THE WALTER READE THEATER

  the middle of the world: Classic and Contemporary Swiss Cinema

April 11 to May 1, 2003

Also playing: The best of Swiss Shorts & Docs

The Swiss American Film Festival. April 25th -27,2003. Anthology film archives, NYC. Guests include Peter Mettler, Albert Maysles,Christian Frei, Richard Sandler and many more. Great panels and special events. Space is limited . Reserve today. 212 528-3124 or e-mail us at info @swisscinema.org. For schedule and details please visit www.swisscinema.org

As part of swisspeaksFESTIVAL, the city-wide celebration of Swiss culture, the Film Society will present a survey of both classic and contemporary Swiss cinema. This series will include more than a dozen recent productions, as well as a selection of key silent and sound films with a special highlight tribute to La Cinematheque Suisse, one of the world's greatest film archives.

Remarkably, Switzerland can be seen culturally as both a crossroads as well as an island. With its mixture of German-, French-, Italian- and Romansch-speaking communities, the country has been an example of multi-culturalism long before that concept was popularized; multiple languages meant influences from Switzerland's larger neighbors could more easily enter and mix with local traditions. More recently, the impact of sizeable immigration from other parts of Europe as well as from Asia and Africa has also been felt. Yet Switzerland has always fiercely maintained not only its independence but also its distinctiveness; a nation practically synonymous with the idea of political neutrality, it has largely resisted the trend towards European unification.

Switzerland's proximity to the well-established film industries of Germany, France and Italy has led many of its finest talents - from Michel Simon to Jean-Luc Godard, from Liselotte Pulver to Daniel Schmid - to seek work outside. Likewise, Switzerland was seen as fertile potential market for these industries to export their own films. Despite these pressures, however, Switzerland has managed to support continuous film production ever since the silent period. Lacking a strong studio infrastructure, Swiss filmmakers often made impressive use of natural landscapes and settings; a film like ROMEO AND JULIETTE IN THE VILLAGE (1941) shows how advanced the tendency to shoot outdoors was already in the years before the explosion of Italian Neo-realism. In the 1960s and 70s, a new generation of filmmakers often trained in documentary - Alain Tanner, Michel Soutter, Claude Goretta and others - sought to challenge not only the old filmmaking formulas but also many aspects of Swiss culture and life. Swiss cinema today reveals a wide range of influences, styles and subjects, yet continues to serve as a vital introduction to how the Swiss see the world - and how the world might see the Swiss.

LES PETITES COULEURS
2002, Patricia Plattner, 96m
A real delight, LES PETITES COULEURS begins as Christelle (Anouk Grinberg), a hairdresser escaping from a violent marriage, shows up at a rundown hotel called the Galaxy. A favorite pit stop for truckers and traveling salesmen, the Galaxy is run by Mona (New Wave icon Bernadette Lafont), a bubbly widow who made her own escape from several things years before. Discovering her shared passion with Mona for a TV soap called The Ranch of Love, as well as a private passion for a good-natured trucker called Lucien, Christelle begins to imagine a different kind of future for herself. Expertly alternating between comedy and drama, with a bit of show-biz glitz thrown in for good measure, LES PETITES COULEURS makes superb use of its two wonderful leads to create a very warm and affecting look at the pleasures and dangers of trying to start over.
Fri April 11: 1 & 7; Sun April 13: 8:40

ROMEO AND JULIETTE IN THE VILLAGE / ROMEO UND JULIA AUF DEM DORFE
1941, Hans Trommer & Valerien Schmidely; 82m
"The most beautiful, as well as the truest, of all Swiss films."- Freddy Buache, Le cinema Suisse
In the mid-1940s, the Italian Neo-realists would be hailed for taking their cameras out of the studios and into the streets and villages; yet this cinematic approach already had a long history in Europe, dating back to the Swedish silent cinema and as seen in a lovely masterwork such as ROMEO AND JULIETTE IN THE VILLAGE. Based on a novel by Gottfried Keller, the film is the story of Vreneli and Sali, inseparable as children but then torn apart when their families have a dispute over land. Years pass until they accidentally cross paths; Vreneli has become a stunning young woman, and Sali is immediately smitten. Yet old wounds don't heal easily, and their efforts to reunite are frustrated. They finally decide that they will spend one day alone together, and then separate forever. For co-directors Trommer and Schmidely, this story is one about balance and harmony in nature, and their imagery emphasizes the destiny and essential rightness of the young lovers being together despite the machinations of all of those around them.
Fri April 11: 3; Wed April 16: 3 & 6:40

JONAH WHO WILL BE 25 IN THE YEAR 2000 / JONAS QUI AURA 25 ANS EN L'AN 2000
1975, Alain Tanner; 110m
One of the key films about post-1968 Europe, Tanner called his most famous work "a dramatic tragicomedy in political science fiction." Again collaborating with British novelist John Berger, Tanner offers a vibrant panorama of protest movement survivors all eking out livings in tranquil mid-70s Geneva. Max is a former journalist and activist who now works as a proofreader at his old newspaper. Marco is trained as a history teacher, but keeps losing jobs as his pedagogical methods are considered bizarre. Marie works as a cashier in a supermarket, and occasionally strikes a blow for the revolution by undercharging her customers. Together with several other similarly stymied friends, they all struggle to stay true to their ideals while everything around them speaks of compromise with the system. A rich concoction of color and black-and-white cinematography, songs, skits, economics, dreams, asides, speeches and sexual experimentation, JONAH was called by Vincent Canby in The New York Times "a window on a European political-intellectual world seldom seen in films - and never seen with such an appreciation of cinematic style."
Fri April 11: 4:45; Sun April 13: 4; Tue April 15: 6:15

A LOVING FATHER / AIME TON PÈRE
2002, Jacob Berger; 100m
Son of British novelist and former Alain Tanner collaborator John Berger, and NYU film school graduate, Jacob Berger cast another father-son duo (Gerard Depardieu and his son Guillaume, a rising star in France) in this story about one family's attempt to settle accounts. Léo Shepherd is a famous but decidedly eccentric writer living in a self-imposed isolation from the literary world; one day, he learns he's just been awarded the Nobel Prize. Against everyone's advice, he decides to travel on his own to Stockholm by motorcycle. Meanwhile, his son Paul - from whom Léo has long been estranged - takes this opportunity to have that emotional showdown with Léo he's been planning for years. The Depardieus prove to be an interesting match for each other, their acting styles as different as their physical presences; also in the mix is the wonderful Sylvie Testud (winner of a César for her work in Murderous Maids) as the woman forced to come between these two men.
Sun Apr 13: 6:15; Sun Apr 20: 5

A TRIBUTE TO LA CINEMATHÈQUE SUISSE: RAPT
1933, Dimitri Kirsanoff; 83m
One of a number of post-1917 Russian émigrés active in European cinema, Kirsanoff - best known for his French film Menilmontant - was invited by Swiss producer Stefan Markus to direct what would be the first screen adaptation of a novel by Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz. Kirsanoff brings a searing, raw physicality to this tale of two villages, Oberland and Cheyseron, joined by a precarious mountain pass yet separated by everything else. When his dog his killed by Oberland inhabitant Hans, Firmin kidnaps Hans' fiancée Elsi and brings her back to Cheyseron. Winter comes, and the pass between the villages is blocked; gradually, Firmin falls in love with his captive, while Hans makes plans for her rescue. The film's final scenes are truly remarkable, the extraordinary payoff for the carefully constructed tensions and thwarted ambitions played out in breathtaking Alpine locations. With a score by Arthur Honegger.
Sat April 12: 5; Thurs April 17: 9

HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN
2001, Thomas Imbach; 92m
"When Thomas Imbach tackles a subject we can expect that he'll come up with something daring. His first fiction feature, Happiness is a Warm Gun, is clearly no exception to this rule.... Imbach avoids a naturalistic approach, and the result is extraordinarily complex and intense. As always, Imbach has given us an exceptionally beautiful film." - Neue Zürcher Zeitung
Surely one of the more unusual political romances of recent years was the love affair between German Green Party icon Petra Kelly and former German Army general Gert Bastian. No two people could have seemed more unalike, yet for years they were media darlings, constantly in the public eye. But one day in 1992, for reasons still unclear, Gert shot Petra in her sleep, and then turned the gun on himself. In his widely praised debut feature, Thomas Imbach extends the moment of Petra's death, moving the action ahead to the present while ruminating on her relationship with Gert and its ultimate meaning. A fascinating tale, constructed in a fresh, provocative way, that features outstanding performances by the two leads, Linda Olsansky and Herbert Fritsch.
Sat April 12: 9:15; Wed April 16: 1 & 8:30

LA VOCATION D'ANDREÉ CARREL
1925, Jean Choux; 65m
With piano accompaniment by Donald Sosin
Since the very beginnings of the cinema, Switzerland has proved an invaluable source for great talents on both sides of the camera; today, LA VOCATION D'ANDREÉ CARREL is remembered primarily for its revelation of Geneva-born Michel Simon, who would later play key roles in masterworks by Renoir, Vigo, Guitry and a host of other French directors. Yet this debut film by former critic Jean Choux has more than enough of its own qualities; a staunch defender of the French avant-garde, Choux brought a wonderful use of light and landscape to this gentle romance. Lost and somewhat depressed, André Carrel is sent by his father to a lakeside resort together with his tutor, Duret (Simon). Spying a beautiful young woman, Carrel decides to disguise himself as a local boatman to win her affections; a series of complications and misadventures ensue, until finally André's father shows up to see what's been going on.
Sun April 13: 1

JONAS AND LILA 'TIL TOMORROW / JONAS ET LILA Á DEMAIN
2000, Alain Tanner; 120m
25 years after little Jonas first made an appearance in Tanner's work, the director checks in with him to see how in fact he turned out. Not really a sequel in any significant sense, the new film shares with Tanner's 1976 masterwork a sense of offering a kind of generational report. Jonas has just finished film school and is married to an African woman, Lila. Opportunities for him to work at his art seem few, and he's given little encouragement by his mentor, the filmmaker Anziano, who himself has voluntarily "retired" from the cinema. One day, while filming an interview, Jonas has his camera stolen; he traces it to porno operation being run by some Russian mobsters. There, he meets Irina, a young Russian who hopes her porn work might eventually lead to more legitimate roles. In Tanner's first Jonas film, his characters shared a set of beliefs that were continually being tested against everyday realities; in the new film, it's the search for any kind of common ground that comes to dominate his characters' lives.
Sun April 13: 6:15; Tue April 15: 3:30 & 8:30

B. AS IN BÉJART / B., COMME BÁJART
2002, Marcel Schüpbach, 95m; video
"I have always been crazy about the cinema. I learned from the cinema as much as in dance studios." - Maurice Béjart One of the undisputed masters of modern dance, Maurice Béjart allowed filmmaker Marcel Schüpbach to follow the creation of a new ballet, entitled "Lumière," in honor of film pioneers Louis and Auguste Lumière, for the Béjart Ballet Lausanne. Starting with the initial days of rehearsals and continuing through opening night, the film reveals Béjart's work methods, including his amazing range of influences - from Bach to Jacques Brel. Not only the dancers' movements, but also the total environment of the stage, comes under Béjart's concern for detail. The result is both the celebration of a major dance artist as well as a perceptive document on the creative process.
Wed April 16: 4:45; Sun April 20: 1 Wed April 23: 3:30 & 9

DEATH IN THE ASYLUM / MATTO REGIERT
1946, Leopold Lindtberg; 113m
The first Swiss director to garner an international reputation-thanks largely to his highly praised WWII thriller The Last Chance -Leopold Lindtberg here offers a taut adaptation of a novel by Friedrich Glauser, known as "Swiss Dashiell Hammett" for his atmospheric mysteries. Set in a mental institution, the story focuses on the institution's assistant director, Dr. Laduner; using new, somewhat orthodox methods, Laduner feels he has made tremendous progress in curing Herbert Caplaun, a young patient; however, Laduner's superior, Dr. Borstli, refuses to see any real progress. One night, during a party organized for the patients, a heated discussion occurs between Borstli and Caplaun; the next morning, Borstli has disappeared, and Caplaun has no memory of the night before. Enter Inspector Studer.... Like many American films of the era, DEATH IN THE ASYLUM creates a parallel between psychoanalysis and criminal investigation. Lindtberg throughout makes effective use of deep spaces and unusual camera angles to express the atmosphere of suspicion and paranoia.
Thurs April 17: 3:30; Sun April 20: 7 Tue April 22: 1

GRIPSHOLM
2000, Xavier Koller; 102m
Winner of the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar for his powerful Journey of Hope, Xavier Koller here offers a beautiful rendition of Kurt Tucholsky's autobiographical novel. In the summer of 1932, a Berlin-based political journalist and his girlfriend spend an idyllic vacation at Gripsholm Castle in Sweden. As events back home in Germany worsen, the castle also becomes a temporary refuge for a provocative cabaret singer, as the Berlin bohemian demi-monde, complete with all its intellectual pretensions and erotic tensions, gets re-created on a small scale. Koller is especially effective in conveying the sense that all his characters are almost literally stuck on the precipice of a soon-to-explode volcano, preoccupied with issues and attitudes that will soon be made irrelevant by the darkness about to envelop all of them.
Fri April 18: 1 & 6:40; Sat April 19: 7:30

MUTTER
2002, Miklòs Gimes; 95m
Among the most-talked about films at the most recent Forum of Young Cinema at the Berlin Film Festival, MUTTER refers to Alice Gimes, known as Lucy, filmmaker Miklòs Gimes' mother. Raised in a comfortable assimilated Jewish home in southern Hungary, Lucy escaped being deported to Auschwitz and later committed herself to the communist movement. It was there she met Miklòs Gimes, the filmmaker's father, a journalist who grew disenchanted with the communist government; after the Russians invade Hungary in 1956, Miklòs sends his wife and six-year-old son abroad. While in Vienna, Alice learns that her husband has been executed; eventually, she and her son will settle in Switzerland. Years pass; communism falls, and Miklòs Gimes is now to be given an official burial as a national hero - but for some reason, Lucy chafes at the idea of becoming the "official widow." This is the point of departure for journalist-turned-filmmaker Gimes, who undergoes the painful exploration of his parents' personal relationship while creating an insightful meditation on the legacy of their politics for his own life.
Fri Apr 11: 9:15; Sat Apr 12: 7; Fri April 18: 3 Wed April 23: 1:30

A TRIBUTE TO LA CINEMATHÈQUE SUISSE: ENEMY IN THE BLOOD / FEIND IM BLUT
1931, Walter Ruttmann; 76m
Since the 1920s, the Germans especially had perfected a kind of film genre that straddled the border between scientific reportage and outright titillation. Walter Ruttmann, internationally hailed for his path-breaking documentary Berlin: Symphony of a Great City, was invited by the Zurich producer Lazar Wechsler - fresh from his experience with Eisenstein and Tisse - to take over this planned study of the ravages of syphilis, the spread of which had reached near-epidemic proportions in the free-wheeling, pre-penicillin 20s. There are three stories: in the first, a young student studying the origins of the disease loses control after learning his girlfriend has cheated on him; in the second, an anxious husband follows the advice of a medical charlatan when he fears he may be stricken. In the third, a married woman learns the high cost of a moment of weakness. Throughout, each of the stories alternates dramatic sequences with carefully presented information about the disease, its origins (it came from America, with Columbus), how it spreads, and the possibilities for treatment. A genuine curiosity, and given Ruttmann's later Nazi sympathies, full of disturbing implications concerning healthy vs. sick populations.
Fri April 18: 5; Mon April 21: 7

THELMA
2001, Pierre-Alain Meier; 97m
Separated from his wife, and always short in his payments of child support, cab driver Vincent Fleury accepts an offer one night that he hopes will solve at least his financial worries. A woman named Thelma hires him to driver her all the way to Crete. Thelma claims she's on her way to find her ex-lover, who abandoned her, yet as the trip goes on Vincent becomes increasingly interested in her as well. Thelma doesn't hide her interest, either, yet at the last minute always holds back; Vincent is determined to discover her secret - but when he does, he's not totally sure what it means. Meier's debut feature exhibits a remarkable confidence in handling its characters' complex emotional lives; it's to his great credit that throughout he avoids cheap sensationalism, concentrating on the person behind whatever barrier, emotional or physical, they have erected to cut themselves off from others.
Sat April 19: 1 & 9:30; Sun April 20: 3

MESSIDOR
1977, Alain Tanner; 120m
One of Tanner's most controversial films-and certainly one of his best, Messidor is a kind of "negative" road movie, a curious anticipation of Thelma and Louise in which the road offers neither freedom nor escape. Jeanne is a university student about to start her summer break; Marie is a shop clerk. They meet while traveling and decide to stick together. When their money runs out, they begin holding up stores, soon becoming nationally notorious as well as frequent items on the evening news. Jeanne and Marie's descent into lives of crime seems all the more chilling as it seems so spontaneous, so haphazard. They seem neither prepared for it nor attached to it - it simply seemed like the thing to do at the time, and once they crossed the line there was no easy turning back. With a camera usually fixed on the ever-passing mountain vistas, Tanner offers a portrait of a Switzerland as a kind of labyrinth drawing the film's protagonists ever deeper into its traps.
Sat April 19: 3; Mon April 21: 8:40 Tue April 22: 3:15

JULIE'S GHOST / JULIE'S GEIST
2002, Bettina Wilhelm; 93m
Two young women are running in opposite directions on the same street. Fashion student Julie clutches some pieces of material she can't afford but needs for her newest creation; Natascha's parents refuse to give her the money to go to New York, so she's stolen a valuable icon from home. A car swerves, Natascha is hit, and Julie winds up with the icon - and a new friend. Although she's departed from this world, Natascha's ghost begins to haunt Julie, becoming her sounding board on a wide variety of topics and issues. A former assistant to Agnieszka Holland, Bettina Wilhelm's film is consistently surprising and a wonderful comedy that skims the divide between the supernatural and the psychoanalytic.
Sat April 19: 5:30; Mon April 21: 1 & 5

VON WERRA
2002, Werner Schweizer; 103m
The story of Franz von Werra is the stuff from which legends are made. An ace fighter pilot in the Luftwaffe, he escaped from a British POW camp and returned to Germany via South America, the only German officer to successfully escape from Britain during World War II. In 1941, only 27 years old, he died in a mysterious flying accident. Especially after his death, the young and movie-star handsome von Werra became a major symbol for Nazi propagandists; his fame was so widespread that years later the British made a film about him, The One That Got Away, which launched the international career of German actor Hardy Krüger. Yet, as Werner Schweizer reveals, there's far more to the von Werra legend; born into an impoverished but titled Swiss family, the one-year-old Franz and his three-year-old sister Emma were sold by their parents to a German family. From there follows a sad and sordid history of loneliness, neglect and abuse, with both siblings eventually finding a haven in the Führer. Exploring the dense interconnections between myth and reality, Schweizer looks at the star-crossed lives of both siblings - who not surprisingly were unusually close - as well as that of Hardy Krüger, who as a teenager had acted in Nazi-era aviation films loosely based on von Werra's exploits and would continue to be linked to von Werra throughout his career.
Sun April 20: 9:15; Mon April 21: 3

FORGET BAGHDAD: JEWS AND ARABS - THE IRAQUI CONNECTION
2002, Samir; 120m
Presented in collaboration with the Tribeca Film Festival. A leading experimental film and video artist, Samir left Iraq with his parents in the 1960s and settled in Switzerland. In this powerful and timely work, he tracks down four Jewish Iraqis, all former communists and all now living in Israel. He questions them about both their former homeland and their current one, as well as about a host of other issues relating to the former role of Jews in Arab culture and politics. All of his subjects are writers, yet only one, Samir Naqqash, continues to write in Arabic; all but one have retired from active political engagement. What emerges is a fascinating portrait of the deep and enormous complex Arab Jewish identity; all of his subjects felt profoundly connected to the country in which they were born, and struggle with the growing gap between their memories of the progressive, multi-religious movements of their youth and the grim realities of present-day Middle Eastern politics. The film also features NYU professor Ella Habiba Shohat, born in Israel of Iraqi parents, who offers an insightful perspective on the history of Arab Jews in Israel.
Wed April 23: 6 (screening followed by a panel) Sun April 27: 3:30 FORGET BAGHDAD will also be shown at the Tribeca Film Festival in May.

THE JOURNEY TO KAFIRISTAN / DIE REISE NACH KAFIRISTAN
2001, Fosco Dubini and Donatello Dubini; 100m
In 1939, author Annemarie Schwarzenbach and ethnologist Ella Maillart traveled together by car to Kabul. Each has her own reasons for making the trip: Schwarzenbach, a close associate of Erika and Klaus Mann's literary circle, is still searching for her own voice as a writer, while Maillart hopes to be the first in her field to write about the mysterious nomads of the Kafiristan Valley. Basically, however, both women are really on the run - from themselves, perhaps, but especially from a Germany on the verge of exploding. Together, they will travel from Geneva through the Balkans to Turkey and into Persia; just as they reach Kabul, World War II breaks out. Aided by outstanding performances by Nina Petri and Jeanette Hain, two of Germany's finest actresses, THE JOURNEY TO KAFIRISTAN tells a little known but immensely revealing story with striking relevance for today.
Thurs April 24: 2:30; Sat April 26: 6:15

THE MIDDLE OF THE WORLD / LE MILIEU DU MONDE
1974, Alain Tanner; 115m. In French with silmultaneous English translation Paul (Philippe Léotard), a married, successful engineer, is drafted by the local division of a political party to run for Parliament. He has no great desire to enter politics, but at this stage in his life it seems like what he should be doing. On the campaign trail, he meets Adriana (Olympia Carlisi), an Italian immigrant working as a waitress. The two fall into a relationship, and Paul takes on a new campaign: to straighten out his lover's rough edges, to make her more fully part of his world. But Adriana has her own ideas, and in the battle of wills that ensues both will learn more about themselves than they ever would have imagined. A sensitive, affecting look at a very contemporary relationship, THE MIDDLE OF THE WORLD was called by Tanner "a hundred little short films, each done in one take" that can also be read as a metaphor for the traditional European North/South relation. The title refers simultaneously to the lovers themselves, a posh restaurant and of course to Switzerland.
Thurs April 24: 4:30; Fri April 25: 3:15 & 9

THREE YEARS IN THE STORM / TROIS ANS DANS LA TEMPÊTE
1999, Daniel Monnat, 94m; video
In August 1998, Switzerland's major banks agreed to pay $1.25 billion as a settlement against claims brought against them by Holocaust survivors and their descendents over missing funds deposited in accounts prior to the war. Journalist Daniel Monnat takes a long, hard look at the events leading up to this event, exploring the motives and personalities of the principal figures involved, from bank presidents to lawyers, from public relations flaks to former U.S. Senator Alphonse D'Amato. Looking to create neither heroes nor villains, Monnat tries to understand the steps that led to the final settlement, along the way investigating the impact the case had on Switzerland's own self-image and myth of its wartime behavior.
Fri April 25: 1 & 6; Sat April 26: 8:30

ESCAPE TO PARADISE
2001, Nino Jacusso; 90m
The extraordinary drama of impoverished immigrants making their way to Europe has frequently been featured in films - yet what happens after they arrive? For many, arriving in a "safe" country is only the beginning of a protracted struggle to be allowed to remain there. Based on real events, and using a screenplay devised in cooperation with several of the actors - who lived these experiences themselves - ESCAPE TO PARADISE is the story of Sehmuz, his wife Delal and their three children. Having made their way from Turkey to Switzerland, they are lodged in an "asylum center" together with refugees from Africa and Eastern Europe. Everyone spends their days preparing for the all-important interviews that will decide whether they receive asylum; following that there are weeks and even months waiting for the letter that will announce the final decision. Feeling that his story might not be good enough, Selal acquires (for a price) a new biography - but will it hold up under interrogation? Offering no easy solutions, ESCAPE TO PARADISE captures the desperation, as well as the enormous courage, of people who risk everything for the hope of being able to have a future for themselves and their families in a foreign land.
Sat April 26: 2; Sun April 27: 6; Tue April 29: 1

FOUR IN A JEEP / DIE VIER IM JEEP
1950, Leopold Lindtberg; 102m
Each night, a jeep with four soldiers - Long (American), Stuart (British), Pasture (French) and Vorochenko (Russian) - goes on patrol, while each day cold war tensions grow more serious. One night the American, Long (Ralph Meeker), meets Franziska Idinger (Viveca Lindfors), a beautiful, alluring woman who reveals that her husband, Hans, is about to be released from a Soviet POW camp. Yet when Franziska goes to meet him at the train station, he's not there; instead, she learns from another prisoner that Hans in fact had escaped just days before he was to be released. The next day in the jeep Vorochenko announces that their assignment is to capture and return to prison an escaped POW, Hans Idinger - forcing Long and the other two to reassess their roles as "occupiers." Although famously neutral, Switzerland was of course keenly aware of the worsening international situation after the war; although it drew loud protests from the Soviets when shown at Cannes, Four in a Jeep is remarkably even-handed in its depiction of the virtues and limitations of each side in the conflict.
Sat April 26: 4; Wed April 30: 4:45

WOMEN'S MISERY - WOMEN'S HAPPINESS
1929, Eduard Tisse & S.M. Eisenstein; 60m
Few studies of the great Soviet director Eisenstein note his participation in the creation of this provocative film about birth, birth control and abortion, which is sometimes attributed solely to his cameraman, Tisse; yet he was actively engaged in the project's planning and at least in the early stages of the editing. Swiss producer Lazar Wechsler met the two Russians along with Grigori Alexandrov (who is credited with the scenario) at a film congress in Berlin. A fascinating if at times mystifying film, WOMEN'S MISERY - WOMEN'S HAPPINESS shows the clear signs of having perhaps too many cooks. While the aim of at least a few of the project's initiators was to make a plea for abortion rights, Eisenstein was more interested in looking at the class dimensions of the phenomenon rather taking a particular stand. There is an extremely powerful sequence in which a desperate young woman goes to a terrifying back-alley abortionist that clearly shows Eisenstein's hand; the final sequence, basically a documentary on a caesarian birth, could be seen as seen as an appeal to the power of science and technology to resolve social issues, a theme in keeping with Eisenstein's own film Old and New, made just before his trip abroad.
Sun April 27: 2 & 7:50; Wed April 30: 7

IN PRAISE OF LOVE / ÉLOGE DE L'AMOUR
2001, Jean-Luc Godard; 97m
"'It's only when things are over that they make sense,' says the protagonist of Jean-Luc Godard's new film - an observation that here applies to both filmmaking and to human lives. Venturing out of his Swiss retreat, and returning to the Paris of the New Wave (filmed in pristine black-and-white), Godard sketches in the story of an artist with a vague project to create a work about the four ages of love. What he finds instead is the story of an old couple, Resistance fighters during the war, who reflect on the past while wondering about the future. The film's second part, a lyrical rapture shot in color video, returns the viewer to present days and present styles, a way of completing the arc of history. A work of great intellectual freedom, elusive meanings and overwhelming visual beauty, IN PRAISE OF LOVE is Godard's richest theatrical film since Passion." - 2001 New York Film Festival
Sun April 27: 9:15; Tue April 29: 9 Wed April 30: 1; Thurs May 1: 2:45

LA LUNE AVEC LES DENTS
1966, Michel Soutter; 80m
The international cinematic new wave came bursting into the Swiss cinema through the work of Michel Soutter, whose La lune avec les dents (The Moon with Teeth) became practically a manifesto of the movement. The film follows William, thirty-ish, out of work and looking for a new life after apparently having been thrown out of his previous one. He meets up with Noelle, who seems intrigued by his restlessness - until her economist boyfriend shows up. Yet plot details do little to convey the power of the film, which lay in its capturing the anarchic texture of William's life - a life whose lack of direction was read as a rebuke of the Swiss myth of orderliness and self-satisfaction. With his roots in documentary, Soutter excelled at creating a loose, vibrant cinema, full of quick zooms and dynamic hand-held shots, with dialogue that often alternated between outright quotations and stylized interviews. Almost completely rejected in its era, La lune avec les dents is now widely seen as a milestone for Swiss cinema.
Wed April 30: 3 & 8:30; Thurs May 1: 1