Summer Session invites you to enjoy life on campus in July.
Programmed by Erik Watschke, Ph.D. Student, UCI Visual Studies
Thursdays in July at 7:00 pm in the Lucille Kuehn Auditorium (Humanities Instructional Building, Room 100) (Building #610 on campus map)
(no film on July 30th)
Here's what people are saying about the Film Series.
Rarely can we go to the movies without experiencing something that is a reflection of, and perhaps on, some aspect of the society in which it was produced. But what happens when these societal meditations focus squarely on the cinema itself? What happens when movies set out criticizing the art of movie making, or even the enjoyment of movie watching? The films in this series are not traditionally what we might think of as “movies about movies.” Rather these are stories of murder, organized crime, romance, and thrills. They seem designed to intrigue us with their clever plot twists, captivate us with their emotional performances, and even mesmerize us with their stunning visuals and sounds. Nevertheless, through allusion and allegory they have much to say about their own medium as well. This series will delve into the specific implications and possibilities of such forms of self reflection.
| Movie | Date / Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Rear Window |
July 2, 2009 |
Photographer L.B. Jeffries (James Stewart) is cooped up in his Greenwich Village apartment with a broken leg. Unable to escape the confines of his wheelchair, he has no choice but to entertain himself by watching the goings-on of his neighbors through his rear window. But what starts as innocent fun, wanders into darker territory as Jeffries begins to suspect one of his neighbors of murder. The police are not interested, so Jeffries must take it upon himself to discover the truth. Suspense and intrigue amount as he enlists his girlfriend Lisa (Grace Kelly) to assist him in his investigation. Lisa ventures into danger in the pursuit of a suspected killer, and Jeffries, like the movie audience, can only sit and watch helplessly from his window. |
On the Waterfront |
July 9, 2009 |
After witnessing a murder, dockworker and aspiring prize fighter Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) refuses to testify against the mob perpetrators of the crime out of a sense of loyalty and honor. Terry and his brother (Rod Steiger) have been involved with the mob-controlled dockworkers’ union for years, and Terry is hesitant to turn witness against his own friends and associates. Soon, however, Terry meets the dead man’s sister Edie (Eva Marie Saint) who causes him to doubt his original motives. Edie and a local priest, Father Barry (Karl Malden) stir up feelings of guilt and regret in Terry, and he struggles with his conscience over whether or not to testify. Written and produced not long after director Elia Kazan had testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee, On the Waterfront stands as Kazan’s controversial statement on naming names and the Hollywood blacklist. |
Last Year at Marienbad |
July 16, 2009 |
During a party in an elaborate and puzzling baroque castle, a man known only as “X” (Giorgio Albertazzi) relentlessly pursues the affections of a woman “A” (Delphine Seyrig). Much to the astonishment of the woman, X insists that the two of them have already had an affair, and that he is hurt that she does not remember him. A, on the other hand, is just as sure that she has never met X before. Un-phased, X continues to tell the story, aided by flashbacks, of how they met and fell in love a year before at Marienbad chateau. What is most amazing is how A begins to “remember” the affair which may or may not have even happened. As a modernist romance on the periphery of the infamous French New Wave film movement, Last Year at Marienbad becomes an epic meditation on memory and the structure of time in our everyday lives. |
The Prestige |
July 23, 2009 |
19th Century London stage magicians Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) start out as friends, but one night a tragic accident causes them to become bitter enemies. As they set out to make a name for themselves, the rivals plot revenge against each other around every turn as they struggle to create new and innovative illusions. When Angier witnesses Borden perform an amazing new trick called “The Transported Man”, he becomes obsessed with discovering how the trick is achieved, even if his obsession ends up destroying everyone and everything around him. Fuelled by their ambitions and contempt for each other, the two enemies descend into a desperate game of one-upmanship in which they will stop at nothing, even murder, to outdo each other. |
