Abbott:
This is the text of the attachment that you couldnt open:
CINEMA EXPLORATIONS 2019 SCHEDULE (Work in Progress)
1/12-13// RAMEN SHOP / UN TRADUCTOR
[1/19-20-Womens Protest March]//
1/26-27 WHAT PRICE HOLLYWOOD? / WILD STRAWBERRIES
2/2-3 HALE COUNTY THIS MORNING, THIS EVENING / RAFIKI
2/16-17 THE THIRD WIFE / EN EL SÉPTIMO DÍA (ON THE SEVENTH DAY)
3/2-3 (MJFF Film) THE WALDHEIM WALTZ (Austrias 2019 Oscar submission) /
THE INTERPRETER (Slovakias submission for 2019 Best Foreign-language
Oscar) / BUDAPEST NOIR / THE LAST SUIT /
[3/9-10-MJFF]//
3/16-17 ICEMAN/ SEARCHING FOR INGMAR BERGMAN / 3 FACES (by Jafar
Panahi)
From: cinemaexp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <cinemaexp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On
Behalf Of Nancy Meader
Sent: Sunday, November 18, 2018 7:07 AM
To: cinemaexp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [cinemaexp] Re: The Last Couple of Spots
Hi guys,
I recall being intrigued by the trailer for THE LAST SUIT.The old man
seemed to be a complex character and not merely a "survivor". I got the
impression that the film would be humane, but dark, darkly humorous, and
ironic. I didn't see any snow however
I'll be happy to see ICEMAN again. LOTS of snow there!
Corrupt politicians who are traitors?? NOOOoooo!
I can't open the attachments on this old DELL, so can't see the
listings. Nancy is not availible with her MAC - so I''ll simply ask that if
WILD STAWBERRIES should drop out of the running, why would we show the
"Searching for Bergman" film? The 100th anniversary. And we already had him
right there, albeit THE MAGICIAN, THE VIRGIN SPRING, or the seminal SEVENTH
SEAL would have been my own choices. Nevertheless, I'm always ready to go
with the flow - and that holds for whatever is fially decided. I enjoy the
process and sticking up for the great old stuff..
And that's about all I can say, except that I encourage anyone who has
never seen Cocteau's ORPHEE and LA BELLE ET LA BETE to do so, for your own
sake, on whatever device you can muster. The big screen is, of course, where
these films should be seen, but ......
Jean Marais, as the Beast, is the Ur beast in looks, granddaddy of so
many that have followed. And Maria Casares, as Death, and her hit men/angels
in ORPHEE are not to be missed. ORPHEE another precursor to so much in
cinema - perhaps especially as to the amazing special effects. (Brilliant,
and cheap! I stole some of them for films I made back when). I do get the
impression that Cocteau 's work has been somewhat forgotten lately, but it
has been immensely influential over time. I've seen most if not all of his
films, and these two are in my view his best, along with his seminal early
piece BLOOD OF A POET.
Eh, I used to hold classes on this stuff. Mi scusi! Avanti! A
----- Original Message -----
From: Joel Johnson <mailto:joel_johnson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: cinemaexp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:cinemaexp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, November 17, 2018 1:40 PM
Subject: [cinemaexp] The Last Couple of Spots
The finish line is in sight, but there are a couple of spots for which we
need to make final decisions. Hopefully, the accompanying list does not have
any major surprises. I would like your input for the final two slots.
After contacting Barbara Merson of the MJFF I did come up with a handful of
films for us to consider including in our series. There seemed to be a
mutually beneficial relationship that developed last year with our
opportunity to show 1945 and a bump in the attendance of last years MJFF
satellite screenings in Waterville. Unfortunately, we have not had a lot of
opportunity to discuss those films. Perhaps unfairly, I assumed that the
IMDb rating numbers and the status of being a Foreign-language Oscar
submission would make THE WALDHEIM WALTZ and THE INTERPRETER our best
options from that group of films and that everyone else on the team would
reach the same conclusion.
Bobciting a comment by Abbottquite explicitly challenged that
thinking. The revelation that the former UN Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim
had a history of involvement in the Nazi war effort while pursuing
high political office in Austria certainly does serve to remind us of
current politics. Do weand by extension our potential audienceneed
or want that reminder? Possibly notat least, that seemed to be Bob and
Abbotts thinking. While the film no doubt offers a lot of
granular details about the Nazi-Waldheim connection and the ensuing
controversy when it was exposed, this is not a story with which the usual
suspects in our audience would be unfamiliar. Waldheim had been a
world figure and this controversy was covered quite extensively by American
news media during the 1980s.
We have two films THE INTERPRETER (Slovakia) and THE LAST
SUIT (Argentina) that are basically road trips. Both have some picaresque
qualities to leaven the tragedy of men revisiting the horror and loss
that they experienced as victims of the HolocaustINTERPRETER having a
surviving son looking for closure on the victimhood of his parents
and THE LAST SUIT being a valedictory pilgrimage by an old man to fulfill
a promise to someone who helped him survive the Holocaust. Reviews of
both of these films have generally been favorable, but not without some
criticism.
BUDAPEST NOIR is a bit different in that it takes place before
the war. As noted there has been criticism of the film for its embrace of
the film noir genre. While last years 1945 was set immediately
post-war in a rural village, BUDAPEST NOIR takes place in a bustling urban
setting with a seamy underbelly. I read all the critic and user
reviews cited on the IMDb webpage. While there were some issues raised by
the critics, there were almost always nuggets of lavish praise (music,
performances, the recreation of the 1930s period, etc.) there as well. The
user reviews were quite favorable. The war and the holocaust are certainly
foreshadowed, but perhaps not necessarily the center of the action. I
know some of you have mentioned this as your personal choice, but Im much
more on board with this as perhaps our option.
Were you wondering where KLEZMER went? I read the four reviews
cited on the films IMDb webpage. While there seemed to be a recognition
that it represented an effort to contribute to the Polish reaction to the
holocaust, the film seemed to be found wanting and be disappointing. Barbara
Merson in discussing it with me labeled it as grim.
So what film would you like us to present in the fifth slot on
3/2-3/19?
For the final and sixth slot (3/16-17/19) I offer a choice between ICEMAN,
the doc THE SEARCH FOR INGMAR BERGMAN, and the Jafar Panahi film 3
FACES. This e-mail is probably long enough without revisiting everything
presented in prior e-mails. Personally, I like ICEMAN, but there are cases
to be made for each of the others. Perhaps ranked choice might be an option
here. My choices: 1. ICEMAN 2. SEARCHING FOR INGMAR BERGMAN 3. 3
FACES. Anyways, I hope we can have some clarity on this by the end of the
weekend.
Abbott did present a couple of older French films as possibilities in a
recent e-mail. Im a little bit leery about having more than one older
classic film in our series for reasons I have previously stated. Im
especially leery about putting something into consideration this late in the
process which has not previously been presented or discussed. Abbott, I hope
you will keep these films in your mind for next year. I (and I hope everyone
else) will try to do that as well.
Joel
