BMFI Fall Cinematheque Series 2008

BMFI Fall Cinematheque Series 2008
September ~ December

a
	YOU MUST REMEMBER THIS: THE WARNER BROS. STORY 1923-1949 Bryn Mawr: Sept 9 Tue 7:30 County: Sept 15 Mon 7:00 Ambler: Sept 18 Thu 7:00 WHYY co-sponsors this American Masters documentary directed by Time film critic and historian Richard Schickel that pays loving tribute to the first quarter-century of one of Hollywood’s most prolific and storied movie studios. This screening is a one-hour sneak preview of a threepart series, which will air on WHYY this fall. This screening is for theater and WHYY members only and is free.

	WHAT'S UP DOC? FILM SERIES
	THE HOSPITAL 1971 – USA – 1 hr 43 min – d. Arthur Hiller Bryn Mawr: Sept 10 Wed 7:30 BMFI is proud to partner with Bryn Mawr Hospital for the What’s Up, Doc? Film Series, in which our neighborhood hospital’s physicians offer an enlightening clinical perspective on classic medical films. The opening selection for this series is, aptly, THE HOSPITAL, the 1971 Oscar-winning black comedy starring George C. Scott. This film will be introduced by Dr. Anthony Coletta, General Surgeon and Head of the Medical Staff.
a
	AN EVENING WITH NFL FILMS PRESIDENT STEVE SABOL Bryn Mawr: Sept 17 Wed 7:00 Enjoy an evening with family, friends, and sports dignitaries as Steve Sabol, President of NFL Films, presents “How NFL Films Changed the Way America Watches Football” and becomes the third recipient of the Silver Screen Inspiration Award. This event is made possible through the generous support of Glenmede Trust Company. Please refer to our What’s New page at the front of our Previews for additional details of this exciting event.
a
	2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY 1968 – USA – 3 hr – d. Stanley Kubrick Bryn Mawr: Sept 18 Thu 6:00 The #1 film in this year’s AFI’s “Top Ten Science Fiction Films of All Time” list, Stanley Kubrick’s visually rapturous and intellectually provocative sci-fi classic continues to enthrall audiences forty years after its original release. This feast for the eyes and the mind is not to be missed on the big screen! This screening is co-sponsored by BMFI Community Partner, Cabrini College.
a
OPERA AT THE BRYN MAWR FILM INSITITUTE
	Bryn Mawr Film Institute’s fall program will include both a four-opera subscription series and a special live simulcast of La Scala’s production of Don Carlo. Featuring 5.1 digital sound, and filmed live with innovative cinematography, the operas include talks with staff from the Opera Company of Philadelphia. Visit www.BrynMawrFilm.org to subscribe to either the Wednesday or Sunday series. Tickets to individual operas will be available at the box office. Don Carlo tickets are not included in the opera subscription series. Four-Month Subscriptions: General Public $80 BMFI Members: Basic Levels $72 \| Producer and Up $65 Day of Show Admission: (Available at Box Office only) General Public $25 \| Members $22.50
a
	OPERA AT THE BRYN MAWR FILM INSTITUTE
	IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA Rossini – Conducted by Antonino Fogliani and directed by Bepi Morassi Performed at the Teatro la Fenice in Venice – Starring Francesco Meli, Bruno De Simone, Rinat Shaham, Roberto Frontali and Giovanni Furlanetto 2 hr 57 min Bryn Mawr: Sept 14 Sun 1:00 & Sept 24 Wed 7:00 Rossini completed all the music for The Barber of Sevile in less than three weeks. This “Opera Buffa”, which became a hit within a week, is one of the most performed operas worldwide, and certainly Rossini’s most famous and beloved. *All shows include one 20-min intermission.*
a
	DANCE AND FILM SERIES
	MEDITERRANEA Teatro alla Scala – Music by W.A. Mozart, G. Ligeti, and G.P. da Palestrinia Choreography by Mauro Bigonzetti – 1 hr 10 min Bryn Mawr: Oct 1 Wed 7:30 & Oct 25 Sat 11:00am As part of our Dance and Film Series, we are proud to present this beautiful ballet production from La Scala in Milan. MEDITERRANEA, which spans musical genres ranging from popular Turkish music to Ligeti, and from Mozart to archaic Grecian melodies, focuses on the gestures and moves in a refined balance between lyricism and pure energy. Tickets are $15 general admission and $12 for BMFI members.
a
	OPERA AT THE BRYN MAWR FILM INSTITUTE
	NORMA Bellini – Conducted by Evelino Pidò and directed by Federico Tiezzi Performed at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna Starring Daniela Dessì, Fabio Armiliato and Nino Surguladze 3 hr 01 min Bryn Mawr: Oct 5 Sun 1:00 & Oct 22 Wed 7:00 At 30, Bellini wrote NORMA. It became his greatest achievement and is now regarded as an example of the supreme height of the Bel Canto tradition. This production marked international star soprano Daniela Dessì’s debut in the title role, and the critics raved unanimously about her performance. *All shows include one 20-min intermission.*
a
	Filmmakers Joe Barber & Mary Patel ELECTILE DYSFUNCTION 2008 – USA – 1 hr 33 min – d. Joe Barber and Mary Patel Bryn Mawr: Oct 8 Wed 7:30 This whip-smart documentary uses the 2006 U.S. Senate campaign in Pennsylvania between Bob Casey, Jr. and Rick Santorum as a casestudy to explore how campaigns work in the media-crazed 21st century. Including interviews with Presidential hopeful Barack Obama, Al Gore, Elliott Gould, Ed Asner, Governor Ed Rendell, and many others, this film will be introduced and discussed by co-directors Joe Barber and Mary Patel.
a
	Found in the Making: Films About Self-Taught Artisits JAMES CASTLE: PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST 2008 – USA – 53 min – d. Jeffrey Wolf Bryn Mawr: Oct 15 Wed 7:30 James Castle was born deaf in 1899 in central Idaho. He refused to learn to read, write, sign, or finger-spell, communicating instead through the eloquence of his art. This film is a portrait of the artist’s life and creative process, as told by family members, art historians, curators, artists, collectors, and members of the deaf community. The screening will be followed by a conversation between director, writer, and producer Jeffrey Wolf and Castle estate manager Jacqueline Crist.
a
	WHAT'S UP DOC? FILM SERIES
	OSMOSIS JONES 2001 – USA – 1 hr 35 min – d. Bobby and Peter Farrelly Bryn Mawr: Oct 18 Sat 11:00 This imaginative live action/animated film is about a white blood cell by the name of Osmosis Jones (voiced by Chris Rock), who has to become a hero when the human body he inhabits (Bill Murray) is threatened by a deadly virus named Thrax (Laurence Fishburne). This Kids’ Matinee screening will be introduced by a Bryn Mawr Hospital pediatrician, and is part of our What’s Up, Doc? Film Series.
a
	THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM 1961 – USA – 1 hr 20 min – color – 35 mm – d: Roger Corman County: Oct 27 Mon 7:00 Bryn Mawr: Oct 29 Wed 7:30 Affectionately known as “the King of the B’s”, Roger Corman directed seven Edgar Allan Poe adaptations in the 1960’s, and few are better loved than this classic starring Vincent Price and Italian horror siren Barbara Steele. An unwitting young man travels to a foreboding castle to investigate his sister’s death, and becomes the uncomfortable guest (to say the least) of his maniacal brother-in-law. These screenings will be introduced by film historian and preservationist Lou DiCrescenzo.
a
	OPERA AT THE BRYN MAWR FILM INSTITUTE
	OTELLO Verdi – Conducted by Riccardo Muti and directed by Stephen Langridge Performed at the Salzburg Festival – Starring Aleksandrs Antonenko and Carlos Álvarez 2 hr 30 min Bryn Mawr: Nov 5 Wed 7:00 & Nov 23 Sun 1:00 Verdi’s last tragic opera, OTELLO, like Shakespeare’s play, is a shattering psychological drama. The new production for the Salzburg Festival is directed by Stephen Langridge, who in 2006 attracted attention with his production of Offenbach’s Bluebeard in Bregenz, who is joined by Riccardo Muti, one of the best Verdi conductors of our time. *All shows include one 20-min intermission.*

	WHAT'S UP DOC? FILM SERIES
	ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND 2004 – USA – 1 hr 48 min – d. Michel Gondry Bryn Mawr: Nov 12 Wed 7:30 Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich) won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for this enchanting and surreal love story about a couple who undergo a procedure that erases their memories in order to forget their painful, failed relationship. The surreal visual aesthetic of French director Gondry pairs perfectly with the metaphysically mind-bending style of Kaufman’s narrative. This film will be introduced and discussed by Dr. Samuel Tirer, doctor of Anesthesiology at Bryn Mawr Hospital.
a
	Filmmakers Guido Santi and Tina Mascara with Artist Don Bachardy CHRIS AND DON: A LOVE STORY Bryn Mawr: Nov 15 Sat 4:00 CHRIS AND DON chronicles the lifelong relationship between American portrait artist Don Bachardy and British writer Christopher Isherwood. Including interviews with Leslie Caron, Liza Minelli, and John Boorman, this film is a heartfelt testament to the power of love. The screening will be followed by a discussion with the filmmakers Guido Santi and Tina Mascara, and artist Don Bachardy.
sa
	DANCE AND FILM SERIES
	THE COMPANY 2003 – USA – 1 hr 52 min – d. Robert Altman Bryn Mawr: Nov 19 Wed 7:00 Anna Kisselgoff was named Chief Dance Critic of the The New York Times in 1977. Over the years, she has reviewed ballet, modern dance, folk dance, ethnic dance, tap dance, Michael Jackson, and at the 1988 Olympics, ice dancing and the rodeo. Join us at BMFI for an evening with Anna as she introduces THE COMPANY, Robert Altman’s unique ensemble piece about a ballet troupe modeled after the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, focusing on a young woman who is on the verge of becoming a principal dancer.
a
	SERENITY 2005 – USA – 1 hr 59 min – color – 35 mm – d: Joss Whedon County: Nov 24 Mon 7:00 Bryn Mawr: Nov 25 Tue 7:00 Ambler: Nov 26 Wed 7:00 One of the few comedies to win the Oscar for Joss Whedon’s futuristic science fiction/western follows the crew of a cargo ship as they battle forces in an intergalactic war. SERENITY brings a lot of heart and humor to this tale of outcasts who rage against the intergalactic machine 500 years in the future. (The Bryn Mawr screening is shown in conjunction with November’s Film Education course, Science Fiction: A Film Odyssey.)
a
	DANCE AND FILM SERIES
	BALLERINA 2007 – France – 1 hr 17 min – d. Bertrand Normand Bryn Mawr: Dec 9 Tue 7:30 & Dec 13 Sat 11:00am BALLERINA follows the destinies of five female dancers of the Kirov Ballet in St. Petersburg. Their lives intertwine to tell the story of today’s Russian ballerina, from her beginnings as a child in dance school to the peak of her glory on the world’s stages. In this intimate look at the lives, courage, disappointments, and triumphs of these women, this film unveils the vitality and uniqueness of the modern Russian ballerina.
a
	OPERA AT THE BRYN MAWR FILM INSTITUTE
	ROMEO ET JULIETTE Gounod – Conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin and directed by Bartlett Sher Performed at the Salzburg Festival – Starring Nino Machaidze and Rolando Villazón 3 hr 20 min Bryn Mawr: Dec 3 Wed 7:00 & Dec 28 Sun 1:00 Stage director Bartlett Sher (winner of this year’s best director of a musical Tony Award for his Broadway revival of South Pacific) makes his European opera debut with this production. The young French-Canadian conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin, music director designate of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, conducts for the first time at Salzburg.All shows include one 20-min intermission.
a
	OPERA AT THE BRYN MAWR FILM INSTITUTE
	LIVE! Opening Night of La Scala Season DON CARLO Verdi – Conducted by Daniele Gatti at Teatro alla Scala Starring Ferruccio Furlanetto, Giuseppe Filianoti, Dalibor Jenis, and Fiorenza Cedolins Bryn Mawr: Dec 7 Sun 12:00 Presented live via satellite from the most prestigious opera house in the world, La Scala’s 2008-9 season begins with Verdi’s Don Carlo, regarded by Verdians today as the composer’s richest, and possibly greatest work, with moments of overwhelming power and presence. Subscribers to BMFI’s opera series may purchase tickets to this performance at their subscriber discount. Visit www.BrynMawrFilm.org for more information.
a
	WHAT'S UP DOC? FILM SERIES
	MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION 1954 – USA – 1 hr 48 min – d. Douglas Sirk Bryn Mawr: Dec 10 Wed 7:30 Master of melodrama Douglas Sirk pairs Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman in this weepie about a spoiled playboy who is forced to reexamine his life and ultimately redeem himself when his thoughtless attitude towards others sets off a tragic chain of events. Also starring Agnes Moorehead. This film will be introduced by Dr. Steven Cohen, medical specialist of Hematology and Oncology at Bryn Mawr Hospital.
a
	OPEN SCREEN MONDAY AT THE BRYN MAWR Bryn Mawr: First Monday of Each Month 9:00-11:00pm Bryn Mawr Film Institute invites area filmmakers to screen their films at our theater. Just bring your film in DVD or VHS format, and we’ll run it on the BIG SCREEN! Admission, as well as praise (or criticism) from your peers, will be offered FREE of charge. This is an exciting forum for Philadelphia area filmmakers. You don’t have to be a filmmaker—come if you just want to see interesting local work.