BFS Program 2004
FEBRUARY
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Saturday 28 February
Great Comedy Moments (PGR),Ross McGinley, Britain 148 min 2001
A collection of some of the finest comic moments presented on British television from the fifties to the late seventies that were produced at the BBC. Starring a cast of many, there's Hancock, Marty Feldman, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, the Two Ronnies, Derek Fowlds, Nigel Hawthorne, Felicity Kendall, Richard Briers, Rowan Atkinson, Eric Sykes, Rik Mayall, Hattie Jacques and Michael Crawford, to name a few.... from programs such as "Blackadder", "Morecambe and Wise", "One Foot in the Grave", "The Good Life", "Yes Minister", "Some Mothers Do 'Ave Em" plus many more.
A Wedding (MA15+) Robert Altman USA 1978 121 min
Robert Altman's over-frenetic satire on American marriage rituals and hypocrisy conncerns the upper-crust marriage between Dino Corelli and Muffin Brenner. As the film begins, a senile bishop forgets the lines to the wedding ceremony and the groom's grandmother drops dead in an upstairs bedroom. This death is not disclosed to the two families who converge at the wedding reception. As the two sets of in-laws slam into each other, the bride and groom disappear in the ensuing whirlwind of chaos as both extended families vie for sexual favours and try to keep hidden never-discussed family secrets. As the other characters - a collection of sexual degenerates, hard-nosed radicals, drug addicts, alcoholics and raw-boned emotional wrecks - collide with each other, the wedding reception heads for its inevitable nuclear explosion.
Italian for Beginners (MA15+) written, directed Lone Scherfig, Denmark 2001 94 min
Adhering to the Dogme 95 manifesto, "Italian for beginners" is the first comedy Dogme film to emerge. The narrative revolves around the fortunes of several Danes living near Copenhagen. These consist of: Andreas, a lonely new priest; Olympia, a clumsy pastry-shop assistant coping with an abusive and mentally unstable father; Karen, a hairdresser who has to fend off her alcoholic brain-damaged mother; Hal-Finn, a cafe manager with anger management issues; Jorgen, a loyal friend of Hal-Finn's who forms a crush on Italian waitress, Guilia. These protagonists slowly overcome their woes and form meaningful relationships with each other, creating a mini-network of support, whilst also discovering several existing strains of interconnectedness. Written and directed by Lone Scherfig, "Italian for beginners" makes the most of its simple premise whilst gently probing the themes of family, relationships, love and romance, through a perspective that presages the absurdity of life. A thoroughly enjoyable lightweight addition to the rather grave Dogme canon
Sunday 29 February
Unforgiven (MA), Director Clint Eastwood USA 1992 126 min
Clint Eastwood's film is an exciting modern classic that rode off with four 1992 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Director. Eastwood and Morgan Freeman play retired down-on-their-luck outlaws who pick up their guns one last time to collect a bounty offered by the vengeful prostitutes of the remote Wyoming town of Big Whiskey. Richard Harris is an ill-fated interloper, a colourful killer for hire called English Bob. Gene Hackman is the sly and brutal local sheriff whose brand of law enforcement ranges from unconventional to ruthless. Big trouble is coming to Big Whiskey.
Monty Python's Life of Brian (MA), Terry Jones, Britain 1979 89 min
Iconic comedy from the Monty Python team, "The Life of Brian" ridicules Christianity, organised religion, politics, underground subversives and Jesus Christ. From birth, the unfortunate and guileless Brian is mistaken for the Son of God and haunted by his nearby presence as well as being hounded by his shrewish mother. The Monty Python crew each play numerous roles within the film, creating an anarchic madcap spoof of Biblical films and religious epics. With several musical interludes, including "Always look on the bright side of life" (sung at the crucifixion) the writers slay many sacred cows in the name of comedy. Blissfully sacrilegious and completely irreverent, "Life of Brian" was banned in several countries, but nevertheless garnered cult status and is regarded by many as the funniest of the Monty Python's feature films. Also features Spike Milligan and Beatle George Harrison, whose company produced the film.
4 March
Captain Celluloid Ep. 01 - The Master Duper, Louis McMahon USA 10-16 min
A modern spoof of an old time movie serial. Captain Celuloid hunts down the master Duper who has managed to copy an old negative of the film 'Greed' for his own financial advantage.
Newsreel Melbourne Cup 1896, Henry Walter Barnett, Australia, 1896 3 mins
This footage, together with that filmed on Derby Day, Flemington 1896, would appear to be the oldest surviving Australian film. The VRC Derby footage was filmed on October 31, probably as rehearsal for the more important Melbourne Cup footage of three days later (Nov. 3). The five shots in this film include the arrival of Governor Brassey and the finish of the Cup in which Barnett is to be seen actively 'directing'.
A Fish Called Wanda (M15+), written John Cleese, directed Charles Crichton. Britain 1988 104 min
The culture clash between the English and Americans is the subject of this offbeat romantic caper, written by John Cleese and directed by veteran Charles Crichton. The "Yanks" are Wanda (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her lover/partner in crime, Otto (Kevin Kline). The "Brits" are barrister, Archie Leach (John Cleese) and Ken (Michael Palin), a stuttering animal rights activist and criminal. A diamond heist brings them together, as they all attempt to confiscate the hidden loot behind each others backs. A romantic quadrangle adds to the fun.
18 March
Cinesound Review No.827 : The Voice of Australia 1947, 9 min
An edition of the weekly newsreel. In this edition: Australian dancing honours (jitterbug contest) ; From Hook to Cook (mobile fish and chips) ; Hairdressers' championship ; Boxing - Patrick v. Dawson.
Captain Celluloid Ep. 02 - Nitrate Fury, Louis McMahon USA 13 min
Silent parody of matinee serials about the evil exploits of a black marketeer in illegally copied films
The Player (?) Robert Altman USA 1992 123 mins.
A sharp critique of Hollywood greed and power, director Robert Altman hits nails on heads as this Faustian black comedy unfolds on the screen. This cynical story begins with Griffin Mill (Tim Robbins), a smarmy young studio executive who is being threatened by a disgruntled and previously rejected screenwriter. Griffin decides to take the law into his own hands and accidentally kills the writer. Will he get away with it? Whoopi Goldberg is hilarious as the unconventional detective investigating the murder, Greta Scacchi is strange and seductive as the dead writer's girlfriend and Peter Gallagher is truly slimy as the rising young star executive. The film also includes cameo appearances from sixty-five of Hollywood's biggest names.
1 April
Cinesound Review: No.1173 Australia, 1954 8 min
An edition of the weekly newsreel. Items: Doncaster and Sydney Cup; New liner Orsova arrives; Petrov sensation - scenes at Sydney Airport.
Captain Celluloid Ep. 3 - Satan Coffin, Louis McMahon USA 10 min
Silent short film parody of matinee serials about the evil exploits of a black marketeer in illegally copied films.
The Seventh Seal, Ingmar Bergman, Sweden, 1957 92 min
Ingmar Bergman's "Seventh seal" deserves its reputation as a benchmark in the lexicon of modern cinema. With striking imagery, captivating characters and deep philosophical arguments Bergman weaves a rich tapestry as only a master can. Set in the middle ages in the midst of the plague, Antonius Block (Max Von Sydow) is a knight returning from the crusades. When Death (Bengt Ekerot) appears before him he suggests a game of chess to forestall his fate. He travels to his home with an assortment of characters, including his atheist squire Jons (Gunnar Bjornstrand) and a troupe of travelling players. Despite it's metaphysical content "The Seventh Seal" also includes a heavy dose of Scandinavian humour.
15 April
A Fist Full of Dollars, Sergio Leone, Italy, 1964 97 min
The first true Spaghetti Western follows the exploits of a nameless drifter (Clint Eastwood) who wanders into a town torn apart by greed, corruption, and revenge. The clever, tough-talking gunslinger then plays the town's two feuding families off each other to his own benefit. As members of each family are planted in the ground, the gold in his pockets gets heavier and heavier.
To be followed by a discussion group at a nearby eatery.
29 April
Princess Margaret: this is your life British Movietone News, Britain, 1960 12 min
The life story of Princess Margaret up to her engagement in 1960. Uses newsreel footage of her childhood and of great occasions at which she was present; her enjoyment of social life; her decision to marry Group-Captain Townsend; the round of Royal engagements; her tours of the West Indies, East Africa and Mauritius; the first photograph of Her Royal Highness with her fiance.
Captain Celluloid Ep. 04 - Unmasked, Louis McMahon, USA,1968, 12 min
Silent parody of matinee serials about the evil exploits of a black marketeer in illegally copied films.
Anna Karenina Clarence Brown, USA, 1936, 96 min
A sumptuous Hollywood version of Tolstoy's classic novel. With lavish production design and magnificent cinematography "Anna Karenina" is a stunning example of Hollywood romantic cinema. The film eschews Tolstoy's detailed examination of Anna and Karenin's failed marriage, and it dilutes the author's condemnation of Russian society's sexual hypocrisy. But at its centre the film has the ravishing Greta Garbo. From her first appearance in close-up to her final tragic scene,
Garbo enriches the film with the grandeur and power of her screen persona.
13 May
Michael (Three to go) Peter Weir, Australia, 1970, 31 min
A dramatic story illustrating some of the contemporary problems of youth, the generation gap, conformity and protest. First part of the trilogy 'Three to go' by the Commonwealth Film Unit of Australia. (See also 'Toula' and 'Judy').
Blazing saddles, Mel Brooks, USA, 1974 89 min
The land at Rock Ridge is worth a fortune, but strictly off limits to outside investors as the townsfolk already own their land. The only option is to drive them out by sending in the roughest, leanest, toughest gang you can muster and appoint a sheriff who is ill equipped to deal with their arrival. The black sheriff realises that the situation is out of his control and calls on a professional, one of the jail's cons, who was also one of the fastest guns in the West. This is the overarching plot that serves as a vehicle for Mel Brook's lunatic brand of humour. Includes Madeline Kahn's Academy Award nomination performance in her Marlene Dietrich sendup.
27 May
Toula (Three to go) D. Howes, Australia, 1970 30 min
A dramatic story of the conflict between parents and children in an immigrant family in the effort to reconcile the Australian way of living with conservative European traditions. Third part of the trilogy, "Three to Go" by the Commonwealth Film Unit of Australia. (See also "Michael" and "Judy").
Jubal Delmer Daves, USA, 1956 96 min
Based on the novel by Paul Wellman, this is a loose reworking of Shakepeare's Othello into a western setting. Jubal Troop , a drifter given a job by his friend, a rancher Shep Horgan, makes an enemy of the range rider when Shep's restless wife, Mae, is attracted to the newcomer. Driven by jealousy, Pinky sets out to frame Jubal and plants in Shep's mind the suspicion that Jubal is carrying on with Mae. Wanting to hurt both Shep who she doesn't love, and Jubal who has spurned her, Mae untruthfully confirms Pinky's story. Shep goes gunning for Jubal and the heat of the Wild West is matched by the passions at Horgan's ranch, as anger turns to treachery...and murder.
10 June
Dust, Ivan Sen, Australia, 2000, 25 min "#FF0080">(From the play by Stephen Sewell?)
Five people come together on a dusty, desolate cotton field. Mick is young, white and angry at the world. His sister Amy is trying to keep it all together, not an easy task when Mick seems determined to screw things up. Leroy is afraid his future holds nothing beyond this life in the mirage of a dusty field. His best mate Lance works alongside him, more interested in Amy than chipping weeds. Ruby, Leroy's mother is the only one who notices when the uneasy sky forces the elements to merge. As a violent dust storm awakes, racial differences must be put aside as the five shelter in Leroy's car. Australia's history, black and white, is revealed as the storm unearths the secrets that lie beneath the surface of the land.
Dancer in the Dark (?) Lars Von Trier, Denmark, 2000, 134 min
'Dancer in the dark' is simultaneously an ode to the Hollywood musical, an experiment in digital filmmaking, and a wholly unique, landmark film in contemporary cinema. Selma works day and night to save money for an eye operation that will prevent her son from inheriting an eyesight condition that currently plagues her. What Selma lacks in vision, she makes up for in imagination. 'Dancer in the dark' is punctuated with extended fantasy musical sequences in which the drabness of the everyday is transformed into something fantastic, joyous, rhythmic and utopian. Things go from bad to worse for Selma. Loss of financial security and crude betrayal leads to murder, death and an overall Herculean sense of tragedy. Von Trier does many fascinating things in this film. He does so by juxtaposing documentary-style, almost 'home-video' footage, with extremely dazzling, technologically sophisticated, emotionally delirious musical numbers.
24 June
Pushpak, Singeetam Srinivasa Rao, India, 1987
This off-beat comedy is a genuine maverick in the context of
Indian cinema. It resists classification either as a 'Bollywood' entertainment
or an 'art' film. Hovering with considerable assurance between wordless understatement,
owing something to Jacques Tati, and the broader comic style of for example
Mel Brooks in Silent Movie, Pushpak was an unexpected success particularly
in the south of India. The story concerns an unemployed youth who finds an
inebriated man with the key to a five-star hotel dangling from his pocket.
The youth kidnaps the man, ties him up in his tenement room and proceeds to
enjoy luxury hotel living until a villain with lethally sharp knives of ice
enters the scene.
July 8
Accidents will happen Guy Richards, Australia, 1998, 20 min
In an attempt to pay his son's medical bills following an
unfortunate accident, a father (Brett Swain) sends in handicam footage of
Timmy's mishap into the reality show, "Accidents will happen". His wife (Anni
Finsterer) is bitterly disappointed, but makes the journey into the studio
with the family when they are in contention for a financial benefit. When
the production crew discover the faux accident has resulted in Timmy becoming
wheelchair bound, they send down an executive (Chris Haywood) to reneg the
claim and all appears to be lost. A timely tale about reality television that
featured as part of the St Kilda Film Festival and Touring Film Festival,
1999.
Surprise Night - Kevin the President, 2004
We have left this night a surprise for you. So come along
for the ride. You never know what might happen.
22 July
Donald's Crime (Donald Duck) Jack King 1945 8 min
A Donald Duck cartoon made at the peak of the series' popularity,
and an outstanding use of the medium to explore the psychology of guilt. Donald
Duck needs money to take his girlfriend, Daisy, to a dance, so he steals his
nephews' piggy bank. Tormented by guilt, Donald returns the money before his
nephews discover what has happened.
Bugs Bunny (Barber of Seville—Duck rabbit duck—What's
opera Doc?) 1988 61 min
Commissioned to commemorate his 50th birthday, this compilation
tape features the best of Bugs Bunny. The classic selection includes the hilarious
"Barber of Seville" where Bugs gives Elmer Fudd a shave he will never forget.
"Duck Rabbit Duck" where Daffy tries to convince hunters it is really rabbit
season not duck season, and the Oscar-winning "What's Opera Doc?" where Bugs
makes a beautiful Brunhilda. As this compilation of nine shorts prove, Bugs
Bunny is not only a comic character who has delighted children for decades,
but his cartoons also have a sly and anarchic edge that makes them equally
appealing for adults.
Sylvester the Cat, Friz Freleng 1950
A fabulous collection of classic cartoons featuring the
long-suffering Sylvester and his pint-sized, yellow nemesis, Tweety. The
complete program of cartoons includes: "Room and bird", "Hyde and go tweet",
"Catty cornered", "Aint she tweet", "Dog pounded", "Tweet tweet tweety",
"Home tweet home", "Tweety and the beanstalk", and "Tweety's SOS".
Metropolis (Manga Animation) Taro Rin (Rintaro) 2001 (PG) Japan (subtitled)
Combining traditional cell animation with state of the
art computer animation, Metropolis wildly re-imagines Fritz Lang's 1927
silent film of the same name. Based on the 1945 Manga comic by Osamu Tezuka
(Astroboy, Kimba the white lion), Metropolis conjures a dystopic, unspecified
future where a sprawling city becomes a battleground between the elite ruling
class and the subterranean dwelling robots, created to run the capital's
mammoth industry. A young boy named Kenichi and his detective uncle arrive
into this troubled city to investigate an underground organization whose
main agenda is to annihilate androids. As the cities citizens move closer
to total anarchy, Kenici befriends an advanced female robot who was created
for ominous dictator Duke Red in the image of his dead daughter. Director
Taro Rin and writer Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira) combine Lang's classic tale
(apparently Tezuka's original inspiration for the comic was a poster he
saw for Lang's Metropolis, subsequently writing the story without ever seeing
the film) with more contemporary works such as Ridley Scott's Blade Runner,
creating a visually spectacular hybrid of science fiction, film noir and
Manga comics.
5 August
Buffalo Bill and the Indians (PG) Robert Altman 1976 118 min
Sardonically explores the gap between western history and legend in show biz-obsessed America. Megalomaniac "Buffalo Bill" Cody assumes the legend created for him by writer Ned Buntline, aided and abetted by his producer and his publicist, perpetuating myths of white triumph over savage "Injuns" in his Wild West show, as audiences cheer him on and buy his merchandise. But when Sitting Bull joins the troupe with his interpreter, his request for authenticity threatens to throw a wrench into the proceedings. Regardless of how Bill may feel about the facts, he must bow to the preferences of the paying public. Cast includes: Paul Newman, Joel Grey, Kevin McCarthy, Harvey Keitel, Allan Nicholls, Geraldine Chaplin, Burt Lancaster, Frank Kaquitts.
19 August
Frankenstein (PG) James Whale 1931 69 min
A landmark in the history of the horror film, "Frankenstein", based on the gothic novel by Mary Wollestonecraft Shelley, drew heavily on
the traditions of German Expressionism to create a stark, shadowy world where the true monsters were more often in human form. Charged with the desire to
create life beyond the womb, Dr. Frankenstein (Colin Clive) constructs a man from body parts looted from freshly dug graves. The resulting "monster" (Boris
Karloff) is implanted with the stolen brain of a criminal, and jolted to life by a bolt of lightning. Dr. Frankenstein's triumph soon turns to tragedy when
his creation escapes and discovers that he exists in a world which he is not welcome. Pursued by an angry mob, the creature confronts his maker on a cliff
top, setting the scene for the dramatic ending atop a burning windmill. Boris Karloff helped to create one of the most recogniseable (and most imitated)
cultural icons of the twenty first century with his sensitive portrayal of the creature, and the film was memorable as a whole for its striking production
design, and Jack Pierce's masterful make-up. Initially on release this film featured a prologue, warning the audience of its potential to shock. Some
scenes were cut from the original film as they were deemed inappropriate for audience sensibilities of the time, such as the scene where the creature throws
the young girl into the lake.
Bride of Frankenstein (MA15+) 1935 James Whale 74 min
Using the device of a prologue in which Mary Shelley takes up her story, the monster and Frankenstein were resurrected at Universal's behest.
Although the threads of continuity in the plot are explicit, in tone this is not really a sequel but a macabre comedy, an excursion into the fantastic
which hovers between expressionism and surrealism. Karloff's monster is the only sympathetic character. The mad scientist, Dr. Pretorius, seems to take
over the evil presumptions of Frankenstein. As originally conceived, the heart of Frankenstein's bride, Elizabeth, was to have been implanted in the she-monster.
This makes more sense of the title and the she-monster's behaviour. Suggested by the original story written in 1816 by Mary Wollstonecroft Shelley.
2 September
The Adventures of Handyman Craig Salvin Australia 1995 4 min
A suburban damsel in distress with a blocked sink heralds
the arrival of Handyman - mild mannered and silver haired Reg O'Grady who
proves that super heroes don't have a shelf life.
The Herald Newsreel, Black and White, 1932. 10 min
Torment (MA15+) Alf Sjoberg 1944 93 min
The storyline of this film, although simple and straightforward,
reveals a beautifully observed and incise psychological drama, written by
Ingmar Bergman when he was 26 years old. It is the tale of sadistic teacher
in a cheerless and strict school who takes delight in exercising his reign
of terror over his Latin classes. One evening as final examination time
approaches, one of his students, Jan-Erik, goes to the aid of Bertha, the
newsagents assistant who is drunk in the street. They become lovers, but
Jan-Erik is aware of the presence of another man in her life who frightens
her. He finds Bertha dead in her room and on finding the teacher in her
hallway discovers he is the other man.
16 September
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Milos Forman
1975 133 min
Based on the novel by Ken Kesey, this wry film stars Jack
Nicholson as an inmate feigning insanity in an asylum. Nurse Ratchitt (Louise
Fletcher) a woman whose cool, controlled demeanour masks her own form of
insanity in the execution of iron-fisted control over her domain and all
who come under her care. The story is an allegory of an era. While the people
may seem crazy, it is the system which defines craziness, and by doing so,
it is the system which has problems; not those who suffer under it. Few
other films have made such a strong impression on repeated generations of
filmgoers, and few films will ever match the power and integrity of this
masterpiece. Winner of four 1975 Academy Awards: Best Director, Actor, Actress
and Adapted screenplay.
14 October
Desire, Emma-Kate Croghan b&w, Australia, 1992, 12 min
In this short film by Croghan, who went on to make her feature
debut with 'Love and Other Catastrophes', a series of classic film noir
tropes are cleverly strung together in a riveting 10 minute story. A lonely
laboratory worker becomes obsessed with a parcel which a beautiful and mysterious
woman has left on a train. Will the object of his desires yield pleasures
or tragedy? Winner Best Direction New Vision Films Award and Australian
Cinematographers Society Award, St Kilda Film Festival, 1993.
The Go-Between, Joseph Losey 1971 112 min
Based on L.P. Hartley's classic Edwardian novel. The screenplay
written by Harold Pinter is the story of lost love, youth and innocence. Spending
a long hot summer at a Norfolk stately home, a young boy becomes the misunderstood
carrier of love letters between an aristocratic lady and a local farmer -
a forbidden romance ending in heartbreak and tragedy for all. Cast includes
Julie Christie, Dominic Guard, Margaret Leighton, Michael Redgrave, Michael
Gough, Edward Fox and Alan Bates.
28 October
Film Australia's outback
A DVD with a selection of Australian documentaries and short
films. We will decide on the night which ones we will show. Come along and
live a little.
8:20
The Great Adventure, Arne Sucksdorff 1956 81
min
A classic study of man and nature in Central Sweden. It
is a simple story of the eternal symmetry of nature; a mother fox preys
upon a hen coop to feed her hungry cubs - the farmer preys upon the fox
- the farmer's dog chases a cub. In a second sequence two young boys rescue
an otter from a hunter, and care for it through the four seasons. A beautifully
sensitive evocation of the interdependence of animals and man's relationship
to them. Cannes Film Festival Award Winner, 1954.
12 November (Friday)
Last Picture Show (MA15+), Peter Bogdanovich 1971 117 min
Released to critical acclaim and public controversy, this
modern day classic directed by Peter Bogdanovich garnered eight Academy Award
nominations (including Best Picture). It was hailed as "the most important
work by a young director since Citizen Kane". A frank, bittersweet drama of
social and sexual mores in small-town Texas featuring a cast led by Timothy
Bottoms, Jeff Bridges and Cybill Shepherd in her debut role. Cloris Leachman
and Ben Johnson each won Oscars for their work in supporting roles. The characters
created by Larry McMurty in his compelling novel are vividly brought to life
in one of the most engaging coming-of-age stories ever filmed.
(The novel presents a similar poetic truth to that presented in the Bob Hudson
song, Girls in Our Town. (Margaret Roadknight does an excellent version
of the song.))
25 November
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (PG), John Ford
1962 118 min
John Ford's autumnal western is a surprisingly dark study of the
limitations of the masculine values that have underpinned his oeuvre of
western film. James Stewart plays an Eastern lawyer, Ransom Stottard,
who arrives in a small western town determined to espouse the rule of
law not the rule of the gun. But the town is being menaced by a
sadistic mob of bandits, led by Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin), who are
being bankrolled by rich cattle merchants who are opposed to statehood
and any ensuing limitations to their claim for land. Stottard's belief
in the calm rules of his legal profession is opposed to Tom Doniphon's
(John Wayne) belief that only a gun can stop Liberty's harassment of
the townspeople. Culminating in a breathtaking shoot-out at night, "The
Man who shot Liberty Valance" stands as one of Ford's most eloquent
films, one in which the rugged individualist ethos that he celebrated
in "Stagecoach" and "She wore a yellow ribbon" are shown to be in
perpetual conflict with the democratic demands of nationhood. The
performances by Wayne and Stewart are amongst those performers' best,
and they are ably supported by Vera Miles, Strother Martin (in one of
the few African-American representations depicted in the classical
Western genre), Lee Marvin, and in a small but cruelly effective role,
by Lee Van Cleef