. Unless noted, all films will show in the Aitken Auditorium of the Cleveland Institute of Art. Free parking for filmgoers is available in the adjacent CIA lot. For further information, visit www.cia.edu/cinematheque, email cinema@cia.edu, or call John Ewing or Tim Harry at (216) 421-7450. Cinematheque programs are supported by Cuyahoga Arts and Culture and the Ohio Arts Council.

 

JANUARY 8-11

 

Thursday, January 8, at 6:45 pm &

Saturday, January 10, at 8:55 pm

WHITE BIRD IN A BLIZZARD

France/USA, 2014, Gregg Araki

Shailene Woodley and Eva Green star in the new psychodrama by Gregg Araki (The Living End, Mysterious Skin). It’s a stylized coming-of-age tale set in 1988, about a 17-year-old girl who must deal with the sudden mysterious disappearance of her erratic mother. “Naughty, campy…Eva Green [is] deliciously unhinged.” –Variety. Cleveland theatrical premiere. Blu-ray. 91 min. www.magpictures.com

 

Thursday, January 8, at 8:40 pm &

Friday, January 9, at 7:30 pm

LILTING

UK, 2014, Hong Khaou

An elderly Chinese-Cambodian woman (Cheng Pei-Pei) living in a London assisted-living facility and grieving for her recently deceased son is visited by another young man (Ben Whishaw) who shares her grief. This “friend” of her son wants to connect with his late lover’s mother, but since she doesn’t speak English and didn’t know that her child was gay, there are major language and cultural barriers to surmount. “Delicate and unhurried…Wears its stylistic debt to In the Mood for Love on its elegant sleeve.” –Hollywood Reporter. Cleveland premiere. Subtitles. Blu-ray. 91 min. www.strandreleasing.com

 

Friday, January 9, at 9:20 pm &

Saturday, January 10, at 6:45 pm

LIFE OF RILEY

AIMER, BOIRE ET CHANTER

France, 2014, Alain Resnais

The final film by the great postmodernist Alain Resnais (his first feature Hiroshima Mon Amour shows Feb. 14-15) is adapted, like two of his others, from a play by Alan Ayckbourn. The movie features an all-star French cast (Sabine Azéma, Hippolyte Girardot, Sandrine Kiberlain, André Dussollier, et al.) and follows three mature couples in an amateur theatrical group who learn that a mutual friend, George, has terminal cancer, forcing them to re-examine their own lives and relationships. Like many Resnais films, this comedy-drama takes place on artificial sets in a theatrical netherworld somewhere between reality and the imagination. “[An] overpoweringly beautiful final film.” –Slant. Cleveland premiere. Subtitles. Blu-ray. 108 min. www.kinolorber.com

 

Saturday, January 10, at 5:00 pm &

Sunday, January 11, at 6:30 pm

Provocatively Pre-Code

Pat Day introduces

SHE DONE HIM WRONG

USA, 1933, Lowell Sherman

Mae West and Cary Grant star in this double entendre-laden comedy set during the Gay Nineties and based on West’s hit Broadway show Diamond Lil. West plays a bawdy saloon singer who is visited one day by the straight-laced, uniformed director of the city mission next door (Grant). On Saturday Dr. William Patrick “Pat” Day, Professor of English and Cinema Studies at Oberlin College, and an expert on 1930s Hollywood, will talk briefly before the film about the Pre-Code era. 35mm print from the Universal Pictures studio archive! 66 min. Special admission $10; members and those age 25 & under $8; no passes, twofers, or radio winners.

 

Saturday, January 10, at 6:45 pm

LIFE OF RILEY

See 1/9 at 9:20 for description

 

Saturday, January 10, at 8:55 pm

WHITE BIRD IN A BLIZZARD

See 1/8 at 6:45 for description

 

Sunday, January 11, at 4:00 pm

Silent Films with Live Music!

NOT SO SILENT CINEMA FEATURING THE NEW RIVER ENSEMBLE PRESENTS THREE CHAPLIN SHORTS

USA, 1916-17, Charles Chaplin

Not So Silent Cinema is a project of New York composer Brendan Cooney, who pens new scores to classic silent films that are then performed live around the country. Not So Silent Cinema makes its Cleveland debut today when the New River Ensemble plays Cooney’s music for three celebrated short comedies that Charlie Chaplin made for the Mutual Film Company: The Pawnshop (1916), The Cure (1917), and The Adventurer (1917). These movies show the rapid evolution of Chaplin’s style from no-holds-barred slapstick to a more nuanced storytelling. The New River Ensemble consists of Brendan Cooney on piano, Martha Hyde on clarinet, and Lisa Liske-Doorandish on cello. Blu-ray. 75 min. Special admission $15; Cinematheque members and those age 25 & under $12; no passes, twofers, or radio winners. Advance tickets available at chaplinshorts.brownpapertickets.com.

 

Sunday, January 11, at 6:30 pm

SHE DONE HIM WRONG

See 1/10 at 5:00 for description

 

Sunday, January 11, at 8:00 pm

THE KINGDOM OF DREAMS AND MADNESS

YUME TO KYÔKI NO ÔKOKU

Japan, 2013, Mami Sunada

Japan’s legendary Studio Ghibli, home of the great animator Hayao Miyazaki (now retired), is seen from the inside in this fascinating, revealing documentary that was shot during the production of Miyazaki’s final feature, The Wind Rises. “Building to an emotional wallop that’s almost on par with anything found in one of Miyazaki’s films, The Kingdom Of Dreams And Madness is pornographically interesting for Studio Ghibli fans; as a delicate depiction of the artistic spirit, it’s equally essential viewing for everyone else.” –The A.V. Club. Cleveland theatrical premiere. Subtitles. Blu-ray. 118 min.

 

JANUARY 15-18

 

Thursday, January 15, at 6:45 pm &

Friday, January 16, at 9:25 pm

HAPPY VALLEY

USA, 2014, Amir Bar-Lev

Jerry Sandusky, Joe Paterno, and State College, PA, are all put on trial in this multifaceted examination of the recent Penn State child sex abuse scandal from the director of The Tillman Story. “A devastating portrait of a community—and, by extension, a nation—put under a spell, even reduced to grateful infantilism, by the game of football.” –The New Yorker. Cleveland premiere. Blu-ray. 98 min. www.musicboxfilms.com

 

Thursday, January 15, at 8:45 pm &

Friday, January 16, at 7:15 pm

LISTEN UP PHILIP

USA, 2014, Alex Ross Perry

An arrogant, self-centered, disagreeable young writer (Jason Schwartzman) abandons New York City and his live-in photographer girlfriend (Elisabeth Moss) for a rural sojourn at the upstate summer home of a celebrated, Philip Rothian novelist (Jonathan Pryce) who is one of his idols. This literate, well-acted comedy-drama from fast-rising writer-director Alex Ross Perry (The Color Wheel), “formally announces Perry as one of the most promising young talents on the indie scene" (Variety). Has an 85% “fresh rating” on RottenTomatoes.com! Cleveland premiere. Blu-ray. 108 min. tribecafilm.com/tribecafilm/filmguide/listenupphilip

 

Friday, January 16, at 9:25 pm

HAPPY VALLEY

See 1/15 at 6:45 for description

 

Saturday, January 17, at 5:15 pm &

Sunday, January 18, at 6:30 pm

Provocatively Pre-Code

THE WILD PARTY

USA, 1929, Dorothy Arzner

The silent era's sensationally popular “It” girl Clara Bow made her talkie debut in this Pre-Code movie by pioneering female filmmaker Dorothy Arzner. Bow plays a student at an all-girl college where passion and partying take precedence over schoolwork, especially with a professor as hot as Fredric March. “Great fun.” –Leonard Maltin. 35mm print from the Universal Pictures studio archive!  77 min. Special admission $10; members and those age 25 & under $8; no passes, twofers, or radio winners.

 

Saturday, January 17, at 6:55 pm &

Sunday, January 18, at 4:15 pm

2014 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL SHORT FILMS

Various countries, 2014, various directors

In last year’s program of Sundance Film Festival minis, we showed the original Whiplash short that was expanded into this year’s acclaimed Whiplash feature. The latest compilation of superb Sundance live-action shorts includes eight movies from the 2014 festival, among them: Afronauts, about Zambian exiles who try to beat America to the moon in 1969; Dawn, an account of a sheltered teenager from director Rose McGowan; and Verbatim, an uproarious, unbelievable (but 100% true) comedy in which a lawyer tries to establish whether a government employee has ever used a photocopier. (The dialogue is lifted word for word from an actual deposition filed with the Supreme Court of Ohio!) For complete program info, visit www.sundance.org/shortfilmtour. Cleveland premiere. Blu-ray. Total 94 min.

 

Saturday, January 17, at 8:50 pm &

Sunday, January 18, at 8:10 pm

BURROUGHS: THE MOVIE

USA, 1983, Howard Brookner

Long feared lost but recently rediscovered and digitally restored, this definitive screen biography of William S. Burroughs (Naked Lunch) began life as an NYU thesis film (Jim Jarmusch did the sound) but became a critical and art house hit around the world. Burroughs, who died in 1997, participated fully in the project, and the movie features interviews with Allen Ginsberg, Patti Smith, Terry Southern, and others. Cleveland revival premiere. Blu-ray. 86 min. www.burroughsmovie.com

 

Sunday, January 18, at 4:15 pm

2014 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL SHORT FILMS

See 1/17 at 6:55 for description

 

Sunday, January 18, at 6:30 pm

THE WILD PARTY

See 1/17 at 5:15 for description

 

Sunday, January 18, at 8:10 pm

BURROUGHS: THE MOVIE

See 1/17 at 8:50 for description

 

JANUARY 22-25

 

Thursday, January 22, at 6:45 pm &

Friday, January 23, at 9:55 pm

THE GREAT INVISIBLE

USA, 2014, Margaret Brown

The lingering aftereffects of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion that killed 11 workers and caused the worst oil spill in U.S. history are explored in this unsettling new documentary. Features interviews with rig survivors, BP executives, and Gulf Coast residents. “Gives voice to many of the previously nameless and faceless victims of the disaster.” –L.A. Times. Cleveland theatrical premiere. Blu-ray. 92 min. www.facebook.com/thegreatinvisible

 

Thursday, January 22, at 8:40 pm &

Sunday, January 25, at 4:15 pm

KEEP ON KEEPIN' ON

USA, 2014, Alan Hicks

In this acclaimed and moving nonfiction film that is one of 15 movies shortlisted for this year's Oscar for Best Documentary Feature (in January it might become one of the five nominees), nonagenarian jazz trumpet great Clark Terry, who once mentored Miles Davis and Quincy Jones, now tries to help a blind piano prodigy 66 years his junior overcome his crippling stage fright. “Both tender and joyous, a moving account of the mutual nourishment of artistic mentorship and the rewards of accentuating the positive in whatever life throws at you.” –Hollywood Reporter. Cleveland theatrical premiere. Blu-ray. 84 min. keeponkeepinon.com

 

Friday, January 23, at 7:00 pm &

Sunday, January 25, at 8:20 pm

Provocatively Pre-Code

THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME

USA, 1932, Irving Pichel, Ernest B. Schoedsack

A year before they produced King Kong, Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack collaborated on another exciting and famous thriller starring Robert Armstrong and Fay Wray (though Joel McCrea was the lead). The Most Dangerous Game tells of a big game hunter who lives on a remote island and hunts humans for sport. It’s the best film version of a 1924 Richard Connell story that has been adapted countless times over many decades. 35mm. 63 min. Special admission $10; members and those age 25 & under $8; no passes, twofers, or radio winners.

 

Friday, January 23, at 8:25 pm &

Saturday, January 24, at 7:05 pm

THE SEARCH FOR GENERAL TSO

USA/Taiwan/China, 2014, Ian Cheney

Who is General Tso and why are we eating his chicken? This lighthearted documentary uses one of America's most popular takeout dishes, General Tso’s chicken, as a springboard for an exploration of the history and evolution of Chinese food in the U.S. “Finger-lickin’ good.” –Variety. Cleveland theatrical premiere. Subtitles. Blu-ray. 71 min. www.thesearchforgeneraltso.com

 

Friday, January 23, at 9:55 pm

THE GREAT INVISIBLE

See 1/22 at 6:45 for description

 

Saturday, January 24, at 5:15 pm &

Sunday, January 25, at 6:30 pm

Provocatively Pre-Code

World War I + 100

MATA HARI

USA, 1931, George Fitzmaurice

In Greta Garbo’s most commercially successful movie (also MGM’s biggest hit of 1932), the mysterious, Swedish-born actress plays the Parisian exotic dancer who was also an alluring WWI spy known for leading men to their doom. Here she falls for an enemy Russian officer (Ramon Novarro). With Lionel Barrymore. Cinematography by Cleveland-born William H. Daniels, Garbo’s favorite cameraman. 35mm. 89 min. Special admission $10; members and those age 25 & under $8; no passes, twofers, or radio winners.

 

Saturday, January 24, at 7:05 pm

THE SEARCH FOR GENERAL TSO

See 1/23 at 8:25 for description

 

Saturday,  January 24, at 8:35 pm

TITICUT FOLLIES

USA, 1967, Frederick Wiseman

Ace documentarian Frederick Wiseman established his reputation with his very first film, a nightmarish look at Massachusetts’ Bridgewater State Hospital for the criminally insane. The movie was banned for 20 years because it allegedly violated the patients/inmates’ privacy and dignity. But what it really did was show how the state abused and tortured people in its care. Wiseman has continued to make unflinching cinema verité portraits of American institutions ever since. Adults only!  35mm. 84 min. Special admission $12; members and those age 25 & under $9; no passes, twofers, or radio winners and no second film discount. www.zipporahfilms.com

 

Sunday, January 25, at 1:00 pm

AN AFTERNOON WITH FREDERICK WISEMAN

Frederick Wiseman, who has directed over 40 documentary features since the late 1960s, is not only one of America’s greatest nonfiction filmmakers; he is one of America’s greatest filmmakers, period. This afternoon the director of Titicut Follies, High School, La Danse, National Gallery, and many others will appear in person to answer audience questions about his illustrious career, which has been spent, for the most part, documenting the inner workings of American institutions. Clips from Wiseman’s films will punctuate the conversation. DVD. Approx. 150 min. Special admission $25; members and CIA I.D. holders $20; age 25 & under $12. No passes, twofers, or radio winners. $25 and $20 tickets can be purchased in advance at wiseman.brownpapertickets.com.

 

Sunday, January 25, at 4:15 pm

KEEP ON KEEPIN' ON

See 1/22 at 8:40 for description

 

Sunday, January 25, at 6:30 pm

MATA HARI

See 1/24 at 5:15 for description

 

Sunday, January 25, at 8:20 pm

THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME

See 1/23 at 7:00 for description

 

JANUARY 29 – FEBRUARY 3

 

Thursday, January 29, at 6:45 pm

JACQUES TATI SHORT FILMS

France, 1934-47, various directors

France’s great filmmaker and comic actor Jacques Tati is a perennial favorite at the Cinematheque. But before he made his hilarious features starring his bumbling alter ego Monsieur Hulot (Mr. Hulot’s Holiday, Mon Oncle, PlayTime, et al.), he acted in (and sometimes directed) short comedies. In this program we show four of them: Charles Barrois’ 23-min. On demande une brute (Wanted: A Brawny Wrestler, 1934), about wrestling; Jacques Berr and Tati’s 33-min. Gai dimanche (Lively Sunday, 1935), in which two bums spend a day in the country; René Clément’s 13-min. Soigne ton gauche (Watch Your Left, 1936), about boxing; and Tati’s 16-min. The School for Postmen (L'école des facteurs, 1947), a dry run for his manic first feature Jour de Fête (1949). Subtitles. Blu-ray. Total 85 min.

 

Thursday, January 29, at 8:30 pm &

Sunday, February 1, at 8:05 pm

A SPELL TO WARD OFF THE DARKNESS

France/Estonia/Germany, 2013, Ben Rivers, Ben Russell

This collaboration between two major contemporary experimental filmmakers is a triptych exploring the possibility of utopia and transcendence in the postmodern era. Musician Robert  A. A. Lowe (Lichens) plays an unnamed character who is seen at an Estonian island commune, then living alone in the majestic Finnish wilderness, then as a black metal singer at an orgiastic Norwegian rock club. “An art film that’s as uncompromising as it is uncommercial…Will prove fascinating for those willing to be carried away by its gorgeous sights and sounds of nature, of merrymaking and music and its free-association approach to narrative and meaning.” –Hollywood Reporter. Cleveland premiere. Blu-ray. 98 min. www.aspelltowardoffthedarkness.com

 

NO FILMS FRI., JAN. 30

 

Saturday, January 31, at 5:15 pm &

Sunday, February 1, at 6:30 pm

Provocatively Pre-Code

NIGHT NURSE

USA, 1931, William Wellman

Barbara Stanwyck stars in this tough, taut, shocking melodrama—about a city hospital nurse providing in-home care for two seriously ill little girls who are slowly being murdered. Joan Blondell and Clark Gable also appear in this essential classic that film historian William K. Everson called “Pre-Code with a vengeance.” 35mm. 72 min. Special admission $10; members and those age 25 & under $8; no passes, twofers, or radio winners.

 

Saturday, January 31, at 6:50 pm &

Sunday, February 1, at 4:00 pm

Imported 35mm Print!

A TALE OF WINTER

CONTE D’HIVER

France, 1992, Éric Rohmer

In the second of Éric Rohmer’s “Tales of the Four Seasons” (#3, A Summer’s Tale, showed last August), a young woman on summer holiday falls in love with a cook and returns home bearing his child. But an incorrect address causes her to lose touch with him, so she raises their child alone. For four years she is wooed by two other suitors, a hairdresser and a librarian, but she can’t help thinking about her vanished true love. “Rohmer at his very best, effortlessly and unsentimentally charting the absurd complexities of human psychology, while creating a compelling contemporary fairytale.” –Time Out Film Guide. Subtitles. 35mm. 114 min. Print from the Institut Français; special thanks to Cultural Services of the French Embassy, New York (Amélie Garin-Davet) and Consulat Général de France, Chicago (Laurence Geannopulos).

 

Saturday, January 31, at 9:05 pm

THAT’S SEXPLOITATION!

USA, 2013, Frank Henenlotter

Cult horror filmmaker Frank Henenlotter (Basket Case, Brain Damage, Frankenhooker) turns from blood to skin in his new survey of “adults only” cinema from 1930 to 1970. Abetted by longtime exploitation king David F. Friedman, Henenlotter takes us on a guided tour through this disreputable (but perennially popular) genre—from coin-drop arcade peepshow loops and sex-ed shorts to burlesque-capades, nudie cuties, and stag films. “A wall-to-wall lazy Susan of tits, ass, and hilarity.” –John Waters. No one under 18 admitted! Cleveland theatrical premiere. Blu-ray. 136 min.

 

Sunday, February 1, at 4:00 pm

A TALE OF WINTER

See 1/31 at 6:50 for description

 

Sunday, February 1, at 6:30 pm

NIGHT NURSE

See 1/31 at 5:15 for description

 

Sunday, February 1, at 8:05 pm

A SPELL TO WARD OFF THE DARKNESS

See 1/29 at 8:30 for description

 

Tuesday, February 3, at 7:00 pm

Special Offsite Event!

The Cinematheque at the Capitol Theatre

75^th Anniversary Restoration!

LE JOUR SE LÈVE (DAYBREAK)

France, 1939, Marcel Carné

A year after their fatalistic Port of Shadows and six years before their landmark Children of Paradise, director Marcel Carné and scenarist Pierre Prévert created another romantic screen masterpiece, one that critic Andrew Sarris called “the quintessence of French ‘poetic realism.’” Jean Gabin plays a hunted, haunted laborer who has barricaded himself in his apartment after killing a man. As the cops try to blast their way into his refuge, he thinks back on the events (seen in flashback) that have landed him in this predicament. Arletty (Garance in Children of Paradise) plays a woman involved with Gabin, and a nude shot of her emerging from the shower was one of many cuts made by France’s Vichy government after it came to power during the Nazi occupation. (Also deleted were the names of Jewish crew members in the credits; eventually the whole movie was banned as “too demoralizing.”) All edits have been restored to this new 4K digital restoration, which also has newly translated subtitles. “Possibly the best of the Carné–Prévert films.” –Time Out Film Guide. Cleveland revival premiere. DCP. 93 min. www.rialtopictures.com Shown on the big screen at the Capitol Theatre, 1390 W. 65^th St. at Detroit Ave. Special admission $10; Cinematheque members, CIA I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $8. No passes, twofers, or radio winners and no Cleveland Cinemas passes or discounts. Advance $10 tickets available at www.clevelandcinemas.com. Special thanks to Jon Forman and Dave Huffman.

 

FEBRUARY 5-8

 

Thursday, February 5, at 6:45 pm &

Sunday, February 8, at 8:15 pm

A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT

USA, 2014, Ana Lily Amirpour

Hailed as the first Iranian feminist vampire Western (though shot in California), this acclaimed, Farsi-language feature debut is set in fictional Bad City, Iran (a desolate ghost town that's kind of a parallel-universe Tehran). There a lonely, chador-wearing Nosferata roams the dark streets preying on misogynistic male scumbags. “An intoxicating blend of eerie horror and ’80s pop, made by an artist to keep an eye on.” –Time Out New York. "The biggest honest-to-God discovery of 2014." –Salon.com. Cleveland premiere. Subtitles. Blu-ray. 99 min. www.kinolorber.com

 

Thursday, February 5, at 8:45 pm &

Friday, February 6, at 9:25 pm

FREE THE NIPPLE

USA, 2014, Lina Esco

An army of fearless, determined women takes to the streets of New York to fight for their right to go topless and breastfeed in public, decriminalizing the female breast in the U.S. This new comedy, inspired by true events, is a project of an equality movement with the same name. Cleveland theatrical premiere. Blu-ray. 84 min. www.freethenipple.com

 

Friday, February 6, at 7:15 pm &

Saturday, February 7, at 9:20 pm

LIVING IS EASY WITH EYES CLOSED

VIVIR ES FÁCIL CON LOS OJOS CERRADOS

Spain, 2013, David Trueba

Winner of six Goya Awards (Spanish Oscars) including Best Film, Director, Actor, and Original Screenplay, this touching road comedy is set in 1966 and tells of a Spanish teacher of English and Latin who picks up two misfit hitchhikers on his way to Almeria, where he hopes to meet his idol, John Lennon, who is filming How I Won the War there. Has a 100% “fresh” rating on RottenTomatoes.com! Cleveland premiere. Subtitles. Blu-ray. 108 min.

 

Friday, February 6, at 9:25 pm

FREE THE NIPPLE

See 2/5 at 8:45 for description

 

Saturday, February 7, at 5:00 pm

Provocatively Pre-Code

Double Feature!

SAFE IN HELL

USA, 1931, William A. Wellman

DIPLOMANIACS

USA, 1933, William A. Seiter

Two Pre-Code rarities (in 35mm prints from the Library of Congress) for one price! Safe in Hell is one of the most jaw-dropping of Pre-Code movies. A New Orleans prostitute who thinks she has killed a man flees to a steamy Caribbean island. There she tries to reform, but the place is populated almost entirely men—criminals and other fugitives, bullies, and lecherous low-lifes—who won’t leave her alone. Diplomaniacs, on the other hand, is an anarchic, absurdist political comedy in the mold of Million Dollar Legs and Duck Soup. The film stars the once hugely popular, now mostly forgotten comedy duo of (Bert) Wheeler and (Robert) Woolsey, whose many 1930s films probably saved RKO Pictures from bankruptcy. Here they play struggling barbers on an Indian reservation who are sent to be the Oopadoop nation's emissaries at an international peace conference in Geneva. Despite rampant political incorrectness, Diplomaniacs is probably Wheeler and Woolsey’s funniest movie. Total running time 134 min. Special admission $10; members and those age 25 & under $8; no passes, twofers, or radio winners. Both films preserved by the Library of Congress.

 

Saturday, February 7, at 7:35 pm &

Sunday, February 8, at 6:30 pm

DIPLOMACY

DIPOLOMATIE

France/Germany, 2014, Volker Schlöndorff

The new film from the director of The Tin Drum is a gripping historical drama, inspired by fact, set during the Liberation of Paris at the end of WWII. It tells of the extraordinary efforts of Swedish diplomat Raoul Nordling (André Dussollier) to convince German general Dietrich von Choltitz (Niels Arestrup) to disobey Hitler’s orders and not level Paris and all its landmarks before the Nazis pull out of the city. “Produces at least as much unsettlement as relief, compelling the viewer to remain haunted by nightmarish thoughts of what might have happened.” –NY Times. Cleveland premiere. Subtitles. 84 min www.zeitgeistfilms.com

 

Saturday, February 7, at 9:20 pm

LIVING IS EASY WITH EYES CLOSED

See 2/6 at 7:15 for description

 

Sunday, February 8, at 4:00 pm

Screenwriter in Person!

Pre-film Accordion Jam!

POLKA! THE MOVIE

POLKA FILM

Slovenia/USA, 2010, Dušan Moravec

Cleveland’s century-old love affair with Slovenian music is celebrated in this fun, fascinating, locally shot documentary. Filled with interviews, performances, and vintage film clips and photos, the movie traces how Cleveland-style polka music (spearheaded by Grammy-winning Polka King Frank Yankovic) became a national sensation. Joe Valencic, President of the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame and Museum, who co-wrote the film and serves as on-screen narrator, will answer questions after the movie. An accordion jam session presented by the Polka Hall of Fame will precede the screening at 3:30 pm. “Will have you craving smoked sausage and stomping in the aisles.” –Plain Dealer. Subtitles. DVD. 90 min. Special admission $10; members and those age 25 & under $8; no passes, twofers, or radio winners.

 

Sunday, February 8, at 6:30 pm

DIPLOMACY

See 2/7 at 7:35 for description

 

Sunday, February 8, at 8:15 pm

A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT

See 2/5 at 6:45 for description

 

FEBRUARY 12-15

 

Thursday, February 12, at 6:45 pm &

Friday, February 13, at 9:15 pm

CONCERNING VIOLENCE

Sweden/Finland/Denmark/USA, 2014, Göran Olsson

Lauryn Hill reads from Fritz Fanon’s incendiary 1962 tome The Wretched of the Earth while rare, archival 16mm newsreel footage documenting the decolonization and liberation of Africa during the 1960s shows on screen. This new found-footage compilation is from the maker of The Black Power Mixtape. “A powerful and provoking take on a violent and volatile era.” –Empire. Cleveland premiere. Blu-ray. 88 min. www.kinolorber.com

 

Thursday, February 12, at 8:35 pm &

Sunday, February 15, at 4:30 pm

Provocatively Pre-Code

RED DUST

USA, 1932, Victor Fleming

Clark Gable stars in this sizzling tropical romance, in which the manager of an Indochina rubber plantation must choose between a wise-cracking, platinum-haired floozy from Saigon (Jean Harlow) and the classy wife of a young engineer (Mary Astor). From the director of The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind. On the Library of Congress's National Film Registry. 35mm. 83 min. Special admission $10; members and those age 25 & under $8; no passes, twofers, or radio winners.

 

NO EARLY FILM FEB. 13

 

Friday, February 13, at 9:15 pm

CONCERNING VIOLENCE

See 2/12 at 6:45 for description

 

Saturday, February 14, at 5:15 pm

Provocatively Pre-Code

MAN'S CASTLE

USA, 1933, Frank Borzage

Our Valentine’s Day presentation is a little-known gem that is one of the most romantic films ever made. (It has never been released to video or DVD.) Set at the height of the Great Depression, Man’s Castle stars Spencer Tracy as a fierce and fiercely independent laborer, currently out of work, who takes pity on a hungry, homeless young woman (Loretta Young) and invites her to share his Hooverville hovel, which becomes a loving refuge from an uncaring world. Director Frank Borzage was a master of lush pictorialism who also did not shy away from harsh realities. “A neglected masterpiece.” –Dave Kehr. 35mm. 69 min. Special admission $10; members, CIA I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $8; no passes, twofers, or radio winners.

 

Saturday, February 14, at 6:45 pm &

Sunday, February 15, at 9:00 pm

New Digital Restoration!

HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR

France/Japan, 1959, Alain Resnais

The first feature by the late Alain Resnais was written by Marguerite Duras and is one of the key works of modernist cinema. A French actress (Emmanuelle Riva of Amour) who’s in Hiroshima to shoot a pacifist movie has an affair with a Japanese architect. Their relationship dredges up sorrowful, guilt-ridden wartime memories for both of them. This groundbreaking film fractures chronology into a plaintive mosaic of words, images, music, and silences, but remains a moving love story. Long out of release in the U.S., it has now been fully restored and reissued. Cleveland revival premiere. Subtiles. Blu-ray. 90 min. www.rialtopictures.com

 

Saturday, February 14, at 8:35 pm &

Sunday, February 15, at 6:30 pm

50th Anniversary!

THUNDERBALL

UK, 1965, Terence Young

The fourth James Bond film finds 007 (Sean Connery) traveling to the Bahamas to recover two atomic bombs stolen by SPECTRE before eyepatch-wearing villain Emilio Largo levels an unnamed big city with them. Features lots of underwater cinematography, Oscar-winning special effects, and Claudine Auger. 35mm color & scope print! 130 min. Special admission $10; members, CIA I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $8; no passes, twofers, or radio winners.

 

Sunday, February 15, at 4:30 pm

RED DUST

See 2/12 at 8:35 for description

 

Sunday, February 15, at 6:30 pm

THUNDERBALL

See 2/14 at 8:35 for description

 

Sunday, February 15, at 9:00 pm

HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR

See 2/14 at 6:45 for description

 

FEBRUARY 19-24

 

Thursday, February 19, at 6:45 pm &

Friday, February 20, at 7:30 pm

LI'L QUINQUIN

P'TIT QUINQUIN

France, 2014, Bruno Dumont

A comedy from Bruno Dumont (Humanité, Hadewijch), France’s foremost proponent of miserablism and heir to the ascetic spiritual striving of Robert Bresson? Stranger things have happened, especially in Dumont’s miracle-laden movies. Li'l Quinquin, originally a four-part miniseries for French TV, is set in sea-swept, sparsely populated northern France (the rural setting of most of Dumont's films). There two provincial cops try to solve a series of bizarre murders while a mischievous moppet (li'l Quinquin) looks on. Cahiers du Cinéma named this the best film of 2014. “A wonderfully weird and unexpectedly hilarious murder mystery.” –Variety. Cleveland premiere. Subtitles. Blu-ray. 200 min. www.kinolorber.com Special admission $11; members and those age 25 & under $9; no passes, twofers, or radio winners. This film supported by a generous grant from Maison Française de Cleveland.

 

 

Saturday, February 21, at 5:15 pm &

Sunday, February 22, at 1:30 pm

Provocatively Pre-Code

FOOTLIGHT PARADE

USA, 1933, Lloyd Bacon

James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler, and Dick Powell star in this often risqué musical, about a floundering Broadway producer who decides to create spectacular “live” musical prologues before films at movie houses. Three (count ‘em) stupendous Busby Berkeley musical extravaganzas conclude the film. 35mm. 104 min. Special admission $10; members and those age 25 & under $8; no passes, twofers, or radio winners.

 

Saturday, February 21, at 7:20 pm &

Sunday, February 22, at 3:35 pm

See a Movie and Ride a Carousel!

STRANGERS ON A TRAIN

USA, 1951, Alfred Hitchcock

In one of Hitchcock’s greatest films, two strangers (Farley Granger, Robert Walker) meet by chance on a train and innocently discuss the idea of “exchanging” murders of a person each would like to be rid of. Then one of them follows through and actually does a killing—getting upset when the other refuses to return the favor! Because this funny, chilling masterpiece ends with a spectacular chase on a speeding carousel, all attendees will receive a coupon for a two-for-one admission to the Western Reserve Historical Society, 10825 East Blvd., home of the newly restored Euclid Beach Grand Carousel. Each WRHS admission includes two rides on their vintage merry-go-round. 35mm. 101 min. Special thanks to WRHS.

 

Saturday, February 21, at 9:20 pm

HOWARD THE DUCK

USA, 1986, Willard Huyck

The first Marvel Comics-derived theatrical movie of the post-WWII era was a critical and box office disaster. Produced by George Lucas and written by Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck (the three also collaborated on American Graffiti and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom), the film tells of a talking, anthropomorphic duck from outer space who suddenly finds himself in Cleveland. There he falls for a punk singer (Lea Thompson) and battles another alien interloper, the evil "Dark Overlord" (Jeffrey Jones). With the overwhelming success of subsequent Marvel movies and Howard's cameo in Guardians of the Galaxy (to say nothing of Cleveland's waning inferiority complex), now seems a good time to re-evaluate this infamous fiasco. With Tim Robbins. 35mm color print from the Universal Pictures studio archive! 110 min.

 

Sunday, February 22, at 1:30 pm

FOOTLIGHT PARADE

See 2/21 at 5:15 for description

 

Sunday, February 22, at 3:35 pm

STRANGERS ON A TRAIN

See 2/21 at 7:20 for description

 

Sunday, February 22, at 5:30 pm &

Thursday, February 26, at 8:55 pm

WHEN EVENING FALLS ON BUCHAREST OR METABOLISM

CÂND SE LASA SEARA PESTE BUCURESTI SAU METABOLISM

Romania/France, 2013, Corneliu Porumboiu

The sly new film from the acclaimed director of 12:08 East of Bucharest deconstructs the filmmaking process in the same manner that language was parsed in his previous Police, Adjective. It’s the tale of a young director shooting a movie (and a nude scene) with an actress he’s in love with, and consists of a series of long takes in which the two of them (and others) discuss food, actors’ motivations, film vs. digital, and much more. A 2013 New York Film Festival selection. Cleveland premiere. Subtitles. Blu-ray. 89 min. www.cinemaguild.com

 

Tuesday, February 24, at 6:30 pm

A Special Event!

Post-Film Bowling Party!

KINGPIN

USA, 1996, Bobby and Peter Farrelly

Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid, Bill Murray, Vanessa Angel, and Chris Elliott star in the Farrelly brothers’ hilarious follow-up to Dumb and Dumber, about a former pro-bowler with a real handicap (a prosthetic hand) who tutors an Amish tenpin prodigy in advance of an upcoming tournament. Blu-ray. 113 min. Kingpin will be followed by an hour of bowling at the swanky new Corner Alley at Euclid and Ford. Tickets for the film & bowling combo cost $18 ($15 members & CIA I.D. holders) and must be purchased at kingpin.brownpapertickets.com before Mon., 2/23. (Shoe and ball rental are included in price.) Film only tickets ($9, $7) can also be purchased, but only at the Cinematheque box office after 6 pm on 2/24 (cash/check only).

 

FEBRUARY 26 – MARCH 1

 

Thursday, February 26, at 6:45 pm &

Friday, February 27, at 7:15 pm

HUMAN CAPITAL

IL CAPITALE UMANO

Italy/France, 2013, Paolo Virzi

Winner of seven David di Donatello Awards (Italian Oscars) including Best Film, Actress (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi), and Screenplay, and Italy’s official entry for this year’s Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, this slick mystery thriller charts how a road accident links the destinies of two very different families—one of them wealthy capitalists, the other middle-class wannabes. “[A] class critique wrapped around a whodunit…[Blends] biting commentary with expert narrational skills.” –Variety. Cleveland premiere. Subtitles. Blu-ray. 110 min. www.filmmovement.com

 

Thursday, February 26, at 8:55 pm

WHEN EVENING FALLS ON BUCHAREST OR METABOLISM

See 2/22 at 5:30 for description

 

Friday, February 27, at 7:15 pm

HUMAN CAPITAL

See 2/26 at 6:45 for description

 

Friday, February 27, at 9:25 pm

Blade Runner x 3

BLADE RUNNER

USA/Hong Kong/UK, 1982, Ridley Scott

This weekend we show all three U.S. theatrical versions of Ridley Scott’s neo-noir sci-fi thriller that is set in Los Angeles only four years from now! We begin with the original 1982 version. Harrison Ford plays a weary ex-cop who is enlisted to track down four mutinous outer space androids who have come to Earth to meet their maker. Despite mixed reviews, this gorgeous, visionary work has become one of the most popular and influential movies of the past 35 years. With Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, and too many cult actors to mention here. 35mm. 116 min. See tomorrow and Sunday for the two other versions of Blade Runner.

 

Saturday, February 28, at 5:15 pm &

Sunday, March 1, at 6:30 pm

Provocatively Pre-Code

DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE

USA, 1931, Rouben Mamoulian

The best film version of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic tale—about a mild-mannered man of science who transforms into a homicidal monster—features stunning transformation scenes, Fredric March in an Oscar-winning performance, and artful cinematography by the great Karl Struss (Sunrise). With Miriam Hopkins and Rose Hobart. 35mm. 98 min. Special admission $10; members and those age 25 & under $8; no passes, twofers, or radio winners.

 

Saturday, February 28, at 7:15 pm &

Sunday, March 1, at 8:30 pm

MAGICIAN: THE ASTONISHING LIFE AND WORK OF ORSON WELLES

USA, 2013, Chuck Workman

Orson Welles was born 100 years ago this year, and we celebrate the occasion with a new documentary about the Promethean writer/director/actor by Academy Award winner Chuck Workman (Precious Images). Well known for his witty film-clip compilations that have enlivened many Oscarcasts, Workman here includes excerpts from almost every film Welles directed, even unfinished ones. There are also testimonials from Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Richard Linklater, Peter Bogdanovich, et al. “A lively and fresh retelling of the protean artist’s eventful life.” –Hollywood Reporter.” Cleveland premiere. Blu-ray. 94 min. cohenmedi.net

 

Saturday, February 28, at 9:10 pm

Blade Runner x 3

BLADE RUNNER: THE DIRECTOR’S CUT

USA, 1982/92, Ridley Scott

The main changes in the tenth-anniversary edition of Ridley Scott’s landmark movie are the removal of Harrison Ford’s voiceover narration, the elimination of the film’s “happy ending,” and the addition of a “unicorn dream.” See 2/27 at 9:25 pm for further description. 35mm. 116 min. See next blurb for a third version of Blade Runner.

 

Sunday, March 1, at 3:45 pm

Blade Runner x 3

BLADE RUNNER: THE FINAL CUT

USA, 1982/2007, Ridley Scott

The 25^th-anniversary edition of Blade Runner was the only one on which Ridley Scott had total artistic control. It restores footage that was cut out of earlier versions, and is the definitive edition of this cult classic to date. See 2/27 at 9:25 pm for further description. 35mm. 117 min.

 

Sunday, March 1, at 6:30 pm

DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE

See 2/28 at 5:15 for description

 

Sunday, March 1, at 8:30 pm

MAGICIAN: THE ASTONISHING LIFE AND WORK OF ORSON WELLES

See 2/28 at 7:15 for description