Friday Films at The Four Arts
January 4: Curse of the Golden Flower
2006, Rated R, 1 hour, 54 minutes; In Mandarin with English subtitles.
Directed by Yimou Zhang, starring Chow Yun Fat and Gong Li
Curse of the Golden Flower is an epic tale of lust and power that is set in the opulent world of the Later Tang dynasty. Based on a 1933 drama entitled Thunderstorm, by renowned Chinese playwright Cao Yu, this is the story of a wealthy man with a dysfunctional home life. In adapting the play to the screen, Zhang has swapped the 1930s for the Tang Dynasty and transformed the businessman into an emperor (played by Chow Yun-Fat.)
January 11: Mountain Patrol: Kekexili
2006, Not Rated, 1 hour 39 minutes; In Mandarin and Tibetan, with English subtitles.
Directed by Chuan Lu
Kekexili, the largest animal reserve in China, is home to many rare species, including the Tibetan antelope. During the past 20 years, poachers have slaughtered the animals, often hundreds at a time to make illegal shahtoosh scarves. In the 1990s local Tibetans formed a volunteer patrol to try to stop the illegal poaching—sometimes at the cost of their own lives. Mountain Patrol: Kekexili chronicles the life-and-death struggle.
January 25: The House of Sand
2005, Rated R, 1 hour, 54 minutes; In Portuguese with subtitles.
Directed by Andrucha Waddington., featuring Fernanda Torres, Fernanda Montenegro
Filmed entirely on the magnificent, sandy coast of northern Brazil, Áurea's saga begins in 1910, in Maranhão, where her fanatical husband has relocated his family to start a farm. Desperate and pregnant, Áurea (Fernanda Torres) longs to return to the city, but cannot traverse the dunes with her aging mother, Maria (Fernanda Montenegro) in tow. When calamity strikes, the two women find themselves stranded. Eventually, they settle among the shifting sands and Áurea finds peace. But her passionate daughter, Maria, longs to explore the world beyond the dunes. This profound portrait of passing generations has established Andrucha Waddington as one of the most exciting directors in Brazil today.
February 1: The Illusionist
2006, Rated PG-13, 1 hour, 50 minutes,
Staring Edward Norton, Jessica Biel and Paul Giamatti.
The acclaimed illusionist Eisenheim (Norton) has not only captured the imaginations of all of Vienna, but also the interest of the ambitious Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell). But when Leopold's new fiancée (Jessica Biel) rekindles a childhood fascination with Eisenheim, the Prince's interest evolves into obsession, and suddenly the city's Chief Inspector (Giamatti) finds himself investigating a shocking crime. But even as the Inspector engages him in a dramatic challenge of wills, Eisenheim prepares for his most impressive illusion yet.
February 8: The Lives of Others
2007, Rated R, 2 hours 17 minutes; In German with English subtitles.
Academy winner-Best Foreign Language Film
Five years before its downfall, the former East German government ensures its claim to power with a ruthless system of control and surveillance via the Stasi, a vast network of informers that at one time numbered 200,000 out of a population of 17 million. Remarkable and chilling “The Lives of Others” is a timely warning about governments that seek to repress dissent.
February 15: The Painted Veil
2006, Rated PG-13, 2 hours, 5 minutes.
Starting Naomi Watts and Edward Norton. Directed by John Curran.
Based on the classic novel by W. Somerset Maugham, "The Painted Veil" is a love story set in the 1920s that tells the story of a young English couple, Walter, a middle class doctor and Kitty, an upper-class woman, who get married for the wrong reasons and relocate to Shanghai, where she falls in love with someone else. When he uncovers her infidelity, in an act of vengeance, he accepts a job in a remote village in China ravaged by a deadly epidemic, and takes her along. Their journey brings meaning to their relationship and gives them purpose in one of the most remote and beautiful places on earth.
February 22: The Italian
2007, Rated PG-13, 1 hour, 47 minutes. In Russian with English subtitles.
Directed by Andrey Kravchuk starring Kolya Spiridnov and Denis Moiseenko
For most Russian orphans, the chance to be adopted is a dream come true. But six-year-old Vanya Solntsev has other hopes. After discovering that his mother is still alive, the abandoned boy teaches himself to read so as to learn her address from his personal files. Before a wealthy Italian couple can claim him for their own, Vanya sets off on a perilous journey to find his only remaining family. Pursued by orphanage staff and the police, the determined runaway must now face the most difficult challenge of his young life in this incredible story inspired by true events.
February 29: Marie Antoinette
2006, Rated PG-13 2 hours, 3 minutes. Please note: There will be only one showing of this film, at 2:30 PM.
Academy Award® winner Sofia Coppola directs an electrifying yet intimate re-telling of the turbulent life of history's favorite villainess, Marie Antoinette. Kirsten Dunst portrays the ill-fated child princess who married France's young and indifferent King Louis XVI. Feeling isolated in a royal court rife with scandal and intrigue, Marie Antoinette defied both royalty and commoner by living like a rock star, which served only to seal her fate.
March 14: The Namesake
2007, Rated PG-13, 2 hours, 2 minutes.
Directed by Mira Nair
Spanning two generations, two clashing cultures and two very different ways of life that crash into each other only to become lovingly intertwined, The Namesake is ultimately about the imminently relevant question: what does it mean to be an American family? In her most personal film to date, acclaimed director Mira Nair (Vanity Fair, Monsoon Wedding) brings to the screen a poignant and transporting version of Jhumpa Lahiri's best-selling novel, which won reader's hearts across the world with its exploration of the ties that can both tangle and bind global families as they brave the modern vicissitudes of change, conflict and disaster.
March 21: The Valet
2007, Rated PG-13, 2 hours, 5 minutes; In French with English subtitles.
Directed by Francis Veber starring Gad Elmaleh, Daniel Auteuil, in color
When billionaire Pierre Levasseur is snapped by a photographer with his dazzling, supermodel mistress, he tries to avoid a catastrophic divorce by coming up with an outragreous lie. He asserts to his wife that a third person, a parking valet named François Pignon, was in fact with his mistress. To back up his lie, Pierre must convince the overly beautiful mistess to go live with the valet, with comical results.
March 28: Amazing Grace
2007, Rated PG, 1 hour, 49 minutes.
Directed by Michael Apted, starring Albert Finney, Ioan Gruffud and Nicholas Farrell.
Based on the true tale of the 18th-century British politician William Wilberforce (Ioan Gruffudd,) who is torn between politics and the church. Wilberforce is inspired to action by John Newton (Albert Finney), a penitent monk who is haunted by his past as a slave-ship captain. Wilberforce makes it his mission to end slavery in the British Empire, and, aided by a small band of radical thinkers and unlikely supporters; he annually presents a bill for abolition to Parliament.
April 4: Avenue Montaigne
2007, Rated PG-13, 1 hour, 47 minutes; In French with English subtitles.
Directed by Danièle Thompson starring Cecile de France and Claude Brasseur.
Catherine is a hugely popular soap opera star who wonders if her work has any value or meaning. Jean-Francois, a piano prodigy with an international reputation, just wants to be alone. Jacques is an art connoisseur, who has amassed an extraordinary art collection, but is selling it all. Three people whose lives are defined by art cross paths at a café where they are waited on by Jessica, a wide-eyed and innocent waitress who recently arrived in Paris on her own quest for fame and fortune. Reminiscent of such fine French films as Look at Me and Va Savoir, Avenue Montaigne features unique characters, excellent acting, and fun and fascinating talk about art, music, theater, food, and other cultural delights.
Sunday Films at the Four Arts
All shows begin at 2:30. Admission is free!
Sunday January 27 Fernando Botero: The Rebel
2001, Not Rated, 52 minutes
Fernando Botero: The Rebel is an insightful and engaging film that invites us into the world of Latin America’s most celebrated artist. We learn about his childhood in Medellín, his first drawings, his journeys to Europe, his triumphs in New York, and his thoughts on life, art, and being Fernando Botero.
Sunday February 10 The Rotund World of Fernando Botero
1994, Not Rated, 56 minutes
This film is both a tribute to Fernando Botero’s work and an insight into the life of this popular painter and sculptor. Botero proves to be persuasive and charming, someone who despite all the international acclaim is still happiest when working in his studio near Bogota in Columbia. In the course of the film, he recalls his early life in Medellin, his subsequent travels to Spain and Italy and his time in New York, where he managed to win the support of a few discerning purchasers and eventually penetrated the hallowed portals of MOMA, the shrine of modern art.
Sunday April 6 Raoul Dufy: Painter and Decorator
1987, Not Rated, 54 minutes
Whether the scene is the Henley Regatta, the yachts of Deauville, or the casinos and promenades of Cannes, the works of Raul Dufy capture all the color and excitement of the moment. His work, however, is not limited to paintings of people at play. Dufy chose to explore design in other mediums, such as ceramics, wall hangings and furniture design – some of the exquisite dress fabrics he designed for Paul Poiret in the 1920’s are still produced today. Discover why Dufy’s design influence is still very much alive, and why many consider him a painter of genius, ranking alongside Matisse and Leger.
Shows at 2:30, 5:15 and 8 PM in the Walter S. Gubelmann Auditorium.
Admission: $3. Free for members with membership card.
January 4: Curse of the Golden Flower
2006, Rated R, 1 hour, 54 minutes; In Mandarin with English subtitles.
Directed by Yimou Zhang, starring Chow Yun Fat and Gong Li
Curse of the Golden Flower is an epic tale of lust and power that is set in the opulent world of the Later Tang dynasty. Based on a 1933 drama entitled Thunderstorm, by renowned Chinese playwright Cao Yu, this is the story of a wealthy man with a dysfunctional home life. In adapting the play to the screen, Zhang has swapped the 1930s for the Tang Dynasty and transformed the businessman into an emperor (played by Chow Yun-Fat.)
January 11: Mountain Patrol: Kekexili
2006, Not Rated, 1 hour 39 minutes; In Mandarin and Tibetan, with English subtitles.
Directed by Chuan Lu
Kekexili, the largest animal reserve in China, is home to many rare species, including the Tibetan antelope. During the past 20 years, poachers have slaughtered the animals, often hundreds at a time to make illegal shahtoosh scarves. In the 1990s local Tibetans formed a volunteer patrol to try to stop the illegal poaching—sometimes at the cost of their own lives. Mountain Patrol: Kekexili chronicles the life-and-death struggle.
January 25: The House of Sand
2005, Rated R, 1 hour, 54 minutes; In Portuguese with subtitles.
Directed by Andrucha Waddington., featuring Fernanda Torres, Fernanda Montenegro
Filmed entirely on the magnificent, sandy coast of northern Brazil, Áurea's saga begins in 1910, in Maranhão, where her fanatical husband has relocated his family to start a farm. Desperate and pregnant, Áurea (Fernanda Torres) longs to return to the city, but cannot traverse the dunes with her aging mother, Maria (Fernanda Montenegro) in tow. When calamity strikes, the two women find themselves stranded. Eventually, they settle among the shifting sands and Áurea finds peace. But her passionate daughter, Maria, longs to explore the world beyond the dunes. This profound portrait of passing generations has established Andrucha Waddington as one of the most exciting directors in Brazil today.
February 1: The Illusionist
2006, Rated PG-13, 1 hour, 50 minutes,
Staring Edward Norton, Jessica Biel and Paul Giamatti.
The acclaimed illusionist Eisenheim (Norton) has not only captured the imaginations of all of Vienna, but also the interest of the ambitious Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell). But when Leopold's new fiancée (Jessica Biel) rekindles a childhood fascination with Eisenheim, the Prince's interest evolves into obsession, and suddenly the city's Chief Inspector (Giamatti) finds himself investigating a shocking crime. But even as the Inspector engages him in a dramatic challenge of wills, Eisenheim prepares for his most impressive illusion yet.
February 8: The Lives of Others
2007, Rated R, 2 hours 17 minutes; In German with English subtitles.
Academy winner-Best Foreign Language Film
Five years before its downfall, the former East German government ensures its claim to power with a ruthless system of control and surveillance via the Stasi, a vast network of informers that at one time numbered 200,000 out of a population of 17 million. Remarkable and chilling “The Lives of Others” is a timely warning about governments that seek to repress dissent.
February 15: The Painted Veil
2006, Rated PG-13, 2 hours, 5 minutes.
Starting Naomi Watts and Edward Norton. Directed by John Curran.
Based on the classic novel by W. Somerset Maugham, "The Painted Veil" is a love story set in the 1920s that tells the story of a young English couple, Walter, a middle class doctor and Kitty, an upper-class woman, who get married for the wrong reasons and relocate to Shanghai, where she falls in love with someone else. When he uncovers her infidelity, in an act of vengeance, he accepts a job in a remote village in China ravaged by a deadly epidemic, and takes her along. Their journey brings meaning to their relationship and gives them purpose in one of the most remote and beautiful places on earth.
February 22: The Italian
2007, Rated PG-13, 1 hour, 47 minutes. In Russian with English subtitles.
Directed by Andrey Kravchuk starring Kolya Spiridnov and Denis Moiseenko
For most Russian orphans, the chance to be adopted is a dream come true. But six-year-old Vanya Solntsev has other hopes. After discovering that his mother is still alive, the abandoned boy teaches himself to read so as to learn her address from his personal files. Before a wealthy Italian couple can claim him for their own, Vanya sets off on a perilous journey to find his only remaining family. Pursued by orphanage staff and the police, the determined runaway must now face the most difficult challenge of his young life in this incredible story inspired by true events.
February 29: Marie Antoinette
2006, Rated PG-13 2 hours, 3 minutes. Please note: There will be only one showing of this film, at 2:30 PM.
Academy Award® winner Sofia Coppola directs an electrifying yet intimate re-telling of the turbulent life of history's favorite villainess, Marie Antoinette. Kirsten Dunst portrays the ill-fated child princess who married France's young and indifferent King Louis XVI. Feeling isolated in a royal court rife with scandal and intrigue, Marie Antoinette defied both royalty and commoner by living like a rock star, which served only to seal her fate.
March 14: The Namesake
2007, Rated PG-13, 2 hours, 2 minutes.
Directed by Mira Nair
Spanning two generations, two clashing cultures and two very different ways of life that crash into each other only to become lovingly intertwined, The Namesake is ultimately about the imminently relevant question: what does it mean to be an American family? In her most personal film to date, acclaimed director Mira Nair (Vanity Fair, Monsoon Wedding) brings to the screen a poignant and transporting version of Jhumpa Lahiri's best-selling novel, which won reader's hearts across the world with its exploration of the ties that can both tangle and bind global families as they brave the modern vicissitudes of change, conflict and disaster.
March 21: The Valet
2007, Rated PG-13, 2 hours, 5 minutes; In French with English subtitles.
Directed by Francis Veber starring Gad Elmaleh, Daniel Auteuil, in color
When billionaire Pierre Levasseur is snapped by a photographer with his dazzling, supermodel mistress, he tries to avoid a catastrophic divorce by coming up with an outragreous lie. He asserts to his wife that a third person, a parking valet named François Pignon, was in fact with his mistress. To back up his lie, Pierre must convince the overly beautiful mistess to go live with the valet, with comical results.
March 28: Amazing Grace
2007, Rated PG, 1 hour, 49 minutes.
Directed by Michael Apted, starring Albert Finney, Ioan Gruffud and Nicholas Farrell.
Based on the true tale of the 18th-century British politician William Wilberforce (Ioan Gruffudd,) who is torn between politics and the church. Wilberforce is inspired to action by John Newton (Albert Finney), a penitent monk who is haunted by his past as a slave-ship captain. Wilberforce makes it his mission to end slavery in the British Empire, and, aided by a small band of radical thinkers and unlikely supporters; he annually presents a bill for abolition to Parliament.
April 4: Avenue Montaigne
2007, Rated PG-13, 1 hour, 47 minutes; In French with English subtitles.
Directed by Danièle Thompson starring Cecile de France and Claude Brasseur.
Catherine is a hugely popular soap opera star who wonders if her work has any value or meaning. Jean-Francois, a piano prodigy with an international reputation, just wants to be alone. Jacques is an art connoisseur, who has amassed an extraordinary art collection, but is selling it all. Three people whose lives are defined by art cross paths at a café where they are waited on by Jessica, a wide-eyed and innocent waitress who recently arrived in Paris on her own quest for fame and fortune. Reminiscent of such fine French films as Look at Me and Va Savoir, Avenue Montaigne features unique characters, excellent acting, and fun and fascinating talk about art, music, theater, food, and other cultural delights.
Sunday Films at the Four Arts
All shows begin at 2:30. Admission is free!
Sunday January 27 Fernando Botero: The Rebel
2001, Not Rated, 52 minutes
Fernando Botero: The Rebel is an insightful and engaging film that invites us into the world of Latin America’s most celebrated artist. We learn about his childhood in Medellín, his first drawings, his journeys to Europe, his triumphs in New York, and his thoughts on life, art, and being Fernando Botero.
Sunday February 10 The Rotund World of Fernando Botero
1994, Not Rated, 56 minutes
This film is both a tribute to Fernando Botero’s work and an insight into the life of this popular painter and sculptor. Botero proves to be persuasive and charming, someone who despite all the international acclaim is still happiest when working in his studio near Bogota in Columbia. In the course of the film, he recalls his early life in Medellin, his subsequent travels to Spain and Italy and his time in New York, where he managed to win the support of a few discerning purchasers and eventually penetrated the hallowed portals of MOMA, the shrine of modern art.
Sunday April 6 Raoul Dufy: Painter and Decorator
1987, Not Rated, 54 minutes
Whether the scene is the Henley Regatta, the yachts of Deauville, or the casinos and promenades of Cannes, the works of Raul Dufy capture all the color and excitement of the moment. His work, however, is not limited to paintings of people at play. Dufy chose to explore design in other mediums, such as ceramics, wall hangings and furniture design – some of the exquisite dress fabrics he designed for Paul Poiret in the 1920’s are still produced today. Discover why Dufy’s design influence is still very much alive, and why many consider him a painter of genius, ranking alongside Matisse and Leger.
