Film Society of Lincoln Center

[Edward]

http://www.filmlinc.com/wrt/onsale/russianfant06.html
From the Tsars to the Stars: A Journey Through Russian Fantastik Cinema
August 11 – 24

Presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, Seagull Films and the American Cinematheque in collaboration with Concern Mosfilm, Russian State Archive Gosfilmofond and M-Film Studio.

Russian cinema has an inspired tradition of fantastic filmmaking, drawn equally from modern technology and ancient folkloric traditions, and resulting in a treasure trove of cult classics that remain sadly unknown to American audiences. Beginning with the pioneering animation of Ladislaw Starewicz, through the silent classics Aelita: Queen of Mars and A Spectre Haunts Europe and on through Vasili Zhuravlev’s early talkie Cosmic Voyage, science fiction and fantasy have remained important presences throughout the history of Russian filmmaking.
In the cold-war era and then throughout the age of Sputnik and beyond, sci-fi elements dominated. More than a decade before 2001, visual-effects pioneers Pavel Klushantsev and Mikhail Koryukov created stunning visions of man's voyage to outer space in such films as The Heavens Call and Planet of Storms, drawing upon the latest technical advances to present a highly detailed (and optimistic) view of space exploration. And in 1962, Kazansky and Chebotarev’s charming The Amphibian Man, a cross between Jules Verne and Hans Christian Andersen, became one of the biggest smash hits in Soviet history. Ironically, a great deal of imagery from these astonishing works did end up Western screens — albeit mauled beyond recognition. Enterprising U.S. producers like Roger Corman purchased Japanese and Soviet sci-fi films at bargain prices, and gave them to up-and-coming American directors (Francis Ford Coppola and Peter Bogdanovich) to re-fashion (via newly shot connecting narratives) into drive-in fodder. Thus Klushantsev’s Planet of Storms was the basis for not one but three new movies.
This series examines the history of Russian Fantastik, with rare screenings of the aforementioned films as well as an encore showing of Aleksandr Ptushko’s delightful Ruslan and Ludmila in a brand new print, Aleksandr Rou’s classic adaptation of Nikolai Gogol’s Christmas story Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka, the new version of Richard Viktorov’s 1982 To the Stars by Hard Ways, and Karen Shakhnazarov’s remarkable, black comic meditation on Soviet history during the perestroika era, Zero City. It’ll be revelatory, it’ll be mind-expanding, and it’ll be fun.

[Edward]

Zero City
Gorod Zero
Karen Shakhnazarov, USSR, 1988; 103m



Stalker
Andrei Tarkovsky, USSR, 1979; 163m



Roundtable: Russian Fantastik
A panel discussion on the history and highlights of Russian Fantastik.



Planet of Storms
Planeta Bur
Pavel Klushantsev, USSR, 1961; 83m
preceded by
The Cameraman’s Revenge
Mest kinematograficheskogo operatora
Wladaslaw Starewicz, Russia, 1912; 12m



To the Stars by Hard Ways
Cherez ternii k zvezdam
Richard Viktorov, Russia, 1981/2001; 118m



Ruslan and Ludmila
Ruslan i Lyudmila
Aleksandr Ptushko, USSR, 1972; 159m




Aelita, Queen of Mars
Jakov Protazanov, USSR, 1924, 120m
silent with live piano accompaniment by Donald Sosin
preceded by
Interplanetary Revolution Mezhplanetnaya revolutsiya
Z. Komissarenko, U. Merkulov and N. Hodataev, USSR, 1924; 9m (fragment); silent




The Amphibian Man
Chelovek amfibiya
G. Kazansky & V. Chebotarev, USSR, 1961; 95m




The Heavens Call
Nebo zovet
Mikhail Karyukov and Aleksandr Kozyr, USSR, 1959; 80m




Solaris
Solyaris
Andrei Tarkovsky, 1972, USSR, 165m

[Edward]

A Spectre Haunts Europe
Prizrak brodit po Yevrope
Vladimir Gardin, USSR, 1922, 94m
silent with live piano accompaniment by Donald Sosin



Night Watch
Nochnoy Dozor
Timur Bekmambetov, Russia, 2004; 114m



First on the Moon
Pervye na lune
Alexei Fedorchenko, Russia, 2005; 76m




Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka
Vechara na khutore bliz Dikanki
Aleksandr Rou, USSR, 1961; 69m




Cosmic Voyage
Kosmicheskiy Reis
Vasili Zhuravlev, USSR, 1936; 70m

[Edward]

http://www.filmlinc.com/nyff/nyff.html

The 44th New York Film Festival
September 29 – October 15, 2006
Sponsored by HSBC and The New York Times

The 17-day festival, presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, is a highly-selective showcase of new, inspiring and provocative cinema by both emerging talent and recognized international artists. Stephen Frears’ acidly funny portrait of the British royal family, The Queen, starring Helen Mirren, is the Opening Night presentation (Miramax Films). In addition to many special events and screenings, the Festival includes The Tenth Annual Views from the Avant Garde.
This year the New York Film Festival Retrospective will be “50 Years of Janus Films.” This series will feature many world cinema classics, some of which are not yet released on DVD or VHS. Working in conjunction with Janus Films and Criterion, the retrospective will screen new prints of almost all the presented films.
The Festival schedule and ticket information will be available to the public on Sunday, September 10th online, in the lobbies of Alice Tully Hall and the Walter Reade Theater as well as in the New York Times. Film Society of Lincoln Center members will receive advance notice of the Festival’s schedule and have the opportunity to purchase tickets in advance.