Montmartre, 1896: the Can-Can, the dance in which the women lift their skirts, is forbidden. Nevertheless, Simone has it performed every day in her nightclub. Her employees use their female charms to let the representatives of law enforcement look the other way – and even attend the shows. Then the young ambitious judge Philippe Forrestier decides to bring this to an end. Will Simone manage to twist him round her little finger too? Her boyfriend, Francois, certainly doesn’t like to watch her trying.
Tag: USA
Young Sabu is a happy stable boy in the kingdom of Samukan, in charge of taking care of the Caliph’s elephant. Searching for a lost diamond, he finds instead a mysterious ring which, unbeknownst to Sabu, conjures up a genie when he rubs it.
James Ivory’s second documentary, The Sword and The Flute, also dealing with schools of art, grew out of his experience in making Venice: Theme and Variations. Only here, instead of photographing works by the Italian masters, he has used superb examples of Indian miniature paintings. Ivory’s intelligent script, narrated with feeling by Saeed Jaffrey, and accompanied by the music of Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan, traces the history of Indian miniature painting after the Moghul invasion as it develops into two principal schools, the Moghul (Muslim) and the Rajput (Hindu).
This 14-minute film talks about the Hindu god Brahma’s creation of life, the world and of course the first woman. Saeed Jaffrey narrates the story as dancers Bhaskar, Dinu and Anjali Devi “act” out the story.
The legacy of Franklin D. Roosevelt is detailed on this news TV special by combining present day interviews with historical material. It examines his response to the Great Depression and the radical changes in the role of the federal government under his leadership. Social security, collective bargaining, unemployment compensation and control of financial institutions, all parts of Roosevelt’s legacy are examined.
Broadway on Showtime production of a ‘play within a play.’ A little school on the verge of closing decides to stage a benefit performance of a new play. Hilarious hijinks ensue as a talentless cast, an egotistical director, and a very bad play combine. Anyone who’s ever performed in little theatre productions will find this all hysterically familiar and those who haven’t will still have lots of fun. The brilliant performances of Alan Shearman, Diz White, and Ronald House make this a must-see.
Black and white shots of a carnival segue into a psychedelic reverie as a pair of disembodied hands prepare and consume a fresh persimmon. Soundtracked by T. Rex, and featuring repurposed footage from Dumbo, Last of the Persimmons is a layered and playful homage to the simple pleasures in life.
The lives of Dashiell Hammett and Lillian Hellman are set against the golden era of Hollywood, HUAC and the issue of McCarthyism of the 1950s. This intimate look at the lives of two of this century’s literary titans follows their tumultuous affair, drinking bouts, career highs and lows, and activities in support of left-wing causes including Hammett’s public avowal of Communism and his membership in the Communist Party and Hellman’s sympathies for the Stalinist regime in the Soviet Union before World War II.