History & Film

History & Film

Spring 2004 Schedule
All films shown on Wednesday evenings, 7:00 PM
Walker Hall 133 (Screening Room)

February 4
Black Robe (directed by Bruce Beresford, 1991)

Based on the historical novel by Brian Moore, Black Robe tells the story of the first contacts between the Algonquin and Huron Indians of Quebec and Jesuit missionaries from France. The film explores the clash of two very different cultures in a realistic, dramatic way. Awards: Australian Film Institute (Best Cinematography; nominated: Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor); Genie Awards, Canada (Best Motion Picture, Best Director, Cinematography, Art Direction).

March 10
1000 Pieces of Gold (directed by Nancy Kelly, 1991)

Based on a true story, 1000 Pieces of Gold is the story of Lalu, a Chinese woman sold to a “wife-trader” who brings her to America in the 1880s to sell her as a prostitute. Lalu, called “China Polly” by the frontiersmen who refuse to learn how to pronounce her name, fights to keep her dignity and freedom in a world where women, especially Chinese women, have little of either. Starring Rosalind Chao and Chris Cooper.

March 31
Mister Johnson (directed by Bruce Beresford, 1990)

Set in Nigeria in 1923, Mister Johnson shows us the world of the British colonial outpost, with its mixture of imperialist idealism and brutality. Mister Johnson is an African civil servant who enthusiastically adopts the dress and language of the British and places his faith in the good will of the British officers sent to administer the district, with the inevitable tragic results. Based on the novel by Joyce Cary, and starring Pierce Brosnan and Maynard Eziashi.

April 14
Rabbit-Proof Fence (directed by Phillip Noyce, 2002)

In 1931 Australia, “half-caste” children were routinely taken from their aboriginal mothers for forced education and acculturation in European ways. Rabbit-Proof Fence tells the true story of three girls, part of this “Stolen Generation,” who attempt to escape from their school by following the rabbit-proof fence that divides the Australian continent on a 1500-mile journey home. Featuring an award-winning score by Peter Gabriel, Rabbit-Proof Fence offers a fascinating look at a disturbing and still controversial period in Australian history.

April 28
Life is Beautiful (La Vita è bella) (directed by Roberto Benigni, 1997)

The movie that collected most of the major film awards of 1998-99, Life is Beautiful is writer/actor/director Roberto Benigni’s wonderful – and horrible – story of the Holocaust. Combining Benigni’s signature slapstick comedy, a sweet love story, and the grim realities of the Nazi concentration camps, Life is Beautiful offers a poignant tale of the power of love and laughter, even in the darkest of times. In Italian with English subtitles.

February 4	*Black Robe* (directed by Bruce Beresford, 1991)
	Based on the historical novel by Brian Moore, Black Robe tells the story of the first contacts between the Algonquin and Huron Indians of Quebec and Jesuit missionaries from France. The film explores the clash of two very different cultures in a realistic, dramatic way. Awards: Australian Film Institute (Best Cinematography; nominated: Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor); Genie Awards, Canada (Best Motion Picture, Best Director, Cinematography, Art Direction).

March 10	*1000 Pieces of Gold* (directed by Nancy Kelly, 1991)
	Based on a true story, 1000 Pieces of Gold is the story of Lalu, a Chinese woman sold to a “wife-trader” who brings her to America in the 1880s to sell her as a prostitute. Lalu, called “China Polly” by the frontiersmen who refuse to learn how to pronounce her name, fights to keep her dignity and freedom in a world where women, especially Chinese women, have little of either. Starring Rosalind Chao and Chris Cooper.

March 31	*Mister Johnson* (directed by Bruce Beresford, 1990)
	Set in Nigeria in 1923, Mister Johnson shows us the world of the British colonial outpost, with its mixture of imperialist idealism and brutality. Mister Johnson is an African civil servant who enthusiastically adopts the dress and language of the British and places his faith in the good will of the British officers sent to administer the district, with the inevitable tragic results. Based on the novel by Joyce Cary, and starring Pierce Brosnan and Maynard Eziashi.

April 14	*Rabbit-Proof Fence* (directed by Phillip Noyce, 2002)
	In 1931 Australia, “half-caste” children were routinely taken from their aboriginal mothers for forced education and acculturation in European ways. Rabbit-Proof Fence tells the true story of three girls, part of this “Stolen Generation,” who attempt to escape from their school by following the rabbit-proof fence that divides the Australian continent on a 1500-mile journey home. Featuring an award-winning score by Peter Gabriel, Rabbit-Proof Fence offers a fascinating look at a disturbing and still controversial period in Australian history.

April 28	*Life is Beautiful (La Vita è bella)* (directed by Roberto Benigni, 1997)
	The movie that collected most of the major film awards of 1998-99, Life is Beautiful is writer/actor/director Roberto Benigni’s wonderful – and horrible – story of the Holocaust. Combining Benigni’s signature slapstick comedy, a sweet love story, and the grim realities of the Nazi concentration camps, Life is Beautiful offers a poignant tale of the power of love and laughter, even in the darkest of times. In Italian with English subtitles.