The Age of Innocence
The Age of Innocence
1 June - 20 September 2009
Daily 2.00pm / Cinema A
Adult $8 / Concession $6*
The Age of Innocence program presents an extraordinary selection of cinematic period dramas that recreate the lives of Americans on the east coast in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Envisaged by contemporary filmmakers, with dramatic settings, lavish costuming and visually rich art direction, the films celebrate the complex web of domesticity, affluence and social mores of the time. Drawing on literary sources including Henry James and Edith Wharton, they delve into the social codes and traditions that regulated relations of class and gender through every aspect of daily life. The film program highlights the growing contrasts between the traditions and values of the old century and the excitement and transformations of the new, including the rise and fashionable appeal of international tourism and the social implications of new money. Shaped by the advent of urban modernity, new immigrant communities and the rise of urban crime, The Age of Innocence program showcases the complex social experiences of Americans as they faced life in a period of rapid change.
Image courtesy: British Film Institute, Amalgamated Movies
The Age of Innocence 1993 G
Mon 1 Jun, Wed 3 Jun, Fri 5 Jun, Sun 7 Jun, Tue 9 Jun, Thu 11 Jun and Sat 13 Jun 2.00pm / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, DOLBY SR, 139 MINUTES, USA, ENGLISH / DIRECTOR: MARTIN SCORSESE / SCRIPT: JAY COCKS, MARTIN SCORSESE / BASED ON A BOOK BY EDITH WHARTON / CINEMATOGRAPHER: MICHAEL BALLHAUS / EDITOR: THELMA SCHOONMAKER / ART DIRECTOR: SPEED HOPKINS / MUSIC: ELMER BERNSTEIN / CAST: DANIEL DAY-LEWIS, MICHELLE PFEIFFER, WINONA RYDER / PRODUCTION CO: CAPPA PRODUCTION / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: AMALGAMATED MOVIES
Martin Scorsese‘s The Age of Innocence was adapted from the 1921 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Edith Wharton – the first to be awarded to a woman. Set amongst lavish dinners and archery contests in the 1870s, Wharton’s story interweaved themes of repressed romantic ardour within the confines of New York City’s etiquette-obsessed elite. Shaped by the expectations of his social position, influential lawyer Newland Archer (Daniel Day Lewis) becomes engaged to the impeccably connected but docile May Welland (Winona Ryder). His marital complacency is unexpectedly challenged by the return of his fiancée’s cousin – the unconventional Countess Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer). When Olenska is shunned by polite society after announcing her separation from her philandering aristocratic husband, Archer steps in to assist her transition back into New York’s echelons. Increasingly drawn to her intelligence and uncaring disregard for the social gentility, Archer begins to question the social conventions behind his passionless marriage. Scorsese’s film provides a biting insight into New York society, capturing the internal conflicts rippling beneath the public veneer of the characters. Conveyed through glances and non-verbal characterisation, Scorsese perceptively reveals a world imprisoned by unbending social rituals and the conflict between duty and freedom. A departure from Scorsese’s gritty urban dramas such as Mean Streets 1973 and Taxi Driver 1976, the film still represents the director’s preoccupations with the ‘forced restraint and obsession’ of the characters, themes reflected in his other body of work.
Image courtesy: Amalgamated Movies
Gangs of New York 2002 MA15+
Tue 2 Jun, Thu 4 Jun, Sat 6 Jun, Mon 8 Jun, Wed 10 Jun, Fri 12 Jun and Sun 14 Jun 2.00pm / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, DOLBY DIGITAL, 168 MINUTES, USA, ENGLISH / DIRECTOR: MARTIN SCORSESE / SCRIPT: JAY COCKS, STEVEN ZAILLIAN, KENNETH LONERGAN / CINEMATOGRAPHER: MICHAEL BALLHAUS / EDITOR: THELMA SCHOONMAKER / ART DIRECTORS: ALESSANDRO ALBERTI, MARIA TERESA BARBASSO, DIMITRI CAPUANI, STEFANO ORTOLANI, NAXXARENO PIANA / MUSIC: HOWARD SHORE / CAST: LEONARDO DICAPRIO, DANIEL DAY-LEWIS, CAMERON DIAZ / PRODUCTION CO: MIRIMAX FILMS / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: AMALGAMATED MOVIES
Inspired by the 1928 nonfiction publication The Gangs of New York by Herbert Asbury, director Martin Scorsese's ambitious historical epic chronicles the lives of those who soaked the soil beneath New York City with passion and blood. During the fractious years before the Civil War, the story pivots around the rampant territorial gang wars in the Five Points district of Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Lead by despotic leader Bill ‘The Butcher’ Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis) the Protestant American-born ‘Natives’ despise the wave of immigrants pouring in daily from the docks. Particularly abhorrent are the Irish Catholic ‘Dead Rabbits’ lead by Priest Vallon (Liam Neeson). In a vicious clash, Vallon is murdered by Cutting and dies with his young son Amsterdam (Leonardo DiCaprio) by his side. Sixteen years later Amsterdam returns to the Five Points as a grown man. Hardened by his inner rage and callous orphanage upbringing he is determined to exact revenge for his father death by infiltrating Cutting’s gang. His single-minded goal begins to waiver however when he falls for Cutting’s former ward Jenny (Cameron Diaz). Set against the backdrop of immigrant persecution, social discrimination and rampant corruption Scorsese explores the bare-knuckled beginnings of a city and the bloody costs it incurred.
Image courtesy: British Film Institute, Regency Enterprises
Once Upon a Time in America 1984 R18+
Mon 15 Jun, Wed 17 Jun, Fri 19 Jun, Sun 21 Jun, Tue 23 Jun, Thu 25 Jun and Sat 27 Jun 2.00pm / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, MONO, 229 MINUTES, USA / ITALY, ENGLISH, ITALIAN, FRENCH (ENGLISH SUBTITLES) / DIRECTOR: SERGIO LEONE / SCRIPT: LEONARDO BENVENUTI, PIERO DE BERNARI, ENRICO MEDIOLI, FRANCO ARCALLI FRANKO FERRINI, SERGIO LEONE / BASED ON THE NOVEL ‘THE HOODS’ BY HARRY GREY / CINEMATOGRAPHER: TONINO DELLI COLLI / EDITOR: NINO BARAGLI / ART DIRECTOR: CARLO SIMI / MUSIC: ENNIO MORRICONE / CAST: ROBERT DE NIRO, JAMES WOODS / PRODUCTION CO: EMBASSY INTERNATIONAL FILMS / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: REGENCY ENTERTAINMENT / SCREENING FORMAT: DVCAM
Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America is an intelligent and heartbreaking exploration of the complex immigrant American experience at the turn of the Twentieth Century. Based on the novel The Hoods 1953 by real life gangster Harry Goldberg, Leone’s film also pays homage to the early gangster films of the 1930s. Set in the seething blue-collar bleakness of New York’s Lower East Side, the film follows four childhood friends — David ‘Noodles’ Aaronson (Robert De Niro), Max Bercovicz (James Woods), Patrick ‘Patsy’ Goldberg (James Hayden) and Phillip ‘Cockeye’ Stein (William Forsythe) — as they rise to criminal prominence during the alcohol soaked years of prohibition. Now an aging gangster, Noodles returns to his childhood neighbourhood in an attempt to unravel the bloody mystery which forced him to flee thirty-five years earlier. The film seamlessly interweaves five decades of friendship, rivalry, violence and greed. Brutally re-edited by the studios on its original release, the film has been recently restored to its original duration to critical support.
Image courtesy: British Film Institute, Chapel Distribution
The Cotton Club 1984 M15+
Tue 16 Jun, Thu 18 Jun, Sat 20 Jun, Mon 22 Jun, Wed 24 Jun, Fri 26 Jun and Sun 28 Jun 2.00pm / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, DOLBY, 127 MINUTES, USA, ENGLISH / DIRECTOR: FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA / SCRIPT: WILLIAM KENNEDY, FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA, WILLIAM KENNEDY, MARIO PUZO, JAMES HASKINS / CINEMATOGRAPHER: STEPHEN GOLDBLATT / EDITORS: ROBERT Q LOVETT, BARRY MALKIN / ART DIRECTOR: GREGORY BOLTON / MUSIC: JOHN BARRY / CAST: RICHARD GERE, GREGORY HINES, DIANE LANE / PRODUCTION CO: ZOETROPE STUDIOS / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: CHAPEL DISTRIBUTION
In an era defined by post-war disillusionment and the dizzying rise of new money, the Jazz Age of the 1920’s unleashed a wave of gin-soaked parties and pulsing jazz music. Fuelled by organised crime — unrestrained by the sober prohibition laws — bootleggers became millionaires funnelling their wealth into nightclubs and gambling halls. Francis Ford Coppola encapsulates the glamorous period in a crime drama highlighting the hottest Harlem jazz club of the 1920s and 1930s. In between the club’s nightly performances, the backstage love stories of four entertainers take place. Talented musician Dixie ‘The Kid’ Dwyer (Richard Gere) becomes a headliner at the club after saving the life of underworld boss Dutch Schultz (James Remar). His position becomes precarious when he falls for the kingpin’s girlfriend Vera Cicero (Diane Lane). Sandman Williams (Gregory Hines) is a tap dancer who must hide his love of chorus line dancer Lila Rose Oliver (Lonette McKee) for her career to continue. While broaching the issues of corruption, brutality and the racial divide in America, the underlying rhythm of the film is the dizzying musical and dance routines, including fictional performances by Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington.
Image courtesy: Miramax
Mrs Parker and the Vicious Circle 1994 M
Mon 29 Jun, Wed 1 Jul, Fri 3 Jul, Sun 5 Jul, Tue 7 Jun, Thu 9 Jul and Sat 11 Jul 2.00pm / Cinema A
35MM, BLACK AND WHITE AND COLOUR, DOLBY, 123 MINUTES, USA, ENGLISH / DIRECTOR: ALAN RUDOLPH / SCRIPT: ALAN RUDOLF, RANDY SUE COBURN / CINEMATOGRAPHER: JAN KIESSER / EDITOR: SUZY ELMIGER / ART DIRECTOR: JAMES FOX / MUSIC: MARK ISHAM / CAST: JENNIFER JASON LEIGH, CAMPBELL SCOTT, MATTHEW BRODERICK, PETER GALLAGHER, JENNIFER BEALS, ANDREW MCCATHY / PRODUCTION CO: FINE LINE FEATURES / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: MIRIMAX FILMS / SCREENING FORMAT: DVCAM
“The sun's gone dim; the moon's turned black; for I loved him and he didn't love back.” In the wild halcyon days of the of the roaring 1920s a group of celebrated artists, actors, writers and critics gathered daily in the now famous Manhattan's 44th Street Algonquin Hotel. Dubbing themselves ‘The Vicious Circle’, they traded elaborate practical jokes, scathing insults and virulent, witty, alcohol-fuelled jabs, which they disseminated into their various daily columns. Recounted from the acerbic perspective of Dorothy Parker, director Alan Rudolph offers an evocative portrait of a talented yet tragically self-destructive group of Pulitzer Prize winners and hollow alcoholics. Nominated for the prestigious Palme d'Or at the Cannes International Film Festival, the film is supported by a strong cast; Campbell Scott, Matthew Broderick, Peter Gallagher, Jennifer Beals, Andrew McCarthy and Jennifer Jason Leigh, who gives an uncomfortable and convincing portrayal of Dorothy Parker’s alcoholic, emotionally drowning dysfunctional brilliance. Made on a modest $7 million budget, the film is sumptuously captured by cinematographer Jan Kiesser and accompanied by a solid score by Mark Isham.
Image courtesy: British Film Institute, Paramount Pictures
The Great Gatsby 1974 PG
Tue 30 Jun, Thu 2 Jul, Sat 4 Jul, Mon 6 Jul, Wed 8 Jul, Fri 10 Jul and Sun 12 Jul 2.00pm / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, STEREO, 144 MINUTES, USA, ENGLISH / DIRECTOR: JACK CLAYTON / SCRIPT: FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA / BASED ON THE NOVEL BY F SCOTT FITZGERALD / CINEMATOGRAPHER: DOUGLAS SLOCOMBE / EDITOR: TOM PRIESTLEY / ART DIRECTORS: ROBERT W LAING, EUGENE RUDOLF / MUSIC: NELSON RIDDLE / CAST: ROBERT REDFORD, MIA FARROW / PRODUCTION CO: PARAMOUNT PICTURES / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: PARAMOUNT PICTURES
Jack Clayton’s adaptation of F Scott Fitzgerald’s classic 1925 novel The Great Gatsby dissects the deterioration of pre-World War I American ideals by the morally bankrupt and idle rich. Set in the roaring 1920s in the time of prosperous growth and excess, young Midwestern businessman Nick Carraway (Sam Waterston) rents a bungalow in the ostentatious nouveau riche neighbourhood, West Egg. Socially connected to old moneyed aristocracy in East Egg through his second cousin Daisy Buchanan (Mia Farrow), Carraway finds himself invited to one of the lavish alcohol-soaked soirees hosted at by his illusive neighbour Jay Gatsby (Robert Redford). Whispered to bootleg out of illegitimate drugstores, self-made tycoon Gatsby befriends Carraway before confessing his love of Daisy. Believing their separation years before was due to divergent financial positions; Gatsby is determined to woo Daisy from her abusive husband Tom Buchanan (Bruce Dern). Enlisting Carraway’s help in a secret rendezvous, Gatsby and Daisy begin a disastrous love affair. When Daisy is involved in the tragic death of her husband’s mistress; it is Gatsby’s deep abiding love that stands between her and ruin. Scripted by Francis Ford Coppola after Truman Capote’s version was rejected, Gatsby is a complex and sympathetic character whose tragic compulsion to re-unite with the fickle, dysfunctional Daisy pre-empts his heartbreaking downfall. Painting a savage portrait of corrupted wealth and empty materialism The Great Gatsby reveals the dark side of the American dream.
Image courtesy: British Film Institute, Amalgamated Movies
The House of Mirth 2000 PG
Mon 13 Jul, Wed 15 Jul, Fri 17 Jul, Sun 19 Jul, Tue 21 Jun, Thu 23 Jul and Sat 25 Jul 2.00pm / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, DOLBY DIGITAL, 143 MINUTES, UK / USA, ENGLISH / DIRECTOR/SCRIPT: TERENCE DAVIES / BASED ON THE NOVEL ‘THE HOUSE OF MIRTH’ BY EDITH WHARTON / CINEMATOGRAPHER: REMI ADEFARASIN / EDITOR: MICHAEL PARKER / ART DIRECTOR: DIANE DANCKLEFSEN / MUSIC: ADRIAN JOHNSTON / CAST: GILLIAN ANDERSON, DAN AYKROYD / PRODUCTION CO: ARTS COUNCIL OF ENGLAND / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: AMALGAMATED MOVIES
Edith Wharton’s 1905 classic novel and caustic commentary on fashionable high society provides the basis for Terence Davies’ unsentimental and devastating study of social injustice and unrequited love. Vivacious socialite Lily Bart (Gillian Anderson) is living in a precarious position, at a time where marriage, money and reputation are bitterly entwined with the lives of women in post-Victorian society. Financially dependent on her conservative Aunt Julia (Eleanor Bron) and clinging to the fringe of her fashionable social set by living as a professional houseguest, Lily needs a wealthy husband to support her. In a world where a woman’s sole occupation is to marry well, Lily’s spirited independence has sabotaged several acceptable matches. Now vacillating between Lawrence Selden (Eric Stoltz), an underprivileged lawyer and the man she loves, and the new-moneyed social climber Sim Rosedale (Anthony LaPaglia), Lily holidays in the Mediterranean with friends Bertha and George Dorset (Laura Linney and Terry Kinney). Unaware that she has long overstayed her social welcome, Lily’s reputation is destroyed by the capricious nature of her shallow friends. Surrounded by malicious whispers from her former acquaintances, Lily spirals downward into social and financial oblivion.
Image courtesy: British Film Institute, Roadshow
Washington Square 1997 PG
Tue 14 Jul, Thu 16 Jul, Sat 18 Jul, Mon 20 Jul, Wed 22 Jul, Fri 24 Jul and Sun 26 Jul 2.00pm / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, DOLBY SR, 115 MINUTES, USA, ENGLISH / DIRECTOR: AGNIESZKA HOLLAND / SCRIPT: CAROL DOYLE / BASED ON A NOVEL BY HENRY JAMES / CINEMATOGRAPHER: JERZY ZIELINSKI / EDITOR: DAVID SIEGEL / ART DIRECTOR: ALAN E MURAOKA / MUSIC: ANDY HILL / CAST: JENNIFER JASON LEIGH, ALBERT FINNEY, MAGGIE SMITH / PRODUCTION CO: ALCHEMY FILMWORKS / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: ROADSHOW FILMS / SCREENING FORMAT: DVCAM
Based on Henry James’ 1880 novel, Washington Square encapsulates the restrictive societal expectations of both class and gender in mid 19th Century New York. Insulated by the confines of her wealthy father’s cheerless Manhattan home, the painfully shy and socially inept Catherine Sloper (Jennifer Jason Leigh) dedicates her life to parental servitude. Raised by her authoritarian father Dr Austin Sloper (Albert Finney) and nervy Aunt Lavina (Maggie Smith) after her mother’s death during childbirth, Catherine’s unquestioning devotion is met by paternal contempt for her survival. Struggling beneath the sombreness of her daily life, Catherine is confused at a family gathering when she is romantically pursued by the socially acceptable but penniless Morris Townsend (Ben Chapman). Unable to believe Townsend is genuinely attracted to his plain gauche daughter, Dr Sloper declares him to be a fortune hunter and resolves to crush their burgeoning romance. Unprepared for his daughter’s quiet determination as she blossoms under Townsends warm attentiveness, Dr Sloper forces Catherine to choose between her familial loyalty and her emotional liberation.
Image courtesy: British Film Institute, Hanway Films
The Europeans 1979 G
Mon 27 Jul, Wed 29 Jul, Fri 31 Jul, Sun 2 Aug, Tue 4 Aug, Thu 6 Aug and Sat 8 Aug 2.00pm / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, MONO, 90 MINUTES, UK, ENGLISH / DIRECTOR: JAMES IVORY / SCRIPT: RUTH PRAWER JHABVALA / BASED ON A NOVEL BY HENRY JAMES / CINEMATOGRAPHER: LARRY PIZER / EDITOR: HUMPHREY DIXON / ART DIRECTOR: JEREMIAH RUSCONI / MUSIC: RICHARD ROBBINS / CAST: LEE REMICK, ROBIN ELLIS, WESLEY ADDY / PRODUCTION CO: MERCHANT IVORY PRODUCTIONS / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: HANWAY FILMS / SCREENING FORMAT: DIGITAL BETACAM
Adapted from Henry James’ 1878 novel, The Europeans explores the rising conflicts between the perceived hedonistic influences of life abroad and the conservatism of East Coast America in the mid 19th Century. Set amongst a stunning bucolic New England landscape full of blazing Autumnal colours, the tranquil lives of the Wentworth family are placed in turmoil with the arrival of their distant cousins from Europe. Requesting lodgings, worldly Eugenia (Lee Remick) and free-spirited artist Felix (Tim Woodward) are a breath of unwanted fresh air into the world of patriarch Mr Wentworth (Wesley Addy). The adult children of his scandalous half-sister’s European marriage, their sophisticated presence is both fascinating and suspicious, mixing uneasily with the simple, puritan values of the community. Only Wentworth’s youngest daughter Gertrude (Lisa Eichhorn) is openly pleased of their arrival. Suffering through a long uninspired courtship by tepid local pastor Mr Brand (Norman Snow), her cousins represent the wondrous opportunities of a world outside her staid isolated community. Known for their period drama literary adaptations this is the first of three Henry James novel adaptations by the Merchant Ivory collaborative team. Their faithfulness to the novel and mid 19th Century aesthetics was reflected in their nomination for Golden Palm at the Cannes International Film Festival 1979.
Image courtesy: British Film Institute, Hanway Films
The Bostonians 1984 G
Tue 28 Jul, Thu 30 Jul, Sat 1 Aug, Mon 3 Aug, Wed 5 Aug, Fri 7 Aug and Sun 9 Aug 2.00pm / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, DOLBY, 120 MINUTES, USA / UK, ENGLISH / DIRECTOR: JAMES IVORY / SCRIPT: RUTH PRAWER JHABVALA / BASED ON A NOVEL BY HENRY JAMES / CINEMATOGRAPHER: WALTER LASSALLY / EDITORS: MARK POTTER JR, KATHERINE WENNING / ART DIRECTORS: DON CARPENTER, TOM WALDEN / MUSIC: RICHARD ROBBINS / CAST: CHRISTOPHER REEVE, VANESSA REDGRAVE, JESSICA TANDY / PRODUCTION CO: MERCHANT IVORY PRODUCTIONS / PRINT SOURCE: HANWAY FILMS / RIGHTS: PARK CIRCUS / SCREENING FORMAT: DIGITAL BETACAM
The Bostonians was written by Henry James in 1886 and was his most politicised work. Set within the comfortable, middle class milieu of Boston after the Civil War, the film charts the dissatisfaction of women towards their male dominated totalitarian society, leading to the rise of the suffragette movement. Gifted child-like orator Verena Tarrant (Madeleine Potter) is used as an entrée into the parlours of the wealthy elite by her charlatan faith-healer father. Tarrant’s luminous beauty and moving feminist speeches catch the eye of suffragette Olive Chancellor (Vanessa Redgrave) and her chauvinistic conservative lawyer cousin Basil Ransom (Christopher Reeve). Vowing to nurture Tarrant’s inspirational gifts for a wider stage, Chancellor becomes her avid patron. However her charismatic cousin Ransom challenges her for Tarrant’s allegiance and affection. Blinded by their tug-of-war between traditional values and new reform, painfully innocent Tarrant becomes a dominated pawn amidst two compelling forces. First published as a serial in The Century Magazine in 1885–1886 and then as a novel at its concussion, Henry James was heavily criticized at the time for his unfair and satirical portrayal of suffragette women. His ability to capture a cross-section of viewpoints however paints a rich portrayal of historical change.
Image courtesy: Palace Entertainment
The Golden Bowl 2000 M 15+
Mon 10 Aug, Wed 12 Aug, Fri 14 Aug, Sun 16 Aug, Tue 18 Aug, Thu 20 Aug and Sat 22 Aug 2.00pm / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, DOLBY DIGITAL, 134 MINUTES, USA / UK / FRANCE, ENGLISH / DIRECTOR: JAMES IVORY / SCRIPT: RUTH PRAWER JHABVALA / BASED ON A NOVEL BY HENRY JAMES / CINEMATOGRAPHER: TONY PIERCE-ROBERTS / EDITOR: JOHN DAVID ALLEN / ART DIRECTOR: LUCY RICHARDSON / MUSIC: RICHARD ROBBINS / CAST: KATE BECKINSALE, JAMES FOX, ANJELICA HUSTON, NICK NOLTE, JEREMY NORTHAM, UMA THURMAN / PRODUCTION CO: MERCHANT IVORY PRODUCTIONS / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: PALACE FILMS
The Golden Bowl is as a lush sweeping costume drama with sumptuous cinematography, juxtaposing a historical Europe against the growing industrial revolution in the turn of the century America. It follows the entanglement of four people in ill-advised matrimony. Centre stage is the passionate yet penniless American expatriate Charlotte Stant (Uma Thurman) and her secret lover, the impoverished Italian aristocrat Prince Amerigo (Jeremy Northam). Driven apart by financial practicalities, Charlotte is distress when Amerigo announces his intentions to marry wealthy socialite Maggie Verver (Kate Beckinsale). Maggie is Charlotte’s childhood school friend and the cherished daughter of widowed billionaire-industrialist and art connoisseur Adam Verver (Nick Nolte). Desperate to be near Amerigo at all costs, Charlotte manoeuvres a marriage to Verver, whose close relationship with his daughter allows Charlotte and Amerigo the opportunity to flirt with romantic intrigue under the guise of respectability. Amongst this psychologically complex conspiracy — which leaves no one unscathed — is the exhaustive establishment of illusory perfection by imperfect people all who are complicit to the spiralling situation. A collision of social standing and wealth, the film explores the need to buy social respectability through marriage and material possessions. Inspired by the paintings of John Singer Sergeant, James Whistler and James Tissot, The Golden Bowl is a visually breathtaking adaptation.
Image courtesy: Twentieth Century Fox
Titanic 1997 Ages M 15 +
Tue 11 Aug, Thu 13 Aug, Sat 15 Aug, Mon 17 Aug, Wed 19 Aug, Fri 21 Aug and Sun 23 Aug 2.00pm / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, DOLBY DIGITAL, 195 MINUTES, USA, ENGLISH / DIRECTOR/SCRIPT/PRODUCER: JAMES CAMERON / CINEMATOGRAPHER: RUSSELL CARPENTER / EDITORS: CONRAD BUFF, JAMES CAMERON, RICHARD A HARRIS / ART DIRECTION: MARTIN LAING, CHARLES DWIGHT LEE / MUSIC: JAMES HORNER / CAST: KATE WINSLET, LEONARDO DICAPRIO, BILLY ZANE / PRODUCTION CO: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: TWENTIETH-CENTURY FOX
Bound for New York City on her maiden voyage from the shores of Southampton, England, the RMS Titanic sank on 15 April 1912 after colliding with an iceberg. The largest peacetime disaster in maritime history, the sheer scale of the tragedy shocked a society enamoured with the fashionable appeal of tourism since the late 19th Century and indelibly marked it in the public consciousness. James Cameron’s re-envisioning of the tragedy provides a human face to the historic liner’s fateful journey, dramatising it as a sweeping, lavish epic. Told through reminiscences of survivor Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet), the disaster plays backdrop to a passionate but ill-fated romance between the young socially elite Rose and artist drifter Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio). Desperate to find freedom from the strictures of her social standing and impending marriage to wealthy steel magnate Caledon Hockley (Billy Zane), Rose finds hope in Jack’s adventurous spirit. Weaving in actual footage of the wreck as seen today, Titanic is a triumph of technical wizardry and meticulous detail. Reconstructed under the direction of the original companies used by the Titanic, the interiors reflect the opulence of the original ship including the use of Pablo Picasso’s The Guitar Player 1910, flown in from the Musée national d'Art moderne in Paris.
Image courtesy: Icon Films
The Wings of the Dove 1997 M
Mon 24 Aug, Wed 26 Aug, Fri 28 Aug, Sun 30 Aug, Tue 1 Sept, Thu 3 Sept and Sat 5 Sept 2.00pm / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, DOLBY DIGITAL, 101 MINUTES, USA / UK, ENGLISH / DIRECTOR: IAIN SOFTLEY / SCRIPT: HOSSEIN AMINI / BASED ON A NOVEL BY HENRY JAMES / CINEMATOGRAPHER: EDUARDO SERRA / EDITOR: TARIQ ANWAR / ART DIRECTOR: MARTYN JOHN / MUSIC: EDWARD SHEARMUR / CAST: HELENA BONHAM CARTER, LINUS ROACHE / PRODUCTION CO: MIRIMAX FILMS / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: MIRIMAX / SCREENING FORMAT: BETA SP
Based on a lesser-known masterpiece of Henry James’ final period, The Wings of the Dove is an emotionally intimate turn-of-the-century tale of love and deception. Set against the rising Twentieth Century in pre-war Europe, financially impoverished Englishwoman Kate Croy (Helena Bonham Carter) becomes a protégé of her class-conscious Aunt Maude (Charlotte Rampling) after the death of her mother. Intent on restoring Kate’s respectability, she demands Kate end her clandestine affair with idealistic journalist Merton Densher (Linus Roache). Chafing under her aunts social machinations Kate befriends American multi-millionairess Millie Thiele (Alison Elliott) at a high society soirée. When Merton crashes the event in the hopes of seeing Kate Millie, unaware of their previous relationship, becomes infatuated with him and invites both ‘friends’ to accompany her on a trip to Venice. Unwilling to forsake wealth or love Kate begins to slide down a morally ambiguous slope when she discovers Millie has a terminal illness. Encouraging Merton to woo Millie in the hopes of a short lived marriage, Kate is unprepared for Merton’s growing affection for Millie or her own aching sense of anguish, jealously, guilt and confusion. An eloquent, intelligent story which explores uncomfortable moral questions, The Wings of the Dove delivers fine multi-dimensional performances, beautiful cinematography and a deft journeying into the conflicts between head and heart.
Image courtesy: Hopscotch Films
Easy Virtue 2008 PG
Tue 25 Aug, Thu 27 Aug, Sat 29 Aug, Mon 31 Aug, Wed 2 Sept, Fri 4 Sept and Sun 6 Sept 2.00pm / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, DOLBY DIGITAL, 93 MINUTES, UK, ENGLISH / DIRECTOR: STEPHAN ELLIOTT / SCRIPT: STEPHAN ELLIOT, SHERIDAN JOBBINS / BASED ON A PLAY BY NOEL COWARD / CINEMATOGRAPHER: MARTIN KENZIE / EDITOR: SUE BLAINEY / ART DIRECTOR: MARK SCRUTON / MUSIC: MARIUS DE VRIES / CAST: JESSICA BIEL, BEN BARNES, KRISTEN SCOTT THOMAS, COLIN FIRTH / PRODUCTION CO: EALING STUDIOS / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: HOPSCOTCH FILMS
Easy Virtue is a breezy social comedy based on Noël Coward’s stage play. Adapted to screen by director Stephan Elliot and writer Sheridan Jobbins, it is a lighter look at the social mores of upper-crust English gentry. In the twilight of the roaring 1920s, sophisticated American widow and race car driver Larita (Jessica Biel) meets young English aristocrat John Whittaker (Ben Barnes). After a whirlwind courtship, John takes his new bride to meet his parents at the family’s country estate. While John’s reclusive father Jim (Colin Firth) finds the situation amusing, his mother Veronica (Kristen Scott Thomas) does not. An autocratic matriarch who dotes on her only son, she is horrified by his marital choice. Attempting to bridge the icy familial bonds by moderating her modern behaviour to accommodate Mrs Whittakers traditional values, Larita quickly realizes her mother-in-law’s intention to end her sons marriage by any means. While preserving the outward appearance of civility, the battle lines are drawn as two strong women compete for supremacy and John’s lasting affections. Delivering arched banter and sardonic one-liners Easy Virtue is a sure-footed, period piece that combines social commentary and clever clashes of culture. While exhibiting the historical trappings of the 1920’s, Elliot has infuses some distinctly modern elements in both music and costuming.
Image courtesy: Paramount Pictures
The Godfather 1972 R
Mon 7 Sept, Wed 9 Sept, Fri 11 Sept, Sat 12 Sept, Tue 15 Sept, Thu 17 Sept and Sat 19 Sept 2.00pm / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, MONO, 175 MINUTES, USA, ENGLISH, ITALIAN, LATIN / DIRECTOR: FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA / SCRIPT: MARIO PUZO, FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA / BASED ON A NOVEL BY MARIO PUZO / CINEMATOGRAPHER: GORDON WILLIS / EDITOR: WILLIAM REYNOLDS / ART DIRECTOR: WARREN CLYMER / MUSIC: NINO ROTA / CAST: MARLON BRANDO, AL PACINO, JAMES CAAN, ROBERT DUVALL / PRODUCTION CO: ALFRAN PRODUCTIONS / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: PARAMOUNT PICTURES
Based on the 1969 best-selling crime novel by Mario Puzo, The Godfather is epic exploration of the socio-psychological impact of violence, corruption and fierce familial loyalty. Set in the boroughs of New York City in the mid 1940s, the film offers an intimate portrayal of life inside Corleone crime family. Dominated by the aging Sicilian immigrant ‘Don’ Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), the family is confronted by the changing landscape from traditional racketeering revenues to the lucrative drug trade. After Corleone’s refusal to traffic heroin leads to his attempted assassination, war hero son Michael (Al Pacino) must leave his legitimate life behind to the head of the family business. More ruthless than his traditionally driven father, Michael’s confrontation of the other four ‘families’ of the crime syndicate spirals into a bloody harbinger of the turmoil to come. Director Francis Ford Coppola has crafted a dark multi-layered allegory of American capitalism. Delivering the breadth of a Shakespearian tragedy, the film lyrically intertwines scenes of intense beauty and horrific violence captured in rich tones by cinematographer Gordon Willis and underscored by the deftly haunting score of Nino Rota.
Image courtesy: Paramount Pictures
The Godfather Part II 1974 R
Tue 8 Sept, Thu 10 Sept, Sun 13 Sept, Mon 14 Sept, Wed 16 Sept, Fri 18 Sept and Sun 20 Sept 2.00pm / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, DTS, 200 MINUTES, USA, ENGLISH, ITALIAN, SPANISH, LATIN (ENGLISH SUBTITLES) / DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA / SCRIPT: MARIO PUZO, FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA / BASED ON A NOVEL BY MARIO PUZO / CINEMATOGRAPHER: GORDON WILLIS / EDITORS: BARRY MALKIN, RICHARD MARKS, PETER ZINNER / ART DIRECTOR: ANGELO GRAHAM / MUSIC: NINO ROTA / CAST: AL PACINO, ROBERT DUVALL, DIANE KEATON, ROBERT DE NIRO / PRODUCTION CO: PARAMOUNT PICTURES / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: PARAMOUNT PICTURES
Continuing the gripping saga of the Coleone Family introduced in The Godfather, this sequel (and prequel) offers an intensely dark-hued portrait of the American dream. Delving into the immigrant past of Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) it details the vicious end of his early Sicilian childhood and subsequent ascendance through the criminal hierarchy. Movingly fluidly between 1910 New York and 1950’s Nevada, the film beautifully parallels the triumphant rise of young Vito against the tragic devolving of his beloved son Michael (Al Pacino). Pulled into the family business after an assassination attempt on his father in the 1940’s, Michael’s idealistic desire for legitimacy is consumed by murky world of murder, deceit, extortion and betrayal. As the old ways of his father become superseded by the violent opportunism of the new, Michael’s consuming ambition on behalf of the ’family’ destroys the last vestiges of his younger self and alienates all who loved him. The first sequel to win an Academy Award for Best Picture, director Francis Ford Coppola offers a breathtaking vision of obsession, power, paranoia and destruction.
