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THE DEPARTMENT OF MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES, OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE AT MARTIN, PRESENTS A
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FOREIGN FILM SERIES: (Spring 2008)
Friday, Feb. 15 : The Lives of Others , Germany, 2006 At once a political thriller and human drama, The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen) begins in East Berlin in 1984, five years before Glasnost and the fall of the Berlin Wall, and ultimately takes us to 1991, in what is now the reunited Germany. The Lives of Others traces the gradual disillusionment of Captain Gerd Wiesler (Ulrich Muhe), a highly skilled officer who works for the Stasi, East Germany's all-powerful secret police. His mission is to spy on a celebrated writer and actress couple, Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch) and Christa-Maria Sieland (Martina Gedeck). Five years before its downfall, the former East- German government (known as the GDR, German Democratic Republic) ensures its claim to power with a ruthless system of control and surveillance via the Stasi, a vast network of informers that at one time numbered 200,000 out of a population of 17 million. Their goal is to know everything about "the lives of others." Winner of the 2007 Oscar for Best Foreign Film. Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. Introduced by Dr. Charles Hammond, assistant professor of German.
Three-Film Japanese Mini-Series:
Friday, March 28: Hula Girls , Japan, 2007 Hula Girls (Hura Garu) takes place in the small, gritty town of Iwaki, where the residents rely solely on the prosperity of the Joban mine. The men plunge into the mines on rotating shifts while the women rake the coal debris on the surface. When rumors circulate that the mine will be closed, thus devastating the entire town, the idea is born to make "Hawaii" and thus paradise in this cold, remote town in northern Japan. But how can one have a Hawaiian resort without hula dancers? A down-and-out dance teacher from Tokyo is brought to Iwaki, and they all embark on saving their town from imminent collapse. In a town so removed from the center of Japan, the hula girls must transform from "country bumpkins" into graceful dancers, something no one believes is possible. Directed by Sang-il Lee and introduced by Kyoko Hammond, lecturer in Japanese.
Wednesday, April 2 All About Our House , Japan, 2001 A home reflects the person who builds it. In All About Our House (Minna no ie), Naosuke and his wife Tomiko set out to build their dream house. Looking for something visionary and unique, they turn to Mr. Yanagisawa, a slightly eccentric, unlicensed architect fixated on American classic design. However, they must ask Tomiko’s conservative father to obtain the proper permits and complete the actual construction of the house. The situation creates a war on the home front between two determined men who must debate every detail down to the last nail. Will this dream house ever become a reality? This comedy is directed by Koki Mitani and introduced by Kyoko Hammond, lecturer in Japanese.
Friday, April 4: Rashomon, Japan, 1950 Undoubtedly one of the most famous foreign films ever made, Rashomon revolutionized cinematographic narrative. The title of the film has even entered our language as a term for conflicting descriptions of the same event. In this case, the event is the vicious attack on a samurai and his wife in some desolate woods. Different people—the wife, a priest, a notorious bandit, a woodsman, and the deceased samurai (communicating through a medium)—recount what happened and viewers are left to sort out the truth. Famed director Akira Kurosawa (1910-98) made over four hundred cuts between camera shots and scenes in Rashomon, heightening the work’s mystery and suspense. Kurosawa’s cinematographer, Kazuo Miyagawa, also earned much praise for the extended focuses on facial expressions and the use of light. Internationally acclaimed actor, Toshiro Mifune (1920-97), stars in the role of the bandit. Introduced by Dr. Daniel Nappo, assistant professor of Spanish.
Friday, April 11: The Boy from Lebanon , France, 1994 The Boy from Lebanon is a film that deals with a controversial subject: children being recruited to fight adult wars. Djilali, the protagonist, loses his father to Israeli soldiers; shortly thereafter he is sold to terrorists who will train him to become a professional killer. Away from the world in an underground terrorist-training camp, the young boy learns to shoot, to hate and to fight the Holly War. At the end of his training, Djilali is totally brainwashed. After being sent to Paris to work in a secret mission, he meets Karim, a young Arab who lives in one of the very poor neighborhoods of the City of Lights. It is Karim's job to help Djilali blend in. Karim knows nothing of the mission and, like all boys his age, is only interested in eating hamburgers, listening to rap music and playing on his skateboard. The two boys become very close friends and take an oath to remain so. Things change drastically when Djilali is forced to choose between faith and friendship. This is a film that must be seen if you want to understand the machinery which propels never-ending conflicts and to take a glimpse in the psychological nature of terrorism. Directed by Gilles de Maistre and introduced by Dr. Lúcia Flórido, assistant professor of French.
FRIDAY, April 18: Volver, Spain, 2006 Few directors have the audacity of Spain’s Pedro Almodóvar. Even fewer have the talent to combine so many tragic and improbable elements—including a murder, a ghost story, and an Oprah-style talk show—in the same film and have it be so compelling. In Volver (Return), Penélope Cruz plays Raimunda, the strong-willed mother of fourteen-year-old Paula. Raimunda works hard to support her family, but with little support from Paco, her lazy and unscrupulous husband. After a visit to the windy and superstitious village of their birth, Alcanfor de las Infantas, Raimunda and her sister Soledad (Lola Dueñas) start to discover the truth about their family’s troubled history. Shortly before their friend and neighbor Agustina is diagnosed with cancer, a virtual ghost from the past returns to set the record straight. One of Almodóvar’s strongest films since All About My Mother (1999), the cast of Volver is almost entirely female. The film has also earned numerous awards, including Spain’s Goya for Best Film, Director, and Actress; Best Original Screenplay (Almodóvar) at Cannes; and an Oscar for Best Actress (Cruz). In her role as Raimunda, Penélope Cruz is highly reminiscent of Sophia Loren in her prime. Introduced by Dr. Daniel Nappo. This film will start at 6:30.
**OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC** |