University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

Scene from “Our Hospitality” directed by Buster Keaton.

• Print

• Comments

• 

  Fellini’s “8 1/2” in series.



“A Fish Called Wanda” was comic hit.

By CHARLOTTE HSU

Published: July 21, 2010

The fall lineup for the Buffalo Film Seminars includes movies ranging from “A Fish Called Wanda,” a 1988 comedy about a dysfunctional team of criminals who can’t seem to do anything right, to “Oldboy” and “Water,” two wrenching foreign-language titles that explore love and the human psyche in sometimes uncomfortable ways.

The semester-long series of film screenings now in its 11th year—which SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor Diane Christian and SUNY Distinguished Professor Bruce Jackson host as part of a class they teach on cinema—begins on Aug. 31. Christian and Jackson will introduce each movie and lead a follow-up discussion afterward.

Each session begins at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays in the Market Arcade Film and Arts Centre, 639 Main St. in downtown Buffalo. Anyone can participate by purchasing a ticket at regular Market Arcade prices. “Goldenrod handouts”—notes with production details and critical comments about each movie—will be available in the theater lobby on the evening of each showing and online the previous day.

Free parking will be available in the lighted and fenced M&T lot opposite the theater’s Washington Street entrance. The theater is a few paces from the Metro Rail’s Theater station.

For more information, visit http://buffalofilmseminars.com. To join the Buffalo Film Seminars weekly informational e-mail list, send a blank e-mail to addtolist@buffalofilmseminars.com.

The complete seminar schedule, with film descriptions culled from information and reviews on IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Wikipedia:

• Aug. 31: “Our Hospitality,” 1923, directed by Buster Keaton. Accompanied on electronic piano by the legendary Philip Carli. This silent comedy tells the tale of the feuding Canfields and McKays through the story of a McKay man who discovers that the woman he loves is a member of the Canfield clan. Based on the real-life Hatfields and McCoys, this film is full of slapstick and situational comedy.
• Sept. 7: “Boudu Saved From Drowning,” 1932, directed by Jean Renoir. In this French title, a Parisian bookseller rescues a tramp named Boudu who has jumped into the river Seine. The bookseller’s family then shelters Boudu, who proves to be a difficult guest.
• Sept. 14: “The Maltese Falcon,” 1941, directed by John Huston. Based on the novel of the same name, this film noir follows a private investigator by the name of Sam Spade as he seeks to unravel a mystery that unfurls after his partner is shot and killed on assignment. Many critics have hailed this movie as one of the best of all time.
• Sept. 21: “North by Northwest,” 1959, directed by Alfred Hitchcock. In this suspense film, a case of mistaken identity leaves a New York advertising executive—thought to be a CIA agent—fighting for his life. After escaping a kidnapping, he embarks on a search for the real CIA man that ends with a surprise.
• Sept. 28: “The Exiles”, 1961, directed by Kent Mackenzie. This drama follows a group of young Native-American men and women as they party one Friday night in a dilapidated Los Angeles neighborhood. The movie, which has enjoyed a revival in recent years, has been hailed as a record of a unique moment in L.A. history of a community that no longer exists.
• Oct. 5: “8 1/2,” 1963, directed by Federico Fellini. This Italian movie, which won Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Costume Design, tells the story of Guido Anselmi, a famous director who is short on ideas for his next flick. As he tries to relax, he retreats into his fantasies and memories in a world where dreams and reality are interwoven.
• Oct. 12: “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”1966, directed by Mike Nichols. In this drama, a young college professor and his wife become embroiled in the vitriol that characterizes the marriage of their dinner hosts—a middle-aged faculty member and his spouse, who happens to be the college president’s daughter. Alcohol fuels an evening of verbal abuse and marital warfare that draws the younger couple in.
• Oct. 19: “The Godfather,” 1972, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. An adaptation of Mario Puzo’s classic novel of the same name, this Academy-Award winner for Best Picture tells the story of Michael Corleone’s reluctant rise to Don in his organized crime family.
• Oct. 26: “The Last Detail,” 1973, directed by Hal Ashby. In this drama and comedy, two Navy sailors escorting a young thief to a naval prison educate the convict on the finer points of life, including booze and women. When the journey comes to an end, viewers are left to wonder: What did their relationship mean?
• Nov. 2: “Tender Mercies,” 1983, directed by Bruce Beresford. In this character piece, actor Robert Duvall delivers an Academy Award-winning performance as Mac Sledge, an alcoholic country singer struggling to turn his life around.
• Nov. 9: “Wings of Desire,” 1987, directed by Wim Wenders. This German film set in Berlin follows two angels as they wander the city, invisible but providing comfort to Berliners they encounter. Eventually, one of the angels renounces his immortality and embarks on a journey of human experience.
• Nov. 16: “A Fish Called Wanda,” 1988, directed by Charles Crichton. This comedy centers on a dysfunctional group of criminals who set off a hilarious chain of events as they seek to double-cross one another after what would have been a successful jewelry heist—if only they had gotten along.
• Nov. 23: “The Big Lebowski,” 1998, directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. This comedy with a cult following tells the story of the Dude, a societal burnout and bowling aficionado who gets drawn into the Los Angeles underworld when a couple of thugs mistaken him for a millionaire who shares his name: Jeffrey Lebowski.
• Nov. 30: “Oldboy,” 2003, directed by Chan-wook Park. In this Korean drama, an average man who is kidnapped and locked away for 15 years without explanation uncovers a gruesome truth soon after his release as he seeks to discover why he was held captive.
• Dec. 7: “Water,” 2005, directed by Deepa Mehta. In this Hindi language film set in 1938, a young girl whose husband has died is sent to live, according to Hindu custom, in a dilapidated house designated for widows. The girl befriends a fellow widow and encourages the woman to seek love again, in violation of tradition. Heartbreak follows.