2023 - Darebin U3A Cinema
Off Beat Oz $, Classsics # & New-ish *
Classes 3rd Wednesday in Month – Feb to Nov - 9:45 - 1:00
Tutor: Paul Michell
Welcome to the Homepage of Darebin U3A Cinema.
Welcome all to 2024 Season
(Scroll down for the viewing schedule.)
Students need to be currently enrolled with Darebin U3A before attending class.
This special U3A class explores the great (and perhaps the not understood great) cinema with the hindsight of a mature view and group discussion. Thus gaining a unique / different insight.
In 2023 I'm proud once more to present a range of wonderful examples of the art of popular Cinema.
We'll be looking at 'Off Beat Oz, Classics and some Newish Selections'.
The year tops and tails with recent Oz Films. 'The Dry features Eric Band in an outback setting. 'Imitation of Life' from Douglas Sirk. Known in the 1950s for making 'Women's Weepies'. Now rightfully acknowledged and much repeated style. Deals with racial issue in the US. 'Singin' in the Rain' is a marvellous romp in Hollywood during transition from silent to sound movies. Terrific dance and musical numbers. All of the scenes were based on the memories of staff at MGM. Hitchcock's B&W 'Notorious' with Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman is justly a cinematic masterpiece. 'The Cider House Rules' subject matter is abortion in the US. Fantastic starring vehicle for many young actors. Quite likely a film that never could be remade due to stereotypes and children used. 'An Officer and Spy' from Polanski is a modern 'lost' film. Concentrates on the investigator during the Dreyfus affair in France. Was withdrawn from the catalogues soon after release due to the Me2 movement.
A smallish film 'I Don't Feel at Home in the World Anymore' is an example of how disruptive the world of Netflix is. Wonderful example of Indie film getting an audience. Young people feeling 'disrupted'. "Klute' from Alan J Pakula is part of his 'paranoia' trilogy after deathnof Kennedy. 'The Third Man' is included as it was not screened in the British Series in 2023. The final film is 'Long Story Short' an Oz film that focuses on 'what if' during marriage. Noni Hazelhurst plays a 'witch'.
Commercial films that achieved a unique and special place Cinema History despite their primary aim - to make money! The films selected explore the hidden side of humanity in drama and comedy.
As always Cinema Class is a mixture of black and white and colour films all wonderful examples of the art of commercial cinema.
Just remember E&OE with these films ... (subject to change)
New class members - Important - Read 'Introductory & Cautionary Notes' above. PDF Notes for films are added / emailed approx one week before screening.
Where possible films are screened with subtitles.
(... keep scrolling down ...)
"Cinema is like encountering wondrous and confusing ancient ruins - the more we 'scramble to explore' the clearer the opaque image is at first - then layers of understanding unfold ... Then upon reflection we realised the less we know. Yet more than when we began ..." Paul Michell
"The more we see of great works of human achievement - art, literature, architecture, music - the more we know of our life ..." Paul Michell
For me, filmmaking combines everything. That’s the reason I’ve made cinema my life’s work. In films, painting and literature, theatre and music come together. But a film is still a film.
Akira Kurosawa (Director)
"Cinematography is ... painting with light, colour & motion." Vincent Storaro (Cinematographer)
"A film is never really good unless the camera is an eye in the head of a poet." Orson Welles
"There are a thousand ways to point a camera ... but really only one." Ernst Lubtisch (Director)
"If you think Michael Curitz's English was bad, you should have heard his German! ..." Ernst Lubitsch
Two examples will give the idea -
'I want a 'poodle' ie: puddle of water) from Casablanca (1942) and 'Give me more 'empty' horses ...' ie: horses without riders from Charge of Light Bridgade (1936). David Niven's autobigraphy is entitled 'Bring on the Empty Horses'.
"... isn't it sad ..." Billy Wilder said on the death of Ernst Lubitsch. His friend replied,
"What's even worse ... no more Lubitsch films!"
****
Below is the proposed 2024 schedule
Subject to change .... E&OE ...
The year's films in a PDF format for printing is .... (to come)
Current year PDF notes are under 'Current Film Notes'.
Past film notes are under 'Archive' . List of films since 2005 under 'More'. Permission granted to use film notes providing authorship is noted.
Feb 21 - The Dry (2020) Connolly $ *
Mar 20 - Imitation of Life (1959) Sirk #
Apr 17 - Singin' in the Rain (1952) Donen & Kelly #
May 15 - Notorious (1946) Hitchcock #
June 19 - The Cider House Rules (1999) Hallstrom #
July 17 - An Officer and a Spy (2019) Polanski *
Aug 28 - I Don't Feel at Home in this World Anymore (2017) Blair *
Sept 18 - Klute (1971) Pakula #
Oct 16 - The Third Man (1949) Reed [British]
Nov 20 - Long Story Short (2021) Lawson $ *
E&OE exempted - subject to change
Updated - 11 Apr 2024
Darebin U3A Link is here.
"The more we see of great works of human achievement - art, literature, architecture, music - the more we know of our life ..." Paul Michell
For me, filmmaking combines everything. That’s the reason I’ve made cinema my life’s work. In films, painting and literature, theatre and music come together. But a film is still a film.
Akira Kurosawa (Director)
"Cinematography is ... painting with light, colour & motion." Vincent Storaro (Cinematographer)
"A film is never really good unless the camera is an eye in the head of a poet." Orson Welles
"There are a thousand ways to point a camera ... but really only one." Ernst Lubtisch (Director)
"If you think Michael Curitz's English was bad, you should have heard his German! ..." Ernst Lubitsch
Two examples will give the idea -
'I want a 'poodle' ie: puddle of water) from Casablanca (1942) and 'Give me more 'empty' horses ...' ie: horses without riders from Charge of Light Bridgade (1936). David Niven's autobigraphy is entitled 'Bring on the Empty Horses'.
"... isn't it sad ..." Billy Wilder said on the death of Ernst Lubitsch. His friend replied,
"What's even worse ... no more Lubitsch films!"
****
Below is the proposed 2024 schedule
Subject to change .... E&OE ...
The year's films in a PDF format for printing is .... (to come)
Current year PDF notes are under 'Current Film Notes'.
Past film notes are under 'Archive' . List of films since 2005 under 'More'. Permission granted to use film notes providing authorship is noted.
Feb 21 - The Dry (2020) Connolly $ *
Mar 20 - Imitation of Life (1959) Sirk #
Apr 17 - Singin' in the Rain (1952) Donen & Kelly #
May 15 - Notorious (1946) Hitchcock #
June 19 - The Cider House Rules (1999) Hallstrom #
July 17 - An Officer and a Spy (2019) Polanski *
Aug 28 - I Don't Feel at Home in this World Anymore (2017) Blair *
Sept 18 - Klute (1971) Pakula #
Oct 16 - The Third Man (1949) Reed [British]
Nov 20 - Long Story Short (2021) Lawson $ *
E&OE exempted - subject to change
Updated - 11 Apr 2024
Darebin U3A Link is here.