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.