MARCH
Due to COVID19 concerns we have canceled our remaining Cine Club and Art Saturday events. When conditions allow, we will attempt to reschedule our screening of Apocalypse Now and our Student Film Festival. Any updates will be posted here and sent to our mailing list.
Friday 27 - Canceled
Cine Club @ SF Art Institute (800 Chestnut Street)
Mike Leigh’s MR TURNER (2014, UK)
The life of groundbreaking English artist J.M.W. Turner is realized with loving attention to detail, reveling in his non-conformist approach to art and life. Strapping himself to the mast of a ship in order to paint a storm at sea, Turner shows what it takes to create great art.
Why we’re showing this film:
Each year we try to choose an inspired biography that helps you understand the minds of great artists. Last year it was Campion’s Bright Star about the poet, John Keats, and now it’s a controversial film about one of the greatest painters. Controversial because many people want to see artist’s lives through rose colored glasses. Turner was such a colorful, quirky, difficult person that it is hard to match his personality with his glorious painting. He was rudely candid, anti-social, and communicated mostly in a series of grunts. This film is a total canvas, seen through a prism of realistic authenticity rarely found in historical films. It has many amusing scenes from the perspective of non-conformist thought. A revelation and delight we hope you’ll love.
About the director:
Leigh developed an entirely original way of working with actors in his many television films he made for the BBC. Actors would work for weeks on character development with only the vaguest guides, and once the director was satisfied he would create the scripts. Often actors would never be allowed to look at a finished script ––actors never knew what was going to happen in the next scene. This created an atmosphere of immediacy, and candor seldom seen in films before his. The importance of improvisation, genuine feelings, and spontaneous reactions began to pay off. His film Naked brought him the best director award at Cannes, Secrets and Lies brought him renown in the U.S. and the Palme D’Or at Cannes (top award); Vera Drake won the Venice Film Festival; and all the while he was producing a stream of plays for the theater. Mr. Turner is one of his masterpieces.