Cinematheque offers unique, offbeat foreign films
Preview of this week's Cinematheque showings
By Rachel Hanes, Staff Writer
March 9, 2008 | 8:46 p.m.
Arts for Ohio's Cinematheque always seems to come around when students are in most need of an entertaining break. This month to relieve students of their pre-finals woes, Cinematheque is presenting five free foreign films to provide an escape from studies and inspire some post-screening debate.
This month's featured European and Australian films are all from different eras of film. They range from an eccentric family drama (“Sweetie”) to a film about an androgynous, time-traveling Elizabethan (“Orlando”).
“Sweetie”
Aussi director Jane Campion is known now for her imagination and complexity, but she set this standard with her first feature film, “Sweetie,” an odd film that features peculiar characters and quirky visuals. The movie tells the story of Kay, a fragile woman who has a fear of trees that affects her in more ways than it should. When her boyfriend plants an anniversary tree for the two of them, her fear causes her to bring her romance to a halt. Her neurotic sister, Sweetie, later pays a visit and causes even more of a stir.
“Sweetie” has won several awards, including the coveted Best Foreign Film award at the Independent Spirit Awards and Vincent Canby, a writer for The New York Times, called the film a “dense, splendidly original” film. If this is any indication to its value, then it may be a suitable farce to see. The overwhelming amount of Australian influence and humor, however, might make it a tougher feature to sit through.
Showings: 6 p.m. Monday, March 10
Running time: 1 hour, 37 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
“La Strada”
This film may be one of the most important of the bunch, as it was the first film to win the Best Foreign-Language Film award at the Academy Awards in 1956. “La Strada” tells the story of Zampano, a rage-infused strongman who enlists the assistance of a naïve girl and joins a ragtag circus. The two have an interesting relationship that grows more intense when the girl, Gelsomina, falls for another character in the circus. Zampano is overcome with rage and jealousy, which makes his life even more dissatisfying and leads to dangerous ends.
The film tells what Roger Ebert calls “one of the most familiar in cinema,” but in a groundbreaking fashion from legendary director Federico Fellini, who later went on to direct such influential films as “La Dolce Vita” and “8 1/2." To see this film would be to catch a glimpse of movie history.
Showings: 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Mach. 11; 8 p.m. on Thursday, March 13
Running time: 1 hour, 48 minutes
Language: Italian with English subtitles
Not Rated
“Daughters of the Dust”
“Daughters of the Dust” brings things back onto American soil by telling the story of three generations of Gullah women hailing from the South Caroline Sea Islands during the early 1900s. The people of this area have preserved a West African community that was left in the area since before the state was emancipated during the slavery era. As the Gullahs begin to migrate, however, there is concern that all of this preservation will be lost.
This award-winning film, prized for its gorgeous cinematography, goes on to portray the conflicts that arise with letting go of the past and looking toward the future. While this picture may be an interesting glimpse at cultures within America’s borders, it is left to be seen whether or not it is an entertaining view.
Showings: 8 p.m. on Sunday, March 9; 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 12
Running time: 1 hour, 52 minutes
Not Rated
“Vagabond”
This critically acclaimed picture is, quite obviously, about a woman who adopts the life of a vagabond. The lead character, Mona, decides to abandon society and live as a drifter traveling through South France. In a documentary-like feature, audiences are shown through flashbacks and interviews what she experienced and how she met her demise.
The premise of “Vagabond” seems to parallel the recently released “Into the Wild” in that the character, who is fed up with society, decides to explore true freedom by letting go of the chains of societal living. These films meet so much acclaim from fans because one gets to see what true freedom is, which seems to not be as sweet as one might think.
Showings: Monday, Mar. 10 at 8 p.m.; Thursday, Mar. 13 at 6 p.m.
Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Language: Arabic and French with English subtitles
“Orlando”
As the most promising film at Cinematheque, “Orlando” tells quite as interesting story based on the book of the same name by the legendarily Virginia Woolf. Orlando, who is played by recent Academy Award winner Tilda Swinton (“Michael Clayton”), is a man commanded never to age by Queen Elizabeth herself. He follows through with her orders and even defies gender barriers by later living life as a woman.
Spanning from Elizabethan England as a nobleman to the 20th century in the role of “mom,” Orlando lives the life of multiple people. “Orlando” has been critically commended for its visuals and its intriguing, albeit somewhat absurd, story. In what promises to be an excitingly innovative feature, “Orlando” will surely bring Woolf’s novel to life and demonstrate the writer’s originality.
Showings: 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 11; 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 12
Running time: 1 hour, 33 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13
This month’s Cinematheque is featuring films that will surely provide a good (and free of cost) escape for those students who are burnt out by studying or for anyone trying to escape those winter worries for the small price of $4 per ticket.
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