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日本語を話すか? Parlez-Vous Francais? No? Well, unless you are highly skilled in the art of deciphering body language and deducing plot lines from contextual clues, you should definitely be prepared to do some heavy reading this week as the Paramount brings you classics from the foreign lands of France and Japan. Unsentimental love stories, vengeful Samurai and punk kids make you want to spar, pout and spar some more!
KWAIDAN
Tuesday, August 14 @ 7:15 pm
Wednesday, August 15 @ 7:15 pm
By no means a splatter fest, this Japanese horror classic uses painterly strokes to depict four ghostly tales, with themes of infidelity and deception, unsettled murderous spirits and broken promises. Unlike the contrived modern day basket weave plot structure we have been fed recently (see: Crash/Babel/etc) these tales have a distinctive beginning, middle and end, which may account for the close-to-three hour run time, but who’s counting? Furthermore, director Masaki Kobayashi removes the base feature of surprise; you know what is going to happen, so the horrific part is just waiting for the punch to land on your face, and the resulting bruise will haunt you for days on end.
THE 400 BLOWS
Thursday, August 16 @ 7 pm
Friday, August 17 @ 9:25 pm
Nous vous aimons François Truffaut! You took a lovable young boy, Jean-Pierre Léaud, and created in him the despicable, yet lovable, character of Antoine Doinel, whose antics we would follow through five films. Wringing our fingers over his next blunderous step, we have rooted for him to outwit the law and love, sometimes succeeding gleefully, but most of the time failing miserably.
French new wave cinema is a mysterious beast, but we must say that The 400 Blows is essential watching for not only its historical importance, but also because it is just plain fun to watch boys behaving badly without any direct repercussions to our own existence. And after you watch this one, you must watch the other four (Stolen Kisses is our favorite. Quelle beauté!)
JULES AND JIM
Thursday, August 16 @ 9:05 pm
Friday, August 17 @ 7:15 pm
Do not be deceived, Jules and Jim are not a couple in the traditional sense of the word, but rather best friends who happen to fall in love with the same capricious woman. Played by the sparkling Jeanne Moreau, the character of Catherine is like a bumble bee, flitting from man to man, collecting that which makes her happy and then moving along. Jules and Jim must vacillate between the value of their friendship and the possibility of owning the ungettable get of Catherine’s adoration. Try to focus on the story between the men, which Moreau makes almost impossible with her seductive eyes and pouty demeanor, but in the end it is the most important of the three distinct relationships.
THE EARRINGS OF MADAME DE...
Saturday, August 18 @ 4 pm
Sunday, August 19 @ 7:30 pm
We were confused by the trailing title of this film, but realized that it probably doesn’t matter what the title character’s name is, as this tale could be that of any adulterous woman whose actions come back to haunt her. Upon further study we learned that the earrings become the property of many different “madams” in the film, so to say that any one of them owned them would be inaccurate. It appears to be the gift of the magi turned evil, but we will have to see it to understand the full scope. You should come with us! Supposedly Stanley Kubrick pulled much of his visual style from the works of Max Ophüls, so at very least it will be crushingly beautiful.
THE SEVEN SAMURAI
Saturday, August 18 @ 7 pm
Sunday, August 19 @ 3 pm
AKIRA KUROSAWA. We don’t really need to say much more, as the man is the reason that universities offer Film degrees. Basically, a small village is continually besmirched by dangerous invaders and seeks out the assistance and wisdom of the Samurai. The Samurai accept the challenge of teaching these peasants to defend themselves and their land against the murderous interlopers. Of course there is an epic battle, sans the gore-core bloodbath prevalent in many modern day warrior films (see: 300/Braveheart/etc) but just as visually stimulating and engaging.
The Seven Samurai is possibly one of the most complete character studies ever created, not only of the warriors, but of the people they must dutifully protect and the world that perpetuates the existence of the barrier between peasant and samurai. Kurasawa is the standard that all others must live up to.
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