Our Art Saturday programs run every 1st and 3rd Saturday from September 18th through May 7th. No need to RSVP. Students tour downtown galleries and museums to take in the very latest in contemporary art before they are treated to a picnic lunch. After lunch we go see a new release film. Unless noted otherwise, we meet on the balcony outside Metreon overlooking Yerba Buena Park between 10:30 and 11am. Come join us.

Cine/Club is held on Friday nights. These events are free to students, their guests, mentors, parents and friends of Art & Film. No need to RSVP. Screenings are held at the Randall Museum (199 Museum Way) and at Dolby Labs (100 Potrero Avenue). Refreshments are served at 6:30 and the film begins at 7 unless otherwise noted.

Discussions are held after each film with moderators Heather Woodward of School of the Arts, and Ronald Chase, director of Art & Film.



Friday 1: Cine/Club: Randall Museum

Srdan Golubovic's THE TRAP (2007, Serbia)

A powerhouse of a movie. When his son falls gravely ill, a man struggles to come up with the money to pay for a treatment and in the process slowly destroys his own life. One of the greatest films to come from the former Yugoslavia, filled with suspense, tension and unforgettable performances.
 
WHY WE CHOSE THESE FILMS:

Out of the terrible wars that disintegrated Yugoslavia have come filmmakers who have produced an introspective, passionate cinema. These film makers have been facing the ugly truths that created those conflicts, and from them, have been creating some of the most memorable, moving and stunning films that are being made in Europe today. This is definitely one of them.

Its theme is a strong one: acting against your own core principles, even for the best of reasons, can destroy utterly one's sense of self.
   
Of course, it's one thing to have a great theme for a film, it's another to realize it as clearly as Golubovic does here with powerful performances, suspenseful rhythm, stunning camerawork, and a consistency of tone that equals the finest films.

Another virtue is the tightness of the its script; events move relentlessly forward like the very best thrillers. But instead of concentrating on the "adrenalin excesses" of the American models, it fixes its attention on the emotional turmoil of its hero--that turmoil gives the film its powerful feelings.

Saturday 2: Art Saturday

10:30 Meet on the balcony outside Metron overlooking Yerba Buena Park (on Mission between 3rd & 4th)
11:00 We'll go see galleries, followed by a picnic lunch and see a film in the afternoon.
Friday 8: Cine/Club: Randall Museum

Alfred Hichcock's THE 39 STEPS (1935, UK)

A classic. Our hero goes on the run to stop a spy ring from selling national secrets and maybe save his life in the process. One of Hitchcock’s most inventive and entertaining thriller/comedies.

 
WHY WE CHOSE THIS FILM:

For anyone familiar with Hitchcock’s Hollywood period this film comes as a delightful surprise. It was by far Hitchcock’s most successful film in the 30’s and it’s mixing of suspense thriller and romantic comedy began a genre still making the rounds. But it’s the atmospheric settings, quirky supporting characters, and the specific look at English types that makes the film so very special. We thought you’d like to see how good he was before he came to America.
   
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR:

Hitchcock had one of the more prolific and long-lived careers of any director in film. He began in 1920 as a studio assistant, doing odd jobs, and worked his way through art direction, writing and as an assistant director. In 1925 he was given director status, but his work was quite uneven. His early film, Blackmail, straddled the sound film, and was filled with ingenious ways to get around dialogue but also to show off sound and his talent for visual concepts.
   
He didn’t come into his own as a director of the thriller until 1934, when his film, The Man Who Knew Too Much, drew a lot of attention. The 39 Steps was a huge success and was followed by The Lady Vanishes, which brought him to Hollywood. His first film there, Rebecca, brought him more success, but was followed by a number of misses. He came into his own with Strangers on a Train in the 1950s, and followed that by a series of successful films culminating in Psycho.

By this time, he had become a Hollywood commodity—his familiar touches of souped-up suspense, quirky special effects, and rather predictable and or unbelievable scripts—had made him into a household celebrity. His later efforts led him to television, where he became a TV personality forever recycling his style.
Friday 15: Cine/Club: Dolby Labs

Federico Fellini's LA DOLCE VITA (1958, Italy)

We are offering this year a prize for essays on a film that has become something of a cultural icon—a great social epic by a great director filled with brilliant visions of the sins and follies of the modern world that has no rivals. Miss it at your peril.

 
WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?

It’s hard to imagine the excitement for new films that existed at the end of the 1950s, when the “art” house had sprung up in most urban cities, and the flow of important, classic films streamed in from Europe. Certainly the most successful was La Dolce Vita, and no one could talk about anything else.

La Dolce Vita will be a new experience for many of you, as it’s a sprawling social epic (long) which covers the state of society in Rome during the late 50’s, when it was becoming a new film capital of the world. The film is about the loss of faith, and the plot follows a newspaper reporter as he covers many of the social phenomena of that time—the arrival of a film actress from Hollywood, the report of a sighting of Our Lady, etc. mixed with his own crisis and those 0f the crowd he runs with. This film is composed of “set pieces” – individual episodes that stand by themselves. These episodes have often the carnival atmosphere of wild entertainment, as this was a film geared to a wide audience and Fellini is the ultimate showman. It’s a brilliant act throughout and we’d love to see what you think, in writing!
 
   
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Along with Bergman, Frederico Fellini defines serious film in the 20th century. He began his career as an artist, and during the early 40’s wrote a number of radio and film scripts while being an all around help with an actor friends traveling theater company. At the end of the war, they opened The Funny Face Shop, an arcade for GI’s which specialized in quick portraits, photos, voice recordings for the folks back home.

One day a visit from director Roberto Rosselini brought Fellini his collaboration on a script for Open City, and he followed this with work on Paisan, both sterling film classics. After a couple of unsuccessful stabs at film, Fellini directed Il Vitelloni (The Loafers) which brought him great success, and he followed this with one thoughtful success after another, all in a post neo-realist style. Out of his work emerged a new style, that of a theme driven, plot-less film filled with atmosphere, color and astounding characters and much fantasy. The adjective, “felliniesque” has entered our vocabulary. These films are a marked contrast to Fellini’s earlier style, but have their beginnings in La Dolce Vita.
 

Saturday 16: Art Saturday

10:30 Meet on the balcony outside Metron overlooking Yerba Buena Park (on Mission between 3rd & 4th)
11:00 We'll go see galleries, followed by a picnic lunch and see a film in the afternoon.
Friday 22: Cine/Club: Randall Museum

Jan Troell's EVERLASTING MOMENTS (2008, Sweden)

What happens when a timid housewife discovers she has talent as a photographer? This radiant film illustrates the true power art has on real life. Come discover a great film master.
   
WHY WE CHOSE THIS FILM:

We hear a lot about films based on “real events”. This one came about when the director’s wife was given an album of photos of her relatives. She discovered she had had an aunt who was an early photographer. She began asking questions about her aunt, which eventually led to this film, which gives it a haunting authenticity. This is one of the most beautiful and heartfelt statements about the role of art in people’s lives and it spent only two weeks in theaters. We could attribute this to the fact that no one was prepared for it, or had remembered its director, Jan Troell. We’re happy to let you discover this extraordinary film as it’s one of the most beautiful in years.
   
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR:

Jan Troell became known in America for two films in the seventies, The Emigrants and A New Land, about Swedes who immigrated to America in the 19th century. He is one of the only directors who works as his own cameraman (Stanley Kubrick was another). His success with the two films about immigrants brought him to Hollywood, but there his films here were disasters (producers demanded he work with Hollywood DP’s). He continues to make a number of prizewinning films.