|
Volume CXXXII, Number 3 |
 |
Subtitles and scorsese
AUDREY AMIDON
STAFF WRITER
This week, the Bowdoin Film Society is pleased to bring you films by the French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet. I think we can all feel a little more cultured by seeing a movie with subtitles, so come on out and enjoy these great films. We'll also be throwing in a good old fashioned rock 'n' roll concert film just to even out the score.
We'll start the cinematic fun on Friday evening at 7:00 with last year's hit Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, aka Amelie (2001). I don't think anyone who saw this film had a bad word to say about it. It stars the adorable Audrey Tautou as Amelie, a woman who spends her life virtually alone and then embarks on some mini-adventures that take her to really fun places. Most compelling is watching her trying to unfold the mystery of the photo booth man. The film got people talking about interesting visuals when it came out, and it certainly has a lot of that, since we get to see all of the things that Amelie imagines. If you've only seen it once, I recommend seeing it again so that you can concentrate on more than just trying to read the subtitles fast enough, and if you never quite got around to seeing it while it was in theaters, you're in for a real treat in our very own Smith Auditorium.
Following Amelie, at 9:15 or so, there will be a special presentation of The Last Waltz (1978), which is actually directed by the Italian-American Martin Scorsese and doesn't have subtitles, just a lot of great music. This is a documentary film of The Band's final concert and features greats such as Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, and even that cute Liverpudlian Ringo Starr, just to name a few. Professor Welsch says that this is the best of its genre and needs to be played loud, so prepare yourself for a great time.
Finally, on Saturday night at 7:00, we'll return to Jean-Pierre Jeunet with his 1995 film, La cité des enfants perdus, or The City of Lost Children for us English-speaking folk. In this film, a mad scientist, unable to dream on his own, sets out to kidnap children so that he can have their dreams. It stars Ron Perlman, who many may recognize from the short-lived television series Beauty and the Beast--he was the beast. Interesting visuals abound in this film as well, so we can get a sense of what Jeunet was up to before making Amelie.
As always, Bowdoin Film Society screenings are in Sills Smith Auditorium and are free and open to the general public.