IAS Film Series 2011-2012

The film series marks its twenty-seventh year this season. All films are shown free of charge at 8 PM in Wolfensohn Hall and are open to the Institute Community.

Friday, October 14, 2011  The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond     Jodie Markell, 1999
Fisher Willow, a Southern heiress, challenges the rules of her society by hiring Jimmy Dobyne, the caretaker’s son, to escort her to an important party. The script, written by Tennessee Williams, is set in the 1920s and was produced for the first time with this movie.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011        Citizen Kane       Orson Welles, 1941
Citizen Kane is considered one of the greatest films ever made. The film narrates the life of a publishing mogul, Charles Foster Kane (portrayed by Orson Welles), and is based on the life of William Randolph Hearst. Hearst and Welles clashed over the making of this film.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011                  City of God             Fernando Meirelles, 2003  
One of the most dangerous places in Rio De Janeiro is Cidade de Deus, a housing project begun in the 1960s. We see it at its best and worst through the eyes of a child who grows up to become a photographer. He attempts to document the humanity that persists despite a seemingly inhumane environment. 

Friday, December 9, 2011        Disgrace               Steve Jacobs, 2008
John Malkovich plays the wonderfully complex character of David Lurie, a South African professor of literature. He destroys his own world when he seduces a college student and though he tries to find peace at his daughter’s farm in South Africa, he find little. 

Wednesday, January 18, 2012          Good Night and Good Luck    George Clooney, 2005
Good Night and Good Luck was nominated for six Academy Awards. The film narrates the collision of news with politics and is set during the McCarthy era. Edward R. Murrow, CBS reporter, along with his producer challenge Joseph McCarthy.

Friday, January 27, 2012       Biutiful                Alejandro Ganzalez Inarritu, 2010
Biutiful takes place in Barcelona. The central character, Uxbal, is a dutiful father who takes care of his two children while evading the law.  Beautifully and poetically filmed by Rodrigo Prieto using a hand held camera. Prieto was also the director of photography for Brokeback Mountain.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012       The Station Agent    Tom McCarthy, 2003
Finbar McBride, a man affected with dwarfism, seeks solitude in an abandoned train station in New Jersey. His plans are disrupted by various well-meaning characters. Shot on a shoestring budget using locations around the northern part of the state. 

Friday, March 9, 2012             La Dolce Vita          Federico Fellini, 1960
Felllini shot La Dolce Vita on the Via Veneto in 1959. The film follows a gossip columnist as he documents the sweet life of playboys, movie stars, and declining aristocrats.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012 Sweet Smell of Success            Alexander Mackendrick, 1957
The Sweet Smell of Success explores the dark, desperate side of Broadway. The film explores the influence and manipulation that a powerful New York columnist, J.J. Hunsecker, portrayed by Burt Lancaster, exerts on a press agent (Tony Curtis). The character of Hunsecker is modeled after a well known columnist of the time, Walter Winchell.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012               Cheeni Kum                  R. Balakrishnan, 2007
Buddhadev Gupta is a 64-year old chef and owner of one of London’s top rated Indian restaurants. He has allowed his restaurant to consume his life and has few friends beside his 9-year old next door neighbor- that is until a beautiful, young software engineer enters his life.