University of Iowa Home

International Programs Home

Spring 2008 Events & Screenings

Proseminar in Cinema and Culture - World Film and Jazz

Sponsored by the Institute for Cinema and Culture (ICC), Department of Cinema & Comparative Literature and International Programs.

Thursdays, 7 p.m. in 101 BCSB
All screenings, presentations, and discussions are free and open to the public. The Proseminar will be led by Jennifer Fleeger.

Thursday, January 24, 2008:
The first week of the Proseminar in Cinema and Culture will explore the representation of jazz in alternative modes of American film production: 

Black and Tan

Dudley Murphy, 1929 (USA), 19'

Duke Ellington's first screen appearance, this short film tells the story of a young dancer's fate at the hands of an unfeeling nightclub manager and features a unique performance of Ellington's "Black and Tan Fantasy."

Jammin' the Blues

Gijon Mili, 1944 (USA), 10'

A study of the jam session and an effort at representing jazz as an art form, this "midnight symphony" features Lester Young, Red Callender, Harry Edison, Marlowe Morris, Sid Catlett, Barney Kessel Jo Jones, John Simmons, Illinois Jacquet, and Marie Bryant.

Shadows

John Cassavetes, 1959 (USA), 81'

Shadows is Cassavetes' directorial debut and includes snippets of an original score by Charles Mingus.  The film explores the struggles of the jazz musician, the problems of race in America, the identity of the city of New York, and the role of improvisation, both in filmmaking and musical performance.

The schedule of films for the remainder of the semester follows:

Two Men and a Wardrobe

Roman Polanski, 1958 (Poland), 15'

and

Knife in the Water

Roman Polanski, 1962 (Poland), 94'  35mm print!
Date: January 31


Elevator to the Gallows

Louis Malle, 1958 (France), 88'  35mm print!
Date: February 7 

Dingo

Rolf de Heer, 1991 (Australia/France), 109'
Date: February 14 

Pleasantville

Gary Ross, 1998 (USA), 124
Special Guest Krin Gabbard Discusses Miles Davis and the Movies and the film.
Date: February 21

Animation Night

WIth Betty Boop, Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, Paul Whiteman, cartoons from UPA and Looney Tunes, films by Norman McLaren, and more.
Date: February 28 

Stormy Weather

Andrew L. Stone, 1943 (USA), 78'
Special Guest Rick Altman Presents "The Tyranny of Tin Pan Alley"
Date: March 6

'Round Midnight

Bertrand Tavernier, 1986 (France/USA), 133'
With Special Guest Jerry Suls
Date: March 13
 

Jazz Dance

Roger Tilton, 1954 (USA), 22'

and

Notes for an African Orestes

Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1970 (Italy), 65'
Date: March 27

Calle 54

Fernando Trueba, 2000 (Spain/France/Italy), 105'
Date: April 3

The Sound of Rio: Brasileirinho

Mika Kaurismaki, 2005 (Brazil/Finland/Switzerland), 90'
Date: April 10  

Barking Dogs Never Bite

Joon-ho Bong, 2000 (South Korea), 106'
Date: April 17
 

All Night Long

Basil Dearden, 1962 (UK), 82'
With Special Guest Deborah Whaley
Date: April 24

Swing Girls

Shinobu Yaguchi, 2004 (Japan), 105'
Date: May 1 

Jazz on a Summer's Day

Aram Avakian and Bert Stern, 1960 (USA), 85'

and                       

A Night in Havana: Dizzy Gillespie in Cuba

John Holland, 1989  (Canada/USA), 84'
Date: May 8

If you require accommodations to attend, please call the ICC at (319) 335-1348.