Montreal Film (Discussion) Club

With 300 seats, Cinéma duMusée can allow up to 110 people with the prescribed sanitary measures in place including social distancing and mask-wearing. Tickets available on line at https://omniwebticketing3.com/musee/?schdate=2020-09-27&perfix=3455 and at the box office (but we recommend buying them in advance) UGETSU MONOGATARI (1953, Japan, 96 min., 16mm, Eng. subtitles) Kenji Mizoguchi The threat of war looms like a fog over Lake Biwa. A thick graceful cloud moves to reveal the inimitable lighting of the great cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa who has worked often with Akira Kurosawa and the later films of Kenji Mizoguchi. On the soundtrack can be heard the traditionalist rustlings of unique composer Fumio Hayasaka, another who has worked with both Kurosawa and Mizoguchi. And on screen, a sort of floating ghost as played by Machiko Kyô, an actress of incredible presence that commands our attention as much here as she did in the role of Princess Rashômon a few years earlier. UGETSU is without a doubt the most formally perfect film of the Japanese post-war period. It represents a coming together of major artists at the height of their careers, beginning with Mizoguchi. This master of directing has created an extraordinarily ambitious film halfway between a tribute to Japanese esthetic tradition and the universally tragic (with part of the script based on a work by Guy de Mauspassant) It is at the juncture of these influences that we observe a small boat traversing the misty surface of lake Biwa with two men aboard who will face a cruel destiny costing them their honour and a great love. Torn between spirits and military aspirations, they desperately seek to quench a thirst for glory that may well cost them their loved ones. Unless they can find a way to pierce through the fog of war that has tainted their hearts. UGETSU will be presented as an English subtitled 16mm print which will help you better appreciate its timeless ghostly qualities which were a major influence on Japanese horror cinema which took hold there ten years later. Here then is the perfect opportunity to appreciate the panoramic wonder of Mizoguchi’s style and to realise the indelible impression it has left on world cinema history. - Mathieu Li-Goyette Guest speaker: Mathieu Li-Goyette is chief editor of the on-line magazine Panorama-cinéma and runs an Asian studies centre at Université de Montréal where he teaches history and theory of Japanese visual culture. He is presently working on a thesis dealing with desire and rhythm in comic books. Besides publishing articles in 24images, Hors Champs and Liberté, in 2010 he assembled a collection of works on humanism in post war Japan and in 2012 published a book on 100 years of Japan’s Nikkatsu film studio. He was also invited to program for Critics Week at the famed Berlin festival. Tickets availble here (not by cash) : https://omniwebticketing3.com/musee/?schdate=2020-09-27&perfix=3455

With 300 seats, Cinéma duMusée can allow up to 109 people with the prescribed sanitary measures in place. Tickets available from Sept. 27 on line at https://www.cinemadumusee.com/en/cineclub-film-society and at the box office (but we recommend buying them in advance) ACTION: THE OCTOBER CRISIS OF 1970 (1974, Canada, 87 min., 16mm) Robin Spry This feature-length National Film Board documentary looks at those desperate days of October 1970 when Montreal awaited the outcome of FLQ terrorist acts. Using news reports and clips from the time, the film reflects upon the October Crisis and reveals the relief, outrage and defiance people felt when the Canadian army stepped in. Using a very detailed and objective approach to the subject, including his calm voice for narration, Robin Spry has very skillfully constructed a narrative as gripping as any top-rated political thriller. Unless you are of a certain generation, it is hard to appreciate the scope of events taking place that October. Just try to imagine all the panic, fear, dread and enforced rules of the present pandemic multiplied ten-fold… and without the ‘security’ of the internet or cell phones. Witness all the incredible drama as it unfolded day-by-day in this powerful documentary. It’s the closest thing to being there, 50 years later! Our esteemed guests were actively involved in the ‘Quiet Revolution’ for Québec’s independence at the time and will share with us their reflections and comments of that crucial period in our history. Guest speakers: TBA Tickets available on line starting September 27th at this address: https://www.cinemadumusee.com/en/cineclub-film-society Check out the whole series--> http://www.cineclubfilmsociety.com/

With 300 seats, Cinéma duMusée can allow up to 110 people with the prescribed sanitary measures in place including social distancing and mask-wearing. Tickets available on line at https://omniwebticketing3.com/musee/?schdate=2020-10-25&perfix=3451 and at the box office (but we recommend buying them in advance) THE FOG (1980, USA, 89 min., 35mm) John Carpenter Following the monstrous success of his previous film, HALLOWEEN, filmmaker John Carpenter returned two years later with another blood chilling shocker story. Residents of the small California coastal village of Antonio Bay become engulfed in a strange ocean fog that brings with it the ghosts of the crew of a 19th century naval crew of a ship that was intentionally sunk by the village founders to avoid the spread of leprosy. Thirsty for vengeance, the decrepit-looking spirits spread murderous terror amongst the townsfolk on the 100th anniversary of the ship’s sinking. Having an immersive soundscape and dark music track composed by Carpenter himself, the film is punctuated with excerpts from a radio station with an on air host played wonderfully by Adrienne Barbeau (SWAMP THING) You’ll definitely get that spooky feeling of not knowing what lies just a few feet in front of you, shrouded in a strange mist. Tom Atkins (HALLOWEEN III : SEASON OF THE WITCH), Jamie Lee Curtis (HALLOWEEN) and Janet Leigh (PSYCHO) also make up part of a cast that embodies authentic characters inhabiting a real seaside village cut off from the world. A mix of gothic chiller and violent slasher flick, there is something here for all tastes in horror from a legendary master of the genre. Come get lost in THE FOG with our special 40th anniversary screening. Projected as a gorgeous 35mm print from our archives, it showcases the superb cinematography of this true classic exactly as people saw it in 1980. To further get you in the mood for Halloween tricks, you’ll also be treated to vintage 35mm horror trailers from the 70s, 80s and 90s!

With 800 seats, Cinéma Impérial can allow up to 250 people with the prescribed sanitary measures in place including mandatory masks and social distancing. Tickets available soon be available on line at this site where you can also check out the entire fall series: http://www.cineclubfilmsociety.com/ VAMPYR with LIVE musicians on piano, cello and percussion. (Germany / France, 70 min. English subtitles) Carl Theodore Dreyer Carl Dreyer’s VAMPYR is a hauntingly atmospheric masterpiece of Scandinavian horror cinema. A trio of live musicians on piano, string and percussion will accompany a vintage film print projected onto a large screen in a beautiful movie temple built in 1913. Added will be a creepy surprise short. 1430 rue Bleury (metro logo) Place des Arts Stand by for details on where tickets can be purchased on line.