DECEMBER
Friday 2
Cine Club @ SF Art Institute
Rene Clement's FORBIDDEN GAMES (1952, France)
Two young children try to make sense of death and destruction in the war torn landscape of rural France during World War II. Their attempts to deal with the horrors that surround them only confuse and upset the adults around them.
Why we show this film:
This year’s only WW II film is one of the most unusual and haunting, one that left a lasting impact on an entire generation of film goers. It has two of the best performances of child non-actors in film. The story of a young girl who is left an orphan by the war, and transforms her pain with fantasy and denial into a vision of happiness is disarming. It completely astounds and alienates the adults around her. It’s unusual blend of horror of war and childhood innocence never becomes sentimental,, which is remarkable.
About the director:
Clement rose to fame after WWII with his French Resistance film The Battle of the Rails which won him Best Director at Cannes in 1946. He quickly became one of the most celebrated directors in France, winning the Best Foreign Language Academy Award in 1950 and then in 1952 for Forbidden Games. In 1966 he faced a tremendous commercial disaster with Is Paris Burning? written by Gore Vidal and Frances Ford Coppola. He continued to make films until he retired in 1975.
Saturday 3
Art Saturday @ De Young Museum
11:30 am Meet in courtyard just outside De Young Museum Entrance for visit to the Frank Stella exhibit.
1:00 Travel to Jules Maeght Gallery (149 Gough Street)
1:45 Lunch at The Grove restaurant (301 Hayes Street)
Friday 9
Cine Club @ SF Art Institute
King Vidor's THE CROWD (1928, USA)
One of the masterpieces of silent cinema. This tale of a country boy, born on the Fourth of July, who moves to the city to make his fortune but finds only the anonymity and indifference of a huge metropolis resonates with humor, imagination and pathos. We hope you’ll love it as much as we do.
Why we show this film:
The Crowd arrived at the worst possible time for a silent film about the real life trials of a working class couple. Sound films had just arrived, closely followed by the Great Depression. Audiences weren’t interested in the realities faced in The Crowd, preferring escapism from the grim reality. Luckily throughout the 30’s the reputation of the film grew. It’s now considered one of the finest of the silent period. Vidor was very influenced by the work of F.W. Murnau, whose film Sunrise we often show.
About the director:
King Vidor had one of the longest careers in film (1913-1980), but many of his finest films were made during the silent period—The Big Parade, Show People and The Patsy. His career in the 30’s included big hits like Stella Dallas, but the films never received the critical acclaim of his early work (though he directed the Kansas scenes in The Wizard of Oz).
Friday 16
Cine Club @ SF Art Institute
Ingmar Bergman's FANNY & ALEXANDER (1982, USA)
Bergman’s final film was a surprise hit around the world, filled with beautiful imagery and vivid performances. A Christmas story, a fairy tale, a swansong to the theater... this film overflows with an astonishing love of life. The crowning achievement of a brilliant director.
Why we show this film:
Not only is this one of the great films, it is absolutely the greatest Christmas movie ever. It begins at Christmas and ends at Easter, with a wonderful fairy tale unfolding in between that takes our hero and heroine on adventures unprecedented. There is a miracle, yes, and lots of mood and atmosphere and some unforgettable imagery. With all this, we can’t think of one reason we shouldn’t choose this film. It’s a must-see and we show it as often as we can.
About the director:
During the late 30’s and early 40’s Bergman directed theater. He was hired to write only one screenplay called Torment, which was made by Alf Sjoberg. He then made his first film called Crisis and continued from there. It was with The Seventh Seal, which won Cannes and threw him into international fame, he began producing a yearly output of thoughtful, visually bold and psychologically profound works that kept him at the head of the class. His best films were made when he decided to produce them himself and to free himself from the studio system.
In 1976 however, a crisis came, when he was arrested for tax evasion. It was a traumatic event which left him hospitalized with a nervous breakdown. He left Sweden for a number of years and made films abroad. Long past his zenith as a filmmaker he surprised everyone with his last film Fanny and Alexander, a film that was an enormous critical and popular success throughout the world. Bergman retired from film and took over as head of the Royal Theater in Stockholm, where he directed plays and was considered one of a handful of the finest stage directors in the world until his death in 2007.
Saturday 17
Art Saturday @ SFMOMA
11 am Meet at SFMOMA by the Richard Serra sculpture (Howard Street entrance)
11:15 Tour of the new SFMOMA
1 pm Picnic lunch in Yerba Buena Gardens