The Rice Media Center’s spring lineup

Rice Cinema

’99 Spring Film Schedule Offers Varied Lineup

Retrospective: Akira Kurosawa

Akira Kurosawa was Japan’s first film director to gain international recognition, springing into the world’s consciousness with “Rashomon” (1950), winner of the top prize at the Venice Film Festival and an Oscar for best foreign film (1951). Born in Tokyo, Kurosawa was the youngest of seven children who at the age of 17 studied painting at the Tokyo Academy of Fine Arts. Unsuccessful as a commercial artist, Kurosawa answered an advertisement for assistant directors in 1936 and joined what was to become Toho Film Co. Kurosawa soon found that film was his true art form. He studied under Kajiro Yamamoto, then Japan’s foremost director. Martin Scorsese said, “Kurosawa’s influence on filmmakers throughout the entire world is so profound as to be almost incomparable. His passing is a unique loss&emdash;there is no one else like him.” “Drunken Angel” (1948) marked his long association with actor Toshiro Mifune, star of Kurosawa’s major films for almost 40 years. This brief tribute to Kurosawa features a new 35mm print of “Rashomon,” “Throne of Blood” (1957), “Dreams” (1990), “Seven Samurai” (1954), and “Stray Dog” (1949).

Remarkable Kurosawa:

First Film: “Sugata Sanshiro” (1943)

First international hit: “Rashomon”

Number of films starring Toshiro Mifune: 16

Best foreign film Oscars: “Rashomon” and “Dersu Uzala” (1975)

Best director nomination: “Ran” (1985)

Academy Lifetime Achievement Award: 1990

Most common Japanese criticism of Kurosawa’s films: too Western

Kurosawa films remade in Hollywood: “Rashomon” (“The Outrage,” Martin Ritt), “The Seven Samurai” (“The Magnificent Seven,” John Sturges), “Yojimbo” (“A Fistful of Dollars,” Sergio Leone), “The Hidden Fortress” (“Star Wars,” George Lucas)

Western literary works filmed by Kurosawa: Dostoevsky’s “The Idiot,” Gorky’s “The Lower Depths,” Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” “Throne of Blood,” “King Lear” and “Ran.”

Jan. 15 “Dreams” –7:30 p.m.

Jan. 15 “Throne of Blood” — 9:45 p.m.

Jan. 16 “Throne of Blood” — 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 16 “Dreams” — 9:45 p.m.

Jan. 17 “Dreams” — 6 p.m.

Jan. 17 “Throne of Blood” — 8:15 p.m.

Jan. 22 “Seven Samurai” — 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 23 “Seven Samurai” — 5 p.m.

Jan. 23 “Stray Dog” — 8:45 p.m.

Jan. 24 “Stray Dog” — 4 p.m.

Jan. 24 “Seven Samurai” — 7 p.m.

Asian American Stories on Film

Friday, Jan. 29 &endash; Sunday, Jan. 31

Rice Media Center will host Asian American Stories on Film. The Festival will provide a forum for discussion of political, cultural and artistic issues, emphasizing individual dynamics and coalition building among different ethnicities and generations. Asian American Stories on Film is curated by four Rice students: Sylvia Van Ziegert, video artist and graduate student in anthropology; Shannon Leonard, a graduate student in English; Jennifer Wei Lin, a senior at Rice, double majoring in biology and Asian studies; and Walter Li, president of Rice’s Chinese Student Association and a senior majoring in chemistry. Funding was provided in part by the Center for the Study of Cultures and the Office of Student Activities. For ticket information call (713) 527-4882.

Jan. 29 “A Strong, Clear Vision” — 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 30 Activism and Politics — 1 p.m.

Sex, Love & Videotape — 4 p.m.

Cultures & Genres — 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 31 Personal & Cultural Identities — 1 p.m. Homeland and Diaspora — 5 p.m.

Retrospective: David Lean
(1908-1991)

Born in Croydon, England, Lean’s prolific career started as a tea boy for the Gaumont Film Company in 1927. He later worked his way up to editor of newsreel footage in 1930 and of feature films in 1934. Lean began his career as a director in 1942 with “In Which We Serve,” which he co-directed with Noel Coward. Lean went on to produce two extraordinary adaptations of Dicken’s novels, “Great Expectations” and “Oliver Twist.” In these films Lean faultlessly re-created the Victorian period, as well as demonstrated his skills as a storyteller. These two films launched the career of Alex Guinness, who was to appear in many of Lean’s subsequent works. With “The Bridge on the River Kwai” (1957), Lean turned abruptly from intimate drama to the sumptuous super-productions with which his career became internationally identified. Perhaps more than any other film, “Lawrence of Arabia” (1962) represented Lean’s unique capacity to capture the exhilaration of physical adventure and stunning cinematography. A meticulous craftsman who often took years to develop a project, Lean toiled three years to create “Dr. Zhivago” (1965), a lush visualization of the Boris Pasternak novel, and 14 years to create “A Passage to India” (1984).

Jan. 17 “Doctor Zhivago” — 2:30 p.m.

Feb. 7 “Lawrence of Arabia” — 3 p.m.

Feb. 21 “Oliver Twist” — 3:30 p.m.

Ken Loach: A British Social Conscience

Known as “the dean of leftist movie makers” and one of the most important British filmmakers of today to recognize the struggle of the working class Brit, Loach’s radical filmmaking style has set the stage for such other notable British filmmakers as Mike Leigh and Steven Frears. Although Loach was born of a “working-class Tory” father, he received a privileged education and started his career as a television director at the BBC. Soft-spoken and quiet, Loach’s voice echoes with social radicalism in his films. His first television docudrama, called “Cathy Come Home” (1965), was the first time homelessness was denounced in Britain. During the Margaret Thatcher’s term as prime minister, Loach’s career faded, but as nationalized industries started to dwindle and trade unions folded, Loach’s social views became nationally recognized through a struggling workforce. With renewed sources of funding, his career bounced back with an explosion of several films. This brief retrospective covers various aspects of Loach’s career, from the classic masterpiece “Kes” (1969), about a young schoolboy who cares for and trains a Kestrel, “Raining Stones” (1993), about a grim housing project in Manchester, to “Carla’s Song” (1996), a love story that is taken out of England to war-torn Nicaragua.

Jan. 28 “My Name Is Joe” — 7:30 p.m. (a sneak preview screening)

Feb. 5 “Carla’s Song” — 7:45 p.m.

Feb. 6 “Carla’s Song” — 7:45 p.m. & 9:45 p.m.

Feb. 7 “Carla’s Song” — 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 26 “Raining Stones” — 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 26 “Kes ” — 9:15 p.m.

Feb. 27 “Kes ” — 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 27 “Raining Stones” — 9:30 p.m.