Writer’s Choice: Cinematheque finishes semester with film series

If gorging on films during the recent Wisconsin Film Festival has left you hungry for more, Cinematheque will satisfy with some tempting offerings to get you through the semester.

Admission is free and all films take place in the Cinematheque, 4070 Vilas Hall.

Two films remain in the series “Talking Pictures: The Art of the Essay Film.” Essay films — part documentary and part meditation — could also have elements of fiction and nonfiction. What they have in common is a lack of formal guidelines, freeing the filmmaker to explore the subject matter in new ways.

“An Injury to One”

2002, directed by Travis Wilkerson

Friday, April 10, 7:30 p.m.

Wilkerson’s documentary investigates the lynching of labor organizer Frank Little in Butte, Mont.

“Los Angeles Plays Itself”

2003, directed by Thom Andersen

Friday, April 24, 7:30 p.m.

This offering examines how the Hollywood film industry shaped Los Angeles. The documentary runs nearly three hours long, “but like the best Tinseltown productions, leaves audiences hungry for more,” according to the Village Voice.

Four terrific films from the series “Treasures from the UCLA Film and Television Archive” are still on Cinematheque’s schedule. The UCLA archive is one of the largest collections of media materials in the United States, second only to the Library of Congress. Each feature will be preceded by a restored short film.

“Becky Sharp”

1935, directed by Rouben Mamoulian, with Miriam Hopkins, Frances Dee and Cedric Hardwicke

Saturday, April 11, 7:30 p.m.

Adapted from William Thackeray’s “Vanity Fair,” the film is a rags-to-riches story of an ambitious woman and those she destroys.

“The Dark Mirror”

1946, directed by Robert Siodmak, with Olivia de Havilland, Lew Ayres and Thomas Mitchell

Friday, April 17, 7:30 p.m.

A pair of twins (both played by Olivia de Havilland) find themselves at the center of a murder investigation. The authorities can’t determine whom to charge, so an expert in twin psychology uses psychoanalytical tests to solve the case.

“The Night of the Hunter”

1955, directed by Charles Laughton, with Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters and Lillian Gish

Saturday, April 18, 7:30 p.m.

Robert Mitchum gives a brilliant and sinister performance as a self-proclaimed preacher who marries a young widow, hoping to get his hands on the fortune left behind by her deceased, bank-robbing husband. Famed film critic Pauline Kael called this “one of the most frightening films ever made.”

“Mickey One”

1965, directed by Arthur Penn, with Warren Beatty, Alexandra Stewart and Hurd Hatfield

Saturday, April 18, 7:30 p.m.

Warren Beatty plays a nightclub comic whose gambling debts make him believe he is the target of an underworld syndicate. “Mickey One” is a cult classic that has never been issued on video or DVD. It features an improvised soundtrack by jazz saxophone legend Stan Getz.

The series “Comics into Comix: The Graphic Underground on Film” explores the connection between underground comics and film. These films complement an exhibit that opens Saturday, May 2, at the Chazen Museum of Art, “Underground Classics: The Transformation of Comics into Comix, 1963–90.” The Chazen show runs through July 12.

“Fritz the Cat”

1972, directed by Ralph Bakshi

Friday, May 1, 7:30 p.m.

Based on a character created by illustrator R. Crumb, Fritz finds himself here the subject of an X-rated satire of college life and social activism. Crumb was reportedly horrified by the right-wing humor, but the film grossed more than $100 million, bringing the underground aesthetic into the light.

An Evening with Patrick Rosenkranz

Saturday, May 2, 7:30 p.m.

Patrick Rosenkranz is best known for the books “Rebel Visions” and “You Call this Art?” He is also an accomplished documentary filmmaker. In his visit to Cinematheque, he will present a program of his documentary short films.

“Crumb”

1994, directed by Terry Zwigoff, with Robert, Charles and Max Crumb

Friday, May 8, 7:30 p.m.

Zwigoff’s deeply personal documentary is about Crumb and his brothers, dealing with childhood, mental illness, coping mechanisms and comix.

In addition to the series, Cinematheque has two special events planned.

“His People”

1925, directed by Edward Sloman with Rudolph Schildkraut, Rosa Rosanova and George Lewis

Sunday, April 19, 6 p.m.

Originally titled “The Jew,” this film tells the story of Rabbi Cominsky and his two sons. A peddler on New York’s Lower East Side, Cominksy loves his older, more studious son, failing to recognize the devoted loyalty of his youngest, a boxer. Shown with live piano accompaniment, this screening is held in conjunction with the “KlezKamp Road Show,” a three-day event of klezmer music and Yiddish folk art presented by UW–Madison Artist in Residence Henry Sapoznik. See Page 16 for more information.

IFVC

Saturday, May 9, 7:30 p.m.

Works produced in UW–Madison film and video production courses will be shown. The show is curated by the course instructors and gives new filmmakers the opportunity to present their films on screen for the first time.