Viy

Come to the Gatsby Room in Wolfson College's this Sunday the 26th of August at 21:00 to see a classic of Russian cinema. "Viy" is Georgi Kropachyov and Konstantin Yershov's adaptation of a the eerie tale by Nikolai Gogol:

Three students travelling home from Kiev, get lost and stumble upon a country house where an old hag reluctantly allows them to stay. Khoma, the philosophy student, is visited by the hag, who straddles him by force. He soon find himself galloping high above the countryside, the witch on his back. Desperate, he starts madly praying, weakening her spell. As she lands, exhausted, he beats her to near death, only to find her transformed into a beautiful young woman. Horrified, he runs back to Kiev, unaware that his troubles have just begun...

Belle Epoque

Come to the Gatsby Room in Wolfson College's this Sunday the 19th at 21:00 to see a classic Spanish romantic (tragi-) comedy. Fernando Trueba's "Belle Époque" collects a host of wonderful Spanish actors in an Oscar winning satire of romantic films:

Fernando is a soldier in the Spanish civil war, but he deserts, since he's not a man of war, but "a man of love". As he flees, he meets Manolo, the owner of a large villa and father of four beautiful daughters. Fernando's pure feelings jump from one daughter to the next as each daughter romances him in turn...

Matador

This Sunday 5th of July you are invited to see a classic black comedy by Pedro Almodovar, "Matador". The screening will be at 21:30 in the Wolfson College Seminar Room:

Diego is a bullfighter, forcibly retired by his occupational hazard, a bull. His existential crisis leads him to shift his aim from bulls to women, who he seduces, makes love to and then kills, as a substitute for the thrill of the Corrida. Angel, his apprentice bullfighter, increasingly frustrated with his sexuality, or lack thereof, he rapes Diego's girl, Eva. Angel attempts to redeem his guilt by giving himself over to the police but nobody believes him, so he admits a string of recent murders. Angel's attorney, Maria, is soon drawn to Diego, with whom she shares much in common...

Battle Royale

Friends, let us meet this Saturday 6th of June at 19:00 to watch the film "Battle Royale".

The film is set in futuristic Japan where "at the dawn of the millennium, the nation collapsed. At fifteen percent unemployment, ten million were out of work. 800,000 students boycotted school. The adults lost confidence, and fearing the youth, eventually passed the Millennium Educational Reform Act - AKA: The BR Act..." The story starts when a class of unsuspecting students on a school trip are drugged and wake up on a recluse island to find themselves in the Battle Royale program. They are then forced to kill one another until there is only one left, who will be the sole survivor. In these extreme circumstances, each acts according to their nature...



I will let you know where the film will be displayed - stay tuned!

an Ordinary Miracle

Here is an invitation to watch the Russian film "An Ordinary Miracle", by the same director as "That Very Munchhausen", which was such a success last week :-)

The film starts off with a bored wizard, who has decided to amuse himself by turning a bear into a man. His wife, outraged by his prank, asks him to reverse his curse, but things are not that simple... To will only reverse the magic when he meets his True Love and kisses her. The wizard casts down the cards and arranges both the bear and a Princess to meet beneath his roof, it could not be simpler, or could it?..



In principle, I had in mind to watch the film on Sunday around 21:30 in the Seminar Room of Wolfson College, after having had something to eat, so again, offerings and sacrifices are welcome!

If you'd like to come, please leave a comment (I need to know where to book depending on the size of the audience :-)

Underground

WAFS invites you this Friday 1st of May to see the screening of "Underground" by Emir Kusturica.

Synopsis:

"Once upon a time there was a country..." This satire spans the history of Yugoslavia from World War II, passing through the Cold War, to the Balcan wars. The story evolves within an underground factory of weapons in Belgrade, whose dwellers are fooled for years that the War is going on. And how can they realise the truth if each time they decide to escape, they have the more reason to believe the lie?
Kusturica's black, yet heartful humour and Bregovic's music make this film a modern classic.

To help you make up your mind, here's a link to the trailer.

that Obscure Object of Desire

WAFS invites you this Sunday 29th of March to see the screening of "That Obscure Object of Desire" by Luis Buñuel.

Synopsis:

Mathieu, a rich, middle-aged Frenchman, arrives to the station and boards a train. After him arrives a young girl, her face bruised, searching each wagon with her eyes. Just as she reaches Mathieu's wagon, he emerges, a cube of water in hand and pours it over her head. Back in his cabin, he relates to his fellow passengers how young Conchita became his unfulfilled, obscure object of desire...


To help you make up your mind, here's a link to the trailer.

the Seventh Seal

WAFS invites you this Sunday 8th of March to see the screening of "The Seventh Seal", the classic film that brought Ingmar Bergman international acclaim.

Synopsis:

A Knight returns from the Crusades to Sweden only to find it ravaged by the Plague. Not only this, but Death has come for him too. The Knight challenges Death to a game of Chess, which they play out during their trip back to the Knight's castle, where his wife awaits. As the battle of wits progresses, the Knight must come to terms with not only his mortality, but with his broken faith and existential crisis...


To help you make up your mind, here's a link to the opening scene.

Black Cat, White Cat

WAFS invites you this Sunday 25 of January to see the screening of "Black Cat, White Cat", a film by Emir Kustrica. A heartful comedy about gipsies, love and shady deals, not to be missed!

Synopsis:

Matko is a middle-aged Roma always on the lookout for quick money. When the chance presents itself, he borrows money from local gangster Dadan and old mafiosi Grag Pitic, an old acquaintance of his own father, Zarije.

Meanwhile his son, young Zare, falls in love with feisty Ida, and all seems to go well until Matko botches his shady deal with Dadan. To repay the debt Dadan forces Matko to marry young Zare to his diminute sister, Ladybird...

Can love overcome crookery? What happens when two old cats meet again? Is there life after death? Come and find out! :-)


To help you make up your mind, here's a link to the trailer and our poster:

Yojimbo

WAFS invites you this Sunday to see the screening of "Yojimbo", a film by the legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, starring Toshiro Mifune. This classic film, whose title means "Bodyguard", has been the main inspiration to the famous Western "A fistful of Dollars" and has influenced a host of other films including, funnily enough, "The Bodyguard".

Synopsis:

"Yojimbo" tells the story of Sanjuro Kuwabatake, a Ronin - masterless samurai - who comes across a town corrupted and decimated by the civil strife of two criminal families. Using his sharp katana, and sharper mind, he tries to restore peace to the village, but this task proves to be far from easy, as he is outnumbered and outgunned.

This skillfully blended mix of dramatic action and dark comedy has an atmosphere seldom seen in either of these genres. The characterisation of the Ronin shows a deep departure from modern action heroes, marking a sharp denial of mindless violence and an affirmation of compassion.


To help you make up your mind, here's a link to the trailer and our poster:

Three Colours: White

WAFS invites you this Sunday to see the screening of "White", part of the "Three Colours" trilogy by Krzysztof Kieslowski, and starring Zbigniew Zamachowski and Julie Delpy.

Synopsis:

The second film in the "Three Colours" pertains equality - dealing with relationships, immigration and "an eye for an eye"... The main protagonist, Karol (Zamachowski), is an immigrant married to Dominique (Delpy), who meets him in court to demand a divorce because of Karol's inability to consummate the marriage. The divorce leaves Karol on the street, a vagrant without home or love, alone to fend for himself. As misfortune follows misfortune, one thing brews in Karol's mind, to get even. Don't miss this White, a black comedy of the highest calibre!

To help you make up your mind, here's a link to the trailer and our poster: