History & Film

History & Film

Spring 2007 Schedule
All films shown on Wednesday evenings
Walker Hall 133 (Screening Room)

February 7, 7 pm
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 14, 7 pm
The Last Samurai (directed by Edward Zwick)

Set in Japan during the Meiji Restoration, a turbulent period of change, modernization, and westernization, The Last Samurai stars Tom Cruise as Captain Nathan Algren, a Civil War veteran hired to train the Japanese Army in the techniques of modern warfare so that it can defeat a samurai rebellion. Algren finds himself caught between two worlds as he comes to admire the samurai warrior traditions and code of honor that he is supposed to help destroy. Awards: multiple nominations for costume and art direction; Academy Award nomination-Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Ken Watanabe).

April 4, 7 pm
Joyeux Noël (directed by Christian Caron, 2005)

On Christmas Eve, 1914, front-line soldiers in the trenches of Belgium and France declared a temporary truce, coming together across No Man’s Land to drink, sing, pray, and bury their dead. Based on the true but unbelievable events of the Christmas truce of World War I, Joyeux Noël (“Merry Christmas”) tells the story of German, Scottish, and French soldiers as they strive to maintain some humanity amidst the horrors of war. Awards: Oscar & BAFTA nominations, Best Foreign Language Film. In French with English subtitles.

April 11, 6 pm
Gandhi (directed by Richard Attenborough, 1986)

An epic telling of the life and death of India’s great political and social leader Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948). Ben Kingsley stars as Gandhi; the cast also includes John Gielgud, Martin Sheen, and Candice Bergen. Awards include: Academy Awards-Best Actor (Ben Kingsley), Best Director, Best Picture, Cinematography, Original Screenplay; multiple honors as Best Film of the year (including New York Film Critics Awards, Golden Globes, and British Academy Award).

April 25, 7 pm
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.

February 7, 7 pm	*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 14, 7 pm	*The Last Samurai* (directed by Edward Zwick)
	Set in Japan during the Meiji Restoration, a turbulent period of change, modernization, and westernization, The Last Samurai stars Tom Cruise as Captain Nathan Algren, a Civil War veteran hired to train the Japanese Army in the techniques of modern warfare so that it can defeat a samurai rebellion. Algren finds himself caught between two worlds as he comes to admire the samurai warrior traditions and code of honor that he is supposed to help destroy. Awards: multiple nominations for costume and art direction; Academy Award nomination-Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Ken Watanabe).

April 4, 7 pm	Joyeux Noël (directed by Christian Caron, 2005)
	On Christmas Eve, 1914, front-line soldiers in the trenches of Belgium and France declared a temporary truce, coming together across No Man’s Land to drink, sing, pray, and bury their dead. Based on the true but unbelievable events of the Christmas truce of World War I, Joyeux Noël (“Merry Christmas”) tells the story of German, Scottish, and French soldiers as they strive to maintain some humanity amidst the horrors of war. Awards: Oscar & BAFTA nominations, Best Foreign Language Film. In French with English subtitles.

April 11, 6 pm	*Gandhi* (directed by Richard Attenborough, 1986)
	An epic telling of the life and death of India’s great political and social leader Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948). Ben Kingsley stars as Gandhi; the cast also includes John Gielgud, Martin Sheen, and Candice Bergen. Awards include: Academy Awards-Best Actor (Ben Kingsley), Best Director, Best Picture, Cinematography, Original Screenplay; multiple honors as Best Film of the year (including New York Film Critics Awards, Golden Globes, and British Academy Award).

April 25, 7 pm	*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.