THE AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE GUIDE May 9 – June 15, 2003 ★ AFITO THEATRE AND MEMBER EVENTS PREVIEW R&B Blasts the Silver Screen High Noon The Legend Returns This Is Europe: European Cinema East and West The Quirky World of Aki Kaurismaki Stage Classics on Film from American Film Theater Also: Israel Turns 55, They Might Be Giants, Jazz on a Summer’s Day WELCOME NOW PLAYING THIS IS EUROPE Girl Hard Goodbyes: My Father Thanks for the Membership Knife in the Water Pan Tadeusz The grand opening of the AFI Silver Theatre and Passion The Uncertainty Principle Cultural Center went off even better than we could Year of the Devil have hoped (see p. 12). Thanks to you—our FEATURED FILMS audiences—as well as to our public and private High Noon Beauty and the Beast partners and the AFI staff in Maryland and Los Only the Strong Survive Angeles, it was a remarkable experience. There were a Gigantic few surprises: a couple of unfortunate ones (technical FILMS OF AKI KAURISMAKI Drifting Clouds glitches, for which you were wonderfully patient), and Murray Horwitz Juha Director and COO, AFI Silver some very delightful ones as well. Ariel By far the most pleasant has been the large La Vie De Bohème The Match Factory Girl response to our Charter Membership drive. The outpouring of support for ISRAEL AT 55 AFI and its work here at the Silver has been phenomenal—not only in Exodus Montgomery County and the whole National Capital region, but throughout Blind Date Broken Wings the mid-Atlantic area and, indeed, from some surprisingly far-flung spots Desperado Square around the country. Foreign Sister We can’t thank you enough for your Giraffes Provence United support. Charter membership is a kind of Yellow Asphalt leap of faith—several of you have asked what CHOICE PIX it all means. In addition to ticket discounts, Safety Last King of Hearts theater passes, e-mail updates and mailing of Cremaster these PREVIEW program guides, the large CLASSICS ON FILM number of benefits to which members are Galileo The Homecoming entitled includes special events and The Iceman Cometh recognition opportunities, and we’re having In Celebration a great time planning them. You will see Luther The Maids more about them as the summer begins. Patrons in queue April 11, the first day of ticket sales. The Man in the Glass Booth In the meantime, please take advantage SPECIAL EVENT • TO ORDER WWW.AFI.COM/SILVER TICKETS: • of the great programming we have in store for you, described in this issue of Jazz on a Summer’s Day PREVIEW. It takes you through June 15th, the week that SilverDocs—the On the cover: Wilson Pickett in Only the Strong Survive AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival—begins. You’ll be getting Information is correct at press time. Films and schedule subject more information about that, too. to change. Check www.AFI.com/silver for updates. For new members, your AFI membership card is on its way. Until you AFIPreview: Program Guide for the AFI Silver Theatre and Member Events (ISSN-0194-3847) is published monthly by The American Film Institute. get it, just give your name at the box office to receive your discount. Signed articles do not necessarily reflect the official institute policy. Copyright 2003 The American Film Institute. All rights reserved. Again, thanks so much for your interest and support. We look forward Reproduction in part or whole without permission is prohibited. Editorial, publishing and advertising offices: AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, to the many good times we’ll have together with you at the Silver. 8633 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring, MD 20910 (301.495.6720). Subscription price: $50.00 per year. All subscriptions also include membership in The American Film Institute. Send all remittances and correspondences about subscriptions, undelivered copies and address changes to: The American Film Institute, 2021 N. Western Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027, Attention: Membership. Periodicals class postage paid at Washington, D.C., Postmaster and additional mailing offices. THIS IS EUROPE The Uncertainty European Cinema East and West Principle On April 16, 2003 the European Union welcomed 10 countries from Eastern and Central Europe and the Mediterranean to join its ranks. The ceremony marked the beginning of a new era throughout Europe, a cause for celebrating shared history, heritage and culture. As a prelude to AFI’s regular EU FILM SHOWCASE in November, we take this occasion to present a brief series of classic and contemporary films from “old” and “new” member states. Girl [Meisje] Roman Polankski’s Mon, May 12, 6:40; Wed, May 14, 6:40 KNIFE IN THE WATER 20 year-old Charlotte Vanden Eynde [Nóz w wodzie] • TO ORDER WWW.AFI.COM/SILVER TICKETS: • has made her move—leaving her Sun, May 11, 5:15 parents, dumping her boyfriend, and leaving that sleepy village for Brussels, Sportswriter Leon Niemczyk and where she moves in with 37 year-old young wife Jolanta Umecka are swinger Els Dottermans, who is distracted from their bickering en hearing the biological clock ticking. route to their lake holiday when they PASSION [Szenvedély] philosophic speculations in this But Charlotte’s mom Frieda Pittoors nearly run over hitchhiker Zygmunt Sun, May 11, 2:00; Wed, May 14, 8:40 stylized, hypnotic, satiric, enigmatic sees her own forgotten girl’s dream Malanowicz, then take him along on work from 93 year-old legend their boat. Macho power moves In a frozen embrace, a man and a Oliveira. Cannes, New York festivals. coming to life again. Somehow they woman dance—at her watching all end up living in the same building between the generations and between Directed/written by Manoel de the classes ensue, highlighted by a husband’s command. Dark, brooding, Oliveira. Portugal, 2002, color, 133 in the big city…but do all their hypnotic version of James M. Cain’s aspirations come to the same end? switchblade-between-the-fingers min. Portuguese with titles. game, until a moment of violence THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS Sensitive psychological drama from TWICE. Set in rural 30s Hungary, a first-feature director van den Berghe. leads to a classic lady-or-the-tiger dilemma, visualized by an imported garage-owner’s wife and his assistant YEAR OF THE DEVIL Best Actress, Amiens; Youth Jury carry on an affair under hubbie’s nose, Award, Locarno Festivals. car, motionless at an intersection, [Rok dábla] undecided. Tense three-person drama until murder is the only way out. But Sat, May 10, 8:30 Directed/co-written by Dorothée led to an Oscar nomination, Time cover, when the first attempt miscarries, the van den Berghe. Belgium/Flanders, Legendary songwriter Jaromír and Polanski’s international career. tension only increases. Three years in 2002, color, 94 min. Dutch with the making by the producer of Bela Nohavica decides to team up with Directed/co-written by Roman titles. Tarr’s SATANSTANGO, PASSION obscure folk band Czechomor Polanski. Poland, 1962, b&w, 94 min. swept the awards at the 1998 (hoping they’ll help cure him of Hungarian Film Week, taking Best alcoholism), his guitarist pal Karel HARD GOODBYES: Plíhal takes a year-long vow of silence, PAN TADEUSZ Actor, Actress, Director, Cinemato- MY FATHER Sun, May 11, 7:30*; Mon, May 12, 8:40 grapher, Foreign Critics’ Prize, and Dutch filmmaker Jan Prent tags along, [Diskoli apocheretismi: the Grand Prize. “A visually powerful Killing Joke frontman Jaz Coleman Andrzej Wajda has taped an introduction for (arguably the craziest of them all) O babas mou] our screenings of his film. and dramatically potent treatment of a timeless story”— Variety. leads them to a “Native American” Tue, May 13, 6:40; Thu, May 15, 6:40 *Alicja Bachleda-Curus has been invited to ritual in a Czech “desert,” while Directed/written by György Fehér. In 1969 Athens, 10 year-old Yorgos appear at this screening. ghosts and guardian angels loom. Hungary, 1998, b&w, 155 min. Karayannis (Best Actor, Locarno Film As poet Adam Mickiewicz (in exile in Certified zany Petr (BUTTONERS, Hungarian with titles. Festival) idolizes his traveling sales- Paris in the 1830s), begins to recite his MNAGA-HAPPY END) Zelenka’s man father, somewhat to the annoy- epic poem to friends, we’re two decades mock-rockumentary features Czech ance of his mother and brother. But back in the sunny Polish countryside THE UNCERTAINTY chartbusters playing themselves, with when it’s clear that Dad’s not coming with the gentry as a tender romance terrific concert footage. Best Film, back from his latest trip, Yorgos just blossoms, patriots wait for Napoleon— PRINCIPLE Karlovy Vary Festival. can’t accept that they won’t be and some decide to take on the [O Princípio da Incerteza] Directed/written by Petr Zelenka. Tue, May 13, 8:50; Thu, May 15, 8:50 together to watch the Americans land bumbling Russian oppressors right Czech Republic, 2002, color, 88 min. on the moon. In the meantime, he away. Dazzling, sweeping, large-scale Scion of the manor house, Ivor Czech and English with titles. amuses himself by writing letters in to adaptation of the Polish national Canelas, and servant’s son Ricardo Grandma in Dad’s name … but then classic, done in the original rhymed Trêpa have been friends since the landing occurs ... A charming debut couplets throughout (listen carefully!). childhood, until Trêpa’s dream girl, work by Panayotopoulou, in Wajda regular Daniel Olbrychski plays Leonor Baldaque, marries Canelas for reminiscence of her own parents. the role of a lifetime as a bald, scarred the money. But then the reversals keep “Beautifully and subtly acted—and a retainer.