Cine/Club—free screenings of classic films followed by discussion—is held on Friday nights. These events are open 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 the Delancy Street Screening Room (500 Embarcadero). Refreshments are served at 6:30 and the film begins at 7pm unless otherwise noted.

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




Friday 6: Cine/Club: Dolby Labs

Ingmar Bergman's CRIES & WHISPERS (1972, Sweden)

A woman lies on her deathbed, watched over by a compassionate maid and her two sisters who are trapped between fearing their sister’s death and longing for it to be over with. Bergman is at the height of his power here, and the performances the gets from his cast are unparalleled. A must see. Only for students interested in the greatest films.

 
WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?

Every year we bring you a film by Fellini and Bergman, because we feel that these two were so important and influential in the middle of the 20th century that anyone who has a real interest in film ( isn’t that you?) would want to know their work. In 2000 we asked students to list the favorite film that we had shown that year––we were astonished that Cries and Whispers came out on top. When the students were asked why, some of the answers were that it made them think, but it also made them feel something. They felt it seemed to be about everything that was really important in life, and it surprised them, because they hadn’t realized films could express so much. They had put their finger on one of the qualities of Bergman’s style: he is able to scrub almost every trivial thing from his work. What is left are issues that are vitally important, not only to the characters involved, but to the viewer as well. This film is one of his first in color. He claims it came from a recurring dream: an image of four women in a house where the walls were covered in red. He wondered who these women could be, and in his imagination he began to bring them to life. He also had a repertory of actresses that are some of the most profound in film (many of them his former mistresses)—this film contains four great performances. You won’t forget it.
 

Saturday 7: 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 13: Cine/Club: Randall Museum

Wong Kar Wai's MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS (2007, Hong Kong)

Wong Kar Wai successfully adapts his unique style to America with a tale of love that crosses the country and back. Wonderfully inventive filmmaking and a great performance by Natalie Portman make this film the gem that it is.

 
WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?

Wong Kar Wai has developed a huge following and we feel it’s well deserved. But recently his films have been poorly received and we can’t understand it because he has become more assured and his films more exceptional with each release. Wai is a master of visual style. He sees the world through his own vision, and it is unique and seldom matched. His most recent works, 2046, The Hand and this one all have brilliant, singular moments that show filmmaking at its best. My Blueberry Nights was trashed by American critics as if they’d lost patience with his endless tales of lovesickness. His take on America is as solid as any foreigner’s. Violence and denial haunt his Americans, but (what a relief) the love story has a happy ending. You probably missed it in the movie house so you can see it here!

Saturday 14: 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 20: Cine/Club: Randall Museum

Emanuele Crialese's THE GOLDEN DOOR (2006, Italy)

Few Americans understand the great sacrifices and sheer courage it took immigrants to get here. This film evokes that courage with grandeur, beauty and drama—and with imagination and humor as well! It’s a great testament to those who form the backbone of our country.

 
WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?

Here’s another film you probably missed in the movie house, but you shouldn’t have. An instant classic that uses a brilliant sense of detail and observation to capture perfectly the look and feel of the times. The film starts in a tiny mountain town in Italy and ends at Ellis Island. It is a marvel to watch the strange rite of passage immigrants had to make there. They are being tested to see if they will make the “right” kind of American through demented sets examinations newly invented at the time. The family that perseveres, and the strange English lady who attaches herself to them, wonderfully represent our country’s future. Both engrossing and entertaining.

Saturday 21: 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.