Release Date: February 5, 2008
Washington, DC– An ongoing program of classic cinema, documentaries, avant-garde films, and area premieres is presented each weekend in the National Gallery of Art's East Building Auditorium, located at 4th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Programs are open to the public and free of charge. Doors open approximately 30 minutes before each show and seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis.
Art Films and Events
Balázs Béla Stúdió, 1961–1970
February 9 at 2:00
The Balázs Béla Stúdió, established in
Budapest in 1959, quickly became a vital center of avant-garde and documentary
filmmaking in Central Europe. A selection of short films from the first decade
of the BBS will be presented in conjunction with the retrospective honoring
Hungarian director István Szabó. All films in this program are
Hungarian with subtitles.
Max Linder Ciné-Concert
World premiere of score by Gabriel Thibaudeau with
Octuor de France
March 8 at 3:00
French comic Max Linder (1883-1925) was perhaps the first true "character"
to appear in the movies. A debonair ladies' man and bon vivant forever getting
into trouble on screen, Linder directed, wrote, and starred in nearly two hundred
delightfully amusing shorts before World War I. Not only was he adored by audiences,
but Charlie Chaplin called him an inspiration. This program features six films
from the collection of Cinémathèque Québécois,
including Max se trompe d'étage, Max en convalescence, Max
veut grandir, Max n'aime pas les chats, and Max à Monaco. A
new musical score was composed by Gabriel Thibaudeau and will be performed
here by the renowned Parisan ensemble Octuor de France under the direction
of Mr. Thibaudeau.
Silvestre Revueltas: Music for Film
Redes (The Wave)
also
!Vámonos con Pancho Villa!
March 16 at 4:00
Cinematography by Paul Strand and music by Silvestre Revueltas synchronize
to create the raw political power of Redes, a dramatization of Mexican
fishermen on strike in the village of Alvarado. The film is presented in conjunction
with Two Faces of Mexican Music: Carlos Chávez and Silvestre Revueltas
Revisited and is co-sponsored by the Library of Congress Music Division,
the Mexican Cultural Institute, Filmoteca UNAM, and the Mexican Ministry of
Culture.
Revueltas's music also enlivens the revolutionary spirit of !Vámonos con Pancho Villa!, a story of six intrepid rancheros who join the army of their hero Pancho Villa to help the Mexican cause, only to be led off course. Spanish with subtitles
Profit motive and the whispering wind
March 22 at 1:00
A poetic yet nearly wordless essay on the history of the progressive movement
in America, Profit motive and the whispering wind was shot across
the continental United States among the historical vestiges of the movement—tombstones,
monuments, and forgotten landscapes now in the shadow of highways and malls.
Mother Jones, Susan B. Anthony, and Eugene Debs, along with lesser known proponents
of the movement, materialize in the "spirit of place . . . the trees and
meadows and blown light of the great American landscape."
Radiant City
preceded by The Delaware Project
March 22 at 2:30
For Radiant City, Gary Burns, Canada's king of surreal comedy, joins
journalist Jim Brown on suburban outing. Venturing into territory both familiar
and foreign, they turn the documentary genre inside out, crafting a vivid account
of life in The Late Suburban Age. The Delaware Project is a tone poem
on a young woman's sense of disconnection in a landscape undergoing rapid development.
Both films are presented in association with the Environmental Film Festival.
Garbage Warrior
March 22 at 4:30
More than three decades ago, American architect Michael Reynolds conceived
a project to design and build sustainable architecture from the scraps and
waste of civilized society. Whether utopian idealist or eccentric crackpot,
he held firmly to his notion that this sort of housing can alter the way society
views itself in an age of ecological instability. Shot in the U.S., India,
and Mexico, Garbage Warrior documents Reynolds' arduous process of
introducing his ideas to a less than accommodating community. Presented in
association with the Environmental Film Festival.
From the Archive: 16 at 12
Every Tuesday at noon March 25, the Gallery will feature unusual historical
films in 16 mm from the National Gallery's film department, including artists'
portraits and exceptional educational films on topics from prehistory to
the present. Now considered an endangered format, these 16 mm prints are
sometimes unique copies.
Duke Ellington at the White House
February 5, 12, 19, and 26 at 12:00
Washington native Duke Ellington observes his seventieth birthday at a White
House party hosted by President Richard Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon. This
rare screening is part of the Gallery's Black History Month celebrations.
The City of Washington
March 4 and 18 at 12:00
The U.S. Treasury Department produced this unusual early film on the history
of Washington's plan and presented it to President Herbert Hoover, a joint
session of Congress, and the American Institute of Architects in April 1929.
Washington, City with a Plan
March 11 and 25 at 12:00
Produced with the cooperation of the National Gallery of Art on the occasion
of the National Capital Sesquicentennial, this film continues the story of
planning for the federal city twenty years after The City of Washington.
It highlights the soon-to-be constructed Federal Triangle, using new footage
of the city interspersed with existing historical material from the earlier
film.
István Szabó's 20th Century
Honoring the commanding career of Hungarian filmmaker István Szabó on
the occasion of his 70th birthday, this retrospective explores the diverse
directions his films have taken over the decades since the 1960s. While Szabó has
explored various forms of filmic representation, the most characteristic aspects
of his cinema remain rooted in the fate of 20th-century Central Europe. The
retrospective includes the director's most widely acclaimed work alongside
a number of rarely seen early productions. Mr. Szabó will be present
on the concluding weekend of the series (March 1–2) to introduce the
programs.
The Age of Daydreaming
preceded by Koncert
February 9 at 4:30
Freshly graduated from college, Jancsi and his friends eagerly anticipate the
launch of their careers and their new role in the grown-up world. Soon confronted,
however, with bureaucracy, disillusionment, and the self-centered priorities
of adult life, Jancsi steadily sees his youthful illusions disintegrate. An
explicit ode to the French New Wave, this early film already explores a number
of highly personal themes that mark Szabó's subsequent work. The
Age of Daydreaming was the director's first feature and won the Silver
Sail Award at the Locarno Film Festival in 1965 where it was first shown to
an international audience. The early short Koncert precedes the feature.
Father
February 10 at 4:00
Containing autobiographical elements (Szabó grew up fatherless), the
film focuses on the theme of personal loss in the context of recent Hungarian
history as it centers on the story of Bence Takó, a boy who lost his
father during the siege of Budapest in 1945. With the help of some treasured
personal belongings, the boy gradually builds up fictional roles for his father,
depicting him as a pivotal figure in recent historic events. As Bence matures,
he realizes that the myths he has created increasingly get in the way of his
own development.
Meeting Venus
February 10 at 5:30
A delightful backstage drama set against a huge international production of
the Tannhäuser opera by Richard Wagner, the film explores with
a touch of satire the impact that interpersonal relationships can have on a
collective performance.
Budapest Tales
preceded by a selection of Budapest shorts
February 16 at 12:30
The imagery of post-1945 Budapest is explored in the allegorical tale of an
abandoned and derailed tram discovered by a group of people in the countryside.
They decide to put the vehicle back on track and push it to safety in the capital's
depot. The symbolic journey takes the tram's passengers through the most recent
events of Hungarian history, while confronting certain individuals along the
way.
Confidence
February 16 at 2:30
Set in Hungary during the final months of World War II, Confidence takes
up the story of two fugitives who reluctantly agree to pose as husband and
wife in order to protect their real-life spouses, and themselves, from the
Nazis. Szabó received the Silver Bear Award in Berlin upon the international
release of the film.
Taking Sides
February 16 at 4:30
With controversial German composer and conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler as
the focus, Taking Sides returns to the theme of politicized art in
Nazi Germany. Besides well-placed archival documentary footage, the film's
strength lies in the forceful rendition of the confrontation between an American
officer and the conductor whom he is sent to investigate.
Sunshine
February 17 at 4:00
Sunshine ambitiously chronicles the history of 20th-century Central
Europe through three generations of men in a wealthy Hungarian Jewish family.
Subsequently living through the upheavals of world wars and dictatorships,
the dynasty's rise and fall closely intertwine with the broader context of
world history. Ralph Fiennes portrays the son, grandson, and great-grandson
of the Emmanuel Sonnenschein, the patriarch with whom this epic journey begins
at the turn of the last century.
Being Julia
February 23 at 4:00
Based on W. Somerset Maugham's 1937 novel Theater, Being Julia explores
the emotional and professional crises and triumphs of the celebrated British
stage actress Julia Lambert. Nearing middle age, she falls for the charms of
a young American, ignoring the consequences the torrid affair might have on
her career and marriage. As she slowly discovers her lover's true intentions,
however, she plots revenge. Annette Bening's tour de force performance as the
aging Julia and cinematographer Lajos Koltai's elegant rendition of 1930s London
are electrifying.
Relatives
February 24 at 4:00
For his most recent film, István Szabó returned to a story from
his homeland after a hiatus of over a decade. Following a predecessor's scandalous
demise, a naïve civil servant is given the title attorney general in a
small community near Budapest. In no time, requests for special favors mount
up, as nearly everyone in town claims to be a distant relative. Szabó turned
to a novel by celebrated Hungarian writer Zsigmond Móricz who, according
to the director, offers "a precise and profound presentation of interpersonal
relations in Hungary.
Mephisto
István Szabó will introduce the film
March 1 at 2:00
Szabo's masterwork about a self-deceiving, narcissistic artist who rationalizes
his moral compromises for the sake of personal success, Mephisto features
Klaus Maria Brandauer as the actor who, under protection from a Nazi party
member, leaves behind his left-wing theater roots and becomes a celebrated
performer in an Aryan production of Goethe's Faust.
Colonel Redl
István Szabó will introduce the film
March 1 at 4:30
Set against the atmosphere of a crumbling Austro-Hungarian empire, Colonel
Redl (Klaus Maria Brandauer) probes the
character of a man who rises from his Ruthenian working class roots to become
a notorious colonel and spy for the Hapsburg army. Relinquishing racial, sexual,
and social identity, Redl's submissive nature, paired with ambition, becomes
the driving force of his existence.
Hanussen
István Szabó in person
March 2 at 4:30
While recovering from a wound after World War I, Austrian soldier Klaus Schneider
discovers his impressive talents as a clairvoyant. Deciding to market his gift
in the show business milieu frequented by the decadent postwar elite, he gains
increasing fame in Vienna and Berlin under the stage name Hanussen. Despite
his apolitical stance, his predictions and powers inevitably lead him to associate
with the National Socialist rule. This final segment of Szabó's informal
trilogy—with Mephisto and Colonel Redl— is another
striking collaboration between Szabó, actor Klaus Maria Brandauer, and
cinematographer Lajos Koltai.
Alexander Sokurov
Two Washington premieres
Russian director Alexander Sokurov (b. 1951) combines a poetic cinematic language
with images that are hauntingly beautiful.
The Sun (Solntse)
Washington premiere
March 9 at 4:30
A carefully modulated account of several extraordinary days in the life of
Emperor Hirohito—following the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki—is
Sokurov's theme in The Sun. This director's third entry in an ongoing
series about the fall of powerful autocrats, The Sun, unlike the others
in the series, is guardedly sympathetic in its portrayal of a man sequestered
within his own palace, tinkering with his hobbies before he sets in motion
Japan's surrender. Japanese with subtitles.
Elegy of Life: Rostropovich Vishnevskaya
March 15 at 2:30
The subject of Sokurov's documentary is one of the most colorful and beloved
husband-and-wife teams, Mstislav Rostropovich and Galina Vishnevskaya (both
79 when these interviews were carried out at the time of their 50th wedding
anniversary). She, a legendary soprano, and he, a renowed cellist-conductor,
reminisce on their working methods, their life together, and the cruel ironies
fate bestowed on them. Archival footage and concert sequences provide more
details. Russian with subtitles.
Alexandra
Washington premiere
March 15 at 4:30
"Sokurov's new film is a characteristically beautifiul and elemental tale
of a grandmother (Galina Vishnevskaya) traveling to Grozny to visit her 27-year-old
grandson, a Russian army captain posted in Chechnya whom she has not seen in
seven years. As one might expect from a director with metaphysical tendencies,
Sokurov's subject is not only Chechnya but every war. . . and Alexandra is
Sokurov's love letter to Vishnevskaya—the iconic, commanding character
she portrays is a tribute to her legacy."—Dmitri Eipides. Russian
with subtitles.
In Glorious Technicolor
The celebrated color process known as Technicolor, once the most widely used
motion- picture process in Hollywood movies, is recaptured in these recently
restored prints from two major film archives. The unique three-strip technique
employed from the 1930s through the 1950s enhances melodramatic plots and
mesmeric emotions in these lavish films, while supporting their uniquely
rich visual style.
I've Always Loved You
March 29 at 2:00
I've Always Loved You is an unusual Republic Film production, an over-the-top
melodramatic tale of love between a tyrannical conductor and his talented young
pianist protégée. Of note is cinematographer
Tony Gaudio's striking use of Technicolor, as well as the inserts of Arthur
Rubenstein's virtuoso playing (dubbing the onscreen piano sequences). Print
from UCLA Film and Television Archive.
Leave Her to Heaven
March 29 at 4:30
Gene Tierny's beautiful yet destructively possessive character is at the center
of this melodramatic noir-ish masterpiece in which each act of transgression
is magnificently rendered by legendary cinematographer Leon Shamroy. Print
from the Academy Film Archive.
The Barefoot Contessa
March 30 at 4:30
A film à clef tells the tale of an untamed Spanish flamenco dancer transformed
by American movie executives into a Hollywood star. The title's contessa (Ava
Gardner) was allegedly inspired by the life of Rita Hayworth. Gardner's stunning
looks, "made for Technicolor," were rendered unforgettable by British
cinematographer Jack Cardiff, a true pioneer of color cinematography and the
Technicolor technique. Print from UCLA Film and Television Archive.
General Film Information
Films are shown in original format in the National Gallery of Art's East Building Auditorium at 4th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. The auditorium is equipped with an FM wireless listening system for visitors with hearing impairments. Receivers, earphones, and neck loops are available at the Information Desk near the main entrance. Seating is on a first-come basis. Please plan to arrive at least ten minutes before showtime. Programs are subject to change. For current information, visit www.nga.gov/programs/film or call (202) 842-6799.
General Information
The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden are at all times
free to the public. They are located on the National Mall between 3rd
and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, and are open Monday through
Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00
p.m. The Gallery is closed on December 25 and January 1. For information
call (202) 737-4215 or the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD)
at (202) 842-6176, or visit the Gallery's Web site at www.nga.gov.
Visitors will be asked to present all carried items for inspection upon
entering the East and West Buildings. Checkrooms are free of charge and
located at each entrance. Luggage and other oversized bags must be presented
at the 4th Street entrances to the East or West Building to permit x-ray
screening and must be deposited in the checkrooms at those entrances.
For the safety of visitors and the works of art, nothing may be carried
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