Northwest Film Center - Exhibition Programs

January / February 2000

BROWSE FILMS BY SERIES:
KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWKSI: CINEMA OF THE SOUL
REEL MUSIC 18

SERIES

KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI: CINEMA OF THE SOUL
Following up on our screening earlier in the year of Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski's DECALOGUE, we are please d to present a selection of many of his other key works. Kieslowski (1930-1986) once remarked, "The world is not only bright lights, this hectic pace, the Coca-Cola with a straw, the new car...Another truth exists...a hereafter- Yes, surely. Good or bad, I don't know, but...something else." The search for that something else—the exploration into the deeper questions of human existence—informs all his films, not with answers, but with provocative ruminations that lie at the heart of arriving at our own personal decision-making. From the comedic awakening of the character in his first feature film, CAMERA BUFF, to the ethical dilemmas posed in THE DECALOGUE, to the search for the meaning of life that connect his final trilogy THREE COLORS: BLUE, WHITE, RED, Kieslowski's is the cinema of ideas-ideas, and artistic vision-that make him one of the great filmmakers of the cinema’s first century.

DEC 28 30   THU 7 P.M., SAT 9 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI: CINEMA OF THE SOUL
BLUE
FRANCE 1993
DIRECTOR: KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI Moving to France after the completion of THE DECALOGUE, Kieslowski began work on the THREE COLORS TRILOGY, an examination of how the ideals of the French Revolution (Liberty, Equality, Fraternity) manifest themselves in contemporary life. BLUE, the first film, is the story of Julie (Juliet Binoche) a woman who loses her husband, an acclaimed composer, and her young daughter in a car accident. Though she tries to find freedom from grief by withdrawing from the world, other people intrude with their own needs. Her husband's music itself heals Julie and inexorably draws her back among the living. "BLUE is about liberty, the imperfections of human liberty...How far are we free from feelings? Is love a prison? Or is it freedom?"—Krzystzof Kieslowski (100 mins.)

DEC 28 29   THU 9 P.M., FRI 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI: CINEMA OF THE SOUL
WHITE
FRANCE 1994
DIRECTOR: KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI A sly fable about love and fantasy, the second part of the trilogy, correlative to "equality," is about the destructive nature of an unequal relationship. Karol, a hapless Polish hairdresser working in France, has a beautiful wife, Dominique, who is in the process of divorcing him for his impotence. Karol loses all of his possessions and is literally driven out of the country by his estranged wife. Torn by his continuing passion for his own sense of helplessness, and the urge for revenge, he plots justice, but receives it in a way he never imagined. "A love story with a happy ending, and maybe the only one I've ever seen that's both touching and perverse at the same time..." THE WASHINGTON POST    (91 mins.)

DEC 29 30   FRI 8:45 P.M., SAT 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI: CINEMA OF THE SOUL
RED
FRANCE 1994
DIRECTOR: KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI A lonely young fashion model (Irene Jacobs) living in Geneva encounters a cynical, retired judge (Jean-Louis Trintignant) after hitting his dog with her car. He too leads a solitary existence, spending his time illicitly eavesdropping on his neighbor's telephone conversations. Initially she wants to report him to the authorities, but instead befriends him. Despite finding that they are made for each other, the realization that age stands in the way of a love affair leads to an an unusual "fraternity." "A masterpiece! An elegant, fascinating puzzle."—Roger Ebert, CHICAGO SUN TIMES. (95 mins.)

JAN 4 13
THU 7 P.M., GUILD THEATRE
SAT 7 P.M., WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI: CINEMA OF THE SOUL
I'M SO-SO
DENMARK 1995
DIRECTOR: KRZYSTOF WIERBICKI After completing his trilogy, THREE COLORS: BLUE, WHITE, RED, Krzysztof Kieslowski announced that he was "retiring" from filmmaking, a revelation met by international disappointment. Soon after, his long-time assistant director, Krzystof Wierbicki, persuaded Kieslowski to sit for an informal interview, the last before his death just months later. Through candid comments and clips from his major films, I'M SO-SO provides a highly personal look at an artist who confronted the anguish of Communism in Poland and helped define "the cinema of moral anxiety." Of his life he said: "I have only one good characteristic. I'm a pessimist. The future is a black hole." Audiences might disagree with that assessment given that his films have provided such intriguing, and ultimately affirming, explorations of our moral universe. (60 mins.)

JAN 4   THU 8 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI: CINEMA OF THE SOUL
THE DOUBLE LIFE OF VERONIQUE
POLAND/FRANCE 1991
DIRECTOR: KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI In Poland, Veronika, an aspiring actress with a weak heart, sees her exact lookalike taking pictures and boarding a tourist bus. In Paris, musician Veronique is struck with sadness while making love— as Veronika collapses—and resolves to change her life. And then messages from an anonymous admirer arrive. With the luminous Irene Jacob in a Cannes Film festival Award winning performance as both Veroniques, Kieslowski's enigmatic examination of duality and identity is an intriguing study of spiritual disquiet.    (92 mins.)

JAN 11   THU 7 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI: CINEMA OF THE SOUL
NO END
POLAND 1984
DIRECTOR: KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI A despairing look at post-martial law in Poland, a ghost story and a tale of romantic love, NO END is narrated by the spirit of a lawyer who, even after death, is committed to defending the rights of workers. Venturing back into the world of those still living, his inspiration is both for his wife and for the lawyer who took over one of his key cases and is close to totally selling out his clients in the face of the authorities. "A film burning with passionate engagement...and one, moreover, which still has space for tenderness, quiet and and excursion into the realms of the spirit." —THE NEW YORKER   (108 mins.)

JAN 13    SAT 8 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI: CINEMA OF THE SOUL
CAMERA BUFF
POLAND 1980
DIRECTOR: KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI Winner of the Grand Prize at the Moscow Film Festival, CAMERA BUFF details the comic transformation of a quiet happily married man into a raging, obsessed moviemaker. Filip, a factory purchasing agent, buys an 8mm camera to film his baby daughter but gets sidetracked into making a film about his factory's 25th anniversary celebration. From there it's only a matter of time before he sacrifices all else for the pursuit of "truth" in his documentaries. Filip's mid-life artistic and political awakening provides hilarious parody of the film business, a critical commentary on censorship, and provocatively explores the rewards and punishments of choosing to be a participant rather than an observer.   (112 mins.)

REEL MUSIC 18
2001: A Music Odyssey. Welcome to our 18th annual celebration of music and film. As always, eclecticism is the byword ? jazz, blues, rock, pop, punk, soul, country, reggae, Jewish, latin, African, soul, classical…old and new. We hope you find our exploration of sound and image and music and culture to be full of discovery. Our special thanks go to THE OREGONIAN, MUSIC MILLENNIUM and MCMENAMINS THEATERS AND PUBS for helping it all happen. Enjoy.

JAN 5   FRI 7 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM   PORTLAND PREMIERE
REEL MUSIC
SONGCATCHER
US 2000
DIRECTOR: MAGGIE GREENWALD   "It is 1907 and musicologist Dr. Lily Penleric (Janet McTeer) has just been denied a promotion in her university’s male-dominated world. Determined to gain academic recognition, she heads to Appalachia where she makes a startling discovery—the folksongs of Scotland and Ireland have been preserved and passed down through generations of the secluded mountain people. She sets out to record the songs, but her task is not easy: the locals are protective. As coal companies vie for land and swallow up whole communities, Lily cannot help but become involved in the Appalachian’s struggles, while falling in love with rough local musician Tom (Aidan Quinn). Greenwald carefully guides the focus of Lily’s earthy, unstoppable drive for self-realization, and the simple songs—raw and moving—complement the glorious landscape. SONGCATCHER is a powerful portrait of the age-old struggle between preservation and progress, set in the visceral world of unsung mountaineers. McTeer’s masterful performance and the exquiste selection of folk music combine to tell a haunting story." —Sundance Film Festival.    (113 mins.)

JAN 5   FRI 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE   PORTLAND PREMIERE
REEL MUSIC
MY GENERATION
US 2000
DIRECTOR: BARBARA KOPPLE   "The spontaneity of the 1969 Woodstock concert is of course legendary. The fact that so many people gathered to make a statement about who they were and what they believed in still moves me, and I think still stands as a great cultural landmark. I wanted to know if 25 or 30 years later kids would still be inspired by that promise of self-discovery and what it was they had to say."—Barbara Kopple. A chronicle of one of the mythic events of the past century, Barbara Kopple’s captivating (HARLAN COUNTY, WILD MAN BLUES) new film connects the Woodstock festivals of 1969, 1994 and 1999 as it examines two generations’ search for community and values. Vividly juxtaposing concert footage from all three events with behind the scenes and unseen event footage and interviews, Kopple gets to the heart of the experience(s). In an America where, despite profound societal changes and the eternal tensions between genuine self-expression and commercial exploitation remain, MY GENERATION suggests that rebellion and having a good time are as popular as ever.    (104 mins.)

JAN 5   FRI 7 P.M.
CINEMA 21
REEL MUSIC
A HARD DAY'S NIGHT
BRITAIN 1964
DIRECTOR: RICHARD LESTER   Film critic Andrew Sarris dubbed this landmark rock ‘n’ roll escapade "the CITIZEN KANE of jukebox musicals." Roger Ebert simply called it "One of the great landmarks of the movies!" Director Richard Lester conceived the film and shot it in a semi-documentary style, the energetic camera tagging along with the Beatles as they travel to London for a television appearance and seek moments of freedom from their insane, claustrophobic life. Produced in just weeks to capitalize on the frenzied dawn of Beatlemania (which the movie helped raise to a fever pitch), the film mirrors an exuberantly optimistic and innocent moment in the explosion of youth culture, one not long to last for the Fab Four or anyone else as the decade darkened.   (92 mins.)
Playing at The Cinema 21, NW 21st and Hoyt.

JAN 5   FRI 9 P.M.
CRYSTAL BALLROOM
REEL MUSIC
OPENING NIGHT PARTY
Join us after the films at the Crystal Ballroom, West Burnside @ 14th, for the music of Hit Explosion. No-host bar.
Admission is free with your film ticket. Hosted by McMenamins Theaters & Pubs. admission subject to capacity. (21 and over, please.)

JAN 6 7    SAT 7 P.M., SUN 3 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
REEL MUSIC
MARK CANTOR PRESENTS: GIANTS OF JAZZ
This year we welcome back Los Angeles jazz film collector Mark Cantor for another of his fabulous programs of vintage jazz on film. Always one of Reel Music’s highlights, Cantor’s carefully researched and assembled programs are drawn from his astounding personal archive of thousands of filmed performances, all of them presented with an eye for the highest print quality and with his expert knowledge of the artists and material. This year’s program features a treasure-trove of rare performances, many not seen for decades, featuring Charlie Parker, Django Reinhardt, Clifford Brown, Dexter Gordon, Charles Mingus, Louis Armstrong, Wes Montgomery, McCoy Tyner, Chet Baker, Art Pepper, Count Basie, Rahsaan Roland Kirk and the Original Dixieland Jass Band, to name just a few. Be assured there will be many added surprises.    (3 hrs.)

JAN 7 13   SUN 7 P.M., SAT 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
REEL MUSIC
VINYL
CANADA 2000
DIRECTOR: ALAN ZWEIG   Why collect stacks of records when you don’t have time to hear them? Because you must. Experiencing conflicting emotions over his vinyl habit, filmmaker Alan Zweig, in a Woody Allen/ Andy Rooney-esque fashion, sets out to interview other disturbed packrats, touring dingy, record-packed apartments, hoping to find answers. While penetrating the compulsions of possessed discophiles, Zweig’s journey turns into a first-person, comic exploration of guilt, obsession and mouse-trapping. Five years in the making, and featuring a cast of hundreds of junkies, VINYL takes up where HIGH FIDELITY leaves off as it plumbs the psyches of collectors whose obsessions range from the desire to literally collect every single record ever made, to more modest goals like "boxed sets only" or memorizing the playlist of every K-TEL album. "Very funny…will most please fans of Terry Zwigoff’s CRUMB and Ross McElwee’s SHERMAN’S MARCH."—EYE MAGAZINE.   (110 mins.)

JAN 10 WED 6:30 P.M.& 8:45 P.M.
MISSION THEATER
REEL MUSIC
CURTIS SALGADO: MY FAVORITE THINGS: PART ONE
Portland blues and soul master Curtis Salgado (his new CD "Soul Activated" is out January 9) returns with another knock-out program of musical rarities drawn from his personal video archive. Collected from years of swapping performance clips with fellow musicians, Salgado’s archive is loaded with great blues, jazz, soul, gospel and rockabilly from the 1950s-70s. As always, his intimate knowledge of the artists and their music, and his anecdotes and commentary, makes his selections come alive in memorable fashion. No telling ahead of time what will be in the final (all new selections) program (we’ll be glad to entertain your advance requests for particular artists) but you won’t find it on MTV.    (90 mins.)
Come to the Mission Theater Wednesday, January 17, 6:30 & 8:45 p.m. for MY FAVORITE THINGS PART II.
(21 and over, please.)

JAN 11   THU 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
REEL MUSIC
THE BALLAD OF RAMBLIN' JACK
US 2000
DIRECTOR: ALYANA ELLIOTT   Born a middle-class Brooklyn Jew, Eliott Adnopoz headed out west with the romantic notion of being a cowboy musician. Along the way he became the protégé of Woodie Guthrie and later the mentor of the "Son of Jack Elliott"— another Jewish folk singer named Bob Dylan. Despite being a star and loaded with charisma, Elliott (bitterly) never enjoyed the fame of his fellow travelers. And, roaming the roads, he sacrificed his family and personal relationships to live the life (much of it in self-exile) of many of the songs he sang. Attempting to come to terms with the father she never really never knew, Alyana Elliott’s magnificent film weaves family home movies, archival footage and interviews with a host of friends and admirers to try and get to the essence of a rogue artist and father. Along with the great footage and music are the commentaries of Arlo and Nora Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, Odetta, Dave Van Ronk and many more.   (112 mins.)

JAN 12 13 14 16
FRI 7 P.M., SAT 5 & 9:15 P.M., SUN 5 & 7 P.M., TUE 7 & 8:45 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE   PORTLAND PREMIERE
REEL MUSIC
BENJAMIN SMOKE
US 2000
DIRECTORS: JEM COHEN AND PETER SILLEN BENJAMIN SMOKE is an affectionate, intimate and uncompromising portrait of the late singer Benjamin (no last name), gravel-voiced front-man of the Atlanta indie quintet Smoke. A gay, cross-dresser with a leaning towards the avant-garde and a penchant for pills, Benjamins’ mesmerizing vocals were propelled by a wild Southern mix of country, blues, jazz and punk. Before his death from AIDS-related Hepatitis C in 1999, Benjamins’ extraordinary personna and hybrid vision made him a local cultural and musical legend, a contemporary icon in the long folk lineage of marginalized outsiders uniquely expressing themselves through "homemade" music. In addition to his singular perfomances, Cohen and Sillen manage to capture the homespun philosophy and abundant wit that made Benjamin’s fans legion, including REM’s Michael Stipe and his muse, Patti Smith. "For a faggot, do I have a rockin’ band or what?" "Riveting, beautifully composed, funny, sad and spilling over with excellent music…"—THE STRANGER    (80 mins.)

JAN 12 18   FRI 9 P.M., THU 9 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE   PORTLAND PREMIERE
REEL MUSIC
REBEL MUSIC: THE BOB MARLEY STORY
BRITAIN 2000
DIRECTOR: JEREMY MARRE   Marre’s fascinating film takes an intimate look at the turbulent life of reggae superstar Bob Marley. Set in the era of political disruption which scarred his Jamaican homeland, the film includes interviews with the CIA, who admit to "creating a climate for Marley’s assassination." Several of Marley’s girlfriends, among them "Miss World" Cindy Breakspeare and movie star Ester Anderson — appear for the first time, while his wife, Rita, charts their unusual relationship. Along with home movies, previously unreleased recordings and performances and interviews with Bunny Wailer, Coxsone Dodd and producer Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, REBEL MUSIC offers an in-depth portrait of "the Third World prophet who used his guitar like an M16."   (84 mins.)

JAN 12   FRI 7:30 P.M.
ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL   WORLD PREMIERE
REEL MUSIC/NERVE ENDINGS SPECIAL EVENT
FILM HARMONIC
In a contemporary twist on the traditional cinema experience of "silent" film accompanied by live music, FILM HARMONIC premieres four works created specifically to interpret classic symphonic works. A co-production between the Film Center and the Oregon Symphony’s Nerve Endings Series, Portland filmmakers Jim Blashfield, Joan Gratz, Gus Van Sant and Chel White have each created new films for which the Symphony, under the direction of Resident Conductor Murry Sidlin, will perform live accompaniment of the music which inspired them. This unprecedented artistic collaboration, with the filmmakers present to talk about their film and its relationship to the music, promises delightful discovery for film and music lovers alike. Tickets $15-$50 (age 25 and under $6-$30) by calling 503-228-1353.
THE PROGRAM

PASSAGE
DIRECTOR: CHEL WHITE
MUSIC: NEPTUNE, GUSTAV HOLST
Wars are waged, brutalities are committed and the worst of the human race evolves. But in this sea of humanity, all is not lost in the corruption of the human spirit. Inspired by Gustav Holst’s "Neptune." Chel White’s films include SOULMATE, a recent Best Film winner at the Northwest Film & Video Festival, DIRT, a Sundance Film Festival Selection and CHOREOGRAPHY FOR A COPY MACHINE, a top prize winner at more than a dozen international film festivals.

SMOKING MAN
DIRECTOR: GUS VAN SANT
MUSIC: THE CHAIRMAN DANCES, JOHN ADAMS
Take heed. Where there’s smoke there’s fire. Inspired by John Adam’s "The Chairman Dances" from Nixon in China. Among filmmaker Gus Van Sant’s feature films are FINDING FORRESTER, GOODWILL HUNTING, TO DIE FOR, DRUGSTORE COWBOY, MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO and MALA NOCHE. Among his many award-winning shorts are THE DISCIPLINE OF DE, THANKSGIVING PRAYER and BALLAD OF THE SKELETONS.

INTERPLAY
DIRECTOR: JOAN GRATZ
MUSIC: DREAM OF THE WITCHES SABBATH, HECTOR BERLIOZ
Abstract painted images magically transform through Hector Berlioz’s "Dream of the Witches Sabbath" from his Symphony Fantastique. Animator Joan Gratz’s many films include the Academy Award Winning MONA LISA DESCENDING A STAIRCASE, Short Film Oscar nominees RIP VAN WINKLE and THE CREATION, PRO AND CON and DOWAGER’S FEAST, a film and music collaboration with Portland’s Three Leg Torso.

THE TASSLED LOAFERS
DIRECTOR: JIM BLASHFIELD
MUSIC: DREAM OF THE WITCHES SABBATH, HECTOR BERLIOZ’S
An unwitting repairman, transfixed by strangely mesmerizing images from a mysterious film projector and the attendant discovery of some particularly alluring footwear, is ensnared in a droll comedy of obligation and desire. Inspired by Hector Berlioz’s "Dream of the Witches Sabbath." Jim Blashfield’s numerous award winning films and music videos include SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES, AND SHE WAS, BOY IN THE BUBBLE, LEAVE ME ALONE and BUNNYHEADS.

JAN 17   WED 6:30 P.M.& 8:45 P.M.
MISSION THEATER
REEL MUSIC
CURTIS SALGADO: MY FAVORITE MUSIC: PART TWO
Portland blues and soul master Curtis Salgado returns for the second (see Jan 10) part of of a program of musical rarities drawn from his personal video archive.    (90 mins.)
Come to the Mission Theater, NW 17th & Glisan.
(21 and over, please)

JAN 18 19   THU 7 P.M., FRI 7 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
BERLIN CINEMA (TITRE PROVISOIRE)
GERMANY 1999
DIRECTOR: SAMIRA GLOOR-FADEL Interweaving Wim Wenders as an on-camera guide and Jean-Luc Godard as an off-screen voice, Gloor-Fadel's expressive documentary essay is a triumph. Set to shimmering, beautifully composed images of a new Berlin, this multi-layered work explores a wide range of subtly interrelated concerns including cinema, architecture, history, identity and the search for meaning in the creation of images. As he visits construction sites with architect Jean Nouvel, rehearses scenes for a new film, and discusses the future of cinema with students, Wenders examines the nature of storytelling and ponders the divide between documentary and fiction that has defined film history. Brimming with wonderfully juxtaposed ideas, BERLIN-CINEMA is "A breath of fresh air, a salve for minds overloaded with information...Anyone who cares about the cinema will luxuriate..."—Piers Handling, TORONTO FILM FESTIVAL.   (106 mins.)

JAN 18 21
THU 7 P.M GUILD THEATRE
SUN 7 P.M. WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
REEL MUSIC
AN EVENING WITH FRANK AND ELLA: THE FRANK SINATRA SHOW
US 1959
DIRECTOR: JACK DONAHUE   "Ella Fitzgerald joins Frank Sinatra for 30 minutes of great music in this installment of Sinatra's short-lived Friday night ABC series. She sings ‘April In Paris,’ ‘April Eyes,’ and ‘When You’re Smiling.’ Sinatra offers ‘Jeepers Creepers,’ ‘On the Road to Mandalay’ and ‘We'll Be Together Again.’ They duet on the lovely ‘Moonlight in Vermont’ and a swinging version of ‘I May Be Wrong.’"—UCLA Film and Television Archive. (30 mins.)
WITH
THE FRANK SINATRA TIMEX SHOW
US 12/13/59
DIRECTOR: BILL COLLERAN   "For his second special of the 1959 season, Sinatra is joined by Ella Fitzgerald, Rat Pack pal Peter Lawford, comedienne Hermione Gingold, dancer Juliet Prowse, the Hi-Lo's vocal quartet and Red Norvo's jazz group. Sinatra belts out ‘Got the World on A String,’ ‘Our Love Is Here To Stay,’ and ‘Too Marvelous For Words’ while Fitzgerald contributes ‘Just You, Just Me,’ ‘There’s a Lull In My Life’ and a medley of Gershwin tunes."—UCLA Film and Television Archive.    (30 mins.)
PRECEDED BY
JIMMY SCOTT: ALONE TOGETHER
US 2000
DIRECTOR: MATTHEW BUZZELL A meditative portrait of the contemplative side of legendary jazz singer Jimmy Scott.    (5 mins.)

JAN 19   FRI 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE   PORTLAND PREMIERE
REEL MUSIC
SEARCHING FOR JIMI
US/BRITAIN 1998
DIRECTORS: D.A. PENNEBAKER, CHRIS HEGEDUS Pennebaker and Hegedus filmed Hendrix’s famed performance at Monterey in 1967 and continue their search for his musical spirit 30 years later. A different kind of road movie, SEARCHING FOR JIMI is an intimate exploration of his lasting impact as seen through interviews with?and intimate performances by?an eclectic range of contemporary artists. Taylor Dane changes the subtle "Wind Cries Mary" into an exuberantly sung version. Laurie Anderson’s electronic instruments rivetingly evoke the post-apocalyptic underwater world of "1983." Charlie Musselwhite plays a country salute, rapper Chuck D of Public Enemy has his own take on the "man that started all that guitar shit," while Roseanne Cash feels attracted to his sexuality and Los Lobos can definitely answer "Are You Experienced?" In addition, The Five Blind Boys of Alabama, Mark Isham and Neville Staples of the Specials all find something universal in the pervasive body of work Hendrix left behind.           (60 mins.)
WITH
LOOK BACK, DON'T LOOK BACK
US 1999
DIRECTORS: RANDY BELL, JUSTIN RICE A wry and inventive search of another kind. "We watched D.A. Pennebaker’s DON’T LOOK BACK. We couldn’t shake the Bob Dylan we found there. He had wit, charm, charisma and energy. He was nervous, subversive and stupid. He embodied youth. He lived cool. Fascinated by the mysterious power of the film and obsessed with the image of the young Dylan, we picked up a camera and headed to New York. The goal: to talk with Dylan." (25 mins.)

JAN 19   FRI 9 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE    PORTLAND PREMIERE
REEL MUSIC
BORN TO LOSE (THE LAST ROCK 'N' ROLL MOVIE)
US 1999
DIRECTOR: LECH KOWALSKI For devotees of the NYC punk underground of the 1970s, the greatest most disappointing story ever told: the mysterious circumstances of cult superstar Johnny Thunders' death in a New Orleans hotel in1991. A lurid peek into the dark side of drugs, sex and rock 'n' roll, Kowalski mixes much original archive material, including early performances of the New York Dolls and the Heartbreakers, as well as interviews with many of the remaining surviving participants of the scene, includng Dee Dee Ramone, Willy De Ville and Sylvain Sylvain, to paint a raw, unglamorous portrait of a legendary performer, dubbed "the rock and roll Dean Martin of Heroin," and the infamous scene he helped create. (106 mins.)

JAN 20 21   SAT 7 P.M., SUN 5 P.M
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
REEL MUSIC
JAZZMAN FROM THE GULAG
FRANCE 1999
DIRECTOR: PIERRE-HENRY SALFATI Bandleader and trumpet player Eddie Rosner was once dubbed "the white Armstrong" by no less an authority than Louis Armstrong himself. Born Adolf in 1910 Berlin to a family of Polish Jews, Rosner was a child prodigy who discovered jazz when he was 15,   and was famous by age 20 for his "hot" trumpet style. His records labled "degenerate" by the Nazis, he fled to Poland, and then to the Soviet Union as WW II started. There he became a heroic German refugee and, consecrated by Stalin, became the leader of the first state jazz orchestra in the USSR. Touring even as the war raged, Rosner led a praised and privileged life until 1946 when he was arrested for "rootless cosmopolitanism" (the crime of being Jewish) and sent to Siberia. But his remarkable story does not end here. Salfati, using rare documents, extraordinary film clips and astonishing testimony from Rosner’s contemporaries, chronicles the moving and glorious adventure of a man who, despite the twists and turns of fate, never lost his love for jazz.    (78 mins.)

JAN 20   SAT 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
REEL MUSIC
EL REY DE ROCK 'N' ROLL
US 2000
DIRECTOR: MARJORIE CHODOROV Elvis may have left the building, but he still lives. On stage he wears an open shirt, gold chains and tight pants that flair out at the bottom. He is best known for his "You Ain’t Nothin’ But a Chihuahua," "En el Barrio," and "Lordy Miss Lupe." His real name is Robert Lopez, but to his fans across the country and in Europe he is El Vez, the Mexican Elvis. With his pencil thin magic marker moustache, glossy black pompadour and come-hither eyes, El Vez may not have the exact Elvis look, but he definitely has the feel. "I don’t look like Elvis. So I said I’m going to do it my way." He changes the original Elvis lyrics to tackle issues regarding Mexican social and political consciousness in addition to safe sex, homophobia, racism, gang violence, drugs and more. Marjorie Chodorov’s wonderful portrait captures the wit and energy of no mere impersonator. El Vez is a witty conceptual artist who just happens to be the King too.    (55 mins.)

JAN 20   SAT 8:15 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
REEL MUSIC
THE SHIELD AROUND THE K
US 1999
DIRECTOR: HEATHER ROSE DOMINIC   "A profile of the birth and growth of the influential Olympia-based punk rock DIY record label K Records. Over the years the scrappy lil' company has launched key indie artists like Beat Happening, Love as Laughter, Dub Narcotic Sound System, the Make Up, Lois, Microphones and Cadallaca, as well as releasing material from Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Beck and many others. Co-founders Calvin Johnson and Candace Pederson are interviewed along with over twenty K artists and peers. With lots of live perfomance footage and a zine spirit, SHIELD is a DIY video that gives you always-hungry hipness-junkies a nice fat dose of uncut indie info and celebrity star gazing. So take a seat, music friends, and enjoy."—NY Underground Film Festival.    (85 mins.)

JAN 20 21   SAT 5 P.M., SUN 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE PORTLAND PREMIERE
REEL MUSIC
THE RALPH STANELY STORY
US 2000
DIRECTOR: HERB E. SMITH   For over 50 years, Ralph Stanley's "clawhammer" banjo playing and haunting singing have drawn music lovers to the wealth of musical treasures that can be found deep in the southern Appalachian Mountains. THE RALPH STANLEY STORY tells of the creation of the uniquely Amercian form of mountain music called "bluegrass" and the story of two brothers, Ralph and Carter, who grew up in the hills of southwest Virginia and created a singular style of music. Featuring fabulous performances with The Clinch Mountain Boys, interviews with Patty Loveless, Junior Brown and numerous others in the bluegrass and country music business, and appearances by Dwight Yokam, Ricky Skaggs, Larry Sparks, Charlie Sizemore among others, Smith takes us on an delightful, old-time musical journey.   (82 mins.)

JAN 21 27   SUN 4 P.M., SAT 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE    PORTLAND PREMIERE
LIVE REEL MUSIC EVENT
THE NEW KLEZMORIM: VOICES INSIDE THE REVIVAL OF YIDDISH MUSIC
CANADA 2000
DIRECTOR: DAVID KAUfMAN   The roots of Klezmer, the people who perform it and the audiences that flock to it are vibrantly celebrated in David Kaufman's documentary filmed at KlezKanada. An annual gathering held near Montreal, KlezKanada attracts many of the foremost performers of traditional Yiddish Music today, including Michael Alpert (Brave Old World), Henkus Netsky (The Klezmer Conservatory Band), Bruce Adler (Chicago Klezmer Ensemble) and dozens more. Through stellar performances and passionate interviews, Kaufman leaves no doubt that the worldwide revival of popular Jewish music is in full swing.    (69 mins.)
Performing live following the film will be Jack (Yankel) Falk & Friends, some of the Northwest's finest klezmer musicians, playing traditional Jewish village music from central and eastern Europe. Co-Sponsored by the jewish federation of portland.

JAN 24   WED 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE PORTLAND PREMIERE
REEL MUSIC
ON TIPTOE: THE MUSIC OF LADYSMITH BLACK MOMBAZO
US 2000
DIRECTOR: ERIC SIMONSON   Under the leadership of the charismatic Joseph Shabalala, Ladysmith Black Mambazo originated a unique a capella style called isicathamiya—"on tiptoe"—which blends traditional Zulu music with everything from rock 'n' roll to Christian hymns. Catapulted into stardom following their appearance on Paul Simon's 1987 "Graceland" album, the group's story reflects the cultural and political legacy of South Africa's musican tradition. Through entertaining township competitions and long-held family customs, the soul and origins of their music emerge with fascinating clarity. Accompanying the group on tour, ON TIPTOE beautifully chronicles a career marked by adversity but infused with hope.    (85 mins.)

JAN 25 27
THU 7 P.M., WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
SAT 4 P.M., GUILD THEATRE
REEL MUSIC
SEPTEMBER SONG
CANADA 1995
DIRECTOR: LARRY WEINSTEIN The music of Kurt Weill, son of a cantor and arguably the progenitor of Jewish jazz, was one of the richest contributions to musical theater in the 20th century. In an inspired mixture of performance film and bio-pic, Larry Weinstein has assembled some of the great musical talents of our age to reinterpret Weill’s memorable music. The setting is an old warehouse, turned into a performance space, with each of Weill’s songs given a distinct set and visual style. Among the performers featured are rock ‘n’ roll’s Nick Cave ("Mack the Knife" ), Elvis Costello and the Brodsky Quartet ("Lost") and Lou Reed ("September Song"); opera singer Teresa Stratas ("Surabaya"); jazz singer Betty Carter ("Lonely House"); jazz bassist Charlie Hadyn ("Low"); David Johansen ("Alabama Song") and writer William S. Burrough ("What Keeps Man Alive") Sewn into the film between the brilliant perfomance pieces are glimpses of Weill’s life and rich artistic collaborations with Bertolt Brecht and Lotte Lenya, told through photographs, film clips and recordings. Whatever your musical persuasion, this is an exceptional treat.   (89 mins.)

JAN 26 27 FRI 7 P.M., SAT 9:30 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
REEL MUSIC
WATTSTAX
US 1973
DIRECTOR: MEL STUART   In 1972, 100,000 people in the African-Amercian community in Los Angeles gathered at the LA Coliseum to commemorate the 7th anniversary of the Watts Riots. Staged by Stax Records and featuring Jesse Jackson and a very funny Richard Pryor, the soul of the event was soul. Delivering their individual brands: Isaac Hayes, Rufus and Carla Thomas, The Stylistics, The Staple Singers, The Bar-Kays, Little Milton, Albert King, The Emotions, Luther Ingram, and many more. A memorable evening of music, comedy and politics that retains its power.   (98 mins.)

JAN 26 30   FRI 9 P.M., TUE 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
REEL MUSIC
CRAZY
NETHERLANDS 1999
DIRECTOR: HEDDY HONIGMANN Each of us has our own special collection of songs forever tied to the memories of special moments in our lives. In this remarkable, potent documentary about how we deal with violence and the power of music, Honigmann (METAL AND MELANCHOLY, O AMOR NATURAL, UNDERGROUND ORCHESTRA) interviews soldiers of varying age, rank and musical taste. Most have served in recent United Nations "security zones"—Cambodia, Lebanon, Rwanda, Bosnia—but also included are soldiers who served in Vietnam and Korea in 1950. Witnesses to and victims of the unspeakable horrors of war, each soldier recalls a song intimately connected to their memories, one that helped get them through their plight: music as varied as Puccini’s "Turandt," Guns and Roses "Knocking on Heaven’s Door," U2’s "Bloody Sunday," Seal’s "Crazy, and Elvis’ "Always on My Mind." As soldiers talk to her of their deepest feelings about responsibilty, love, powerlessness, fear and death, it is the soundtrack of their experience, played in the background, that allows them to surface the deepest of unspoken emotions. "We turned up the music and the fear was gone. Maybe somebody else thinks: the song sucks. But it’s very important to me. I want to take it to my grave. That song."—Dutch soldier.    (86 mins.)

JAN 29 MON 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE   PORTLAND PREMIERE
REEL MUSIC
A VOICE FROM HEAVEN
US 1999
DIRECTOR: GIUSEPPE ASARO   In an age when technology records and distributes an overwhelming array of voices in every language and every genre, it is no small honor to be widely recognized as one of the most beautiful voices of the century. Such was the praise for legendary Pakistani Qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. A VOICE FROM HEAVEN began as a "notebook" of the singer's career but became a posthumous tribute with the master's unexpected death in 1997. With more than 100 albums to his credit, Nusrat had an extensive career, perhaps best known here for his collaborations on the soundtracks for NATURAL BORN KILLERS and DEAD MAN WALKING. Filmmaker Giuseppe Asaro skillfully integrates performance footage, Nusrat's final interview and talks with a range of pop icons, family members and musicians whose comments underline the uniqueness of Nusrat's voice and the influence of his music.    (80 mins.)

JAN 31 FEB 2
WED 7 P.M., FRI 9:15 P.M.
GUILD THEATER
REEL MUSIC
JOHN LEE HOOKER: THAT'S MY STORY
GERMANY 2000
DIRECTOR: JOERG BUNDSCHUH Mississippi-born John Lee Hooker is the father of the endless boogie, the master craftsman of a mesmerizing one-chord groove. Learning the guitar from such blues greats as Blind Lemon Jefferson, Charlie Patton and his stepfather, Will Moore, Hooker migrated to Detroit in the 1940s, cutting his first single in 1948. One of the most prolific blues performers of all time, Hooker’s influence has had a profound influence on everyone from Eric Burden and the Animals, the Yardbirds, and the Rolling Stones to Ten Years After and ZZ Top. Bundschuh’s rollicking film explores Hooker’s background and more, and includes appearances by Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy, John Hammond, Canned Heat’s Adolfo de la Parra, Bonnie Raitt and Carlos Santana. At age 84, John Lee Hooker is in his groove.    (90 mins.)

JAN 31 WED 9 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
REEL MUSIC
SAM PHILLIPS: THE MAN WHO INVENTED ROCK 'N' ROLL
US 1999
DIRECTOR: MORGAN NEVILLE   With the fervor of a preacher seeking to spread the word, legendary impresario Sam Phillips sought out the raw Delta blues of his Alabama youth and shepherded such local talents as B.B. King, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Howlin' Wolf, Charlie Rich and Elvis Presley through his Sun Records studio. With the motto "We record Any Thing—Any Where—Any Time," he captured the color-blind Memphis sound, dismissed at the time by the major record labels as a vulgar fad, that became rock 'n' roll. Written and produced by Peter Guralnic, author of "Last Train to Memphis,""Careless Love" and "Searching For Robert Johnson," Morgan Neville's film documents a watershed era in the history of American popular music.    (90 mins.)

FEB 1 THU 7 P.M..
GUILD THEATRE
REEL MUSIC
THE TARGET SHOOTS FIRST
US 1999
DIRECTOR: CHRISTOPHER WILCHA
Not really a "music" film, but irrestible in the context of Reel Music, we're pleased to bring back Chris Wilcha's hilarious chronicle of life in the corporate world of consumer culture. In 1993, punk-rock fan and recent college graduate Wilcha landed his first real job?in the marketing department of the mail-order-record giant Columbia House. Looking at cashing in on the grunge music explosion, the Nirvana-hip Wilcha seemed like just the person to connect Columbia's suits to what was happening. With an uncanny instinct for a great story, he took his Hi-8 camera to work every day, capturing over his two year tenure more than 200 hours of day-to-day music industry machinations in the Age of Cobain. Quickly climbing the corporate ladder, he molds his unlikely career into a riveting and unlikely soap opera.    (70 mins.)
WITH
TRIBUTARY
US 2000
DIRECTOR: RUSS FORSTER Detroit filmmaker Russ Forster's (SO WRONG THEIR RIGHT) new film is an exploration of the odd musical subculture known as tribute bands. Shot during the heyday of the tribute scene in the late 1990s, it probes the motivations which drive musicians to imitate other musicians and rock out in the process. While bands like Kiss not surprisingly spawn a variety of celebrators, even Devo, Guided by Voices, Adam Ant, Rush, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Captain Beefhart are inspirations in this blue-collar musical cottage industry. Great Fun. (60 mins.)

FEB 1   THU 7 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
REEL MUSIC
BOMBA-DANCING THE DRUM
US 2000
DIRECTOR: ASHLEY JAMES   Music and dance have long been the ties that bind a community or a culture together. The sprawling Cepeda family of Puerto Rico has remained a tight-knit clan, carrying on a rich Afro-Latino tradition of the Bomba. Ashley James’ (WE LOVE YOU LIKE A ROCK—THE DIXIE HUMMINBIRDS) warm BOMBA is an in-depth look at the important historical, cultural and familial roles that dance and its rhythms play, as seen through the eyes of the Cepeda family. The film charts the Bomba from its beginnings in the sugar fields, where slaves first congregated to dance the drum, to the present day, where family members gather in living rooms and back patios to keep the tradition alive. The tantalizing footage of Don Rafael and Dona Caridad Cepeda from a half century ago, interspersed with recent interviews with their children and grandchildren, is testament to the continuing power of the music.    (60 mins.)
WITH
ALI FARKA TOURE: SPRINGING FROM THE ROOTS
FRANCE 2000
DIRECTOR: YVES BILLON, HENRY LECOMTE A fascinating look at the internationally celebrated Ali Farka Toure, Billon and Lecomte follow him back to his roots in Mali, uncovering along the way the inspiration for his wonderful, multi-instrument music. Both a pop star and a village farmer, Toure —the first African to receive a Grammy—serves as a guide to the loop of the Niger River, while playing music in Bamoko and Timbuktu and explaining how African music and the American Blues have cross-pollinated to create a unique sound.    (52 mins.)

FEB 2   FRI 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE   PORTLAND PREMIERE
REEL MUSIC
HORACE PARLAN BY HORACE PARLAN
US 2000
DIRECTOR: DON MCGLYNN   “Certain great musicians have long and illustrious careers, and do not get the recognition they deserve. And fewer still have engrossing life stories, where they overcome great adversity. This all applies to the remarkable pianist/composer Horace Parlan, who is perhaps best known for his collaborations with Charles Mingus, Roland Kirk and Dexter Gordon. Parlan’s compositions are rich and deeply textured, and his playing is full of warmth. This is all the more remarkable because Parlan contracted polio when he was five years old, and it constricted the right side of his body. After such a set-back, few would consider a career as a pianist, or emerge as a masterful one. It is a pleasure to hear Parlan play so fluidly and beautifully, fascinating to watch his ingenious style that emphasises his left hand and moving to hear his compositions, which are his musical auto-biography.”—Don McGlynn. McGlynn, whose LOUIE PRIMA: THE WILDEST and CHARLES MINGUS: TRIUMPH OF THE UNDERDOG have been past Reel Music highlights, will also screen parts of his work-in progress on jazz tenor saxophonist TEDDY EDWARDS, one of the legends of Los Angeles’s Central Avenue jazz scene.   (90 mins.)

FEB 3 SAT 9:30 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
REEL MUSIC
X-RAY VISIONS
US 2000
DIRECTOR: BENJAMIN ARTHU ELLIS From 1990 to 1994, ground zero for the all-ages, alt-rock scene in Portland was the X-Ray Cafe. Brought to life and operated as a flight of fancy by Benjamin Arthu Ellis and Tres Shannon, the X-Ray was both a critical venue for emerging local and touring bands and hang-out for an amazing array of outcasts, street kids and creative eccentrics of all stripes. When band such as Crackerbash, Sprinkler, Poison Idea, Hell Cows, Smegma, Dead Moon, Hitting Birth, Beat Happenings, Cake, Hole, Green Day or the Spinanes were not on stage, anything from poetry to Spanish lessons to a sewing circle might have connected and entertained the customers. Whether shelter, social or information hub, or music mecca, the X-Ray represented and remains, in age-old fashion, a key chapter in many Portlander's coming of age. Ellis's film, loaded with interviews and performance clips, is a spirited valentine to the craziness and glory of days gone by and to the many who called the X-Ray home.   (90 mins.)

FEB 3   SAT 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
REEL MUSIC
RYTHM 'N' BAYOUS: A ROAD MAP TO LOUISIANA MUSIC
US 2000
DIRECTOR: ROBERT MUGGE   Perhaps America's richest musical jambalaya, Louisiana is a land steeped in cajun, zydeco, gospel, country, jazz, r&b, rockabilly, swamp pop and blues, all of which manage to maintain their individual traditions while flavoring each other in wonderful, fascinating ways. Setting out to fashion a veritable road map of Lousiana's musical cultures, Mugge (DEEP BLUES, HELLHOUNDS ON MY TRAIL, GOSPEL ACCORDING TO AL GREEN...) travels to Shreveport, Monroe, Winnsboro, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Lafayette, Ville Platt and Eunice to sample the musical flavors. Along the way he finds the well-known and the local legends and if lots is (impossibly) left out it’s only because lots is (delightfully) left in. Among the performers: Dale Hawkins, Claude King, James Burton, The Ever Ready Gospel Singers, Kermit Ruffins, the Zydeco Cha Chas, Henry Butler, Frankie Ford, Henry Gray and the Hurricanes, Alida Viator, Rosie Ledet, the Hackelberry Ramblers and many more.   (120 mins.)

FEB 3   SAT 8 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
REEL MUSIC
FILM HARMONIC
If you missed the live performance with the Oregon Symphony (see JAN 12), here is an opportunity to see the four music inspired films commissioned for FILM HARMONIC with their accompanying recorded soundtracks. The program includes Chel White’s PASSAGE, Gus Van Sant’s SMOKING MAN, Joan Gratz’s INTERPLAY and Jim Blashfield’s THE TASSLED LOAFERS.

FEB 4   SUN 7 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
REEL MUSIC
CHARLIE 'BIRD' PARKER 1920-1955
NORWAY 1989
DIRECTOR: JAN HORNE   Produced by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, Jan Horne’s documentary series on the life of jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker is the definitive chronicle of his remarkable life. Divided into four chronological chapters, each features film clips and interviews that bring to life his brilliant career. Part 1, “Now’s the Time,” examines Parker’s early years in Kansas City and his impact on fellow musicians (Dizzy Gillespie, John Lewis, Flip Phillips) after he came to New York in the 1940s. Part 2, "Just Friends," centers on the New York years and his collaborations with Red Rodney, Max Roach, Roy Haynes and others. Part 3, “What Is This Thing called Love,” follows Parker to the West Coast and his collaborations with Chet Baker, Bud Powell and Thelonius Monk. Part 4, “Autumn in New York,” explores his broader artistic search with the help of composer Edgar Varese and painter Harvey Cropper and the overview of his life through the eyes of Chan Parker and others.    (3 hrs)

FEB 10   SAT 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
REEL MUSIC CLOSING NIGHT FILM
CALLE 54
CALLE 54
SPAIN 2000
DIRECTOR: FERNANDO TRUEBA   CALLE 54 ventures into the sensuous world of Latin Jazz, a genre which has fascinated Trueba (BELLE EPOQUE, THE GIRL OF YOUR DREAMS) for nearly twenty years. Traveling to Cuba, Puerto Rico, Spain, Sweden and the US, Trueba gets at the heart of a powerful movement. With a sweeping,,unobtrusive camera and brilliant sound recording, Trueba captures some the masters of the genre: veteran Bebo Valdes, his ‘monster pianist’ son Chucho and the timeless Cachao; the symphonic sounds of Chico O’Farrill’s Big Band; Michel Camilo and his awesome Trio; Gato Barbieri and, in his last filmed performance, Tito Puente with his Golden Lion Jazz All Stars. A blend of traditional jazz and Latin percussion, Latin Jazz’s singular harmonious rhythms are the kind that make jazz and dance synonymous.    (105 mins.)

SCREENINGS
(IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER)

DEC 1 2 3 4 5   FRI 7:15 & 9 P.M., SAT 3:30, 5:15, 7 & 8:45 P.M., SUN 3:30, 5:15 & 7 P.M., MON 5:30 & 7:15 P.M.,
TUE 5:30 & 7:15 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE   PORTLAND PREMIERE
SOUND AND FURY
US 1999
DIRECTOR: JOSH ARONSON   A remarkable medical technology known as the cochlear implant has now made it possible for most deaf children to hear if done at an early age. For some, the devise is clearly a miracle, but for others, it is a cruel procedure that poses a significant threat to the deaf community and its entire way of life. The experience of the Artinian family is a true embodiment of this heated and complex debate, and their incredible story movingly demonstrates the tensions and raw emotion at its core. Two brothers, one deaf and one hearing and both fathers of deaf children, struggle with the decision of whether to implant their children and come to very different conclusions. Sparking passionate response from hearing and deaf relatives on every side, their intimate, agonizing debate surfaces issues of personal identity, disability, culture and community in deaf culture most in the hearing world would likely consider. "Intellectually provocative and emotionally involving...almost as much about children's rights, identity and politics, and fears and fantasies about advanced technology as it is about deafness."—Amy Taubin, THE VILLAGE VOICE. (80 mins.)

DEC 2   SAT 1 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM   VISITING ARTIST
KEN BURNS: A PREVIEW OF JAZZ
This afternoon we welcome documentary filmmaker Ken Burns for a sneak peek of highlights from his third and concluding epic new documentary JAZZ. Rounding out an American trilogy which includes the award-winning films CIVIL WAR and BASEBALL, his much anticipated19-part PBS series on the history of America's most original art form charts the development of the music against the currents of race, class and commerce so central to the triumphs and failures of the 20th century. A celebration of black America, JAZZ is a treasure-trove of performance clips, photographs, stories, memories and music and an inventory of jazz's profound impact on the shaping of our culture. (90 mins.) Co-sponsored by Oregon Public Broadcasting. JAZZ, which will be broadcast on PBS in January, is a General Motors Mark of Excellence Presentation.    Advance Tickets $10.

DEC 7   THU 7 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
AELITA, QUEEN OF MARS
USSR 1924
DIRECTOR: YAKOV PROTAZANOV One of the most interesting films of the silent era, AELITA, is a charming, outrageous comedy—equal parts science fiction, soap opera and communist propaganda. Produced by the film artists collective Russ as an answer to innovative films from the west, the story is based on Alexei Tolstoy's story of three men — a disillusioned and flipped-out inventor/engineer, a Red Army soldier and a bumbling detective — who escape to Mars in the engineer's flying machine and land in the middle of a socialist uprising. In the process, the engineer also falls hard for the seductive Aelita, the Martian Queen. Needless to say, there is a lesson in all of this. Beyond being an early camp classic, AELITA remains one of the most innovatively designed films of the period, exploiting Russian constructivist and French post-cubist influences to create some of the most flamboyant sets and costumes you are likely to see. (90 mins.)

Tonight's film is introduced by Professor Martha Hickey of Portland State University and presented in conjunction with the Portland Art Museum's exhibition "Kandinsky, Malevich and the Russian Avant Garde," on view through January 10.

DEC 8 9 10 FRI 7 & 9 P.M., SAT 4:45, 7 & 9 P.M., SUN 4:45 & 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE PORTLAND PREMIERE
THE 2000 CANNES ADVERTISING AWARDS
The Cannes International Advertising Festival, now in its 47th year, is the world's most prestigious competition for television commercials and public service announcements. Winning a Cannes Lion is the most coveted of all awards—the one every director, agency or client wants the most. We are pleased to present a compilation of the Grand Prix, Gold, Silver and Bronze winners from this past June's competition in Cannes, an international selection of the top spots culled from almost 6,000 submissions. Besides being fabulously entertained, you’ll discover that this particular intersection of art and commerce attracts some of the most creative talents in the world. (110 mins.)
Co-sponsored by the Portland Advertising Federation.

DEC 8 10 FRI 7 P.M., SUN 5 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM PORTLAND PREMIERE
DEAR ANTONIONI
BRITAIN 1997
DIRECTOR: GIANNI MASSIRONI From his first feature film STORY OF A LOVE AFFAIR (1950) through his most recent BEYOND THE CLOUDS (1995), which won him (at age 81) the International Critics Prize at the Venice Film Festival, Michelango Antonioni has retained the artistic vision that is synonymous with auteur. Working as a screenwriter, painter and filmmaker, he has always, regardless of success or failure, avoided the unexpected and lived up to his reputation as Italy's modernist master and one of the great legends of cinema. An open letter written to Antonioni by critic Roland Barthes in 1980 provides the frame for Gianni Massironi's film portrait, which surveys his greatest films through the commentary of many of his greatest artistic collaborators including Monica Vitti (L'AVVENTURA, RED DESERT and many other films), Vanessa Redgrave, Sarah Miles and David Hemmings (BLOWUP), Sam Shepard (ZABRESKI POINT), Maria Scheider (THE PASSENGER), director Alain Robbe-Grillet and numerous others. (92mins.)

DEC 9 SAT 7 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
LA NOTTE
ITALY 1961
DIRECTOR: MICHELANGELO ANTONIONI A day and a night in the life of a troubled marriage, set against the gleaming, soulless buildings of modern Milan. Bored writer Marcello Mastroianni and >

Transfer interrupted!

friend, a night club with "exotic" black performers, go to an all-night party of jet-setters where Mastroianni flirts with playgirl Monica Vitti?while Moreau tries for a sports-car borne affair of her own?until a tormented dawn encounter at a deserted golf course brings reality. Perhaps Antonioni's most compassionate examination of the spiritual emptiness often accompanying wealth and the difficulties of modern relationships.    (122 mins.)

DEC 10   SUN 7 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
RED DESERT
ITALY 1964
DIRECTOR: MICHELANGELO ANTONIONI A tone-poem set in an emotionally desolate and stifling industrial environment in Ravenna, RED DESERT follows an electronic engineer's wife (Monica Vitti) who has an affair with her husband's best friend (Richard Harris) in order to find some human contact. Experimenting with colors—predominately reds and grays—to subtly indicate Vitti's state of mind, RED DESERT is "Perhaps the most extraordinary and riveting film of Antonioni's entire career...An aesthetic feast." TIME OUT FILM GUIDE.    (116 mins.)

DEC 12   TUE 7 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
NW FILM CENTER SCHOOL OF FILM PRESENTS:
CERTIFIABLY YOURS
U.S. 2000
DIRECTORS: VARIOUS   While the British Film Institute provides opportunities for new filmmaking talent in London and the American Film Institute does the same in Los Angeles, the Film Center treasures its own nurturing role in the Northwest. Tonight we screen a number of projects completed by students in the Film Center’s School of Film and honor Certificate Program in Film students Jonah E. R. Loeb and Matt Blauer selected as this year’s recipients of the David King Scholarship. Made possible by the King Family Foundation, the Scholarship provides cash support to young filmmakers in remembrance of the life of former Film Center student David King.    FREE ADMISSION

DEC 14   THU 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
LA'AVVENTURA
ITALY 1960
DIRECTOR: MICHANGELO ANTONIONI One of the groundbreaking films of modern cinema and on most critics’ short list of greatest films of all time, L'AVVENTURA chronicles the adventures of a group of young socialites who sail to a barren Sicilian island. When a woman from the party disappears, her fiancée embarks on a desultory search with her best friend, with whom he soon falls in love. Or does he? A story without a solution, Antonioni once described it as "a detective story back to front," and when asked what really happened to the woman replied, "I don't know. Someone told me that she committed suicide, but I don't believe it."    (145 mins.)

DEC 14 15 16   THU 7 P.M., FRI 7 P.M., SAT 5, 7 & 9 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM - NEW PRINT
THE SEVENTH SEAL
SWEDEN 1957
DIRECTOR: INGMAR BERGMAN   In THE SEVENTH SEAL, based on his own play, Bergman examines the ideas of death, faith, good and evil and of man's destiny in a lyrical work that asks the most elusive of questions: "Does God exist?" Max Von Sydow is Antonious Block, a knight returning from the crusades as the black plague is decimating Europe. He encounters death incarnate and challenges him to a game of chess—the stakes are his life. With its unforgettable images, its debate on one of life's primary concerns, and its captivating performances, THE SEVENTH SEAL remains a landmark work, not only in Bergman's canon or the Swedish cinema, but also in the history of cinema. (96 mins.)     NEW 35mm PRINT
Preceded by
DEATH (1995) A short Film by Steve Sandoz.

DEC 15 16   FRI 7 & 9 P.M.,
SAT 5, 7 & 9 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE PORTLAND PREMIERE
BOY MEETS GIRL
FRANCE 1984
DIRECTOR: LEOS CARAX     The recent release of Carax's (THE LOVERS ON THE BRIDGE) POLA X provides the opportunity to premiere his nouvelle-vague inspired first feature, hailed upon its release as the most impressive French debut since Godard's BREATHLESS. Alex (Denis Lavant) and Mireille (Mireille Perrier) wander the dark side of Paris until they fatefully meet, falling in love and failing in love despite their loneliness.   Alternately expressionistic and hauntingly surreal, Carax's droll, moody film of romantic pessimism features beautiful b&w cinematography by Jean-Yves Escoffier and a soundtrack featuring songs by David Bowie, the Dead Kennedys and Serge Gainsbourg.   (100 mins.)

DEC 22 23   FRI 7 & 9:15 P.M.,
SAT 4:45, 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
BAD BLOOD
FRANCE 1986
DIRECTOR: LEO CARAX   The follow-up to BOY MEETS GIRL, BAD BLOOD (MAUVAIS SANG) is an exhilarating mixture of classic French crime film and spectacular Vincent Minnelli-like romance. Always on the prowl, Alex (Denis Lavant) joins a gang of thugs to steal the serum for a virus that kills people who "make love without love." Then, with bold precision, the story shifts from heady pulp fiction to Alex's insanely charged love affair with Anna (Juliet Binoche), the girlfriend of one of the gang mates. An intoxicating, if melancholy, vision of love in the age of AIDS, BAD BLOOD is "Visually exuberant...blows most contemporary movies from any culture out of the water."—THE VILLAGE VOICE.   (119 mins.)

DEC 28 30 THU 7 P.M., SAT 9 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI: CINEMA OF THE SOUL
BLUE
FRANCE 1993
DIRECTOR: KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI Moving to France after the completion of THE DECALOGUE, Kieslowski began work on the THREE COLORS TRILOGY, an examination of how the ideals of the French Revolution (Liberty, Equality, Fraternity) manifest themselves in contemporary life. BLUE, the first film, is the story of Julie (Juliet Binoche) a woman who loses her husband, an acclaimed composer, and her young daughter in a car accident. Though she tries to find freedom from grief by withdrawing from the world, other people intrude with their own needs. Her husband's music itself heals Julie and inexorably draws her back among the living. "BLUE is about liberty, the imperfections of human liberty...How far are we free from feelings? Is love a prison? Or is it freedom?"—Krzystzof Kieslowski (100 mins.)

DEC 28 29 THU 9 P.M., FRI 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI: CINEMA OF THE SOUL
WHITE
FRANCE 1994
DIRECTOR: KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI A sly fable about love and fantasy, the second part of the trilogy, correlative to "equality," is about the destructive nature of an unequal relationship. Karol, a hapless Polish hairdresser working in France, has a beautiful wife, Dominique, who is in the process of divorcing him for his impotence. Karol loses all of his possessions and is literally driven out of the country by his estranged wife. Torn by his continuing passion for his own sense of helplessness, and the urge for revenge, he plots justice, but receives it in a way he never imagined. "A love story with a happy ending, and maybe the only one I've ever seen that's both touching and perverse at the same time..." THE WASHINGTON POST (91 mins.)

DEC 29 30 FRI 8:45 P.M., SAT 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI: CINEMA OF THE SOUL
RED
FRANCE 1994
DIRECTOR: KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI A lonely young fashion model (Irene Jacobs) living in Geneva encounters a cynical, retired judge (Jean-Louis Trintignant) after hitting his dog with her car. He too leads a solitary existence, spending his time illicitly eavesdropping on his neighbor's telephone conversations. Initially she wants to report him to the authorities, but instead befriends him. Despite finding that they are made for each other, the realization that age stands in the way of a love affair leads to an an unusual "fraternity." "A masterpiece! An elegant, fascinating puzzle."—Roger Ebert, CHICAGO SUN TIMES. (95 mins.)

JAN 4 13
THU 7 P.M., GUILD THEATRE
SAT 7 P.M., WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI: CINEMA OF THE SOUL
I'M SO-SO
DENMARK 1995
DIRECTOR: KRZYSTOF WIERBICKI After completing his trilogy, THREE COLORS: BLUE, WHITE, RED, Krzysztof Kieslowski announced that he was "retiring" from filmmaking, a revelation met by international disappointment. Soon after, his long-time assistant director, Krzystof Wierbicki, persuaded Kieslowski to sit for an informal interview, the last before his death just months later. Through candid comments and clips from his major films, I'M SO-SO provides a highly personal look at an artist who confronted the anguish of Communism in Poland and helped define "the cinema of moral anxiety." Of his life he said: "I have only one good characteristic. I'm a pessimist. The future is a black hole." Audiences might disagree with that assessment given that his films have provided such intriguing, and ultimately affirming, explorations of our moral universe. (60 mins.)

JAN 4 THU 8 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI: CINEMA OF THE SOUL
THE DOUBLE LIFE OF VERONIQUE
POLAND/FRANCE 1991
DIRECTOR: KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI In Poland, Veronika, an aspiring actress with a weak heart, sees her exact lookalike taking pictures and boarding a tourist bus. In Paris, musician Veronique is struck with sadness while making love— as Veronika collapses—and resolves to change her life. And then messages from an anonymous admirer arrive. With the luminous Irene Jacob in a Cannes Film festival Award winning performance as both Veroniques, Kieslowski's enigmatic examination of duality and identity is an intriguing study of spiritual disquiet. (92 mins.)

JAN 5   FRI 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE   PORTLAND PREMIERE
REEL MUSIC
MY GENERATION
US 2000
DIRECTOR: BARBARA KOPPLE   "The spontaneity of the 1969 Woodstock concert is of course legendary. The fact that so many people gathered to make a statement about who they were and what they believed in still moves me, and I think still stands as a great cultural landmark. I wanted to know if 25 or 30 years later kids would still be inspired by that promise of self-discovery and what it was they had to say."—Barbara Kopple. A chronicle of one of the mythic events of the past century, Barbara Kopple’s captivating (HARLAN COUNTY, WILD MAN BLUES) new film connects the Woodstock festivals of 1969, 1994 and 1999 as it examines two generations’ search for community and values. Vividly juxtaposing concert footage from all three events with behind the scenes and unseen event footage and interviews, Kopple gets to the heart of the experience(s). In an America where, despite profound societal changes and the eternal tensions between genuine self-expression and commercial exploitation remain, MY GENERATION suggests that rebellion and having a good time are as popular as ever.    (104 mins.)

JAN 5 FRI 7 P.M.
CINEMA 21
REEL MUSIC
A HARD DAY'S NIGHT
BRITAIN 1964
DIRECTOR: RICHARD LESTER Film critic Andrew Sarris dubbed this landmark rock ‘n’ roll escapade "the CITIZEN KANE of jukebox musicals." Roger Ebert simply called it "One of the great landmarks of the movies!" Director Richard Lester conceived the film and shot it in a semi-documentary style, the energetic camera tagging along with the Beatles as they travel to London for a television appearance and seek moments of freedom from their insane, claustrophobic life. Produced in just weeks to capitalize on the frenzied dawn of Beatlemania (which the movie helped raise to a fever pitch), the film mirrors an exuberantly optimistic and innocent moment in the explosion of youth culture, one not long to last for the Fab Four or anyone else as the decade darkened. (92 mins.)
Playing at The Cinema 21, NW 21st and Hoyt.

JAN 5 FRI 9 P.M.
CRYSTAL BALLROOM
REEL MUSIC
OPENING NIGHT PARTY
Join us after the films at the Crystal Ballroom, West Burnside @ 14th, for the music of Hit Explosion. No-host bar.
Admission is free with your film ticket. Hosted by McMenamins Theaters & Pubs. admission subject to capacity. (21 and over, please.)

JAN 6 7    SAT 7 P.M., SUN 3 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
REEL MUSIC
MARK CANTOR PRESENTS: GIANTS OF JAZZ
This year we welcome back Los Angeles jazz film collector Mark Cantor for another of his fabulous programs of vintage jazz on film. Always one of Reel Music’s highlights, Cantor’s carefully researched and assembled programs are drawn from his astounding personal archive of thousands of filmed performances, all of them presented with an eye for the highest print quality and with his expert knowledge of the artists and material. This year’s program features a treasure-trove of rare performances, many not seen for decades, featuring Charlie Parker, Django Reinhardt, Clifford Brown, Dexter Gordon, Charles Mingus, Louis Armstrong, Wes Montgomery, McCoy Tyner, Chet Baker, Art Pepper, Count Basie, Rahsaan Roland Kirk and the Original Dixieland Jass Band, to name just a few. Be assured there will be many added surprises.    (3 hrs.)

JAN 6 7    SAT 3 P.M - PT 1, 7 P.M. PT 2,
SUN 2 P.M. - PT 1, 6 P.M. PT 2
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM      PORTLAND PREMIERE
FRAGMENTS*JERUSALEM
ISRAEL 1997
DIRECTOR: RON HAVILIO   From antiquity to the present, Jerusalem is a city of diverse faces and deep meaning to many different people. Ron Havilio, a Jerusalem filmmaker, spent almost 12 years making his monument, a rich cinematic tapestry of film clips, photos, postcards, home movies and artwork conveying the tumultuous richness that is Jerusalem past and present. Highly personal yet vast in scope, FRAGMENTS tells its story through the perspective of Havilio's family, a history that goes back 500 years. Shifting back and forth in time to connect his family experience with the historical record, he reveals the hybrid of Jewish, Arab, Armenian and Christian communities that share a common spiritual home. Presented in two-three hour Cycles, the first opens with Havilio exploring the Mamila district (once the city center), touring the Old City and exploring the artistic depictions of the19th century. The second cycle begins with the funeral of his grandmother and traces the family lineage through wars, riots, pogroms and terrorist attacks, ending with his visits to congregations of different faiths as he searches for the path that will bring lasting harmony and happiness to his home.    (358 mins.)
The film will be shown in two 3-hour parts, with a one-hour dinner intermission. You may see the complete film in one day, or choose to attend over two days.
co-sponsored by the jewish federation of portland
Special admission: $10 general; $8 members/students.

JAN 7 13 SUN 7 P.M., SAT 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
REEL MUSIC
VINYL
CANADA 2000
DIRECTOR: ALAN ZWEIG Why collect stacks of records when you don’t have time to hear them? Because you must. Experiencing conflicting emotions over his vinyl habit, filmmaker Alan Zweig, in a Woody Allen/ Andy Rooney-esque fashion, sets out to interview other disturbed packrats, touring dingy, record-packed apartments, hoping to find answers. While penetrating the compulsions of possessed discophiles, Zweig’s journey turns into a first-person, comic exploration of guilt, obsession and mouse-trapping. Five years in the making, and featuring a cast of hundreds of junkies, VINYL takes up where HIGH FIDELITY leaves off as it plumbs the psyches of collectors whose obsessions range from the desire to literally collect every single record ever made, to more modest goals like "boxed sets only" or memorizing the playlist of every K-TEL album. "Very funny…will most please fans of Terry Zwigoff’s CRUMB and Ross McElwee’s SHERMAN’S MARCH."—EYE MAGAZINE. (110 mins.)

JAN 10 WED 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
SILVER SCREEN CLUB
STATE AND MAIN
US 2000
DIRECTOR: DAVID MAMET The latest work from award-winning playwright and filmmaker David Mamet (THE SPANISH PRISONER, HOUSE OF GAMES) is a sharp comedy about what happens when a film crew descends on a small Vermont town. The leading man (Alec Baldwin)has "hobby": underage girls. The leading lady (Sarah Jessica Parker) is refusing to do the nude scene for which she just signed a contract. The locals want more money. And that’s only the start of the problems on a film already trying to squeeze every last penny out of the budget. The splendid cast also includes Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julia Stiles, William Macy and David Paymer. (106 mins.)
Print courtesy of Fine Line Features. Admission is limited to Silver Screen Club members and their guests.

JAN 10 WED 6:30 P.M.& 8:45 P.M.
MISSION THEATER
REEL MUSIC
CURTIS SALGADO: MY FAVORITE THINGS: PART ONE
Portland blues and soul master Curtis Salgado (his new CD "Soul Activated" is out January 9) returns with another knock-out program of musical rarities drawn from his personal video archive. Collected from years of swapping performance clips with fellow musicians, Salgado’s archive is loaded with great blues, jazz, soul, gospel and rockabilly from the 1950s-70s. As always, his intimate knowledge of the artists and their music, and his anecdotes and commentary, makes his selections come alive in memorable fashion. No telling ahead of time what will be in the final (all new selections) program (we’ll be glad to entertain your advance requests for particular artists) but you won’t find it on MTV. (90 mins.)
Come to the Mission Theater Wednesday, January 17, 6:30 & 8:45 p.m. for MY FAVORITE THINGS PART II.
(21 and over, please.)

JAN 11 THU 7 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI: CINEMA OF THE SOUL
NO END
POLAND 1984
DIRECTOR: KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI A despairing look at post-martial law in Poland, a ghost story and a tale of romantic love, NO END is narrated by the spirit of a lawyer who, even after death, is committed to defending the rights of workers. Venturing back into the world of those still living, his inspiration is both for his wife and for the lawyer who took over one of his key cases and is close to totally selling out his clients in the face of the authorities. "A film burning with passionate engagement...and one, moreover, which still has space for tenderness, quiet and and excursion into the realms of the spirit." —THE NEW YORKER (108 mins.)

JAN 11 THU 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
REEL MUSIC
THE BALLAD OF RAMBLIN' JACK
US 2000
DIRECTOR: ALYANA ELLIOTT Born a middle-class Brooklyn Jew, Eliott Adnopoz headed out west with the romantic notion of being a cowboy musician. Along the way he became the protégé of Woodie Guthrie and later the mentor of the "Son of Jack Elliott"— another Jewish folk singer named Bob Dylan. Despite being a star and loaded with charisma, Elliott (bitterly) never enjoyed the fame of his fellow travelers. And, roaming the roads, he sacrificed his family and personal relationships to live the life (much of it in self-exile) of many of the songs he sang. Attempting to come to terms with the father she never really never knew, Alyana Elliott’s magnificent film weaves family home movies, archival footage and interviews with a host of friends and admirers to try and get to the essence of a rogue artist and father. Along with the great footage and music are the commentaries of Arlo and Nora Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, Odetta, Dave Van Ronk and many more. (112 mins.)

JAN 12 13 14 16
FRI 7 P.M., SAT 5 & 9:15 P.M., SUN 5 & 7 P.M., TUE 7 & 8:45 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE PORTLAND PREMIERE
REEL MUSIC
BENJAMIN SMOKE
US 2000
DIRECTORS: JEM COHEN AND PETER SILLEN BENJAMIN SMOKE is an affectionate, intimate and uncompromising portrait of the late singer Benjamin (no last name), gravel-voiced front-man of the Atlanta indie quintet Smoke. A gay, cross-dresser with a leaning towards the avant-garde and a penchant for pills, Benjamins’ mesmerizing vocals were propelled by a wild Southern mix of country, blues, jazz and punk. Before his death from AIDS-related Hepatitis C in 1999, Benjamins’ extraordinary personna and hybrid vision made him a local cultural and musical legend, a contemporary icon in the long folk lineage of marginalized outsiders uniquely expressing themselves through "homemade" music. In addition to his singular perfomances, Cohen and Sillen manage to capture the homespun philosophy and abundant wit that made Benjamin’s fans legion, including REM’s Michael Stipe and his muse, Patti Smith. "For a faggot, do I have a rockin’ band or what?" "Riveting, beautifully composed, funny, sad and spilling over with excellent music…"—THE STRANGER (80 mins.)

JAN 12 18   FRI 9 P.M., THU 9 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE   PORTLAND PREMIERE
REEL MUSIC
REBEL MUSIC: THE BOB MARLEY STORY
BRITAIN 2000
DIRECTOR: JEREMY MARRE   Marre’s fascinating film takes an intimate look at the turbulent life of reggae superstar Bob Marley. Set in the era of political disruption which scarred his Jamaican homeland, the film includes interviews with the CIA, who admit to "creating a climate for Marley’s assassination." Several of Marley’s girlfriends, among them "Miss World" Cindy Breakspeare and movie star Ester Anderson — appear for the first time, while his wife, Rita, charts their unusual relationship. Along with home movies, previously unreleased recordings and performances and interviews with Bunny Wailer, Coxsone Dodd and producer Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, REBEL MUSIC offers an in-depth portrait of "the Third World prophet who used his guitar like an M16."   (84 mins.)

JAN 12 FRI 7:30 P.M.
ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL WORLD PREMIERE
REEL MUSIC/NERVE ENDINGS SPECIAL EVENT
FILM HARMONIC
In a contemporary twist on the traditional cinema experience of "silent" film accompanied by live music, FILM HARMONIC premieres four works created specifically to interpret classic symphonic works. A co-production between the Film Center and the Oregon Symphony’s Nerve Endings Series, Portland filmmakers Jim Blashfield, Joan Gratz, Gus Van Sant and Chel White have each created new films for which the Symphony, under the direction of Resident Conductor Murry Sidlin, will perform live accompaniment of the music which inspired them. This unprecedented artistic collaboration, with the filmmakers present to talk about their film and its relationship to the music, promises delightful discovery for film and music lovers alike. Tickets $15-$50 (age 25 and under $6-$30) by calling 503-228-1353.
THE PROGRAM

INTERPLAY
DIRECTOR: JOAN GRATZ
MUSIC: DREAM OF THE WITCHES SABBATH, HECTOR BERLIOZ
Abstract painted images magically tra>

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m of the Witches Sabbath" from his Symphony Fantastique. Animator Joan Gratz’s many films include the Academy Award Winning MONA LISA DESCENDING A STAIRCASE, Short Film Oscar nominees RIP VAN WINKLE and THE CREATION, PRO AND CON and DOWAGER’S FEAST, a film and music collaboration with Portland’s Three Leg Torso.

JAN 13    SAT 8 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI: CINEMA OF THE SOUL
CAMERA BUFF
POLAND 1980
DIRECTOR: KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI Winner of the Grand Prize at the Moscow Film Festival, CAMERA BUFF details the comic transformation of a quiet happily married man into a raging, obsessed moviemaker. Filip, a factory purchasing agent, buys an 8mm camera to film his baby daughter but gets sidetracked into making a film about his factory's 25th anniversary celebration. From there it's only a matter of time before he sacrifices all else for the pursuit of "truth" in his documentaries. Filip's mid-life artistic and political awakening provides hilarious parody of the film business, a critical commentary on censorship, and provocatively explores the rewards and punishments of choosing to be a participant rather than an observer.   (112 mins.)

JAN 14 15
SUN 7 P.M. , WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
MON 7 P.M., GUILD THEATRE
FROM SWASTIKA TO JIM CROW
US 1999
DIRECTORS: LORI CHEATLE, STEVE FISCHLER, JOEL SUCHER, MARTIN TOUB In the1930's, Jewish intellectuals who escaped Nazi Germany and emigrated to the United States still had to confront American anti-Semitism. Though often shunned by xenophobic universities in the north, the new immigrants could find employment, ironically, in the segregated south’s black colleges. Based on the book by Gabrielle Simon Edgcomb, FROM SWASTIKA TO JIM CROW tells the little known story of two very different cultures sharing a common burden of oppression. The story of these "strangers in a strange land" is one of deeply forged friendships between scholars, activists and artists, solidarity amidst oppression and the struggle across time and cultures for justice and equality. (60 mins.)
DOUBLE FEATURE

JAN 14 15
SUN 8:15 P.M. , WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
MON 8:15 P.M., GUILD THEATRE
SCOTTSBORO: AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY
US 2000
DIRECTOR: BARAK GOODMAN, DANIEL ANKER   In 1931, nine African-American boys, 13 to 19 years old, were pulled from a freight train in Painted Rock, Alabama, as were two disheveled white women. Accused of raping the women, the nine went on trial in neighboring Scottsboro, beginning a torturous ordeal of racism, exploitation, sensationalism and international furor. With a precise eye to the intricacies of the incident and its subsequent repercussions, Goodman and Barak chronicle the unlikely union between the NAACP and the Communist Party, represented by New York "Jewish carpetbagger" lawyer Sam Liebowitz, in their efforts to simultaneously spare the boys and use them to their own ends. At once a riveting political drama, tragic story of injustice and wrongful incarceration and telling chapter in Black-Jewish relations, SCOTTSBORO is a vivid recounting of an almost forgotten American story that gave birth to the Civil Rights Movement.    (90 mins.)
Co-sponsored by the Black United Fund of Oregon and the Black studies department, Portland state
university.

JAN 18 19 THU 7 P.M., FRI 7 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
BERLIN CINEMA (TITRE PROVISOIRE)
GERMANY 1999
DIRECTOR: SAMIRA GLOOR-FADEL Set to shimmering, beautifully composed images of a new Berlin, this multi-layered work explores a wide range of subtly interrelated concerns including cinema, architecture, history, identity and the search for meaning in the creation of images. As he visits construction sites with architect Jean Nouvel, rehearses scenes for a new film, and discusses the future of cinema with students, Wenders examines the nature of storytelling and ponders the divide between documentary and fiction that has defined film history. Brimming with wonderfully juxtaposed ideas, BERLIN-CINEMA is "A breath of fresh air, a salve for minds overloaded with information...Anyone who cares about the cinema will luxuriate..."—Piers Handling, TORONTO FILM FESTIVAL. (106 mins.)

JAN 18 21
THU 7 P.M GUILD THEATRE
SUN 7 P.M. WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
REEL MUSIC
AN EVENING WITH FRANK AND ELLA: THE FRANK SINATRA SHOW
US 1959
DIRECTOR: JACK DONAHUE   "Ella Fitzgerald joins Frank Sinatra for 30 minutes of great music in this installment of Sinatra's short-lived Friday night ABC series. She sings ‘April In Paris,’ ‘April Eyes,’ and ‘When You’re Smiling.’ Sinatra offers ‘Jeepers Creepers,’ ‘On the Road to Mandalay’ and ‘We'll Be Together Again.’ They duet on the lovely ‘Moonlight in Vermont’ and a swinging version of ‘I May Be Wrong.’"—UCLA Film and Television Archive. (30 mins.)
WITH
THE FRANK SINATRA TIMEX SHOW
US 12/13/59
DIRECTOR: BILL COLLERAN   "For his second special of the 1959 season, Sinatra is joined by Ella Fitzgerald, Rat Pack pal Peter Lawford, comedienne Hermione Gingold, dancer Juliet Prowse, the Hi-Lo's vocal quartet and Red Norvo's jazz group. Sinatra belts out ‘Got the World on A String,’ ‘Our Love Is Here To Stay,’ and ‘Too Marvelous For Words’ while Fitzgerald contributes ‘Just You, Just Me,’ ‘There’s a Lull In My Life’ and a medley of Gershwin tunes."—UCLA Film and Television Archive.    (30 mins.)
PRECEDED BY
JIMMY SCOTT: ALONE TOGETHER
US 2000
DIRECTOR: MATTHEW BUZZELL A meditative portrait of the contemplative side of legendary jazz singer Jimmy Scott.    (5 mins.)

JAN 19   FRI 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE   PORTLAND PREMIERE
REEL MUSIC
SEARCHING FOR JIMI
US/BRITAIN 1998
DIRECTORS: D.A. PENNEBAKER, CHRIS HEGEDUS Pennebaker and Hegedus filmed Hendrix’s famed performance at Monterey in 1967 and continue their search for his musical spirit 30 years later. A different kind of road movie, SEARCHING FOR JIMI is an intimate exploration of his lasting impact as seen through interviews with?and intimate performances by?an eclectic range of contemporary artists. Taylor Dane changes the subtle "Wind Cries Mary" into an exuberantly sung version. Laurie Anderson’s electronic instruments rivetingly evoke the post-apocalyptic underwater world of "1983." Charlie Musselwhite plays a country salute, rapper Chuck D of Public Enemy has his own take on the "man that started all that guitar shit," while Roseanne Cash feels attracted to his sexuality and Los Lobos can definitely answer "Are You Experienced?" In addition, The Five Blind Boys of Alabama, Mark Isham and Neville Staples of the Specials all find something universal in the pervasive body of work Hendrix left behind.           (60 mins.)
WITH
LOOK BACK, DON'T LOOK BACK
US 1999
DIRECTORS: RANDY BELL, JUSTIN RICE A wry and inventive search of another kind. "We watched D.A. Pennebaker’s DON’T LOOK BACK. We couldn’t shake the Bob Dylan we found there. He had wit, charm, charisma and energy. He was nervous, subversive and stupid. He embodied youth. He lived cool. Fascinated by the mysterious power of the film and obsessed with the image of the young Dylan, we picked up a camera and headed to New York. The goal: to talk with Dylan." (25 mins.)

JAN 19 FRI 9 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE PORTLAND PREMIERE
REEL MUSIC
BORN TO LOSE (THE LAST ROCK 'N' ROLL MOVIE)
US 1999
DIRECTOR: LECH KOWALSKI For devotees of the NYC punk underground of the 1970s, the greatest most disappointing story ever told: the mysterious circumstances of cult superstar Johnny Thunders' death in a New Orleans hotel in1991. A lurid peek into the dark side of drugs, sex and rock 'n' roll, Kowalski mixes much original archive material, including early performances of the New York Dolls and the Heartbreakers, as well as interviews with many of the remaining surviving participants of the scene, includng Dee Dee Ramone, Willy De Ville and Sylvain Sylvain, to paint a raw, unglamorous portrait of a legendary performer, dubbed "the rock and roll Dean Martin of Heroin," and the infamous scene he helped create. (106 mins.)

JAN 20 21 SAT 7 P.M., SUN 5 P.M
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
REEL MUSIC
JAZZMAN FROM THE GULAG
FRANCE 1999
DIRECTOR: PIERRE-HENRY SALFATI Bandleader and trumpet player Eddie Rosner was once dubbed "the white Armstrong" by no less an authority than Louis Armstrong himself. Born Adolf in 1910 Berlin to a family of Polish Jews, Rosner was a child prodigy who discovered jazz when he was 15, and was famous by age 20 for his "hot" trumpet style. His records labled "degenerate" by the Nazis, he fled to Poland, and then to the Soviet Union as WW II started. There he became a heroic German refugee and, consecrated by Stalin, became the leader of the first state jazz orchestra in the USSR. Touring even as the war raged, Rosner led a praised and privileged life until 1946 when he was arrested for "rootless cosmopolitanism" (the crime of being Jewish) and sent to Siberia. But his remarkable story does not end here. Salfati, using rare documents, extraordinary film clips and astonishing testimony from Rosner’s contemporaries, chronicles the moving and glorious adventure of a man who, despite the twists and turns of fate, never lost his love for jazz. (78 mins.)

JAN 20 SAT 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
REEL MUSIC
EL REY DE ROCK 'N' ROLL
US 2000
DIRECTOR: MARJORIE CHODOROV Elvis may have left the building, but he still lives. On stage he wears an open shirt, gold chains and tight pants that flair out at the bottom. He is best known for his "You Ain’t Nothin’ But a Chihuahua," "En el Barrio," and "Lordy Miss Lupe." His real name is Robert Lopez, but to his fans across the country and in Europe he is El Vez, the Mexican Elvis. With his pencil thin magic marker moustache, glossy black pompadour and come-hither eyes, El Vez may not have the exact Elvis look, but he definitely has the feel. "I don’t look like Elvis. So I said I’m going to do it my way." He changes the original Elvis lyrics to tackle issues regarding Mexican social and political consciousness in addition to safe sex, homophobia, racism, gang violence, drugs and more. Marjorie Chodorov’s wonderful portrait captures the wit and energy of no mere impersonator. El Vez is a witty conceptual artist who just happens to be the King too. (55 mins.)

JAN 20 SAT 8:15 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
REEL MUSIC
THE SHIELD AROUND THE K
US 1999
DIRECTOR: HEATHER ROSE DOMINIC "A profile of the birth and growth of the influential Olympia-based punk rock DIY record label K Records. Over the years the scrappy lil' company has launched key indie artists like Beat Happening, Love as Laughter, Dub Narcotic Sound System, the Make Up, Lois, Microphones and Cadallaca, as well as releasing material from Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Beck and many others. Co-founders Calvin Johnson and Candace Pederson are interviewed along with over twenty K artists and peers. With lots of live perfomance footage and a zine spirit, SHIELD is a DIY video that gives you always-hungry hipness-junkies a nice fat dose of uncut indie info and celebrity star gazing. So take a seat, music friends, and enjoy."—NY Underground Film Festival. (85 mins.)

JAN 20 21 SAT 5 P>

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face="Arial,Helvetica">GUILD THEATRE PORTLAND PREMIERE
REEL MUSIC
THE RALPH STANELY STORY
US 2000
DIRECTOR: HERB E. SMITH For over 50 years, Ralph Stanley's "clawhammer" banjo playing and haunting singing have drawn music lovers to the wealth of musical treasures that can be found deep in the southern Appalachian Mountains. THE RALPH STANLEY STORY tells of the creation of the uniquely Amercian form of mountain music called "bluegrass" and the story of two brothers, Ralph and Carter, who grew up in the hills of southwest Virginia and created a singular style of music. Featuring fabulous performances with The Clinch Mountain Boys, interviews with Patty Loveless, Junior Brown and numerous others in the bluegrass and country music business, and appearances by Dwight Yokam, Ricky Skaggs, Larry Sparks, Charlie Sizemore among others, Smith takes us on an delightful, old-time musical journey. (82 mins.)

JAN 21 27   SUN 4 P.M., SAT 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE    PORTLAND PREMIERE
LIVE REEL MUSIC EVENT
THE NEW KLEZMORIM: VOICES INSIDE THE REVIVAL OF YIDDISH MUSIC
CANADA 2000
DIRECTOR: DAVID KAUfMAN   The roots of Klezmer, the people who perform it and the audiences that flock to it are vibrantly celebrated in David Kaufman's documentary filmed at KlezKanada. An annual gathering held near Montreal, KlezKanada attracts many of the foremost performers of traditional Yiddish Music today, including Michael Alpert (Brave Old World), Henkus Netsky (The Klezmer Conservatory Band), Bruce Adler (Chicago Klezmer Ensemble) and dozens more. Through stellar performances and passionate interviews, Kaufman leaves no doubt that the worldwide revival of popular Jewish music is in full swing.    (69 mins.)
Performing live following the film will be Jack (Yankel) Falk & Friends, some of the Northwest's finest klezmer musicians, playing traditional Jewish village music from central and eastern Europe. Co-Sponsored by the jewish federation of portland.

JAN 24 WED 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE PORTLAND PREMIERE
REEL MUSIC
ON TIPTOE: THE MUSIC OF LADYSMITH BLACK MOMBAZO
US 2000
DIRECTOR: ERIC SIMONSON Under the leadership of the charismatic Joseph Shabalala, Ladysmith Black Mambazo originated a unique a capella style called isicathamiya—"on tiptoe"—which blends traditional Zulu music with everything from rock 'n' roll to Christian hymns. Catapulted into stardom following their appearance on Paul Simon's 1987 "Graceland" album, the group's story reflects the cultural and political legacy of South Africa's musican tradition. Through entertaining township competitions and long-held family customs, the soul and origins of their music emerge with fascinating clarity. Accompanying the group on tour, ON TIPTOE beautifully chronicles a career marked by adversity but infused with hope. (85 mins.)

JAN 25 27
THU 7 P.M., WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
SAT 4 P.M., GUILD THEATRE
REEL MUSIC
SEPTEMBER SONG
CANADA 1995
DIRECTOR: LARRY WEINSTEIN The music of Kurt Weill, son of a cantor and arguably the progenitor of Jewish jazz, was one of the richest contributions to musical theater in the 20th century. In an inspired mixture of performance film and bio-pic, Larry Weinstein has assembled some of the great musical talents of our age to reinterpret Weill’s memorable music. The setting is an old warehouse, turned into a performance space, with each of Weill’s songs given a distinct set and visual style. Among the performers featured are rock ‘n’ roll’s Nick Cave ("Mack the Knife" ), Elvis Costello and the Brodsky Quartet ("Lost") and Lou Reed ("September Song"); opera singer Teresa Stratas ("Surabaya"); jazz singer Betty Carter ("Lonely House"); jazz bassist Charlie Hadyn ("Low"); David Johansen ("Alabama Song") and writer William S. Burrough ("What Keeps Man Alive") Sewn into the film between the brilliant perfomance pieces are glimpses of Weill’s life and rich artistic collaborations with Bertolt Brecht and Lotte Lenya, told through photographs, film clips and recordings. Whatever your musical persuasion, this is an exceptional treat. (89 mins.)

JAN 25 28 THU 7 & 9 P.M., SUN 5 & 7:15 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
VOYAGES
FRANCE 1999
DIRECTOR: EMMANUEL FINKIEL Emmanuel Finkiel, who served as assistant director on Kieslowski's BLUE, WHITE and RED trilogy, won the French Cesar (French Academy Awards) for Best First Feature. VOYAGES is a beautiful, moving story of three women told in three parts. Rivka is a 65-year old French Holocaust survivor living in Israel. She and her husband join a tour group from Warsaw to Auschwitz. Regine, living alone in Paris, one da>

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sian man claiming to be her long-lost father who survived the camps. Is it possible? Vera, an 85-year old Russian woman, has recently immigrated to Israel to look for a lost relative and is surprised that there are many Jews who don't speak Yiddish. Three stories, seemingly unrelated but framed by a single unifying vision, delicately trace the boundaries of memory and the displacement of lives wrought by a single shared event: The Holocaust. (115 mins.)
co-sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Portland

JAN 27 SAT 11 A.M.
GUILD THEATRE
FLICKER FILM CLUB DEBUT:
SHORT FILM SHOWCASE
FREE ADMISSION
Are you a teenager 15 years old or older and interested in film? Like to watch and talk about film? Want to learn more about the process of filmmaking? Then FLICKER, the Film Center’s new club for teens, is for you. FLICKER is an informal opportunity to view and analyze films, discuss technical aspects of production, meet others, and learn about scholarships and other resources. Join us for the club’s debut meeting which will screen and discuss the work of local filmmakers. Membership is free and open to all teens with or without experience in film. Our thanks to the Adams Family Foundation for helping to make FLICKER possible. additional details: Education, page 8

JAN 26 30 FRI 9 P.M., TUE 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
REEL MUSIC
CRAZY
NETHERLANDS 1999
DIRECTOR: HEDDY HONIGMANN Each of us has our own special collection of songs forever tied to the memories of special moments in our lives. In this remarkable, potent documentary about how we deal with violence and the power of music, Honigmann (METAL AND MELANCHOLY, O AMOR NATURAL, UNDERGROUND ORCHESTRA) interviews soldiers of varying age, rank and musical taste. Most have served in recent United Nations "security zones"—Cambodia, Lebanon, Rwanda, Bosnia—but also included are soldiers who served in Vietnam and Korea in 1950. Witnesses to and victims of the unspeakable horrors of war, each soldier recalls a song intimately connected to their memories, one that helped get them through their plight: music as varied as Puccini’s "Turandt," Guns and Roses "Knocking on Heaven’s Door," U2’s "Bloody Sunday," Seal’s "Crazy, and Elvis’ "Always on My Mind." As soldiers talk to her of their deepest feelings about responsibilty, love, powerlessness, fear and death, it is the soundtrack of their experience, played in the background, that allows them to surface the deepest of unspoken emotions. "We turned up the music and the fear was gone. Maybe somebody else thinks: the song sucks. But it’s very important to me. I want to take it to my grave. That song."—Dutch soldier. (86 mins.)

JAN 29 MON 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE PORTLAND PREMIERE
REEL MUSIC
A VOICE FROM HEAVEN
US 1999
DIRECTOR: GIUSEPPE ASARO In an age when technology records and distributes an overwhelming array of voices in every language and every genre, it is no small honor to be widely recognized as one of the most beautiful voices of the century. Such was the praise for legendary Pakistani Qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. A VOICE FROM HEAVEN began as a "notebook" of the singer's career but became a posthumous tribute with the master's unexpected death in 1997. With more than 100 albums to his credit, Nusrat had an extensive career, perhaps best known here for his collaborations on the soundtracks for NATURAL BORN KILLERS and DEAD MAN WALKING. Filmmaker Giuseppe Asaro skillfully integrates performance footage, Nusrat's final interview and talks with a range of pop icons, family members and musicians whose comments underline the uniqueness of Nusrat's voice and the influence of his music. (80 mins.)

JAN 31 FEB 2
WED 7 P.M., FRI 9:15 P.M.
GUILD THEATER
REEL MUSIC
JOHN LEE HOOKER: THAT'S MY STORY
GERMANY 2000
DIRECTOR: JOERG BUNDSCHUH Mississippi-born John Lee Hooker is the father of the endless boogie, the master craftsman of a mesmerizing one-chord groove. Learning the guitar from such blues greats as Blind Lemon Jefferson, Charlie Patton and his stepfather, Will Moore, Hooker migrated to Detroit in the 1940s, cutting his first single in 1948. One of the most prolific blues performers of all time, Hooker’s influence has had a profound influence on everyone from Eric Burden and the Animals, the Yardbirds, and the Rolling Stones to Ten Years After and ZZ Top. Bundschuh’s rollicking film explores Hooker’s background and more, and includes appearances by Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy, John Hammond, Canned Heat’s Adolfo de la Parra, Bonnie Raitt and Carlos Santana. At age 84, John Lee Hooker is in his groove. (90 mins.)

JAN 31 WED 9 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
REEL MUSIC
SAM PHILLIPS: THE MAN WHO INVENTED ROCK 'N' ROLL
US 1999
DIRECTOR: MORGAN NEVILLE With the fervor of a preacher seeking to spread the word, legendary impresario Sam Phillips sought out the raw Delta blues of his Alabama youth and shepherded such local talents as B.B. King, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Howlin' Wolf, Charlie Rich and Elvis Presley through his Sun Records studio. With the motto "We record Any Thing—Any Where—Any Time," he captured the color-blind Memphis sound, dismissed at the time by the major record labels as a vulgar fad, that became rock 'n' roll. Written and produced by Peter Guralnic, author of "Last Train to Memphis,""Careless Love" and "Searching For Robert Johnson," Morgan Neville's film documents a watershed era in the history of American popular music. (90 mins.)

FEB 1 THU 7 P.M..
GUILD THEATRE
REEL MUSIC
THE TARGET SHOOTS FIRST<>

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DIRECTOR: CHRISTOPHER WILCHA
Not really a "music" film, but irrestible in the context of Reel Music, we're pleased to bring back Chris Wilcha's hilarious chronicle of life in the corporate world of consumer culture. In 1993, punk-rock fan and recent college graduate Wilcha landed his first real job?in the marketing department of the mail-order-record giant Columbia House. Looking at cashing in on the grunge music explosion, the Nirvana-hip Wilcha seemed like just the person to connect Columbia's suits to what was happening. With an uncanny instinct for a great story, he took his Hi-8 camera to work every day, capturing over his two year tenure more than 200 hours of day-to-day music industry machinations in the Age of Cobain. Quickly climbing the corporate ladder, he molds his unlikely career into a riveting and unlikely soap opera. (70 mins.)
WITH
TRIBUTARY
US 2000
DIRECTOR: RUSS FORSTER Detroit filmmaker Russ Forster's (SO WRONG THEIR RIGHT) new film is an exploration of the odd musical subculture known as tribute bands. Shot during the heyday of the tribute scene in the late 1990s, it probes the motivations which drive musicians to imitate other musicians and rock out in the process. While bands like Kiss not surprisingly spawn a variety of celebrators, even Devo, Guided by Voices, Adam Ant, Rush, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Captain Beefhart are inspirations in this blue-collar musical cottage industry. Great Fun. (60 mins.)

FEB 1   THU 7 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
REEL MUSIC
BOMBA-DANCING THE DRUM
US 2000
DIRECTOR: ASHLEY JAMES   Music and dance have long been the ties that bind a community or a culture together. The sprawling Cepeda family of Puerto Rico has remained a tight-knit clan, carrying on a rich Afro-Latino tradition of the Bomba. Ashley James’ (WE LOVE YOU LIKE A ROCK—THE DIXIE HUMMINBIRDS) warm BOMBA is an in-depth look at the important historical, cultural and familial roles that dance and its rhythms play, as seen through the eyes of the Cepeda family. The film charts the Bomba from its beginnings in the sugar fields, where slaves first congregated to dance the drum, to the present day, where family members gather in living rooms and back patios to keep the tradition alive. The tantalizing footage of Don Rafael and Dona Caridad Cepeda from a half century ago, interspersed with recent interviews with their children and grandchildren, is testament to the continuing power of the music.    (60 mins.)
WITH
ALI FARKA TOURE: SPRINGING FROM THE ROOTS
FRANCE 2000
DIRECTOR: YVES BILLON, HENRY LECOMTE A fascinating look at the internationally celebrated Ali Farka Toure, Billon and Lecomte follow him back to his roots in Mali, uncovering along the way the inspiration for his wonderful, multi-instrument music. Both a pop star and a village farmer, Toure —the first African to receive a Grammy—serves as a guide to the loop of the Niger River, while playing music in Bamoko and Timbuktu and explaining how African music and the American Blues have cross-pollinated to create a unique sound.    (52 mins.)

FEB 2   FRI 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE   PORTLAND PREMIERE
REEL MUSIC
HORACE PARLAN BY HORACE PARLAN
US 2000
DIRECTOR: DON MCGLYNN   “Certain great musicians have long and illustrious careers, and do not get the recognition they deserve. And fewer still have engrossing life stories, where they overcome great adversity. This all applies to the remarkable pianist/composer Horace Parlan, who is perhaps best known for his collaborations with Charles Mingus, Roland Kirk and Dexter Gordon. Parlan’s compositions are rich and deeply textured, and his playing is full of warmth. This is all the more remarkable because Parlan contracted polio when he was five years old, and it constricted the right side of his body. After such a set-back, few would consider a career as a pianist, or emerge as a masterful one. It is a pleasure to hear Parlan play so fluidly and beautifully, fascinating to watch his ingenious style that emphasises his left hand and moving to hear his compositions, which are his musical auto-biography.”—Don McGlynn. McGlynn, whose LOUIE PRIMA: THE WILDEST and CHARLES MINGUS: TRIUMPH OF THE UNDERDOG have been past Reel Music highlights, will also screen parts of his work-in progress on jazz tenor saxophonist TEDDY EDWARDS, one of the legends of Los Angeles’s Central Avenue jazz scene.   (90 mins.)

FEB 2 3 4 FRI 7 & 9 P.M., SAT 4 & 6 P.M., SUN 5 & 7 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
SOUTH: ERNEST SHACKLETON AND THE ENDURANCE EXPEDITION
US 1919
DIRECTOR: FRANK HURLEY   In October, 1914, The Endurance sailed from Buenos Aires under the leadership of veteran British explorer Ernest Shackleton. The goal: a journey to the South Pole. But before reaching land, the Endurance was trapped in a heavy ice pack and locked for more than nine months as the ship drifted towards its ultimate, slow demise. That was just the beginning of an incredible two-year ordeal on ice floes and desolate islands for Shackleton and his crew of 28, all of whom amazingly returned alive. Just as amazing was that they managed to bring back Hurley’s filmed record of their journey, which, now restored by the British Film Institute, provides a riveting complement to the books and photographs that have documented their legendary, heroic story.     (88 mins.)

FEB 3 SAT 9:30 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
REEL MUSIC
X-RAY VISIONS
US 2000
DIRECTOR: BENJAMIN ARTHU ELLIS From 1990 to 1994, ground zero for the all-ages, alt-rock scene in Portland was the X-Ray Cafe. Brought to life and operated as a flight of fancy by Benjamin Arthu Ellis and Tres Shannon, the X-Ray was both a critical venue for emerging local and touring bands and hang-out for an amazing array of outcasts, street kids and creative eccentrics of all stripes. When band such as Crackerbash, Sprinkler, Poison Idea, Hell Cows, Smegma, Dead Moon, Hitting Birth, Beat Happenings, Cake, Hole, Green Day or the Spinanes were not on stage, anything from poetry to Spanish lessons to a sewing circle might have connected and entertained the customers. Whether shelter, social or information hub, or music mecca, the X-Ray represented and remains, in age-old fashion, a key chapter in many Portlander's coming of age. Ellis's film, loaded with interviews and performance clips, is a spirited valentine to the craziness and glory of days gone by and to the many who called the X-Ray home.   (90 mins.)

FEB 3 SAT 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
REEL MUSIC
RYTHM 'N' BAYOUS: A ROAD MAP TO LOUISIANA MUSIC
US 2000
DIRECTOR: ROBERT MUGGE Perhaps America's richest musical jambalaya, Louisiana is a land steeped in cajun, zydeco, gospel, country, jazz, r&b, rockabilly, swamp pop and blues, all of which manage to maintain their individual traditions while flavoring each other in wonderful, fascinating ways. Setting out to fashion a veritable road map of Lousiana's musical cultures, Mugge (DEEP BLUES, HELLHOUNDS ON MY TRAIL, GOSPEL ACCORDING TO AL GREEN...) travels to Shreveport, Monroe, Winnsboro, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Lafayette, Ville Platt and Eunice to sample the musical flavors. Along the way he finds the well-known and the local legends and if lots is (impossibly) left out it’s only because lots is (delightfully) left in. Among the performers: Dale Hawkins, Claude King, James Burton, The Ever Ready Gospel Singers, Kermit Ruffins, the Zydeco Cha Chas, Henry Butler, Frankie Ford, Henry Gray and the Hurricanes, Alida Viator, Rosie Ledet, the Hackelberry Ramblers and many more. (120 mins.)

FEB 3 SAT 8 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
REEL MUSIC
FILM HARMONIC
If you missed the live performance with the Oregon Symphony (see JAN 12), here is an opportunity to see the four music inspired films commissioned for FILM HARMONIC with their accompanying recorded soundtracks. The program includes Chel White’s PASSAGE, Gus Van Sant’s SMOKING MAN, Joan Gratz’s INTERPLAY and Jim Blashfield’s THE TASSLED LOAFERS.

FEB 4 SUN 7 P.M.
WHITSELL AUDITORIUM
REEL MUSIC
CHARLIE 'BIRD' PARKER 1920-1955
NORWAY 1989
DIRECTOR: JAN HORNE Produced by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, Jan Horne’s documentary series on the life of jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker is the definitive chronicle of his remarkable life. Divided into four chronological chapters, each features film clips and interviews that bring to life his brilliant career. Part 1, “Now’s the Time,” examines Parker’s early years in Kansas City and his impact on fellow musicians (Dizzy Gillespie, John Lewis, Flip Phillips) after he came to New York in the 1940s. Part 2, "Just Friends," centers on the New York years and his collaborations with Red Rodney, Max Roach, Roy Haynes and others. Part 3, “What Is This Thing called Love,” follows Parker to the West Coast and his collaborations with Chet Baker, Bud Powell and Thelonius Monk. Part 4, “Autumn in New York,” explores his broader artistic search with the help of composer Edgar Varese and painter Harvey Cropper and the overview of his life through the eyes of Chan Parker and others. (3 hrs)

FEB 10 SAT 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
REEL MUSIC CLOSING NIGHT FILM
CALLE 54
CALLE 54
SPAIN 2000
DIRECTOR: FERNANDO TRUEBA CALLE 54 ventures into the sensuous world of Latin Jazz, a genre which has fascinated Trueba (BELLE EPOQUE, THE GIRL OF YOUR DREAMS) for nearly twenty years. Traveling to Cuba, Puerto Rico, Spain, Sweden and the US, Trueba gets at the heart of a powerful movement. With a sweeping,,unobtrusive camera and brilliant sound recording, Trueba captures some the masters of the genre: veteran Bebo Valdes, his ‘monster pianist’ son Chucho and the timeless Cachao; the symphonic sounds of Chico O’Farrill’s Big Band; Michel Camilo and his awesome Trio; Gato Barbieri and, in his last filmed performance, Tito Puente with his Golden Lion Jazz All Stars. A blend of traditional jazz and Latin percussion, Latin Jazz’s singular harmonious rhythms are the kind that make jazz and dance synonymous. (105 mins.)