Drawing Back the iron curtain
8 – 19 July
The Warsaw Pact may have dragged on until 1991 but more than a few cinematic gems snuck out into the West. Occasional periods of artistic freedom allowed directors a chance to comment, however lightly, on life under the Communist boot heel.
THE SACRIFICE || AGONY
MAN OF IRON || THE COLD SUMMER OF 1953
7:30pm Thursday 8 July
THE SACRIFICE (PG)
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Dir: Andrei Tarkovsky
Sweden/UK/France 1986 149mins 35mm
The birthday celebrations of Alexander, a journalist, philosopher and atheist, are marred by the news that nuclear war has broken out. As his family prepares for the worse, Alexander is troubled by dark dreams and makes a cosmic pact to redeem the sanctity of the world. Entwining the philosophical contemplations of an aging character and a dying filmmaker in exile, both Alexander and Tarkovsky are left contemplating self-purpose, mortality, the human condition and existence in a changing political climate. Cinematography by Sven Nykvist.
Curator’s special recommendation. |
7:30pm Monday 12 July
AGONY (E18+)
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Dir: Elem Klimov
USSR 1981 105mins 35mm
Completely out of touch with the people and political reality, Grigori Rasputin immerses himself in sexual decadence and the lascivious manipulation of others as the Czar and the Empress fall under his spell in the final days of the Romanov regime. Klimov (Come and See) takes a docu-drama approach, mixing colour re-enactments of historical events with simulated black and white newsreel footage. The film was completed in 1975 but due to its sympathetic portrayal of Czar Nicholas II, was not released until 1981. Print courtesy of the ACMI Collection.
Curator’s special recommendation. |
7:30pm Thursday 15 July
MAn of iron(M)
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Dir: Andrzej Wadja
Poland 1981 153mins 35mm
Making great use of real news footage, Wajda's sequel to Man of Marble is a continuation of the story of Maciej Tomczyk, the son of the protagonist of his earlier film, as he becomes involved in the anti-Communist labour movement in Poland. Winkel, a journalist working for the Communist regime's radio station, is given the task of digging up dirt on him. Made during a brief relaxation of censorship following the formation of Solidarity, the movement’s founder Lech Wa??sa makes a cameo appearance as himself.
Winner Palm d’Or Cannes Film Festival 1981
Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die |
7:30pm Monday 19 July
The cold summer of 1953 (E18+)
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Dir: Aleksandr Proshkin
USSR 1987 101mins 35mm
In the Cold Summer of 1953 Soviet gulags release their prisoners in an amnesty following the death of Stalin. Crime rates soar and one remote village falls prey to a band of violent thugs, their only hope lying in the hands of the townsfolk and two political prisoners. Sometimes referred to as the Soviet Seven Samurai, this surreptitious comment on the treatment of political prisoners in the USSR employs many conventions of the Western genre. One of the first widely-screened films to address the fate of outsiders, exiles and political prisoners in Soviet Russia.
Curator’s special recommendation. |
