International Film Clips Antoniaís Line Directed by Marleen Gorris (Belgium/Netherlands/UK, 1996, 102 min.) Rarely does a movie embrace life as fully as ìAntoniaís Lineî. It was the deserving winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 1995. Quirky, unexpected, funny, frightening, and ultimately beautiful, ìAntoniaís Lineî is a portrait of hope that successfully escapes being saccharine. There are moments of violence and despair, but beauty endures. It is a movie universal in appeal. It portrays three generations of independent women and the matriarch of their unusual family, Antonia. Antonia left her small village before WWII and returns years later with her grown daughter. Antonia has an opinion on everything and smiles as she explains village life to her cosmopolitan artist daughteró from the town busy bodies to the tradition of drunken men peeing on the church wall. However, Antonia manages to carve out a place for herself by embracing love when she finds it, and opening her arms to the needy outcasts and oddballs that are victimized by cruel villagers. (Dutch with subtitles) Blue Blood Directed by Nino Oxilia (Italy, 1914, 65 min.) Francesca Bertini, the most famous of all the silent divas, plays a recently divorced princess who is compromised in some photographs, loses custody of her child, and ends up performing in a tawdry show where she attempts to take her own life in the climactic ìtango of death.î (Silent) followed by Assunta Spina Directed by Gustavo Serena (Italy, 1915, 73 min.) Francesca Bertini, as Assunta Spina, plays a laundress engaged to Michele, whose jealous behavior lands him in jail, while Assunta is obliged to become the mistress of a law clerk in the case. (Silent) Chunhyang Directed by Im Kwon-Taek (South Korea, 2000, 120 min.) This epic tale of forbidden passion, devotion and the glorious triumph of love in adversity is set in 18th-century Korea and begins as Mongryong, the privileged son of the governor of Namwon, falls in love with Chunhyang, the beautiful daughter of a proud former courtesan. Soon after they are married in secret, Mongryong is ordered to Seoul to finish his education. He leaves reluctantly and promises that once he finishes his schooling he will send for his beloved. (Korean with subtitles) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Wo Hu Zang Long) Directed by Ang Lee (China/Hong Kong/Taiwan/USA, 2000, 120 min.) Ziyi Zhang whose date of birth is given as 1979. Zhang is from Beijing, China, and has only one other film credit. She is remarkable. Her story is the filmís binding element. And this newcomer holds it together. Holding her own with Yeoh and Chow in both dramatic material and in the balletic martial pas des dieuxís that frame the conflicts betwe en characters. She is the ìLuke Skywalkerî of the piece. Though ìCrouching Tiger...î has everything the ìStar Warsî saga aspires to: excitement, thrills and magic. Here, however, technical fireworks are wrapped heart and deeply resonant spirit. Elements Lukasfilm wanted to have, but which it succeeded in providing only in the most self-conscious way. (Mandarin with subtitles) The Desert of the Tartars (Deserto dei Tartari, II) Directed by Valerio Zurlini (France/Iran/Italy, 1976, 148 min.) One of Zurliniís most ambitious projects was an adaptation of Dino Buzzatiís disquieting novel about officers in a remote military outpost (the fortress of Bam in southeast Iran) stricken with a strange malady. Hanging on to their routines in spite of this, and preparing for an enemy that never appears, the men (cast includes Max von Sydow, Vittorio Gassman, Fernando Rey, Jacques Perrin, Philippe Noiret, and Jean-Louis Trintignant) begin to waste away. ìSo languid it suggests a world that is fantastic and defined by waiting and the impossibility of closure ...î George Kaltsounakis. (French with subtitles) Enlightenment Guaranteed (Erleuchtung Garantiert) Directed by Doris D^rrie (Germany, 2000, 109 min.) After his wife leaves him, taking their five young children with her, Munich kitchen salesman Uwe beseeches his brother, feng shui expert Gustav, to take him along on a previously planned trip to a Japanese monastery for a little inner peace. After getting lost in Tokyo and working for a bit at a local German beer hall under the guidance of Anica (Anica Dobra), they arrive at the Sojiji monastery in Monzen, where their inner peace doesnít come without a little outer turmoil. (German with subtitles) Family Diary (Cronaca Familiare) Directed by Valerio Zurlini (France/Italy, 1962, 107 min.) Vasco Pratolini bases Zurliniís powerful fourth feature, a tour de force of cinematic style, on ìTwo Brothers,î an autobiographical novel. A journalist (Marcello Mastroianni) grieves the death of his younger brother (Jacques Perrin) as their history unfolds in flashback. The unique beauty of this film is its mastery of the detailed, almost Proustian narrative style of the author, matched by a stark visual beauty conveyed through the lonely piazzas and empty Italian streets where it was shot. (French with subtitles) Heat and Dust Directed by James Ivory (UK, 1983, 130 min.) A young English woman retraces, and almost relives, the life of her notorious aunt whose scandalous affair with an Indian prince led to tragedy. (English) Home Game (Heimspiel) Directed by Pepe Danquart (Germany, 2000, 97 min.) Most non-Germans think of the Reunification decade as a harmonious return to a united Germany for all involved. While probably true in most quarters, donít broach the subject to your average Berlin hockey fan. As veteran documentary filmmaker Pepe Danquartís sublimely poetic, hugely entertaining sports saga ìHome Gameî makes abundantly clear, thereís still a wall of icy mistrust between fans in the formerly divided city. Wessi rooters are terrified of traveling across the city to the home ice of the East German Polar Bears, and the exceedingly rowdy Ossi supporters canít understand the fuss over their post-Cold War clannishness or the success of the Western franchise (called, get this, Washington hockey fans, The Capitals). Ironically, although he claims to never have been a fan, as so often happens, Danquart brings a fresh eye to the split-second choreography of the action that results in some of the most sublimely beautiful hockey footage yet shot, and the thunderous sound mix is like sitting right there on frozen pond. Factor in the rogueís gallery of characters from both sides who expound on the issue, and ìHome Gameî skates to victory as both sociology and sport. (German with subtitles) The House of Mirth Directed by Terence Davies (UK/US, 2000, 140 min.) Lily Bart is an ambitious young woman without means in Victorian New York society. Like her peers, she seeks a rich husband but is hesitant to close the deal by any means necessary, eventually resulting in her downfall. The strikingly cinematic (in both sight and sound) adaptation of Edith Whartonís novel showcases Gillian Anderson (ìThe X-Filesî) in a breakthrough performance as Lily. Her elegantly restrained performance subtly reveals Lilyís repressed emotions, creating a sympathetic heroine. (English) The Householder Directed by James Ivory (India, 1963, 101 min.) In this comedy made with the assistance of Satyajit Ray and his cameraman, a young husband seeks the counsel of others when his wife leaves him alone with his mother. (English) Le Soldatesse Directed by Valerio Zurlini (France/Italy/Yugoslavia, 1965, 120 min.) An Italian officer in a remote area of Greece in 1942 is ordered to escort a truck full of young Greek women who have just witnessed the razing of their towns and been recruited as prostitutes for the Italian troops. The long ride gradually reveals the complicated, diverse backgrounds of the women (in particular Anna Karina and Marie LafÙret) and the officerís emerging sympathy for his charges. (French with subtitles) MalËna Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore (Italy/US, 2000, 91 min.) A young boy comes of age in World War II Italy, loving from afar the beautiful MalËna, an outsider whose husband is off at war. Unjustly the talk of the town, her situation drastically changes as the war progresses. Itís a touching drama offering modest rewards with beautiful photography, a pleasant score, and capable acting. Unfortunately, little is original in the somewhat lifeless film. (Italian with subtitles) Malombra Directed by Carmine Gallone (Italy, 1917, 87 min.) A showcase for the graceful Lyda Borelli who, as Marina di Malombra, discovers a disturbing family secret while reading over her motherís old letters in her uncleís castle on Lake Como. Thoughts of the motherís pain and anguish eventually lead to Marinaís own demise. (Silent) followed by The Painting of Osvaldo Mars Directed by Guido Brignone (Italy, 1921, 56 min.) A countess (Mercedes Brignone) is wrongly accused of having an affair with the artist Osvaldo Mars, who supposedly once painted her as Salome. When Mars is found dead, the countess is a prime suspect. (Silent) Marlene Directed by Joseph Vilsmaier (Germany, 2000, 132 min.) From the director of ìThe Harmonistsî and ìStalingradî comes one of the most hotly anticipated German films of the year. Marlene utilizes a flashback structure that begins with Marlene Dietrichís 1975 Carnegie Hall performance and jumps from there to her first taste of German stardom under the direction of future lover Josef von Sternberg (Hans-Werner Meyer) in The Blue Angel. The eerie resemblance of Katja Flintís measured performance to the iconic star only intensifies with Dietrichís stormy stay in Hollywood, numerous affairs and subsequent entertaining of American World War troops in 1944 Ardennes (among the filmís standout sequences). So too Heino Ferch is memorable as the composite embodiment of the starís true love, who remains unnamed in Maria Rivaís book. As mysterious and unknowable as the star herself, ìMarleneî is a tantalizing, provocative biography that raises as many questions as it answers. (German with subtitles) Place VendÙme Direc ted by Nicole Garcia (France, 1998, 115 min.) In the aftermath of her jeweler husbandís downfall, Marianne (Catherine Deneuve) surprises everyone by emerging from the shadows of an alcoholic stupor to reclaim her life. Garcia constructs an unconventional thriller based more on character development than on plot, slowly unveiling details that reveal both. Nobody is who he or she appears to be at first glance, and everyone is connected in unexpected ways. The regal Deneuve (Best Actress, Venice) carries the film (12 French CÈsar nominations) as its magnificent centerpiece. (French with subtitles) Rapsodia Satanica Directed by Nino Oxilia (Italy, 1917, 55 min.) An aging aristocrat (Lyda Borelli) makes a bargain with Satan. In exchange for eternal youth, she promises never to fall in love again. But once the deal is struck, she finds herself wooed by two brothers, both madly in love with her. ìThe retrieval of the colored print, once believed lost, adds new magic to what is probably the most perfect work of Italian silent cinema.î Bologna Film Festival (Silent) followed by Maman Poupee Directed by Carmine Gallone (Italy, 1919, 85 min.) A loving wife and mother (Soava Gallone), dubbed the ìdoll wifeî by her husband because of her innocence and charm, quickly loses her naivetÈ when faced with the reality that her husband has taken up with a femme fatale. (Silent) The Red and the Black (Le Rouge et le Noir) Directed by Claude Autant-Lara (France, 1954, 145 min.) Stendahlís brilliant but difficult novel ìLe Rouge et le Noirî all but defies transfer to film, but adapter/director Claude Autant-Lara comes within shouting distance of full success. Stripped to essentials, the plot concerns Julien Sorel (Gerard Philipe), a carpenterís son who becomes a tutor. While his duties do not include the seduction of his employerís wife (Danielle Darrieux), Sorel offers this service free of charge. After this episode, Sorel becomes a priest, and the story isnít over yet. (French with subtitles) Shakespeare Wallah Directed by James Ivory (India, 1965, 120 min.) A traveling Shakespeare company in post-colonial India confronts competition from Indian films and a romance between actors from both worlds, in this film with music by Satyajit Ray. (English) Snatch Directed by Guy Ritchie (UK/US/Germany, 2000, 104 min.) Ritchieís lively follow-up to his breakthrough ìLock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrelsî has flashy cinematography, slick editing, interlocking plot lines, distinctive dialogue (particularly one-liners), and charismatic characters (notably Brad Pitt as an unintelligible Irish Gypsy boxer). Ritchie is a better director than writer, and the enthusiasm of ìSnatchî overcomes the neo-gangster comedyís lack of originality. The convoluted jewel heist caper offers another fun romp through the London underground. (English) Story of a Woman Directed by Eugenio Perego (Italy, 1920, 78 min.) A beautiful woman (Pina Menichelli) dying of a gunshot wound is taken to a hospital where a doctor reads her life history from a diary, discovering that she is a lady-in-waiting involved in dark intrigues of revenge. (Silent) followed by Flower of Evil (Il Fior Di Male) Directed by Carmine Gallone (Italy, 1915, 62 min.) Lyda (Lyda Borelli), a prostitute who had abandoned her young son, improves her lot in life by forming a new family with an aging count but is haunted by the memory of a mark on her sonís arm. One night a fateful encounter brings her face to face with this very mark. (Silent) Violent Summer (Líestate Violents) Directed by Valerio Zurlini (France/Italy, 1959, 100 min.) Zurliniís classic coming-of-age story set in the 1940s is also one of the landmark anti-Fascist films of the postwar period, in part for the way it treats its young heroís dilemma. Middle-class Carlo (Jean-Louis Trintignant), suffering through his first summer love affair at a seaside resort, is hardly aware of the chaos and misery around him. (French with subtitles) followed by The Girls of San Frediano (Le Ragazze di San Frediano) Directed by Valerio Zurlini (Italy, 1954, 102 min.) In this rare, early feature by Zurliniócomic and lighter in tone than later filmsóa young Florentine car mechanic (nicknamed Bob because he resembles Robert Taylor) juggles several women at once, only to be jilted by all of them. Based on Vasco Pratoliniís novel, Zurliniís adaptation proved that he was ìa sensitive interpreter of psychologies, especially of women, and an attentive painter of natural settings ìóCatalogo Bolaffi del Cinema Italiano. (Italian with subtitles)