October 8th 2015. Pick of the Day.
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Continuing series this day include Vittorio De Sica: Attore, Regista, Seduttore at Film Forum, Modern Matinees: In the Beginning at MoMA, and Hitchcocktober! at City Cinemas Village East. The moviola merriment as follows;
Film Forum
Vittorio De Sica: Attore, Regista, Seduttore
THE LAST JUDGMENT (1961) Dir; Vittorio De Sica
THE GARDEN OF THE FINZI-CONTINIS (1970) Dir; Vittorio De Sica
MoMA
Modern Matinees: In the Beginning
MAN ABOUT TOWN (1947) Dir; René Clair
BowTie Chelsea Cinemas
THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK (1987) Dir; George Miller
City Cinemas Village East
Hitchcocktober!
SHADOW OF A DOUBT (1943) Dir; Alfred Hitchcock
Today's Pick? Kinda hard to takes sides aganist the last day of the De Sica series, especially since I havn't shone the Kliegs its way too often. And the MoMA series continues all month and offers further opportunity to catch Clair's classic. So it's down to Hitchcock's masterpiece and the other screening tonight, but as I've routinely chosen the Hitch whence it screens I think I should go with a film perhaps not quite the masterwork as the Teresa Wright/Joseph Cotton vehicle, but one that rarely screens, a truly great film in its own right, somewhat of a then-departure for its director, a man who just recently unveiled what might wind up being this year's finest achievement. Before its release the filmmaker was known principally for propulsive action and potent iconography, creating one of the most famous film characters in the medium's history, known by monicker to those who haven't even see the films. In what seemed like a complete 180 he took on a sly suburban farce by none other than John Updike, and what seemed perhaps most surprising was how similar the autumn leaves of Rhode Island had in common with the apocalyptic Australian outback. The latter phrasing perhaps redundant. The director clearly had a natural grasp for narrative, character, tempo. He simply flat-out knew how to make a film, and was possessed of a singular voice in the process threreof.
What might be ultimately most fascinating about today's Pick is the arc its maker took from first film to latest, as regards the representation of women in film. He began with Max's wife, tough as nails but ultimately felled. He moved on to the Warrior Woman, who seemed destined for a deeper connection with Max but was also ultimately denied a fuller arc. Then came Tina Turner's Auntie Entity, the sole reason to watch that third entry in the original trilogy, so compelling a combo of character & perf she not only survives the film's events, she does so philosophy intact. Fast forward to last May, and Charlize Theron in what is surely to be regarded, if not already so, as one of the indelible action roles for an actress all-time. It's been a theme of the man's all along, but his first attempt at full-on focus upon strong female characters came with tonight's entry, a tale of otherwise subdued women living conservatively in a small New England town until they discover a secret power, and then find that power tested by the most malicious male stereotype imaginable. I'm talking Jack Nicholson literally playing Satan. It's funny, it's charming. it's inventive, and it seems to have fallen through the cracks lo these last 28 years. So for all these reasons I'm picking the Aussie take on evil nested in small town American suburbia over the Brit take on evil nested in small town American suburbia. Big Al'll understand.
George Miller's THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK unspools tonight at the BowTie Chelsea Cinemas as part of their excellent Classic Thursdays series. Having grown up in a sorta suburbia, it's all true. Every frame.
For more info on these and all NYC's rep film screenings in October '15 click on the interactive calendar on the upper right hand side of the page. For reviews of contemporary cinema and my streaming habits (keep it clean!) check out my Letterboxd page. And be sure to follow me on both Facebook, where I provide further info and esoterica on the rep film circuit and star birthdays, and Twitter, where I provide a daily feed for the day's screenings and other blathery. Back soon with new Picks 'n perks, til then safe, sound, make sure the next knucklehead is too!
P. S. The warmer, fiercer cuddle of the sun's sunnier disposition has begun its annual wane, but believe it or not some of our fellow NY'ers have still yet to be made whole in the wake of the 2012 storm. Should you be feeling charitable please visit the folks at OccupySandy.net, follow their hammer-in-hand efforts to restore people's lives, and donate/volunteer if you have the inclination and availability. Be a collective mensch, Stockahz!
