Cleveland Cinematheque announces Sept-Oct 2016 film schedule

[Press release from the Cleveland Cinematheque.]

 

A new digital restoration of Krzysztof Kieślowski’s celebrated ten-part 1988 film inspired by the Ten Commandments, the Dekalog, launches September and October at the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque.

 

Other series during the next two months include Another Nice Mess: The Restored Laurel & Hardy (two features and 12 shorts with the great comic duo); American Demagogue (five cautionary tales); and A Zulawski Halloween (four nightmarish films by the late Polish director, Andrzej Zulawski). There will also be a special appearance by actor Russ Tamblyn and a very rare screening of the 1959 film version of Porgy and Bess. Details follow.

 

All films will show in the Peter B. Lewis Theater at the Cleveland Institute of Art, 11610 Euclid Avenue in the Uptown District of University Circle. Unless noted below, admission to each program is $10; Cinematheque members, CIA & CSU I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $7. An added film on the same day costs an additional $7 (or the member price for that film).

 

Free parking for filmgoers is available in Lot 73 and the CIA Annex Lot, both accessed from E. 117^th Street. Cinematheque programs are supported year round by Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. September-October film programming has been generously sponsored by KeyBank.

 

For further information, visit cia.edu/cinematheque; send an email to cinema@cia.edu; or call John Ewing or Tim Harry at (216) 421-7450.

 

SEPTEMBER 2-4

 

Friday, September 2, at 7:30 pm

LAST DAYS IN THE DESERT

USA, 2015, Rodrigo García

Ewan McGregor plays both Jesus and the Devil in this moving, thoughtful film that explores Jesus’ human side. Leaving the wilderness for Jerusalem after 40 days of praying and fasting, Jesus meets and befriends a family in crisis. He and the Devil debate the fate of this clan, while Jesus questions his own future. Cinematography by three-time Oscar winner Emmanuel Lubezki. With Ciarán Hinds and Tye Sheridan. “A smart and beautiful meditation of fathers and sons (and the Father and Son).” –The Guardian (U.K.). Cleveland theatrical premiere. DCP. 98 min. www.lastdaysinthedesert.com

 

Friday, September 2, at 9:30 pm &

Sunday, September 4, at 6:30 pm

MICROBE & GASOLINE

MICROBE ET GASOIL

France, 2015, Michel Gondry

Audrey Tautou has a supporting role in the winsome new film from the French director of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It follows two teen runaways—puny “Microbe” and inveterate tinkerer “Gasoline”—as they embark on a road trip in a rustic, handmade motor home. “Four stars…A wonderfully touching film…It remembers the urgency of wanting to get older without growing up.” –Time Out New York. Cleveland premiere. Subtitles. DCP. 105 min.

 

Saturday, September 3, at 5:00 pm &

Sunday, September 4, at 8:35 pm

New Digital Restoration!

DEKALOG: ONE & TWO

Poland, 1988, Krzysztof Kieślowski

The first two of Krzysztof Kieślowski’s 10 films inspired by the Ten Commandments. #1 (“I am the Lord Thy God; Thou Shalt Have No Other God but Me”) is a powerful tale of scientific certainty and metaphysical doubt, about a professor who lets his son go ice skating after proving mathematically that the ice is safe. The second (“Thou Shalt Not Take the Name of the Lord Thy God in Vain”) concerns a married woman who is carrying another man’s child. Her decision about whether to abort it hinges on the fate of her critically ill husband, and she begs his doctor for a prognosis. Cleveland revival premiere. Subtitles. DCP. Total 115 min. www.janusfilms.com

 

Saturday, September 3, at 7:15 pm

Film Classics in 35mm!

Michael Cimino, 1939-2016

THE DEER HUNTER

UK/USA, 1978, Michael Cimino

Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Cazale, John Savage, and Meryl Streep star in Michael Cimino’s celebrated American epic that was partially shot in Tremont. It follows a trio of Pennsylvania factory co-workers who fight in Vietnam and come back changed. Winner of five Oscars including Best Picture, Director, and Supporting Actor (Walken). Breathtaking cinematography by the late, great Vilmos Zsigmond. Color & scope print from the Universal Pictures studio archive! Adults only! 183 min. Special admission $12; members, CIA & CSU I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $9; no passes, twofers, or radio winners.

 

Sunday, September 4, at 4:00 pm

THE IDOL

YA TAYR EL TAYER

Netherlands/UK/Qatar/Argentina/Palestine, 2015, Hany Abu-Assad

The new film from the two-time Oscar nominated Israeli/Palestinian director of Paradise Now and Omar tells of a Palestinian singer from a Gaza refugee camp who competes in the 2013 Arab Idol TV contest. Based on a true story. “Simply told but thoroughly captivating.” –Variety. Cleveland premiere. Subtitles. Blu-ray. 100 min. www.adoptfilms.com

 

Sunday, September 4, at 6:30 pm

MICROBE & GASOLINE

See 9/2 at 9:30 for description

 

Sunday, September 4, at 8:35 pm

DEKALOG: ONE & TWO

See 9/3 at 5:00 for description

 

SEPTEMBER 9-11

 

Friday, September 9, at 7:30 pm &

Saturday, September 10, at 9:40 pm

DON’T BLINK - ROBERT FRANK

Canada/France/USA, 2015, Laura Israel

91-year-old Robert Frank changed the face of photography with his 1958 book The Americans. His independent films Pull My Daisy and Cocksucker Blues are just as famous. Here the irascible artist opens up for a revealing full-length portrait of himself made by his longtime editor. Music by Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, et al. Cleveland premiere. “An impressive achievement.” –NY Times. DCP. 82 min. http://grasshopperfilm.com/film/dontblink/

 

Friday, September 9, at 9:15 pm

UNDER THE SUN

V PAPRSCĺCH SLUNCE

Czech Republic/Russia/Germany/Latvia/North Korea, 2015, Vitaliy Manskiy.

Ukrainian director Vitaliy Manskiy adeptly circumvents (and subverts) government handlers to paint an eye-opening portrait of a nuclear family in Pyongyang, North Korea, during the year that the 8-year-old daughter prepares to join the Korean Children’s Union on Kim Jong-Il’s birthday. It’s been called a real-life Truman Show. “A seemingly true—or at least truly revealing—record of faked reality.” –Village Voice. Cleveland premiere. Subtitles. DCP. 106 min. www.icarusfilms.com

 

Saturday, September 10, at 5:00 pm &

Sunday, September 11, at 8:30 pm

New Digital Restoration!

DEKALOG: THREE & FOUR

Poland, 1988, Krzysztof Kieślowski

Two more of Krzysztof Kieślowski’s 10 films inspired by the Ten Commandments. In #3 (“Honor the Sabbath Day”), a married cab driver spends the wee hours of Christmas morning driving around deserted Warsaw with an old flame, searching for her missing husband. #4 (“Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother”) is an exploration of parent-child relationships and a dissection of incestuous impulses, in which a young actress discovers surprising truths about her widowed father. Cleveland revival premiere. Subtitles. DCP. Total 115 min. www.janusfilms.com

 

Saturday, September 10, at 7:15 pm

Film Classics in 35mm!

50^th Anniversary!

THE FORTUNE COOKIE

USA, 1966, Billy Wilder

The 1965 Cleveland Browns can be seen briefly in this comedy classic, partially filmed at old Municipal Stadium. The film paired Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau for the first time. Lemmon plays a TV cameraman injured on the sidelines during a Browns game; Matthau (who won the Oscar) plays his wily brother-in-law, a corrupt lawyer who decides to bilk the insurance company for exaggerated damages. The great Billy Wilder (Some Like It Hot, Sunset Boulevard) co-wrote and directed this scintillating satire that skewers sacred cows and scores sardonic sociological points. Archival scope print! 126 min. Special admission $11; members, CIA & CSU I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $8; no passes, twofers, or radio winners.

 

Saturday, September 10, at 9:40 pm

DON’T BLINK - ROBERT FRANK

See 9/9 at 7:30 for description

 

Sunday, September 11, at 4:15 pm

THE WITNESS

USA, 2015, James D. Solomon

In 1964, it was widely reported that a 28-year-old New Yorker named Kitty Genovese was stabbed to death outside her Queens apartment while 38 onlookers did nothing to help. Genovese’s name became synonymous with “bystander apathy.” Fifty years later, Kitty’s younger brother Bill looks anew at this incident that transformed his life, condemned a city, and defined an era. This acclaimed documentary reveals the truth he uncovered. Cleveland premiere. DCP. 89 min. http://filmrise.com/

 

Sunday, September 11, at 6:30 pm

MEN GO TO BATTLE

USA, 2015, Zachary Treitz

Two inseparable brothers struggling to make a go of their crumbling farm in 1861 Kentucky find their lives dramatically changed by the Civil War. Zachary Treitz’s indie feature is both a remarkable piece of historical re-creation (especially on a low budget) and an auspicious feature debut. “A knockout!” –Village Voice. “An instant-classic Western.” –The New Yorker. Cleveland premiere. DCP. 98 min. www.filmmovment.com

 

Sunday, September 11, at 8:30 pm

DEKALOG: THREE & FOUR

See 9/10 at 5:00 for description

 

SEPTEMBER 15-18

 

Thursday, September 15, at 6:45 pm

HOMO SAPIENS

Switzerland/Germany/Austria, 2016, Nikolas Geyrhalter

The latest documentary from the Austrian maker of Our Daily Bread is another album of dramatically framed, emotionally fraught tableaux, captured with a static camera. Despite its title, Geyrhalter’s new film has no people in it. Instead of human beings, the movie depicts crumbling buildings, disused landscapes, and other places that have been vacated by those who lived and worked there and abandoned to the elements. This film’s stunning, haunting images evoke Anselm Kiefer, Andrei Tarkovsky, and every post-apocalyptic sci-fi film you’ve ever seen. “Instead of uncovering artifacts from long ago, Homo Sapiens shows us our own relics in the making.” –Village Voice. Cleveland premiere. DCP. 94 min. www.kimstim.com

 

Thursday, September 15, at 8:40 pm &

Sunday, September 18, at 8:30 pm

World War I + 100

THE CHILDHOOD OF A LEADER

UK/France/Hungary, 2015, Brady Corbet

Robert Pattinson and Bérénice Bejo (The Artist) star in the acclaimed directorial debut of cult actor Brady Corbet (Funny Games, Melancholia). It’s a period piece set in a French country chateau at the end of WWI, and it wears its cinematic influences (Welles, Dreyer, Haneke, von Trier, et al.) on its luxurious sleeve. Dark and dreamy (with a thunderous Scott Walker score), the film focuses on an angelic-looking seven-year-old child who proves a holy terror for his American diplomat father and German-born mother. His tantrums and power plays constitute a parable about the rise of European fascism. “Like nothing you’ve quite seen before…An uncompromisingly grown-up, intelligent, allusive cineaste experience.” –Screen Daily. Adults only! Cleveland premiere. DCP. 115 min. www.ifcfilms.com/films/the-childhood-of-a-leader

 

Friday, September 16, at 7:00 pm &

Sunday, September 18, at 4:00 pm

New Digital Restoration!

DEKALOG: FIVE & SIX

Poland, 1988, Krzysztof Kieślowski

Two more of Krzysztof Kieślowski’s 10 films inspired by the Ten Commandments. Both were expanded into acclaimed features (A Short Film About Killing and A Short Film About Love). #5 (“Thou Shalt Not Kill”) depicts two graphic killings: one by a young thug, the other by the state. #6 (“Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery”) focuses on a young voyeur’s love for an older woman who lives in an apartment across from his. Cleveland revival premiere. Subtitles. DCP. 121 min. www.janusfilms.com

 

Friday, September 16, at 9:20 pm

A Special Event!

Russ Tamblyn in Person!

HUMAN HIGHWAY (DIRECTOR’S CUT)

USA, 1982, Bernard Shakey (Neil Young), Dean Stockwell

Oscar-nominated actor Russ Tamblyn (Riff in West Side Story, Dr. Lawrence Jacoby in Twin Peaks, Son of a Gunfighter in Django Unchained) will answer questions after a screening of a forgotten 1982 comedy that he acts in and co-wrote. Because it was hardly released, it never became the cult film it deserved to be. (However, it might have inspired The Simpsons.) Set at a gas station and diner next door to a nuclear power plant on the last day on earth, this anarchic satire stars co-director Neil Young as both Lionel, a nerdy, dim-witted auto mechanic, and Frankie Fontaine, his rock star alter ego. Dennis Hopper, Dean Stockwell, Sally Kirkland, Mark Mothersbaugh, and Devo (playing workers at the nuke plant) co-star. Devo/Young performances include “Worried Man Blues” and “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black).” New digital restoration! Cleveland revival premiere. DCP. 80 min. Special admission $15; members, CIA & CSU I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $10; no passes, twofers, or radio winners.

 

Saturday, September 17, at 6:00 pm

A Special Event!

Russ Tamblyn in Person!

tom thumb

UK/USA, 1958, George Pal

Oscar-nominated actor Russ Tamblyn (West Side Story, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Twin Peaks, Django Unchained) will answer audience questions after a screening of one of his most beloved films! tom thumb is a musical fantasy, based on a Grimm fairy tale, about a miniature boy (Tamblyn) who is adopted by a woodcutter and his wife and soon exploited by two thieves (Peter Sellers and Terry-Thomas). Legendary fantasist George Pal (Puppetoons, The Time Machine) directed the movie, which won an Oscar for special effects and boasts songs by Peggy Lee and plenty of comedy and dancing. 92 min. Special admission $20; members, CIA & CSU I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $15; no passes, twofers, or radio winners. Allow extra time to park.

 

Saturday, September 17, at 9:00 pm

Mandel JCC Cleveland Jewish FilmFest

THE KIND WORDS

Israel/Canada, 2015, Shemi Zarhin

Nominated for 12 Ophir Awards (Israeli Oscars) including Best Film, Director, Screenplay, Actor, and Actress, this new comedy-drama follows an Israeli Jewish woman and her two dissimilar brothers as they journey to France to find their biological father. “I have only kind words for The Kind Words, an emotionally rich, beautifully textured family dramedy that touches on a wealth of interpersonal issues with buoyancy, charm and grace. It's one of the best films so far this year.” –Gary Goldstein, L.A. Times. Cleveland premiere. Subtitles. DCP. 118 min. Shown as part of the 10^th Mandel JCC Cleveland Jewish FilmFest. Special admission $11; members, CIA & CSU I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $8; no passes, twofers, or radio winners. Sponsored by Heather Ross-Lowenstein & Irwin Lowenstein. www.strandreleasing.com

 

Sunday, September 18, at 4:00 pm

DEKALOG: FIVE & SIX

See 9/16 at 7:00 for description

 

Sunday, September 18, at 6:30 pm

Film Classics in 35mm!

Abbas Kiarostami, 1940-2016

TASTE OF CHERRY

TA'M E GUILASS

Iran, 1997, Abbas Kiarostami

Contemporary art cinema took a major hit with the July death of Iranian master Abbas Kiarostami. His beautiful and sensitive films lit up the Cinematheque screen for three decades. We remember him tonight with the film that won the Palme d’Or at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival.  It’s a moving, minimalist masterpiece about a solitary man contemplating suicide as he drives through the hills outside Tehran in search of someone who will bury, or save, him. Subtitles. 95 min. Special admission $11; members, CIA & CSU I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $8; no passes, twofers, or radio winners. www.janusfilms.com

 

Sunday, September 18, at 8:30 pm

THE CHILDHOOD OF A LEADER

See 9/15 at 8:40 for description

 

SEPTEMBER 22-25

 

Thursday, September 22, at 6:45 pm &

Sunday, September 25, at 8:15 pm

PHANTOM BOY

France/Belgium, 2015, Jean-Loup Felicioli, Alain Gagnol

The latest animated feature from the duo that made the delightful, Oscar-nominated A Cat in Paris is set in New York City. A hospitalized pre-teen boy with the ability to leave his physical body and float unseen through the city teams up with an injured policeman to stop a criminal mastermind. “Reminds viewers of the intimate pleasures of drawn animation in an era of CG blockbusters.” –L.A. Times. We will show the English language version on Thursday and the French version with subtitles on Sunday. Audrey Tautou does one of the voices in the French version. Cleveland premiere. DCP. 84 min. www.gkids.com

 

Thursday, September 22, at 8:30 pm &

Sunday, September 25, at 4:00 pm

New Digital Restoration!

DEKALOG: SEVEN & EIGHT

Poland, 1988, Krzysztof Kieślowski

Two more of Krzysztof Kieślowski’s 10 films inspired by the Ten Commandments. In #7 (“Thou Shalt Not Steal”), a young woman abducts her illegitimate five-year-old daughter who has been raised as her sister by her mother. In #8 (“Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness”), an elderly university ethics professor is forced to re-examine her conduct during the Holocaust. Cleveland revival premiere. Subtitles. DCP. 113 min. www.janusfilms.com

 

Friday, September 23, at 7:00 pm

GCUFF Closing Night

FILM TO BE ANNOUNCED

This is the Closing Night Film of the 5^th Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival. Special admission $25; Cinematheque members, CIA & CSU I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $20.

 

Saturday, September 24

ART HOUSE THEATER DAY

Today is the first-ever Art House Theater Day, a nationwide celebration of the small, independently owned specialty film theaters that enrich many U.S. cities. Organized by the Art House Convergence (a consortium of independent, community-based, mission-driven movie theaters), this special day will be celebrated at the Cinematheque with three unique programs: a collection of recent French animated shorts and a two-part, three-film “Cahn Film Festival” (Edward L. Cahn, that is). Cahn (1899-1963) is best known as the director of scores of B-movies. But he began his career at Universal, where he made the “three shockingly grim and startlingly good films” (Imogen Sara Smith), which we will show. According to Smith, these three Pre-Code movies “form a kind of unholy triptych, three variations on the bottomless theme of American corruption and violence.” Film curator Dave Kehr, who recently programmed this trio of Cahn classics at MoMA, concurs: "Eddie Cahn's films are amazing. This guy was a major, major talent who just got washed out of the business because he was so far ahead of his time and so grim. They are just jaw-dropping…unbelievable." See below for details.

 

Saturday, September 24, at 5:00 pm

NEW FACES OF FRENCH ANIMATION

France, 2014, various directors

Eight of the best French animated short films from the 2015 Annecy International Animation Film Festival have been selected for this program by the festival’s Artistic Director. They reflect the diversity and excellence of French animation, and have subtitles when needed. Program includes: Alison, Yul and the Snake, Tigers Tied Up in One Rope, Sunday Lunch, A Slice of the Country, Rhizome, My Home, and In Deep Waters. Not appropriate for children. Cleveland premiere. DCP. Total 78 min. Admission $2; special thanks to Laurence Geannopulos, Cultural Services of the French Consulate in Chicago.

 

Saturday, September 24, at 6:40 pm &

Sunday, September 25, at 6:30 pm

Film Classics in 35mm!

(Edward L.) Cahn Film Festival

Pre-film Introduction!

LAUGHTER IN HELL

USA, 1933, Edward L. Cahn

Unavailable on video, this unforgettable Pre-Code classic has to be seen to be believed! Based on a hardboiled novel by Ohio-born writer and vagabond Jim Tully (1886-1947), Laughter in Hell is one of the bleakest and most unrelenting films of the Depression era. Set in Tennessee, the movie tells of a locomotive driver (Pat O’Brien) who gets sentenced to a brutal chain gang after impulsively killing his wife and her lover. Though the unsavory original ending was cut, the film still proved downbeat enough to get director Edward L. Cahn demoted to Our Gang comedies and scores of Poverty Row potboilers. With Gloria Stuart (Titanic). Print from the Universal Pictures studio archive. 70 min. Special admission $11; members, CIA & CSU I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $8; no passes, twofers, or radio winners. The film will be introduced on Saturday night by Paul Bauer and on Sunday night by Mark Dawidziak. Both men co-authored the 2011 book Jim Tully: American Writer, Irish Rover, Hollywood Brawler, which will be on sale at both shows.

 

Saturday, September 24, at 8:30 pm

Film Classics in 35mm!

Pre-Code Double Feature!

(Edward L.) Cahn Film Festival

LAW AND ORDER

USA, 1932, Edward L. Cahn

AFRAID TO TALK

aka MERRY-GO-ROUND

USA, 1932, Edward L. Cahn

Two-hard hitting Edward Cahn gangster classics from the Pre-Code era (the first disguised as a Western), neither available on DVD. Law and Order features Walter Huston as the screen’s first incarnation of Wyatt Earp (though his name is Frame Johnson). Johnson cleans up Tombstone and sweeps out the O.K. Corral in “one of the goriest exhibitions of shoot-em-down gunplay since the gangster and machine-gun era” (NY Times). Based on a novel by W.R. Burnett (Little Caesar), adapted by John Huston. Afraid to Talk, which Sister Cinema called “perhaps the most cynical crime drama of the era,” tells of a bellboy who witnesses a gangland slaying and reports it to the district attorney (Lewis Calhern). But the D.A. frames the kid for the crime because he too is on the gangsters’ payroll! Prints from the Universal Pictures studio archive. Total 144 min. Special admission $12; members, CIA & CSU I.D. holders, those age 25 & under, and those paying to see Law and Order $9; no passes, twofers, or radio winners.

 

Sunday, September 25

LAKEWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARY DAY

This year’s marks the 100^th anniversary of the Lakewood Public Library. To celebrate the occasion, anybody with a Lakewood library card will be admitted to any film screening today for the Cinematheque member price! Just show your card at the box office.

 

Sunday, September 25, at 4:00 pm

DEKALOG: SEVEN & EIGHT

See 9/22 at 8:30 for description

 

Sunday, September 25, at 6:30 pm

LAUGHTER IN HELL

See 9/24 at 6:40 for description

 

Sunday, September 25, at 8:15 pm

PHANTOM BOY

See 9/22 at 6:45 for description

 

SEPTEMBER 30 – OCTOBER 3

 

Friday, September 30, at 7:30 pm &

Saturday, October 1, at 5:00 pm

The Restored Laurel & Hardy

WAY OUT WEST

USA, 1937, James W. Horne

We begin our series of restored Laurel & Hardy comedies with the duo’s most celebrated feature—and their personal favorite! Stan & Ollie journey to Brushwood Gulch to deliver the deed for a gold mine to the daughter of a dead prospector. But they are duped by a dastardly saloonkeeper (James Finlayson), who gets his girlfriend to pose as the heiress. This classic features Stan & Ollie’s charming dance number “At the Ball, That’s All.” Cleveland revival premiere. DCP. 65 min.

 

Friday, September 30, at 8:55 pm

American Demagogue

NUTS!

USA, 2016, Penny Lane

Can implanting goat testicles cure male impotence and infertility? 1920s Kansas quack doctor John R. Brinkley thought so, and he got famous and rich by performing the operation and establishing clinics and hospitals in many states. He also spread the gospel of “goat glands” via the airwaves (Brinkley was a pioneering broadcaster and radio station owner) and eventually entered politics. But he was long dogged by doubting medical experts and government regulators. Penny Lane tells this bizarre but largely unknown American story with a snappy mix of animation, vintage audio and film clips, and interviews. “Ultimately, this isn’t a film about goat balls at all, but the willingness of millions to believe that some slick-talking demagogue knows more about what’s good for them and their families than someone with actual qualifications.” –A.V. Club. DCP. 79 min. www.nutsthefilm.com

 

Saturday, October 1, at 5:00 pm

WAY OUT WEST

See 9/30 at 7:30 for description

 

Saturday, October 1, at 6:25 pm &

Sunday, October 2, at 8:35 pm

New Digital Restoration!

DEKALOG: NINE & TEN

Poland, 1988, Krzysztof Kieślowski

The last two of Krzysztof Kieślowski’s 10 films inspired by the Ten Commandments. In #9 (“Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor’s Wife”), an impotent surgeon obsessed with his wife’s fidelity hates himself for spying on her. #10 (“Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor’s Goods”) is a darkly comic tale in which an inherited stamp collection upsets the lives of two impoverished brothers. Cleveland revival premiere. Subtitles. DCP. 119 min. www.janusfilms.com

 

Saturday, October 1, at 8:45 pm &

Monday, October 3, at 6:45 pm

SUMMERTIME

LA BELLE SAISON

France/Belgium, 2015, Catherine Corsini

Two women—one from the city, one from the country—meet and fall in love in 1971 Paris during the rise of feminism. Suddenly the farm girl is called back to her family home. Can their relationship survive in the conservative, closeted provinces? Cécile De France (The Kid with a Bike) stars in this luminous, sensuous romance. “Lovely, sultry…Celebrates erotic abandon but never loses its mind.” –Village Voice. Subtitles. DCP. 105 min. www.strandreleasing.com 

 

Sunday, October 2, at 3:00 pm

Film Classics in 35mm!

Special Guests & Post-film Discussion!

THE MAGIC FLUTE

TROLLFLÖJTEN

Sweden, 1974, Ingmar Bergman

Ingmar Bergman’s colorful, magical film version of Mozart’s fantasy opera is one of the director’s most beguiling and delightful films. Recounting the rescue of a princess kidnapped by a sorcerer, it’s a tale of love, light, and life triumphing over the forces of darkness, despair, and death. If you think Ingmar Bergman is all torment and suffering, think again. With Håkan Hagegård. Swedish with subtitles. 134 min. This film complements the Kent State University Museum exhibition “Magical Designs for Mozart’s Magic Flute,” on view in Kent from 9/29 thru 1/8. The screening will be followed by a talk back with KSU Museum Director Jean Druesedow and theatrical costume designer and show curator Judy Levin. Special admission $11; Cinematheque & KSU Museum members, CIA/CSU/KSU I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $8; no passes, twofers, or radio winners. www.janusfilms.com

 

Sunday, October 2, at 6:30 pm &

Monday, October 3, at 8:50 pm

LES COWBOYS

France, 2015, Thomas Bidegain

This homage to John Ford’s The Searchers is set in a contemporary France anxious about immigration and jihadism. When his teen daughter suddenly vanishes with her Muslim boyfriend, a French father enamored of American cowboy culture drops everything to embark on an epic quest to retrieve her. With John C. Reilly. “Critics’ Pick…A suggestive, almost abstract take on terror and the generational toxicity of bigotry.” –NY Times. Cleveland premiere. Subtitles. DCP. 104 min. www.cohenmedia.net

 

Sunday, October 2, at 8:35 pm

DEKALOG: NINE & TEN

See 10/1 at 6:25 for description

 

Monday, October 3, at 6:45 pm

SUMMERTIME

See 10/1 at 8:45 for description

 

Monday, October 3, at 8:50 pm

LES COWBOYS

See 10/2 at 6:30 for description

 

OCTOBER 6-9

 

Thursday, October 6, at 6:45 pm &

Sunday, October 9, at 8:20 pm

NEITHER HEAVEN NOR EARTH

aka THE WAKHAN FRONT

NI LE CIEL NI LA TERRE

France/Belgium, 2015, Clément Cogitore

The eerie mysteries of Picnic at Hanging Rock and L’avventura and the paranoid horror of John Carpenter’s The Thing are evoked in this haunting new supernatural thriller. Set in 2014 Afghanistan, the movie follows a French army captain on a surveillance mission in a remote valley who watches helplessly as his soldiers begin to mysteriously disappear. “Effectively spooky…Moves beyond the clichés of combat into troubling political and metaphysical territory.” –NY Times. Cleveland premiere. Subtitles. DCP. 100 min. www.filmmovement.com

 

Thursday, October 6, at 8:45 pm &

Sunday, October 9, at 6:30 pm

Film Classics in 35mm!

American Demagogue

GABRIEL OVER THE WHITE HOUSE

USA, 1933, Gregory La Cava

This Pre-Code, New Deal fantasy is one of the most bizarre political films ever to come out of Hollywood. Set during the Great Depression, the movie stars Walter Huston as a party hack elected President of the United States. After a car crash, this corrupt, do-nothing leader wakes up a different man. Disregarding the Constitution, he declares martial law, gives government jobs to the unemployed, unleashes the military on the Mob, and establishes world peace. FDR was allegedly a big fan. 87 min. Special admission $11; members, CIA & CSU I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $8; no passes, twofers, or radio winners.

 

NO FILMS FRI., 10/7

 

Saturday, October 8, at 5:00 pm &

Sunday, October 9, at 4:15 pm

The Restored Laurel & Hardy

LAUREL & HARDY SHORTS, VOL. 1

USA, 1932, James Parrott, George Marshall

Four classic shorts by the great comedy duo, all newly restored. Program includes: Helpmates, in which Ollie asks Stan to help him clean up after a wild party before his wife returns; Their First Mistake, in which Ollie adopts a child to pacify his angry wife; County Hospital, in which Stan visits Ollie when he’s laid up with a broken leg; and The Music Box, the Oscar-winning classic in which Stan & Ollie struggle to move a piano up a steep flight of stairs. Cleveland revival premiere. DCP. Total 95 min.

 

Saturday, October 8, at 7:30 pm

A Special Event!

Film Classics in 35mm!

Foster Hirsch presents

PORGY AND BESS

USA, 1959, Otto Preminger

Tonight the Cinematheque is proud to present the first American screening in nine years of Otto Preminger’s almost-impossible-to-see film version of George Gershwin’s opera Porgy and Bess. It’s never been issued on video or DVD and hasn’t even been shown on TV since the early 1970s, including TCM. Virtually a lost film, the movie is now controlled by the George Gershwin estate, which rarely allows screenings. But we’ve been granted one on the occasion of our 30^th anniversary this year, and because Dorothy Dandridge, the female lead, was from Cleveland. The rest of the black cast, playing residents of Catfish Row, is equally stellar: Sidney Poitier, Sammy Davis, Jr., Pearl Bailey, Diahann Carroll, and Brock Peters. One of the dancers is Maya Angelou. Nominated for four Academy Awards, the film won the Oscar for Best Score of a Musical Picture. It will be shown in a 35mm color & scope print imported from Europe. Porgy and Bess will be introduced and discussed by Otto Preminger biographer Foster Hirsch, who probably knows more about the movie than anybody alive. Hirsch, a professor at Brooklyn College, has written over 15 books on American cinema and the theater, and is an ardent champion of the film, which he calls “a sensitive, commanding interpretation of a great work.” Hirsch was instrumental in getting the film listed on the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 2011, and he also cleared the last public screening of the movie (in New York City in 2007), as well as ours. 138 min. Special admission $25; members, CIA & CSU I.D. holders, and those age 25  & under $20; no passes, twofers, or radio winners.

 

Sunday, October 9, at 4:15 pm

LAUREL & HARDY SHORTS, VOL. 1

See 10/8 at 5:00 for description

 

Sunday, October 9, at 6:30 pm

GABRIEL OVER THE WHITE HOUSE

See 10/6 at 8:45 for description

 

Sunday, October 9, at 8:20 pm

NEITHER HEAVEN NOR EARTH

See 10/6 at 6:45 for description

 

OCTOBER 13-16

 

Thursday, October 13, at 6:45 pm &

Sunday, October 16, at 8:35 pm

IXCANUL

Guatemala/France, 2015, Jayro Bustamante

This acclaimed new movie is a dreamlike depiction of the daily lives of Kaqchikel-speaking Mayans who work on a Guatemalan coffee plantation and live at the base of an active volcano. The film focuses on one family’s marriageable teen daughter, who is pledged to the plantation foreman but really loves a much younger coffee cutter. “A transporting, hypnotically beautiful debut feature.” –Variety. Cleveland premiere. Subtitles. DCP. 93 min. www.kinolorber.com

 

Thursday, October 13, at 8:40 pm &

Saturday, October 15, at 6:40 pm

Film Classics in 35mm!

American Demagogue

A FACE IN THE CROWD

USA, 1957, Elia Kazan

Andy Griffith (in his film debut) plays “Lonesome” Rhodes, an Arkansas drifter and singer who becomes an overnight radio/TV sensation. His quaint “country boy” charm soon gives way to amorality, ruthlessness, and an unquenchable thirst for power. This prescient fable about the dangers of mass media in American society marked a second collaboration for the director (Elia Kazan) and writer (Budd Schulberg) of On the Waterfront. With Patricia Neal, Walter Matthau, Anthony Franciosa, and Lee Remick. 125 min. Special admission $11; members, CIA & CSU I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $8; no passes, twofers, or radio winners.

 

Friday, October 14, at 7:30 pm

Two by Les Blank!

New Digital Restorations!

THE BLUES ACCORDIN’ TO LIGHTNIN’ HOPKINS

USA, 1970, Les Blank, Skip Gerson

A WELL SPENT LIFE

USA, 1971, Les Blank, Skip Gerson

Two blues classics by the late, great Amerindie filmmaker Les Blank. The first is a portrait of a Texas singer, songwriter, and guitarist who lived from 1912 to 1982. The second profiles Mance Lipscomb (1895-1976), a Texas sharecropper and singer who is regarded by some as one of the greatest guitarists of all time. DCP. Total 75 min. Co-sponsored by Roots of American Music.

 

Friday, October 14, at 9:05 pm &

Saturday, October 15, at 5:00 pm

The Restored Laurel & Hardy

LAUREL & HARDY SHORTS, VOL. 2

USA, 1931-33, various directors

New digital restorations of some memorable shorts by the immortal comedy duo. Program includes: Lloyd French’s Busy Bodies (1933), with Stan & Ollie as inept woodworkers; Raymond McCarey’s Scram! (1932), in which a drunk invites the duo to his mansion; Charley Rogers and Lloyd French’s Me and My Pal (1933), in which Stan must get Ollie to his wedding on time; and James Horne’s One Good Turn (1931), in which Stan & Ollie try to help a woman who feeds them during the Great Depression. Cleveland revival premiere. DCP. Total 80 min.

 

Saturday, October 15, at 6:40 pm

A FACE IN THE CROWD

See 10/13 at 8:40 for description

 

Saturday, October 15, at 9:05 pm &

Sunday, October 16, at 3:45 pm

MY KING

MON ROI

France, 2015, Maïwenn

Emmanuelle Bercot (Best Actress, Cannes 2015) and Vincent Cassel star in this tumultuous tale of amour fou, about a thirtysomething Paris lawyer (Bercot) who falls recklessly in love with a rich restaurateur (Cassel). This new film from the director of 2011’s Polisse co-stars Louis Garrel. “An energised romantic drama overflowing with humour and passion.” –The Telegraph (UK). Cleveland premiere. Subtitles. DCP. 124 min. www.filmmovement.com

 

Sunday, October 16, at 6:30 pm

New Digital Restoration!

BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB

Germany/USA/UK/France/Cuba, 1999, Wim Wenders

This beloved, Oscar-nominated film revived interest in Cuban music when the island was off-limits to Americans. The movie focuses on a group of legendary, old-time Havana musicians who were brought together for an album and a concert tour, in addition to the movie. With Ry Cooder. DCP. 105 min. Co-sponsored by the Tri-C JazzFest; film tickets $7 for JazzFest members and those with Tri-C I.D.’s. Thanks to Terri Pontremoli. www.janusfilms.com

 

Sunday, October 16, at 8:35 pm

IXCANUL

See 10/13 at 6:45 for description

 

OCTOBER 21-24

 

Friday, October 21, at 7:30 pm &

Saturday, October 22, at 5:00 pm

The Restored Laurel & Hardy

LAUREL & HARDY SHORTS, VOL. 3

USA, 1931-33, various directors

The peerless comedy duo stars in four funny two-reelers, all digitally restored. Program includes: James Horne’s Come Clean (1931), in which Stan & Ollie rescue a suicidal woman of questionable morals on their way to get ice cream; James Parrott’s Twice Two (1933), in which Stan & Ollie play both themselves and each other’s wife; Lloyd French’s The Midnight Patrol (1933), in which the two are clueless policemen; and George Marshall’s Towed in a Hole (1933), with Stan & Ollie as fisherman who buy a “fixer-upper” boat. Cleveland revival premiere. DCP. Total 81 min.

 

Friday, October 21, at 9:15 pm

KATE PLAYS CHRISTINE

USA, 2016, Robert Greene

In this meta movie that blurs the line between reality and performance, an actress (Kate Lyn Sheil) researches the role of Christine Chubbuck, a real-life Florida news reporter who killed herself on live TV in 1974, for a biopic that does not exist. (Chubbuck, from NE Ohio, attended Laurel School and worked for a time for WVIZ.) “Teasing, testing and vexingly brilliant…Pursues a more empathetic understanding of an inscrutable woman via the raw-nerved research process.” -Variety. Cleveland premiere. DCP. 112 min. http://grasshopperfilm.com/

 

Saturday, October 22, at 5:00 pm

LAUREL & HARDY SHORTS, VOL. 3

See 10/21 at 7:30 for description

 

Saturday, October 22, at 6:45 pm

Film Classics in 35mm!

American Demagogue

ALL THE KING’S MEN

USA, 1949, Robert Rossen

Winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture of 1949, this rip-roaring political noir chronicles how a backwoods Southern lawyer (Oscar winner Broderick Crawford) becomes a corrupt and despotic populist leader. Inspired by the life of former Louisiana

governor Huey Long; from Robert Penn Warren’s novel. With Mercedes McCambridge (another Oscar winner). 109 min. Special admission $11; members, CIA & CSU I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $8; no passes, twofers, or radio winners.

 

Saturday, October 22, at 8:55 pm &

Sunday, October 23, at 4:15 pm

WOMEN HE’S UNDRESSED

Australia, 2015, Gillian Armstrong

Three-time Oscar-winning costume designer Orry-Kelly (1897-1964) is the subject of this new documentary from the director of My Brilliant Career and Little Women. Born in Australia, Orry-Kelly was the most prolific Aussie Oscar winner until Catherine Martin (Baz Luhrmann’s wife). Orry-Kelly worked on 282 Hollywood movies, including such classics as Casablanca, An American in Paris, and Some Like It Hot (designing clothes for Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis as well as for Marilyn Monroe). With Jane Fonda and Angela Lansbury. Cleveland premiere. DCP. 99 min. www.womenhesundressed.com

 

Sunday, October 23, at 6:30 pm &

Monday, October 24, at 6:45 pm

FATIMA

France/Canada, 2015, Philippe Faucon

2016’s César Award (French Oscar) for Best Film went to this irresistibly moving tale about motherhood. Fatima is a divorced Moroccan woman living in France and cleaning houses to support her two teen daughters—one a first-year medical student, the other a rebellious high schooler. Despite struggles, intergenerational differences, disagreements, and embarrassments, these three immigrant women are all trying to find their place in an alien culture. “Warm and insightful.” –Variety. Cleveland premiere. Subtitles. DCP. 79 min. www.kinolorber.com 

 

Sunday, October 23, at 8:10 pm &

Monday, October 24, at 8:25 pm

TRAIN TO BUSAN

BUSANHAENG

South Korea, 2016, Sang-ho Yeon

What could be worse than snakes on a plane? How about zombies on a train? In this acclaimed new thriller, fast-moving flesh-eaters turn a bullet train hurtling through South Korea into the world’s longest dining car! Can a distracted, divorced, workaholic dad traveling with his neglected daughter summon the courage to protect her and help others? “The most purely entertaining zombie film in some time.” –RogerEbert.com Cleveland premiere. Subtitles. DCP. 118 min. http://wellgousa.com/theatrical/train-to-busan

 

Monday, October 24, at 6:45 pm

FATIMA

See 10/23 at 6:30 for description

 

Monday, October 24, at 8:25 pm

TRAIN TO BUSAN

See 10/23 at 8:10 for description

 

OCTOBER 27-30

 

Thursday, October 27, at 6:45 pm &

Saturday, October 29, at 5:00 pm

The Restored Laurel & Hardy

THE FLYING DEUCES

USA, 1939, A. Edward Sutherland

Stan & Ollie join the French Foreign Legion after Ollie is jilted, leading to countless troubles. This enjoyable feature includes the famous “Shine On, Harvest Moon” number. With James Finlayson. Cleveland revival premiere. DCP. 65 min.

 

Thursday, October 27, at 8:10 pm &

Saturday, October 29, at 6:30 pm

LITTLE SISTER

USA, 2016, Zach Clark

Perhaps the most acclaimed new feature at this year’s BAMcinemaFest in Brooklyn, NY, Zach Clark’s observant, wryly funny, compassionate follow-up to his 2013 Christmas comedy White Reindeer follows a novice nun (Addison Timlin) as she returns to her dysfunctional North Carolina family (and to her painted-black bedroom with its Goth trappings). She has come to help out with her disfigured Iraq-vet brother, just out of the hospital—and reconnect with her estranged mother (Ally Sheedy). “The best new movie I’ve seen this year.” –Village Voice. “An instant classic.” –The New Yorker. Cleveland premiere. DCP. 91 min. www.littlesisterthemovie.com

 

Friday, October 28, at 7:00 pm

A Zulawski Halloween

THE THIRD PART OF THE NIGHT

TRZECIA CZESC NOCY

Poland, 1971, Andrzej Zulawski

Andrzej Zulawski’s apocalyptic feature debut is a surreal, hallucinatory nightmare set during WWII. Partly inspired by his father’s experiences as a resistance fighter during the Nazi occupation of Poland, the movie follows a man who runs away after his family is killed by German soldiers. He eventually takes up with a pregnant woman who resembles his late wife. Adults only! Subtitles. DCP. 105 min. Special admission $11; members, CIA & CSU I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $8; no passes, twofers, or radio winners.

 

Friday, October 28, at 9:05 pm

A Zulawski Halloween

THE DEVIL

DIABEL

Poland, 1972, Andrzej Zulawski

Banned for 16 years due to its objectionable parallels to Communist Bloc Poland, this historical epic is set during the 1793 Prussian invasion of Poland. A crazed nobleman freed from prison by a mysterious, black-cloaked, Satanic stranger becomes even more unhinged as he wanders through a savage, chaotic, war-torn environment. The first of Zulawski’s all-out assaults on good taste and the senses has been likened to El Topo and The Devils, as well as to Hieronymus Bosch and De Sade. The move also drove Zulawski into exile. No one under 18 admitted! Subtitles. DCP. 119 min. Special admission $11; members, CIA & CSU I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $8; no passes, twofers, or radio winners.

 

Saturday, October 29, at 5:00 pm

THE FLYING DEUCES

See 10/27 at 6:45 for description

 

Saturday, October 29, at 6:30 pm

LITTLE SISTER

See 10/27 at 8:10 for description

 

Saturday, October 29, at 8:25 pm

Film Classics in 35mm!

A Zulawski Halloween

POSSESSION

France/W. Germany, 1981, Andrzej Zulawski

Shorn of over 40 minutes when first released in the U.S. (and banned outright for a number of years in Britain), this bloody, over-the-top exercise in Grand Guignol stars Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani as a married couple going through a traumatic break-up. Arguments and furniture-smashing soon give way to self-mutilation, killings, and sex with doppelgangers (and with a tentacled monster created by Oscar-winning F/X master Carlo Rambaldi of E.T. and Alien fame). Adjani won the César Award and the Best Actress prize at Cannes for her hysterical performance. “Five stars (highest rating)…A head-spinning masterpiece! ” –Time Out New York. No one under 18 admitted! In English. 123 min. Special admission $11; members, CIA & CSU I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $8; no passes, twofers, or radio winners.

 

Sunday, October 30, at 4:15 pm

American Demagogue

POINT OF ORDER

USA, 1964, Emile de Antonio

America’s most notorious demagogue, the anti-Communist bulldog and bully Senator Joseph McCarthy, “stars” in this subversive nonfiction film culled from 188 hours of live TV broadcasts of the 1954 Army-McCarthy hearings. The inquiry was to determine whether the U.S. Army had been pressured into giving special treatment to a former McCarthy aide, as it claimed, or was merely retaliating against McCarthy for his aggressive hunt for Communists in the military. This minimalist classic, with no added commentary, has more drama and fireworks than a dozen new action movies. DVD. 97 min. Special thanks to Dan Talbot.

 

Sunday, October 30, at 6:30 pm

A Zulawski Halloween

ON THE SILVER GLOBE

NA SREBRNYM GLOBIE

Poland, 1976-88, Andrzej Zulawski

Move over Space Odyssey, Solaris, Stalker, and Hard To Be a God. Make way for this Polish sci-fi epic that the late Andrzej Zulawski called his “murdered” masterwork. Begun in the 1970s as the biggest Polish film production up to that time, then halted by the Ministry of Culture because of its alleged subversiveness, the movie was finished (in a fashion) by the director in 1988, after the fall of Communism. The film is set on a distant planet that is colonized by Earth astronauts. Generations of their children forge a new civilization there, but revert to barbarism, warfare, and paganism while waiting for a messiah. “[An] ecstatic, image-drunk science-fiction fantasy…Among the most visually extravagant films ever made.” –The New Yorker. “Zulawski’s masterpiece.” –J. Hoberman. Adults only! Cleveland premiere. Subtitles. DCP. 166 min. Special admission $11; members, CIA & CSU I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $8; no passes, twofers, or radio winners.