COME TO THE FILM SERIES, COME TO THE FILM SERIES, COME TO THE SERIES! You’d think we’d have something more subtle or persuasive to say to you by now, but we think these films speak for themselves. Check out Iran’s first Palme d’Or winner “Taste Of Cherry!” Celebrate the kooky craftsmanship of Terry Gilliam’s “Baron Munchausen!” Recapture your youth and relive those middle school musical fantasies with early 2000s comedy “School of Rock!” Soak up the moody sensuality of Louis Malle’s debut killer couple crime thriller “Elevator to the Gallows!” They’re all fantastic films. You can’t go wrong. Go see one, go see them all!
“Taste Of Cherry”
1997. Iran. Dir: Abbas Kiarostami. With Homayoun Ershadi. 95 min. 35 mm.
Wednesday, Nov. 14. 8 p.m. Free.
Winner of the Palme d’Or at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, this film follows Mr. Badii, a middle aged man who has decided that he wants to die. He drives through the suburbs of Tehran in search of someone to bury him after his suicide, offering a large amount of money in return. Understandably, he soon discovers that it is difficult to find someone willing to take on the job. Kiarostami explores themes of life and death in this moving minimalist tale. From the first shots to the surprising, inventive ending, this film is not to be missed.
“The Adventures of Baron Munchausen”
1998. USA, Germany. Dir: Terry Gilliam. With John Neville. 126 min.
Thursday, Nov. 15. 8 p.m. Free.
If Gilliam is known for anything, it’s zaniness and imaginative visual splendor; this film is no exception. In fact, for our money, it may just be the epitome of all things bonkers and brilliant about this British filmmaker. “The Adventures of Baron Munchausen” is a delightfully absurd tale of German nobleman Baron Munchausen. The film is set during the Age of Reason and tracks the wartime shenanigans of our devilishly charming and charmingly devilish titular character across the Ottoman Empire. While by all accounts a complete box office flop, the film is beloved by many and ended up proving its mettle through several Academy Award wins, including Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design (no surprises there). Do yourself a favor and go see this fabulously ludicrous fantasy on the big screen where it belongs.
“School of Rock”
2003. USA. Dir: Richard Linklater. With Jack Black, Joan Cusack. 106 min.
Friday, Nov. 16. 8 p.m. $5.
After getting kicked out of his band, Dewey Finn poses as Mr. Schneebly, a substitute teacher at an elite private elementary school, to make some much needed cash. He soon throws away the regular curriculum and unites his reluctant students around rock and roll. Eventually his class secures a coveted spot at Battle of the Bands and prepares for the performance of their lives. This Wesleyan-alum written film is a crowd pleaser with a lot of laughs and a lot of heart.
“Elevator To The Gallows”
1958. France. Dir: Louis Malle. With Jeanne Moreau, Maurice Ronet. 91 min.
Saturday, Nov. 17. 8 p.m. Free.
Louis Malle’s debut film is a richly atmospheric crime thriller centered around a couple working against the odds and against the clock to be together. Jeanne Moreau and Maurice Ronet play secret lovers conspiring in a murderous plot until their plan goes awry when an elevator breaks down. With a jazzy score by Miles Davis and a wealth of close ups of the stunning French starlet Jeanne Moreau—in all her streetlamp-lit, black-and-white beauty—this atmospheric precursor to the French New Wave is sure to make you feel like scaling a building and stealing a car. If you’re French and in love, the world is yours!
Beatrix Herriott O’Gorman and Julia Levine can be reached at bherriottogo@wesleyan.edu and jlevine@wesleyan.edu.
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