JAN 4 6 FRI 7P.M., SUN 2 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
THE MILES DAVIS STORY
GREAT Britain 2001
DIRECTOR: MIKE DIBB Eleven years after his death in 1991, legendary
trumpeter Miles Davis remains the best known and most influential
jazz musician of the last 50 years. To mark what would have been his
75th anniversary, British television’s Channel 4 commissioned
this engrossing portrait that explores the evolution of the man and
his music—from his East St. Louis roots to rock-like international
stardom. Interweaving rare interviews and brilliant performances from
over forty years with the memories of friends, family, ex-girlfriends
and stellar musical associates, Dibb reveals a singular creative odyssey
fractured by racism, illness, drug addiction and brushes with the
law. (124 mins.)
sponsored by KMHD 98.1 FM
JAN 4 5 FRI 9:30 P.M., SAT 9:30 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
WE SOLD OUR SOULS TO ROCK AND ROLL
US 2000
DIRECTOR: PENELOPE SPHEERIS "Do you love metal enough to shave
Ozzie Osborne’s name into your chest hair? If so, see Penelope
Spheeris’ film (WAYNE’S WORLD, DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION)
twice! This sweat and beer soaked, mud-caked and blood--stained concert
rocumentary recounts the brief history of OZZFEST, The Black Sabbath
vocalists’ annual roadshow that takes metal mayhem on a tour
across an unsuspecting USA. In addition to skull crushing performances
by Slayer, Fear Factory, Rob Zombie, Godsmack, Primus, Slipknot and,
of course, Black Sabbath, this hilarious (in the SPINAL TAP vein),
frightening and ribald film reveals the inner workings of a massive
concert event and the egos involved… an over-amped satanic circus,
complete with actual freaks. You have been warned."—Sydney
Film Festival. (90 mins.)
JAN 5 6 SAT 7 PM., SUN 4:45 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
DEATH FOR FIVE VOICES
GERMANY 1995
DIRECTOR: WERNER HERZOG Bearing all the hallmarks of Herzog’s
eccentric vision, this atmospheric meditation tells the chilling story
of the 16th century composer and musical genius Don Carlos Gesualdo,
Prince of Venosa. Visiting his crumbling and apparently haunted castle
in Arezzo and summer palace in Naples, Herzog and guest scholars speculate
on a life of sexual excess, multiple murders and the creation of some
of the most exquisite madrigals ever composed. Widely regarded to
be several hundred years ahead of his musical time, Gesualdo’s
radical, personal and creative life finds the perfect storyteller.
Madrigals by Gesualdo are performed by the Gesualdo Consort and Il
Complesso. (60 mins.)
sponsored by KBPS all classical 98.9 fm
WITH
IGOR STRAVINSKY
GERMANY 2001
DIRECTOR: JANOS DARVAS Considered by many to be the most important
composer of the 20th century, Russian-American Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
revitalized European music tradition with his irregular rhythms, dissonate
voicings and life-long willingness to experiment. Beyond his famed
ballets and orchestral suites like "Firebird" and "Rites
of Spring," he was also a renowned conductor, pianist, teacher
and collaborator with many of the great artists of his era. Darvas
has created an extraordinary portrait, woven only from a voluminous
legacy of facinating film interviews and performances, to reveal one
of the great musical minds. (52 mins.) admission by contribution
JAN 5 6 SAT 7 P.M., SUN 5 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
THE DEVIL’S ACCORDION
SWITZERLAND 2000
DIRECTOR: STEFAN SCHWIETERT Those familiar with bluesman Robert Johnson’s
mythical encounter with the devil will relate to Pacho Rada’s
story of his own accordion duel with the dark power. The legendary
eminence of Colombian music, (his tale immortalized in Gabriel Garcia
Marquez’s "One Hundred Year’s of Solitude") Rada’s
90-year career as a singer and composer has taken him from dirt-street
villages to international fame, influencing generations of virtuoso
salsa players. A Colombian BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB, THE DEVIL’S
ACCORDION brims with hot music, tall tales and back-road travels while
telling the heroic story of a cultural giant.
JAN 5 8 sat 4:30, TUE 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
KINETICA 3:
HY HIRSH & THE FIFTIES—JAZZ AND
ABSTRACTION IN BEAT ERA FILMS
DIRECTORS: VARIOUS KINETICA 3 is the latest in a series of touring
programs organized by the Iota Center in Los Angeles which survey
the art of abstraction in film and video. Experimental filmmaker Hy
Hirsch’s (1911-1961) early computer-generated films, set to Afro-Cuban
music and the mellow sound of the Modern Jazz Quartet, influence a
generation of San Francisco moving image makers whose beautiful work
is also featured in this extraordinary program. Along with a selection
of Hirsh’s classics, are vintage films by Jordan Belson, Harry
Smith, Patricia Marx, Robert Breer, Shirley Clark, John Whitney, Sr.
and James Whitney, all of which reveal a fertile period of exploration
that fused jazz and eastern music with the new visual invention of
the Beat Generation. (90 mins.)
JAN 6 SUN 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
HAZEL DICKENS: ITS HARD TO TELL THE SINGER FROM
THE SONG
US 2001
DIRECTOR: MIMI PICKERING From the coal fields of West Virginia to
the factories of Baltimore, Hazel Dickens has lived the songs she
sings. A pioneering woman in Bluegrass and hardcore country music,
Hazel has influenced generations of songwriters and musicians and
has earned her status in the line of legends that include Bill Monroe,
Ralph Stanley, Carter Stanley and Lester Flatt. Her songs of hard
work, hard times, and hardy souls have bolstered working people at
picketlines and union rallies throughout the land. Her powerful, piercing
vocals power the soundtracks for HARLAN COUNTY USA and MATEWAN. In
this intimate portrait, interviews with Hazel and fellow musicians
such as Alison Krauss, Naomi Judd, and Dudley Connell are interwoven
with archival footage, recent performances and powerful songs. (61
mins.) sponsored by KBOO community radio 90.7 FM
WITH
FIDDLING BOB DOUGLAS:
100 YEARS OLD-AIN’T DONE YET
US 2001
DIRECTOR: ROGER HARB Born in Tennessee in 1900, Bob Douglas took up
the violin in his twenties and started winning the first of dozens
of fiddling championships. Sticking with factory work instead of a
pursuing a career as a professional musician, Douglas honed his skills
in a myriad of ways and, as Roger Harb’s affectionate portrait
reveals, he’s still got the touch. Or, as Charlie Louvin of The
Louvin Brothers says, "You don’t use the words, ‘why
the boy plays pretty good fiddle to be a 100-year-old.’ He just
plays good fiddle period." (56 mins.)
JAN 10 12 THU 7P.M., SAT 4 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
INSIDE OUT IN THE OPEN
US 2001
DIRECTOR: ALAN ROTH Free jazz was the evolution in the history of
American jazz music that grew out of the early 1960s. Also called
the New Thing, the Jazz Revolution, and free improvisation, those
musicians expanded the boundaries in rhythm, sound, harmonics, and
collective improvisation, with an expansive openness and deep emotion.
Led by the pioneering explorations of Sun Ra, Ornette Coleman, Cecil
Taylor, Alber Ayler, Eric Dolphy and John Coltrane, a vibrant contemporary
legacy remains unduly ignored by mainstream appreciations of the jazz
history. Through the voices of such artists as Marion Brown, Roswel
Rudd, John Tchicai, Joseph Jarman and a wealth of performance footage
past and present, Roth brings the outside in for overdue recognition.
(60 mins.)
Alan Roth scheduled to attend
WITH
DEWEY TIME
CANADA 2001
DIRECTOR: DANIEL BERMAN As the noted jazz historian Stanley Crouch
so aptly puts it, "when saxophonist Dewey Redman plays, smoke
and flames shoot out of his bell." Daniel Berman’s often
tender film examines a highly respected, highly musical and highly
imaginative improviser, who has influenced a legion of highly regarded
musicians. Several admiring saxophonists are interviewed including
Joe Lovano, Michael Brecker and Dewey’s famous son, Joshua. (89
mins.) sponsored by KMHD 89.1 fm
JAN 11 12 13 FRI 7 P.M., SAT 7 P.M., SUN 4 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
WAJD/ONE THOUSAND
AND ONE VOICES
FRANCE/BELGIUM 2001
DIRECTOR: MAHMOUD BEN MAHMOUD Wajd is an Arabic term which indicates
all the emotion of amorous feeling, in this case divine love aroused
through singing and music. Unlike Judiasm and Christianity, Islam
does not have specific musical liturgies, but through the mystical
thread of Sufism, a science dedicated to the unveiling of the mysteries
of perception, has its own rich musical tradition. Accompanied by
trances, chanting and dancing to the point of unconsciousness, the
practitioner reaches oneness with God. From the animated litanies
of Senegal to the ancestral rites of Egypt and Tunisia, to "dervish"
Indian music and Turkish cosmic dances, Tunisian director Mahmoud’s
very personal journey reveals a complex musical expression out of
this world. "Allah has never seen a prophet who did not have
a beautiful voice."—Muhammad (90 mins.)
JAN 11 12 FRI 7 P.M., SAT 9:15 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
LILITH ON TOP
CANADA 2001
DIRECTOR: LYNNE STOPKEWICH LILTH ON TOP is a rocking concert film
that celebrates Sarah McLachlan’s highly successful all-woman
traveling music festival Lilith Fair. Constructed from 400 hours of
performances, interviews and backstage banter recorded during Lilith’s
third and final tour in 1999, and 200 hours of archival material,
Vancouver, BC director Lynne Stopketich (KISSED, SUSPICIOUS RIVER)
captures the raw energy, quiet intimacy and good measure of fun had
by performers and audience. In addition to McLachlan, a partial list
of the performers includes: Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders, Sheryl
Crow, Liz Phair, Beth Orton, Susan Tedeschi, Lucious Jackson, Suzanne
Vega, Lisa Loeb, The Dixie Chicks and Indigo Girls. (100 mins.) Lynn
Stopkewich and producer scheduled to attend. sponsored by KBOO Community
Radio 90.7 FM
JAN 11 12 13 FRI 9:30 P.M., SAT 7 P.M., SUN 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
BLUE WILD ANGEL: JIMI
HENDRIX LIVE AT THE
ISLE OF WIGHT
US 2001
DIRECTOR: MURRY LERNER Jimi Hendrix’s performance at the Isle
of Wight Festival in 1970, just 18 days before his death, has only
been available in truncated and heavily edited fashion. Following
up on his MESSAGE TO LOVE (1997), which a la WOODSTOCK, presented
an overview of the whole event, Murray Lerner has gone back to his
original footage, remastered the sound and has presented the real
deal: Hendrix and his power trio (Billy Cox and Mitch Mitchell) as
they were in a classic performance. If you can’t guess, it’s
a soaring, sonic, daring affair and "its as much fun to watch
Jimi in the choice offstage moments…as it is to watch him gun
and strum."—Elvis Mitchell, NEW YORK TIMES. (102 mins.)
sponsored by kpam
JAN 13 SUN 7 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
THE AMATO OPERA
US 2000
DIRECTOR: stephen ives Miles from New York’s Lincoln Center,
downtown in the heart of the Bowery, lives the world’s smallest
opera house. With only 107 seats, a 20’ stage and the enduring
passion of Tony and Sally Amato, the Amato Opera produces full-scale
productions of the grand works of Verdi, Puccini and Mozart. Behind
this beloved institution lies the story of a fifty-year love affair—with
opera, and between the Amatos, whose personal love and dedication
is mirrored in a story worth of its own song. Stephen Ives’ warm
and winning film celebrates the excitement of opera as it celebrates
an inspiring story of dedication and passion. (64 mins.)
sponsored by KBPS All classical 89.9 fm
WITH
THE LEGACY OF ROSINA LHEVINNE
US 2001
DIRECTOR: SALOME RAMRAS ARKATOV Hailed in her time as the greatest
piano teacher in American, Rosina Lhevinne (1880-1976), led an extraordinary
life. Born in Moscow, both she and her husband Joseph won the prestigious
Gold Medal at the Moscow Conservatory. Until his death in 1944 she
only performed duo piano concerts with him, but then took up residence
at Julliard, where several generations of piano legends passed through
her studio, among them Van Cliburn, John Williams and James Levine.
Through intimate conversations and stunning performances, Arkatov’s
film reveals her unique achievements from age 65 to 96 and shows how
her gifts influenced and molded some of the last century’s most
celebrated musicians. (64 mins.)
JAN 13 17 SUN 4 P.M., THU 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
STRANGE FRUIT
US 2001
DIRECTOR: JOEL KATZ Its lyrics and music written in the late 1930s
by Abel Meeropol, a progressive Jewish high school teacher from the
Bronx, and made hauntingly famous by Billie Holiday, STRANGE FRUIT
is an exploration of the history and impact of the famed anti-lynching
protest song Covered by many artists since, Katz surveys the song’s
eternal relevance and impact through interviews and performances with
a diverse range of artists and activists including Amiri and Amina
Bakara, Pete Seeger, Abbey Lincoln, Cassandra Wilson, Reverend C.T.
Vivan and many others. (56 mins.)
WITH
THE LEGEND OF TEDDY EDWARDS
US 2000
DIRECTOR: DON MCGLYNN Don McGlynn, whose earlier portraits of Charles
Mingus, Louis Prima, Dexter Gordon and Art Pepper, have been highlights
of past Reel Music programs, has fashioned a loving portrait of one
of the neglected heroes of jazz, Los Angeles tenor-saxophonist Teddy
Edwards. A star of the Central Avenue jazz scene in the 1940s, Edwards
was a bebop pioneer, but like many others of the era, a promising
career fell victim to drugs. The familiar down-beat story comes full
circle, however, as we discover a now seventy-something Edwards leading
his own band in Los Angeles and quite capable of burning bop and beautiful
ballads. An engaging perspective of a remarkable jazz life. (85 mins.)
Sponsored by KBOO Community Radio 90.7 FM
JAN 16 WED 6:30 & 8:15 P.M., 23 WED 9:15 P.M.
MISSION THEATRE
REBEL MUSIC: THE BOB MARLEY STORY
BRITAIN 2000
DIRECTOR: JEREMY MARRE Marre’s fascinating film takes an intimate
look at the turbulent life of reggae superstar Bob Marley. Set in
the era of political disruption which scarred his Jamaican homeland,
the film includes interviews with the CIA, who admit to "creating
a climate for Marley’s assassination." Several of Marley’s
girlfriends, among them "Miss World" Cindy Breakspeare and
movie star Ester Anderson — appear for the first time, while
his wife, Rita, charts their unusual relationship. Along with home
movies, previously unreleased recordings and performances and interviews
with Bunny Wailer, Coxsone Dodd and producer Lee ‘Scratch’
Perry, REBEL MUSIC offers an in-depth portrait of "the Third
World prophet who used his guitar like an M16." (84 mins.) Produced
by and courtesy of The Experience Music Project,
Seattle.
JAN 18 19 20 FRI 7 & 9 P.m., SAT 4, 7 & 9 P.M., SUN 4 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
COOL & CRAZY
NORWAY 2001
DIRECTOR: KNUT ERIC JENSEN Picture a howling snowstorm in Norway’s
extreme north—the town of Berlevag, to be exact, a place made
famous in BABETTE’S FEAST. A camera pans the frozen expanse as
choral music resounds on the soundtrack. Then faintly visible, we
see the dim outlines of parka clad humans. As the camera closes in,
we notice with a mixture of surprise and delight that the group of
men, ranging from young to old, are all singing. Welcome to Jensen’s
quirky, funny and original documentary on the wildly divergent members
of the Berlevag Men’s Choir. Out of the snow and music emerges
a fascinating collection of individuals sharing a unique landscape
and special musical bond. "Consistently offbeat and entertaining!
Also quite moving. It’s probably the finest documentary ever
made about the members of a male choir in a tiny village within striking
distance of the North Pole."—Dave Kehr, NEW YORK TIMES.
"The best movie about music since the BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB!…Passionate,
hilarious and sometimes majestic." —THE GUARDIAN, (London)
(105 mins.)
JAN 18 19 FRI 7 P.M, SAT 9:15 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
SCREAMIN’ JAY HAWKINS—
I PUT A SPELL ON ME
GREECE 2001
DIRECTOR: NICOLAS TRIANDFYLLIDIS Born in Chicago, Athens based director
Triandfyllidis’ childhood fascination with the wildly enigmatic
Screamin’ Jay Hawkins led to a chance meeting in 1998 and the
opportunity to make a documentary. Immortalized in the1950s for his
classic "I Put A Spell On You" and wild, creative stage
antics, Hawkins was largely known only to R&B devotees until his
music and personna re-emergence as a cult sensation in Jim Jarmusch’s
STRANGER THAN PARADISE in 1984. Centered on two concerts in Athens
just two month before Hawkin’s death in Paris in 2000, the film
weaves new and old footage with interviews that include a range of
people who knew and worked with Hawkins—Bo Diddley, Jarmusch,
Hawkins’ later-day bandleader Rudi Protrudi, Eric Burden and
many others—to paint an indelible portrait. Probably wisely,
none of Hawkin’s 50+ children weigh in. (101 mins.)
sponsored by the cascade blues association, seattle.
JAN 18 FRI 9:15 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
TRY THIS AT HOME
US 2001
DIRECTOR: elina shatkin, cris dupont, thomas loyorei "An ambitious
documentary about the creative community of Olympia, Washington, and
its impact on the rest of the world, TRY THIS encourages our nation’s
scrappy indie-art scenes to get off their collective asses and do
just what the title suggests. Infused with all the idealism of the
world’s largest hippie commune—with guitar string in place
of patchouli—Olympia emerges as a lively, creative community
that enthusiastically supports individual expression in any artistic
medium. Using the 1997 & 1999 Yo-Yo A Go Go music festivals as
a starting point, the film uses lively concert footage and revealing
interviews with Elliot Smith, Sleater-Kinney, The Make Up and other
bands to explore art and community."—SOUND UNSEEN 2001.
(80 mins.)
WITH
SUE’S LAST RIDE
US 2001
DIRECTOR: NICHOLAS ELLIOTT A car on the nightlit streets of Ljubljana.
A young woman obsessively recounts her frustration and sadness to
a man driving her to a Dirty Three Concert. The Dirty Three on the
radio is the soundtrack to her misery—perhaps the concert will
accompany her salvation. (17 mins.) Sponsored by KBOO Community Radio
90.7 FM
JAN 19 20
SAT 7 P.M., SUN 4 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
THE MUSIC OF TEREZIN
BRITAIN 1993
DIRECTOR: SIMON BROUGHTON The Jewish ghetto town of Terezin in Czechoslovakia
was perversely the freest place for artistic expression in occupied
Europe during World War II. While "dancing under the gallows,"
the captives were permitted to create and attend theater, cabaret,
concerts and opera. Broughton’s award-winning film, shot on location
in Terezin, features performances and survivor’s accounts of
extraordinary music, finally recognizing the incomparable talents
of composers Viktor Ullmann, Hans Krasa. Pavel Haas and Gideon Klein,
fifty years after they were sent to their deaths. (70 mins.) Terezin
is also the subject of FIGHTER, see January 25-30, page 3. sponsored
by KBPS all classical 89.9 FM
WITH
WEINTRAUBS
SYNCOPATORS
GERMANY 2000
DIRECTOR: JORG SUSSERBACH, KLAUS SANDER The Weintraub Syncopators
began their career in 1920’s Berlin and quickly became one of
the most sought after jazz bands in Berlin, rising to be featured
in legendary BLUE ANGEL (1932), starring Marlene Dietrich. Their American-inspired
music and comic performances electrified audiences throughout Europe,
but in 1933, with the rise of the Nazis, the mostly Jewish Band decided
not to return to Germany and set off on a world tour that finally
landed them in Australia in 1937. The outbreak of the war in the Pacific
resulted in the interment of most of the band, ending a remarkable
career through a tumultuous artistic and political period of history.
(60 mins.)
JAN 20 SUN 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
PAVAROTTI OF THE PLAINS:
DON WALSER’S STORY
US 2001
DIRECTOR: TJ MOREHOUSE Texas singer Don Walser has one of the purest
voices and traditionalist instincts of anyone in country music. Whether
he’s yodeling a cowboy tune, or it’s a western swing or
honky tonk classic, there is an authenticity that harkens back to
another era. Walser’s humble appreciation and true to the roots
instincts have earned him legions of fans and status as the elder
statesman of the Austin music scene—quite a feat when you consider
the competition. TJ Morehouse’s affectionate portrait reveals
a man as sweet as his voice and deserving of the respect he has earned.
(70 mins.)
WITH
ACCORDION DREAMS
US 2000
DIRECTOR: HECTOR GALAN The arrival of the European button accordion
to Texas and the merging of German polka music with traditional Mexican
songs gave birth to Conjunto, a unique American music genre native
to the state. From lively polkas to smooth waltzes, Hector Galan’s
spirited ACCORDION DREAMS looks at the the contemporary evolution
of the music and a new generation of musicians who are taking traditional
sounds to the fringes of rock, blues and pop. Featuring squeezebox
trailblazers such as Flaco Jimenez, Valerio Longoria, Ruben Vela,
Eva Ybarra, Albert Zamora, Jesse Turner and teen sensation Victoria
Galavan, Galan celebrates an underappreciated instrument and rich
musical culture. (57 mins.)
JAN 23 WED 7 P.M.
MISSION THEATRE
WELCOME TO THE CLUB:
THE WOMEN OF ROCKABILLY
US 2001
DIRECTOR: BETH HARRINGTON A lively dive into the other side of Rockabilly
roots, WELCOME TO THE CLUB sings fascinating tales of the pioneering
women of Rockabilly. Harrington’s little-known gal-rocker story
is told with plenty of great archival photographs and vintage footage
along with interviews and performances from early stars like Wanda
Jackson, Brenda Lee, Lorrie Collins and Janis Martin, once billed
as the "female Elvis." (57 mins.)
WITH
HANK & JIMMY:
A STORY OF COUNTRY
CANADA 2000
DIRECTOR: JOHN MARTIN The rags-to-riches story of country music great
Hank Snow is the stuff of legend. His rise from the muddy backroads
of Nova Scotia to the Grand Ole Opry came from a steely determination
to let nothing stand in his way. Even his son Jimmy, a musician in
his own right who hung out with Elvis, rebelled against his father
and turned to the ministry. The famed footage of Jimmy Snow preaching
against the evils of Rock and Roll is classic. Bibles vs. guitars,
country vs. gospel –a love-hate relationship worthy of the saddest
country song. (56 mins.)
JAN 24 25 THU 7 P.M., fri 9 p.m.
GUILD THEATRE
STEP ACROSS THE BORDER
GERMANY/SWITZERLAND 1989
DIRECTORs: WERNER PENZEL NICHOLAS HUMBERT "Fred Frith’s
music makes your jaw drop, your feet dance and your neighbors move."
British composer, instrumentalist, improviser and performer Fred Frith
is an irrepressible and unpredictable pillar of the gray area where
rock meets contemporary avant-garde music. From the late sixties,
when he formed his first "dada" blues band, through collaborations
with John Zorn and The Residents, Frith has dazzled audiences with
his playful audacity and inventiveness. Nicholas Humbert and Werner
Penzel’s (MIDDLE OF THE MOMENT) globe-trotting documentary is
a startling and poetic fusion of Frith’s life, laying bare the
spirit and tenacity of his creative process to fashion, in their words,
"a film about the symphonic relationship between express trains,
storms and electric guitars, which brings together two kindred forms
of artistic expression - improvised music and cinema direct."
(90 mins.)
JAN 24 THU 7 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
HITMAKERS: THE TEENS WHO STOLE POP MUSIC
US 2001
DIRECTOR: MORGAN NEVILLE In the late 50s and early 60s, a number of
soon-to-be-famous songwriters—Bobby Darin, Burt Bacharach, Carole
King, Neil Sedaka, and Paul Simon among them—got their first
break in New York's Brill Building, a bastion of creativity that became
synonymous with the unique sounds of the era. These upstart "teen"
pan alley tune—smithsmostly young Jewish kids from Brooklyn—held
near monopoly on the pop charts with a steady stream of hits recorded
by The Drifters, The Crystals, The Shangri-Las, Ben E. King, The Righteous
Brothers and numerous others. Morgan Neville (SAM PHILLIPS: THE MAN
WHO INVENTED ROCK AND ROLL) pulls together rare demos and never-before-seen
footage and present day interviews to celebrate the halcyon days of
pop music. (90 mins)
WITH
WORDS & MUSIC BY
LEIBER & STOLLER
US 2001
DIRECTOR: MORGAN NEVILLE A companion piece to HITMAKERS, Neville’s
slick tribute to Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller charts the career of
the greatest songwriting team in the history of rock ‘n’
roll and mentors to the Brill Building writers. They wrote, arranged
and produced for Elvis (Hound Dog, Jailhouse Rock), The Coasters (Charlie
Brown…), Ben E. King (Stand By Me), and the Drifters (There Goes
My Baby), and dozens of others, some of their key hits showcased in
the long-running Broadway musical SMOKEY JOE’S CAFE. (44mins.)
morgan neville scheduled to attend
JAN 25 26 27 FRI 7 P.M., SAT 5, 7 & 9 P.M., SUN 5 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
CUBA FELIZ
FRANCE 1999
DIRECTOR: KARIM DRIDI This uninhibited road movie musical takes us
deeper into Cuba’s musical soul than any film so far. It follows
76-year-old singer Miguel del Morales, known as El Gallo (The Rooster),
as he thumbs his way across the country. With only a guitar for luggage,
our wandering tour guide meets musical people of all persuasions who
welcome him as a brother and play with him at the drop of a hat. El
Gallo discovers laughter, dance, and improvisation, the passion of
trumpets and simple songs hummed among friends. Here, perhaps like
no where else, music is central to the energy and dreams of life.
(90 mins.)
sponsored by timbuktunes
JAN 27 FEB 1 SUN 7 P.M., FRI 9:30 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
ATLAS MOTH
US 2001
DIRECTOR: ROLF BELGUM In last year’s Reel Music, Belgum’s
DRIVER 23 hilariously chronicled the travails of the obsessed and
depressed delivery driver Dan Cleveland and his quest for heavy metal
stardom in Minneapolis. In his new sequel (if you missed DRIVER 23
don’t let it stop you), we find Dan struggling, despite invention,
to solve the simplest of problems. At the same time, we get to know
a little bit more about the other band members, each of whom have
their ways of seeing the world. But somehow, despite the intrusions
of life, Dan’s band Dark Horse gets it together to finish "Guts
Before Glory," the CD of their dreams. (75 mins.)
WITH
A SKIN TOO FEW:
THE DAYS OF NICK DRAKE
THE NETHERLANDS 2000
DIRECTOR: JEROEN BERKVENS Among rock’s collection of the tragically
romantic, Nick Drake may be at the top of the heap. A gentle singer/songwriter
and guitarist, none of his three late 60s/early 70s albums went anywhere
and he died, alone and embittered in 1974 at the age of 25. Cut to
2000, where Drake’s "Pink Moon" suddenly pops up in
a VW commercial. Suddenly Drake is on cool movie soundtracks, the
hip poet of beauty, loss and self-reflection. Berkvens’ film,
lacking any footage of the living Drake, creatively explores a tortured
life whose creativity is recognized too late.
(48 mins.)
JAN 31 THU 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
IMMACULATE FUNK
US 2000
DIRECTOR: TOM THURMAN Documenting the life and career of legendary
music producer Jerry Wexler, Thurman’s labor of love primarily
focuses on Wexler's work in the sixties at Stax Records in Memphis
and at the Atlantic Record’s studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
Narrated by Kris Kristofferson and loaded with rare clips, the film
features commentary from key musicians such as Aretha Franklin, Etta
James, Wilson Pickett, Willie Nelson, Doug Sahm, Steve Cropper, Al
Bell, Dr. John, John Prine, as well as music industry giants such
as Ahmet Ertegun, Arif Mardin, Sam Phillips, and Wexler himself. Sweet
soul music. (75 mins.)
WITH
THE LAST ANGEL OF HISTORY
BRITAIN 1995
DIRECTOR: JOHN AKOMFRA Akomfrah’s film jets from the blues to
the future. What do George Clinton’s funkadelic Mothership, Sun
Ra’s jazz Arkestra and reggae-man Lee Scratch Perry’s Black
Ark have in common? In three different places, three visionary musicians
arrived at the same independent conclusion: space is the place. Weaving
an impressive mix of interviews, analysis and music, Akomfrah develops
a startling thesis—there is an alternate path in black culture,
one that looks to a future in science and the stars rather than to
the pain of the past. (45 mins.)
JAN 31 FEB 3
THU 7 P.M. WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
SUN 2 P.M. GUILD THEATRE
THE ART OF AMALIA
US/PORTUGAL 2000
DIRECTOR: BRUNO DE ALMEIDA "One of the most important artists
of our time, Amalia Rodrigues is best known for her interpretation
of "Fado," a unique Portuguese musical style rich in dramatic
lament and raw emotional power. Rising from poverty in the Lisbon
slums to glittering heights on the world stage, Amalia’s legend
continues to grow even after her death in 1999. This extraordinary
film about her life and career should enshrine her position as one
of the last great divas of the 20th century, not to mention attracting
a new generation of world music lovers to her amazing voice."—David
Byrne. (90 mins.)
FEB 1 3 4 FRI 8 P.M., SUN 4:30 P.M., mon 7 p.m.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
THE TURNADOT PROJECT
GERMANY/US 2000
DIRECTOR: ALLAN MILLER When conductor Zubin Mehta decided to stage
a new production of Puccini’s Turandot, he asked acclaimed Chinese
filmmaker Zhang Yimou (RAISE THE RED LANTERN, JU DOU) to bring his
extraordinary visual style to the project. When the production shifted
from Florence, Italy to Beijing’s Forbidden City, the possibilities–and
problems—of staging the opera multiplied. Alan Miller’s
(MAO TO MOZART) riveting film takes us behind the scenes of a massive,
spectacular production, whose back-stage artistic dramas rival the
eventual on-stage spectacle. "A must-see for opera lovers and
a snappy diversion for cinephiles."—THE VILLAGE VOICE. (85
mins.)
FEB 1 2 FRI 7 P.M., SAT 4 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
I’LL SING FOR YOU
FRANCE 2001
DIRECTOR: JACQUES SARASIN Sarasin’s compelling film examines
the career and culture of Malian guitarist and singer Boubacar Traore,
whose music is bound in the turbulent history of Mali, one of the
poorest countries in the world. In the early sixties, Traore’s
(better known as KarKar) joyous, dance-beat songs gave voice to newly
won political independence from France and hope for the future. He
was the Elvis Presley of Mali (or perhaps the Robert Johnson), but
since his music was only spread by radio, he couldn’t even buy
cigarettes with his fame. After a two-decade self-imposed exile from
the stage (working as a mason in France) and presumed dead by most,
Traore rose from the ashes of his own life in the 90s via miraculous
rediscovery. "If the maximum is five, I give 10 to KarKar."—Ali
Farka Toure. (76 mins.) Sponsored by KBOO Community Radio 90.7 FM
WITH
SACRED STEEL
US 2001
DIRECTOR: ROBERT STONE The organ has traditionally been the foundation
of church-based music, but in the 1930’s, primarily in Black
Pentecostal churches in Florida, electric steel guitars started a
new music tradition. Today, few sounds in music as vividly signify
African-American gospel as the steel guitar. (55 mins.)
FEB 2 3 SAT 7 P.M. sun 4 p.m.
GUILD THEATRE
JAZZ WOMEN
US/ITALY 2001
DIRECTOR: GABRIELLA MORANDI Beneath the top tier of household-name
legends like Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn and Bessie
Smith are the many hardworking, incredibly talented and maybe less
fortunate singers, known only by their peers and true jazz fans. Morandi’s
wonderful, moving film is a tribute to these women, who suffer the
insecurity, and struggle of the jazz life and just sing beautiful
songs. Among the celebrated are Teri Thornton, Abby Lincoln, Barbara
Carroll, Annie Ross, Jackie Cain, Vivian Lord, Etta Jones, Dakota
Staton and newcomer Judy Bady. (79 mins.)
WITH
JAZZ SCENE
DIRECTOR: JULIAN BENEDIKT Listen with your eyes to the works of pre-eminent
jazz photographer William Claxton, whose iconic images created an
international visual identity for West Coast Jazz in the 1950s. Claxton’s
career began with his indelible portraits of trumpeter Chet Baker,
who became the role model of a generation of cool rebellion. Claxton’s
inventive record covers captured the jazz world with a unique romantic
luminosity and later, as his work moved into fashion and movies (particularly
Steve McQueen), his signature styling made him one of the top commercial
photographers in the world. Benedik’s (BLUE NOTE: A STORY OF
JAZZ) stylish homage surveys the range of his work—from Gerry
Mulligand and Sonny Rollins to Wynton Marsalis and features interviews
with Chico Hamilton, Casandra Wilson, Burt Bacharach, Russ Freeman,
John Frakenheimer, Dennis Hopper, Helmut Newton, Vidal Sasson and
many others. (87mins.) sponsored by kmhd 98.1 fm
FEB 3 sun 7 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
A CUBAN LEGEND
US 2001
DIRECTOR: BETTE WANDERMAN Yourban priest, sculptor and world-renowned
muralist Salvador Gonzales Escalona is perhaps best known for transforming
a Havana alleyway from a garbage-riddled path into a vibrant cultural
and spiritual vortex. By strengthening the ties that bind art, religion,
music and dance, Escalona has drawn attention to the pre-Christian
roots of Afro-Cubans and renewed a sense of cultural pride and community.
Pulsating with vitality and hope, A CUBAN LEGEND is an intense celebration
which lets the music and art, the colors and rhythms, speak for themselves.
(79 mins.)
WITH
THE INTERNATIONALE
US 2000
DIRECTOR: PETER MILLER Few know that the famous protest song, "The
Internationale," began its life during the fall of the radical
Paris Commune of 1871, when Frenchman Eugene Pottier wrote it to inspire
the working classes. Adopted by anarchists, socialists and communists,
and later appropriated by the Soviets as their anthem, the song may
be one of the most famous and controversial in history. Eventually,
it became a rallying point for social justice the world over. Director
Peter Miller’s serious, but often irreverent, film is an absorbing
meditation about socialism, idealism and the power of music in people’s
lives. Among the singers interviewed are Pete Seeger and Billy Bragg.
(30 mins.)
FEB 3 SUN 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
SHOWBIZ IS MY LIFE
US 2001
DIRECTORS: HILARY HARRIS AYR ROBINSON SHOWBIZ IS MY LIFE is a love
letter to New York’s cabaret scene and an unsentimental portrait
of three indefatigable performers from succeeding generations: the
legendary Julie Wilson, whose precocious sex appeal made her a rising
star in the late 1950s; the flamboyant Baby Jane Dexter, a Warholian
version of a blues diva; and Natalia Gamsu, who left her native South
Africa to seek glory in the Big Apple. These tireless women all live
by the same creed: the show must go on. "Beguiling and illuminating…three
distinctive artists of talent, intelligence and resilience who work
hard to sustain careers in small, intimate venues." — Kevin
Thomas, LA TIMES (53 mins.)
WITH
THOTH
US 2001
DIRECTOR: SARAH KERNOCHAN Vocalist, violinist, dancer, "prayformance"
artist. Street performer S.K. Thoth is all these and a bit more. Think
Yma Sumac meets Paganini meets a tribal dancer to get a partial bead
on this energetic and original performer, whose "soloperas"
in Central Park’s Angel Tunnel are part of a mission to heal
human disunity. Sarah Kernochan’s (MARJOE) portrait is entertaining
and intimate as it tries to bottle a very complex spirit. "Thoth
to pin down: queer theory meets modern myth making in Central Park."—THE
VILLAGE VOICE. (42 mins.)
FEB 9 sat, 2 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE – LIVE FILM & MUSIC EVENT
THE GOLDEN ARM TRIO PRESENTS
FAUST
GERMANY 1926
DIRECTOR: F.W. MURNAU We welcome Austin’s Golden Arm Trio for
the premiere of their live "avant-garde classical " score
for Murnau’s version of the story of the man who sold his soul
to the devil. One of the most beautifully crafted films ever made,
Murnau in many ways redefined black and white cinematography: this
is a film shot in darkness and light. In the words of film historian
Lotte Eisner "This film starts with the most remarkable and poignant
images the German chiaroscuro ever created. The chaotic density of
the opening shots, the light dawning in the mists, the rays beaming
through the opaque air, are breathtaking... No other director, not
even Lang, ever succeeded in conjuring up the supernatural as masterfully
as this. The entire town seems to be covered by the vast folds of
a demon's cloak (or is it a gigantic, lowering cloud?) as the demoniac
forces of darkness prepare to devour the powers of light." Starring
Emil Jannings as Mephistopheles, and Swedish actor Gosta Ekman as
Faust. (103 mins.) |
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JAN 6 10 SUN 7 P.M., THU 7 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
JUNG: IN THE LAND OF
THE MUJAHEDDIN
AFGHANISTAN/ITALY 2000
DIRECTORS: ALBERO VENDEMMIATI, FABIO LAZZARETTI, GIUSEPPE PETITTO
First presented as part of our Human Rights Watch series, we are compelled
to re-screen this devastating portrait of life in Afghanistan during
Taliban reign. This passionate, beautifully produced documentary,
shot between 1999 and 2000, depicts life in Northern Alliance territories
in the Panjshir Valley as an Italian aid organization builds a hospital
for landmine victims. Offering a perspective on a people who have
suffered decades of devastation and are often misrepresented in the
media, the film is essential viewing for anyone interested in the
reality of life and war in this most tragic of human conditions. (114
mins.)
JAN 15 22 TUE 7 P.M., TUE 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
ANIMATED WORLDS:
NEW DIRECTIONS IN ANIMATION
DIRECTORS: VARIOUS Inspired by world politics, personal experience
or simply the urge to play, emerging and established animators throughout
the world continue to push the boundaries of the medium in exciting
directions, sometimes spurred by the creative possibilities of digital
technology but just as often using time honored techniques from the
medium’s earliest days. Curated and introduced by independent
animator and Film Center faculty member Anouck Iyer, the program is
presented in conjunction with the School of Film’s course THE
ART OF ANIMATION, which beings Wednesday, February 6th (see pg. 8).
Included in the program are SUB! (2000), Jess Schmal; BOOBY GIRL (2000),
Brooke Keesling; BROTHER (1998), Adam Elliot; MINOTAUR (1998), Daniel
Sousa; GRASSLANDS (1987), Eric Darnell; LIGHTWEIGHT (1999), Stefan
Gruber; CRIMINAL TANGO (1985), Solveig Von Kleist; FELIX IN EXILE
(1994), William Kentridge; UN JOUR (1997), Marie Paccou; REVOLVER
(1994), Stig Berquvist and Jonas Odell; GRACE (1999), Lorelei Pepi;
PULCINELLA (1981), Emanuele Luzzati and Giulio Gianini; and TONGUES
AND TAXIS (2000), Mike Overbeck. (90 mins.)
JAN 9 WED 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
THE FILMS OF ALFRED HITCHCOCK
THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS
BRITAIN 1935
DIRECTOR ALFRED HITCHCOCK Tonight we screen the first film in "The
Films of Alfred Hitchcock," a course co-offered by the Portland
State University Department of English and the Film Center and taught
by Michael Clark, Professor of English at PSU. The complete course
description and registration information can be found on page 14.
THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS is quintessential Hitchcock, a swiftly moving
adventure combining comedy, romance and intrigue—a work revealing
the director at the peak of his talents. This paranoid chase film
set the stage for his later NORTH BY NORTHWEST. Robert Donat is the
wrongly accused and Madeline Carroll his unwilling partner, both of
whom are bound together by handcuffs in search of the leader behind
a fascist spy-ring. (87 mins.)
JAN 16 WED 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
THE FILMS OF ALFRED HITCHCOCK
THE LADY VANISHES
GREAT BRITAIN 1938
DIRECTOR: ALFRED HITCHCOCK The second of ten films in this winter’s
Hitchcock survey class (the rest of the screenings are for class registrants
only; see course description on page 14) THE LADY VANISHES remains
one of Hitchcock’s most beloved films and proved to be his ticket
to Hollywood. A seamless blend of humor and suspense, it stars Margaret
Lockwood as a vacationing debutante and Michael Redgrave as a young
collector of folksongs who both become involved in European espionage
when an elderly governess (Dame May Whitty) disappears from the transcontinental
train on which they are passengers. Even those who know every turn
of the plot can watch this thriller again and again and marvel at
Hitchcock’s masterful illusions. (96 mins.)
JAN 20 SUN 7 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
HAROLD PINTER ON SCREEN
LANGRISHE GO DOWN
BRITAIN 1978
DIRECTOR: DAVID HUGH JONES Based on an award-winning novel by Irish
writer Aidan Higgins, Harold Pinter’s masterful screen adaptation,
produced by the BBC, tells a melancholy tale of frustrated love set
in the 1930's County Kildare. Jeremy Irons plays Otto Beck, a cynical
German student of philosophy in the midst of writing his thesis with
excruciating preciousness. He embarks on a ill-fated relationship
with Imogene Langrishe (Judi DeNch) the youngest of four unmarried
sisters who, fallen on hard times since the death of their father,
seem destined to live lives of slow desperation in their old house
in the country. While faithful to the novel, Pinter enthusiasts will
find his enigmatic style woven throughout the script. (105 mins.)
Mel Gussow, drama critic for the NEW YORK TIMES and author of "Conversations
with PinteR", will introduce the film. Mr. Gussow is in Portland
as part of the Profile Theater Project’s season of Pinter plays
at Theater! Theater!
JAN 25 26 27 28 FRI 7 & 9 p.m., SAT 4, 6 & 8 p.m., SUN 4:30
& 6:30 p.m., MON 7 p.m.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
FIGHTER
CZECH REBULIC/ITALY 1999
DIRECTOR: AMIR BAR-LEVY FIGHTER tells the powerful and often funny
story of two elderly Czech Jewish émigrés, Jan Wiener
and Arnost Lustig, both World War II survivors, who met later in life
in America and became friends. Bar-Levy’s heartfelt film follows
the pair as they return to Prague to retrace their wartime escape
routes. Wiener, whose experiences included a spell in an Italian prison
and flying bombers for the Royal Air Force, wound up in a Communist
prison camp after the war. Lustig’s holocaust experience was
different—he and his family were sent to the concentration camp
at Terezin, where most of the others were lost. This unorthodox roadtrip
surfaces a touching, quarrelsome, comic friendship, one in which the
two manage to agree on virtually nothing except the profound impact
of a life marked by the horrors of their experiences. "A deeply
reverberating film. In juxtaposing two extraordinary personal histories,
it ponders in a refreshingly original way unanswerable questions about
memory, imagination, history and that elusive thing called truth."
—Stephen Holden, THE NEW YORK TIMES. ( 90 mins.)
FEB 2 SAT 3 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM – VISITING ARTIST
AN AFTERNOON WITH
WILLIAM WEGMAN
Photographer William Wegman’s early black & white videos,
starring his beloved Weimaraner, Man Ray, are video art classics.
After taking a hiatus from video in the 80s, Wegman returned in the
90’s, producing more of his deadpan personal pieces and commissioned
works for SESAME STREET, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE and NICKELODEON. This
afternoon we welcome Wegman to Portland for the dedication of his
"Portland Dog Bowl," a new public sculpture commissioned
by the Pearl Arts Foundation, and an evening featuring some of his
vintage and more recent film and video work, including THE HARDY BOYS
IN HARDLY GOLD (1996), featuring a fabulous cast of the morosely pliant
Weimaraners that have peopled his work. In this Hardy Boys mysteries
spoof the droopy-eyed sleuths canoe, fly fish and golf while foiling
the plans of a pair of environmental saboteurs. (2 hrs.)
Co-sponsored by Pearl Arts Foundation.
Special admission $15 general, $12 nwfc, Pam, PNCA, pearl arts foundation,
oregon humane society members.
FEB 3 SUN 2 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM – VISITING ARTIST
ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY:
A MONARCH OF THE SEAS
US 2001
DIRECTOR: THOMAS VAUGHN In 2002, with America’s interests now
in every corner of the world, it is timely to look back a century
to an event that heralded the emergence of this new world power. In
1898, a relatively obscure Admiral George Dewey (1837-1917) was in
command of the U.S. Navy’s Asiatic Squadron based in Hong Kong
when the U.S. declared war on Spain. Commanded to sail to Manila and
capture or destroy the Spanish fleet based there, Dewey engaged a
large flotilla in Manila Bay and defeated it in mere hours. Instantly
acclaimed a hero, his order "You may fire when ready, Gridley,"
entered into naval lore everywhere. Upon his return, the celebration
in New York City amounted to the greatest water and land parade in
history. Soon, everything from dogs, streets, schools and children
were named in his honor. Portland historian and filmmaker Thomas Vaughn’s
(CLASH OF EMPIRES: THE CRIMEAN WAR, WELLINGTON’S LAST PARADE)
meticulous film, featuring rare film clips, photographs and illustrations,
traces the history and hysteria of events which seemed to channel,
through an unlikely and now dimmed hero, an awakening nation’s
romantic fervor in coming of age as a military, political and industrial
power. (59 mins.) Thomas Vaughn will introduce his film. |
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