Les Films: some incredible, international (mostly French), and cheap date opportunities

Salut à tous,

Just to clarify, by cheap dates I'm talking about cost, not quality. Now that we're clear on that, I want to draw your attention to THIS UPCOMING WEEK at BYU's international cinema. Don't misunderstand--the international cinema is always worth a visit--I'm not saying this week is the only time you might want to go. This week is simply especially exciting for the "francophile."

With that, I quote BYU's international cinema: "Welcome to week one of our two-week series featuring film noir classics. Dr. Daryl Lee of French & Italian will introduce us to film noir at the Tuesday Lecture on January 20th at 5:00 pm in the International Cinema theater (250 SWKT)."

So now that you know our very own Dr. Lee will be kicking off this gig, I'm sure you're read to go without even knowing what the films are. But here is a little run down anyway, followed by the showtimes. Remember, the showings are in 250 SWKT.




M: I saw this film last year and loved it. It's a thriller from 1931, based on the true story of a German serial-child-killer. That might sound a bit dark, but trust me, if you could handle the "Dark Knight," you can handle this. It's in German, but there are subtitles, so don't worry and enjoy. The international cinema's summary is here as well:

German-American director Fritz Lang presents his first "talkie"--and cinema's first serial killer--in this 1931 classic based on the real-life manhunt for the Dusseldorf child-murderer. Peter Lorre gives an extra-ordinary performance as Hans Beckert who can escape the eye of the law but not the wrath of the Berlin underworld. A radical, analytical film noir masterpiece. 1931 | directed by Fritz Lang | German | 117 minutes | black & white

Rififi: I've seen this one as well, and must say that if you enjoyed Ocean's Eleven, Italian Job, or any other heist films, you have to see this one. The gang is going after fine jewelry in an impenetrable store. The heist scene itself is dead silent, but so filled with suspense you'd think it only lasted 2 minutes. I'd hate to give away anything substantial, so other than what I've said let's just leave it at ... it's brilliant. The international cinema says this:

Jules Dassin directs this archetypal heist thriller about a collection of thieves who band together to commit a seemingly impossible robbery.The target? A swanky English jewelry shop on the Rue de Rivoli. The film features an intricate 28-minute sequence depicting the robbery without dialogue or music. Dassin won the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival for this noir caper.1955 | directed by Jules Dassin | French & Italian | 122 minutes | black & white




The Blue Gardenia: Sadly, I haven't seen this one yet, but I will have by the end of next week. So given that, I'll leave the summarizing to the international cinema. here is what they said:

When Norah learns that her fiancee has a new girl, she impulsively agrees to have dinner with Harry. Several drinks later, Norah accepts an invitation to Harry's apartment where he forces himself on her. She pummels him, blacks out and awakes to discover that the pushy playboy has been murdered, quite possibly by herself! The film's title is the name of the nightclub where they meet and where Nat King Cole contributes a musical cameo. A noir whodunit! 1953 | directed by Fritz Lang | English | 90 minutes | black & white

Alright, now that you're hooked and dying to see these films, here are the showtimes.

Tuesday January 20

5:00 The Tuesday Lecture with Dr. Daryl Lee

5:30 M

8:00 Rififi



Wednesday January 21

5:30 Rififi

8:00 The Blue Gardenia



Friday January 23

3:30 The Blue Gardenia

5:30 Rififi

8:00 M



Saturday, January 24

11:00 M

1:30 The Blue Gardenia

3:30 Rififi

6:00 M

8:30 The Blue Gardenia