<<< July & August 2007 >>>

Wednesday, July 11 – 7:30 PM

Lisa Gerrard Double Feature:

SANCTUARY: LISA GERRARD, 2006, Milan Entertainment, 90 min. An intimate portrait of the co-lead singer of Dead Can Dance featuring masterful performances by co-lead singer Brendan Perry, and interviews with Perry, actor Russell Crowe, director Michael Mann, composer Hans Zimmer and more. Directed and produced by Clive Collier, it illustrates the essence of Lisa’s music; her singing as strong spiritual expression and her connection with nature. The documentary film talks about the different components of Lisa’s career: her beginnings with the formation of the Dead Can Dance group with Brendan Perry in the 1980’s, her film and solo careers (including her musical contributions to movies like THE INSIDER, ALI, WHALE RIDER and GLADIATOR), the reformation of Dead Can Dance for a world tour in 2005, and aspects of her family life which support and influence her work.

DEAD CAN DANCE: TOWARD THE WITHIN, 2004, Magidson Films, 78 min. Director Mark Magidson (producer of BARAKA) helmed this ecstatic, trance-inducing concert film of the famed band performing their unusual blend of Celtic folk and New Age Gothic music at Santa Monica’s now-gone Mayfair Theatre. Short bursts of interview footage with Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry give insight into the group’s influences, spiritual affinities and musical direction. "…Magidson’s film is a welcome introduction to the 4AD Records flagship group, who mix Celtic madrigals and an unclassifiable brand of neo-Gothic worldbeat with the haunting voices of co-founders Perry and Gerrard." – Mark Savlov, The Austin Chronicle

Thursday, July 12 – 7:30 PM

International Pop and World Beat:

SLEEPWALKING THROUGH THE MEKONG, 2007, Film 101 Productions, 68 min. "Nimol’s singing and the band’s American version of Cambodian psychedelia created a sound that was strangely familiar and totally distinctive." – J. Poet, San Francisco Chronicle; "Not to be missed." – The New Yorker. Director John Pirozzi’s documentary follows the Los Angeles-based Dengue Fever as they travel to Cambodia to perform their unusual collection of songs. Fronted by Cambodian pop star Ch’hom Nimol, who sings in Khmer, the sextet blends the rhythms of 1960’s Cambodian pop – heavily influenced by American surf, rock and early psychedelic garage bands – with their own eclectic mix of American and international styles. Unlike the world music bands of the late 1980’s, Dengue Fever is more concerned with a universal groove and breaking down musical barriers than with notions of authenticity. There are echoes of Bollywood soundtracks, Ethiopian soul, American R&B, Cambodian folk, spaghetti western weirdness and girl group angst in the mix, but the resulting concoction is all their own. PLUS: the short, "Between Times" (7 min.) directed by and featuring Dengue Fever, and a video of their song "Sni Bong" (3 min.). NOT ON DVD Discussion following Dengue Fever films with director John Pirozzi and various Dengue Fever band members.

PLUS, following the Q&A discussion, the short: "The Esso Trinidad Steel Drum Band" (1972, 28 min.). Directed by Bud Smith, produced by Van Dyke Parks, this is a phenomenal, as well as phenomenally rare, promotional film of the famous steel drum band, filled with intoxicating rhythms. From Trinidad to Tennessee, this film follows the ETS on their historic 1972 US tour in support of the Van Dyke Parks-produced album. Scenes include Trinidad carnivale, outdoor rehearsals on the island, historic black and white Calypso footage, tour scenes of the 24 panmen bussing it through the snowy east coast, and a performance on a Tennessee college campus. Narrated by Kenrick Headley and Reverend Father John Sewell. Discussion following "Esso Trinidad" short with director Bud Smith.

Tuesday, July 17 – 7:30 PM

Los Angeles Premiere!

BRASILINTIME: BATUCADA COM DISCOS, 2007, Mochilla, 117 min. Dir. B+. "…it is brilliant as a combination of images and music, a film that does visually what its narrative proclaims through words and scenes." -- George Lipsitz: Head of the Dept of Black Studies UCSB and author of Dangerous Crossroads. BRASILINTIME is a map that connects the world of Rio de Janeiro of the early 20th century to the South Bronx of the early 1970’s. The roads from Samba through Bossa Nova to hip-hop are a complex web of musical whispers and echoes. BRASILINTIME is a two hour documentary that traverses this journey. In 2000 some of Los Angeles' most revered soul and jazz session drummers came together with some of the city's greatest turntablists. The magic that happened during this first meeting is both homage and discovery. It was filmed and became the acclaimed short "Keepintime: Talking Drums and Whispering Vinyl." In November of 2002, both drummers and DJs traveled to Sao Paulo, Brazil. The purpose of the journey was to expand the multi-generational conversation to include their counterparts from the world of Samba, Bossa Nova and Samba Rock, as well as the best new talent from Brasilian hip hop. This show was recorded and became the basis for BRASILINTIME. Shot in a direct and often experimental way, relying frequently on the use of still photography, BRASILINTIME speaks the language of the music it addresses. Starring Paul Humphrey, James Gadson, Derf Reklaw, Babu, Jrocc, Cut Chemist, Madlib and from Brasil Wilson Das Neves, Ivan Mamao Conti, Joao Parahyba and DJ Nuts. "…What makes the film so filmic are all the strange little asides, strange little nothings that capture exactly what it is like to see some cats who have done some really important wilded out music come together and do the same thing together…"-- Alex Wagner The Fader Magazine. Discussion with director B+, cast and crew after the screening.  Very special guests TBA.   Presented in association with Mochilla, Dublab, ArtDontSleep

www.brasilintime.com

Saturday, July 21 – 2:00 PM

Art Directors Guild Film Society Presents Ray Harryhausen In-Person Matinee:

FIRST MEN IN THE MOON, 1964, Sony Repertory, 103 min. In director Nathan Juran’s extremely entertaining adaptation of H.G. Wells’ novel, turn-of-the-century British inventor Lionel Jeffries enlists Edward Judd and fiancée Martha Hyer in his scheme to reach the moon using anti-gravity paint. Once the trio hits the lunar landscape, they’re captured by a weird subterranean insect race, the Selenites, and we’re treated to some of Ray Harryhausen’s most enjoyable special effects. An infectious blend of Victorian sci-fi, sweet humor and high adventure. Preceded by a film reel and clip show. Discussion following with visual effects artist and producer Ray Harryhausen. A co-presentation with The Art Directors Guild.

Wednesday, July 25 – 7:30 PM

World Premiere!

CLEVELAND’S SCREAMING¸ 2006, Hardcore Zen Films, 87 min. Produced and directed by Brad Warner, author of Hardcore Zen and Sit Down & Shut Up! and blogger for Suicide Girls. The thrashing story of the Northeast Ohio hardcore punk scene from 1980 through 1985. Though other films have covered the national hardcore scene, hardcore was really a local phenomenon with each region having its own unique character. CLEVELAND’S SCREAMING gives viewers a low-tech but intimate shot-on-video portrait of one of the nation's many local hardcore scenes by focusing on the colorful characters who built their own local punk rock movement in a time and place where looking and thinking different could get you killed! Featured bands: 0DFX (Zero Defex), Starvation Army, Agitated, Offbeats, The Plague, Defnics, Hammer-Damage, and Rubber City Rebels (who were briefly based out of Los Angeles as well as Cleveland). See a trailer for Cleveland Screaming! NOT ON DVD

SCREAMING MASTERPIECE, 2006, Milan Entertainment, 85 min. Dir. Ari Alexander Ergis. Icelandic music hit the international scene with Björk and The Sugarcubes, and, in the last decade, more bands and solo acts have followed suit. Along with Bjork, Sigur Rós, Múm, Bang Gang, Mugison, Minus and Slowblow are just a few of the more recent appearing in this fascinating documentary. At the edge of the world, high in the North-Atlantic, the Icelanders have whiled away the long, dark centuries patiently honing their caustic humor, their eccentric melodies and ancient poetry. The old music, handed down from medieval times, is one of the secrets to the Icelanders’ unique sound – the howl of the arctic storm and the surf breaking on the rocky coast may be another. Whatever the explanation, the Icelanders have fostered a music scene with a sound and attitude that is all their own, mixing ancient dirges and contemporary electronics, rock, punk, pop and classical influences, to produce their own eclectic style. This film delivers the full force of the explosive Icelandic music scene with massive 5.1 Dolby sound and a fast-paced visual extravaganza. We follow the acts from their home in Iceland as they tour the world, from New York to Tokyo and beyond. The film was two years in the making and takes the audience behind the scenes of Reyjavik’s irrepressible musical underground. The creeping glaciers, barren highland sands and dark raging seas full of ghosts form a backdrop to the raw energy of the music. Discussion in between films with CLEVELAND’S SCREAMING director, Brad Warner.

Sunday, July 29 – 5:30 PM

Art Directors Guild Hall of Fame Screening – A Salute to Production Designer William Cameron Menzies!

William Cameron Menzies (1896-1957), the first art director to gain the title of production designer as a result of his Academy-Award-winning work on GONE WITH THE WIND (1939), was an independent art director working under non-exclusive short-term contracts. This allowed him to move from studio to studio. As an independent he was able to experiment with his artistic visions, making him one of the best art directors of his time. Menzies befriended famed art director Anton Grot, who taught Menzies his techniques of forced perspective and continuity sketching, which were very useful throughout both their careers. They eventually worked together on THE THIEF OF BAGHDAD (1924), where, in a change of roles, Grot was an assistant to Menzies, a dominant force among art directors from silent films until the 1950’s. He was given an honorary Academy Award for his work on GONE WITH THE WIND, won Oscars for THE DOVE (1927) and THE TEMPEST (1928) and received nominations for his work on THE AWAKENING (1928) [the very first Academy Award for Art Direction], ALIBI (1929), and BULLDOG DRUMMOND (1929). Menzies was inducted into the ADG Hall of Fame in 2005.

FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS, 1943, Universal, 168 min. A stunningly beautiful version of Ernest Hemingway’s classic about idealistic lone-wolf fighter, Robert Jordan (Gary Cooper) joining up to fight the fascist loyalists during the Spanish Civil War. The novel had been very controversial as it pitted socialists against fascists (who were equally evil to many in conservative Hollywood), so director Sam Wood and screenwriter Dudley Nichols had to heavily de-fang the political thrust of the saga. The film still works beautifully and features a heart-stopping performance by co-star Ingrid Bergman as Maria, one of the mountain rebels who falls in love with the American expatriate. Her final scene with Cooper is perhaps one of the most poignant, realistically romantic (yet still delirious!) climaxes ever in a Hollywood picture. With a strong supporting cast that includes Katina Paxinou (who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress), Akim Tamiroff, Arturo de Cordova. Besides winner Paxinou, the film was nominated for eight other Oscars including Best Director, Best Actor and Best Art Direction (Hans Dreier, Haldane Douglas, Bertram C. Granger). Convincing California locations, the Sierra Nevada Mountains amongst them, stand in convincingly for the rocky, imposing Spanish terrain. Discussion following about the work of William Cameron Menzies.

Sunday August 19, 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM, FREE ADMISSION

Sherman Torgan was one of the shining lights in repertory film exhibition in Los Angeles, an unsung hero and one of the last of the independents. He was a guy who loved movies, knew a lot about movies (all different kinds of movies) and loved to share them with others at his theatre, the New Beverly Cinema. Sherman was a good friend of the American Cinematheque and would always stop in and chat with us when he dropped off his calendar schedules at the Egyptian. We occasionally circuited prints between our theatres when we had dates of the same films booked close together. Like many others who still enjoy seeing movies on the big screen (where they were meant to be seen), all of us here at the Cinematheque gradually got to know and love Sherman. He will be sorely missed.

The Cinematheque will not be screening a film at the memorial. But we will be hearing from numerous friends and associates of Sherman's, who will offer short testimonials relating their fond memories and experiences of him and the New Beverly.