History & Film

History & Film
Fall 2002 Schedule

All films shown on Wednesday evenings, 7:00 PM, in Robson Library 112 (Community Room).

September 4 Quest for Fire (directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, 1981)

We start our series before “history” even begins, back in the Paleolithic era, before cities, writing, even before speech. Quest for Fire is a fascinating film that imagines life as it was for our Stone Age ancestors. Three men are sent by their tribe to recover their lost fire – along the way they encounter treacherous bogs and hungry mammoth, discover laughter and, perhaps, love. Anthony Burgess (A Clockwork Orange) created the “proto-language” spoken by the tribes. Awards: César Award (France)-Best Director & Best Film; multiple awards and nominations for costume design and make-up.

October 9 Antigone (directed by Don Taylor, 1984)

This English-language adaptation of the classic Greek tragedy by Sophocles tells the story of Antigone, daughter of the accursed Oedipus, who is forced to choose between following the laws of King Creon, or honoring her brother and family. First produced in 441 BCE, Sophocles’ play still resonates today, with its timeless themes of the conflict between individual conscience and obedience to the state, between the laws of god and the laws of man. This production, made for British television, is set in a recent but unspecified past. Starring Juliet Stevenson as Antigone.

October 30 The Last Temptation of Christ (directed by Martin Scorsese, 1988)

Director Martin Scorsese’s portrait of an all-too-human Jesus has been lauded by some, condemned by others. Scorsese’s Jesus bears little resemblance to the Jesus of the Gospels, yet Last Temptation offers a powerful and provocative meditation on the nature of humanity and divinity, with the dramatic visual impact we have come to expect from Scorsese’s films. Starring Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, Barbara Hershey, and David Bowie; music by Peter Gabriel. Awards: Academy Award nomination-Best Director; Golden Globe nomination-Best Original Score, Best Supporting Actress.

November 20 Ran (directed by Akira Kurosawa, 1985)

Acclaimed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa takes Shakespeare’s King Lear, and transfers it to 16^th-century Japan. The classic story of family betrayal, loyalty, and madness is set against a stunning background of medieval castles and lavish costumes, punctuated by epic battle scenes. Awards: multiple awards and nominations, including Academy Award-Best Costume Design, nomination-Best Director, Best Cinematography; British Academy Award-Best Foreign Language Film. In Japanese with English subtitles.

September 4	*Quest for Fire* (directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, 1981)
	We start our series before “history” even begins, back in the Paleolithic era, before cities, writing, even before speech. Quest for Fire is a fascinating film that imagines life as it was for our Stone Age ancestors. Three men are sent by their tribe to recover their lost fire – along the way they encounter treacherous bogs and hungry mammoth, discover laughter and, perhaps, love. Anthony Burgess (A Clockwork Orange) created the “proto-language” spoken by the tribes. Awards: César Award (France)-Best Director & Best Film; multiple awards and nominations for costume design and make-up.

October 9	Antigone (directed by Don Taylor, 1984)
	This English-language adaptation of the classic Greek tragedy by Sophocles tells the story of Antigone, daughter of the accursed Oedipus, who is forced to choose between following the laws of King Creon, or honoring her brother and family. First produced in 441 BCE, Sophocles’ play still resonates today, with its timeless themes of the conflict between individual conscience and obedience to the state, between the laws of god and the laws of man. This production, made for British television, is set in a recent but unspecified past. Starring Juliet Stevenson as Antigone.

October 30	*The Last Temptation of Christ* (directed by Martin Scorsese, 1988)
	Director Martin Scorsese’s portrait of an all-too-human Jesus has been lauded by some, condemned by others. Scorsese’s Jesus bears little resemblance to the Jesus of the Gospels, yet Last Temptation offers a powerful and provocative meditation on the nature of humanity and divinity, with the dramatic visual impact we have come to expect from Scorsese’s films. Starring Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, Barbara Hershey, and David Bowie; music by Peter Gabriel. Awards: Academy Award nomination-Best Director; Golden Globe nomination-Best Original Score, Best Supporting Actress.

November 20	*Ran* (directed by Akira Kurosawa, 1985)
	Acclaimed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa takes Shakespeare’s King Lear, and transfers it to 16^th-century Japan. The classic story of family betrayal, loyalty, and madness is set against a stunning background of medieval castles and lavish costumes, punctuated by epic battle scenes. Awards: multiple awards and nominations, including Academy Award-Best Costume Design, nomination-Best Director, Best Cinematography; British Academy Award-Best Foreign Language Film. In Japanese with English subtitles.