This two-part program is aimed specifically at the nature, styles and forms of the experimental theatre as demonstrated by the creative designs -and philosophies of two directors of international note. In the first part, avant garde director of the Polish Laboratory Theater, Jerzy Grotowski, talks to theater critic Margaret Croyden about his work and his reactions to wandering about the U.S. on foot and by car.
Tag: USA
Inspired by Islamic architecture, the abstract linear forms in this experimental computer-animation film were colored and edited using an optical printer. The shapes bloom and flow in time with music by Manoochehr Sadeghi.
1941 was Francis Lee’s first film; CH’AN his last. In between, he became an expert Sumi-e watercolorist and here he combines eloquent ink paintings with masterful animation methods. This film moves through mysterious shapes, takes the viewer on an explosive meditative journey across the imaginary landscapes of his creations.
Documentary about The Hamptons, an area in the eastern part of Long Island (New York), famous for being a vacation spot for the wealthiest Americans: a place where wealthy families can spend the summer and weekends by the beach.
A look at the filming of the 1953 political drama “Salt of the Earth,” made by artists blacklisted by Hollywood during the McCarthy era. That film’s producer, Paul Jarrico, speaks about his late colleagues, Herbert Biberman and Michael Wilson, and about the Communist scare that gripped the film community in the 1950s.
Bullfighter Luis Bello is a star, but fear and doubt strike quickly after he is injured in the ring. Manager Raul Fuentes refuses to let him give up, though, pushing Luis to overcome his doubt and remain a matador. Luis agrees, but complications ensue when he falls for Raul’s girlfriend, Linda. Things get even worse after a tragic accident and a public embarrassment. Now, to salvage his dignity, Luis needs one last shot in the ring.
Dr. Bill Remsen, a fashionable New York singing physician, poses as a policeman to save to save his best friend’s job Officer Lawrence O’Roon. He quickly finds out that a policeman’s lot is not a happy one when he finds his assignment is to serve as the personal bodyguard of the quirky socialite Mrs. Lorelei Dodge-Blodgett. But duty blends pleasantly with love when Mrs. Dodge-Blodgett orders him to guard Judy Marlowe, her pretty niece who wants to runaway with a gangster. But music has charm, even for a spoiled rich girl, and after a few inoculations of Dr. Remsen’s crooning, Judy decides to engage her bodyguard on a lifetime contract.
After five years working with Roger Corman, Jonathan Demme moved to Paramount to make Citizens Band, a charming ensemble comedy following a disparate group of characters who communicate across the airwaves. A huge influence on Paul Thomas Anderson, the film’s empathy for the outsiders and eccentrics who would characterise Demme’s later work is clearly evident here. And the cast, including Le Mat as a CB vigilante and Napier as a bigamist trucker, is terrific. A prescient study of human behaviour that resonates in our social media era, Citizens Band’s box-office failure left Demme fearing his career was over, but it can now be seen as the moment he found his distinctive voice.