The Valley Film Society
of
Saginaw Valley State University
2011-12 Season
2011
October 21
A Man and a Woman (France, 1966; Leloach, 102 min.)
Romance about a young widow & widower, one of 1960's most popular love stories. Excellence is due to: intelligent script, winning performances, innovative direction & camera work, music score. Won two Oscars and 10 other prizes.
October 28
The Fourth Man (Netherlands, 1983; Verhoeven, 104 min.)
Sexy, blonde widow picks up bisexual writer for a one-night stand. She might (or might not) have murdered her three previous husbands. Stylish dream vs. reality black comedy. Eroticism to spare.
November 18
Being Julia (UK/Canada/Hungary, 2004; Szabó, 104 min.)
Middle-aged, married actress in 1930's London has passionate affair with young man half her age, but when she learns that his true target is a young starlet, she plots a delightful revenge. Nominated for an Oscar, won 6 other awards. Annette Bening shines in the lead role.
December 9
Brassed Off (UK/USA, 1996; Herman, 109 min.)
Tiny English town & its coal mine face a bleak future because of possible mine closure; their only hope is for the mine band to win a music contest. This can happen only if flugelhorn player Gloria–a woman!!–saves them. Real coal mine band performs in the soundtrack.
2012
January 13
Elsa and Fred (Argentina/Spain, 2005; Carnevale, 108 min.)
After a 77 years old hypochondriac widower Fred moves to an apartment in Madrid, his daughter has an incident with his next door neighbor Elsa, an elderly widow. Later, Fred and Elsa meet, she seduces him, and romance follows. Won five prizes.
January 27
Iris (UK/USA, 2001; Eyre, 90 min.)
True story of noted British academic woman and her husband, from their first meeting as Oxford students until her death from Alzheimer’s disease, presented as a series of flashbacks. Judi Dench plays the mature academic, and Kate Winslet plays the 1950's student.
February 3
I Served the King of England (Czech Republic, 2006; Menzel, 119 min.)
An old Czech man just released from prison narrates his life by flashbacks: from train station vendor to waiter in upscale restaurants in the 1930's, striving to become a millionaire with his own hotel. WWII interlude, communism.
February 17
The Long Good Friday (UK, 1980; MacKenzie, 114 min.)
Terrific portrait of hoodlum rivalry in contemporary London. One of the best gangster films ever. Helen Mirren & Bob Hoskins star.
March 2
Smiles of a Summer Night (Sweden, 1955; Bergman, 108 min.)
An Ingmar Bergman romantic comedy set in the late 19th century that begins in the city but ends at a country estate. "A witty treatise on manners, morals, and sex." One of the finest romantic comedies ever made.
March 16
The Day I Became a Woman (Iran, 2000; Makhmalbaf, 78 min.)
Interconnected vignettes that depict women at three stages of life in Iran: a 9 year old girl is no longer allowed to play with boys; young wife is harassed as she participates in a bicycle race; an old woman inherits wealth and freedom.
The Day of the Jackal (UK/France, 1973; Zinnemann, 141 min.)
An assassin is hired to kill de Gaulle. His meticulous planning, travel to the assassination site, and close calls along his route form an exciting plot, in which he is pursued by France’s best detective. Beautifully filmed throughout Europe with a first-rate cast. ***½ by Maltin.
March 30
L’Innocente (The Innocent) (Italy, 1976; Visconti, 125 min.)
Lavishly mounted tragedy about a Sicilian aristocrat who has the tables turned on him by his luscious wife, whom he has chosen to ignore. Director Visconti’s final film is among his greatest.
April 13
Bride Flight (Netherlands, 2008; Sombogaart, 130min.)
A romantic drama that charts the lives of three Dutch women from different backgrounds, forever changed when they emigrate to New Zealand as war brides in the 1950's.
April 27
Water (Canada/India, 2005; Mehta, 117 min.)
Setting is in 1930's India at an ashram for poor widows. Action involves three widows: a child-bride widow, and attractive widow forced into prostitution to support the ashram, and a strong widow who is the moral center of the ashram.
May 11
All the Mornings of the World (France, 1991; Corneau, 114 min.)
Depardieu portrays Marin Marais, a 17th century French baroque composer, whose works abundantly ornament the film. This detailed historical biography was a smash hit in France, where it won many prizes.
The Cup (Bhutan, 1999; Norbu, 93 min.)
Two young Tibetan refugees, just arrived at a monastic school in India, conspire with other students to bring a TV set into the school so that they can watch the world cup match. Subtexts: spirituality, modernity, political struggle.