Birds will be birds
October 3, 2008 San Miguel de Allende

Audubon Fall Film Festival
Extraordinary Birds
Tue, Oct 7, 3pm
Teatro Santa Ana
Biblioteca Pública
Insurgentes 25
Members free, nonmembers 50 pesos 

Extraordinary Birds, first aired on the PBS Nature series, focuses on our cultural relationships with birds and on bird behavior throughout history, incorporating footage of birds being birds all over the world.

Of course, in the view of Audubon de México, all birds are extrardinary; focusing stunning nature photography on any species will yield magical film moments, of which there are many here. Some of the bird behavior you will observe includes the war-like falcon hunting for prey; a storm of wild birds who bring a monsoon to an Indian reservation; the 5,000-mile commute of a tiny hummingbird, and more.

As usual, admission to the monthly Audubon event is 50 pesos, but members enter free. You may become a member of Audubon for a full year for 300 pesos by joining at the door and pay nothing more for this film or succeeding monthly presentations, and of course bird walks and hikes are free or discounted for members.

Cinemateca, October 6–12 
José Luis Pick’n’tip


Akira Kurosawa Film Fest

Akira Kurosawa was a prominent Japanese filmmaker, film producer and screenwriter. His first credited film, Sanshiro Sugata, was released in 1943; his last, Madadayo, in 1993. His many awards include the Légion d’honneur and an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement. He was born March 23, 1910, and died on September 6, 1998.



The Lower Depths (Donzoko)

This is certainly one of Kurosawa’s most unsung efforts and is on the same level as Seven Samurai and Rashomon. He uses a theatrical approach, with wonderful optimism amid the most pessimistic circumstances. Especially note the performances of the old sage and the burnt-out-on-alcohol actor. The movie is set in one room for the most part, but there wasn’t any point when I wanted to be anywhere else. Kurosawa has a strange way of pulling you in and not letting go until the last second. This is a must-see movie.


The Tip Important: In order to provide the best viewing experience, the show times for some movies may be adjusted to accommodate their length. Be sure to check the schedule carefully. I also want to remind you of our new ticket price: 50 pesos and discount cards buy 12 shows for 450 pesos. Starting Monday, after 11am, buy your tickets in advance for any movie or show of the week. If you have a discount card, collect your pass to secure a seat; don’t take the risk of being locked out. Would you like to receive this info by email? Write to Jose Luis at alephamour@hotmail.com.  Thank you.



The Movies


Audubon Special
Extraordinary Birds
Tuesday, October 7 at 3pm
Nature documentary, English 

Extraordinary Birds, first aired on the PBS Nature series, focuses on our cultural relationships with birds and on bird behavior throughout history, incorporating footage of birds being birds all over the world. Of course, Audubon de México views all birds as extraordinary—focusing stunning photography on any species will yield magical film moments. You will observe the warlike falcon hunting for prey; a storm of wild birds who bring a monsoon to an Indian reservation, the 5,000-mile commute of a tiny hummingbird, and more. 



Film Fest: Postwar Kurosawa
The Lower Depths (Donzoko, 1957)
Monday, October 6 at 5pm
Japanese with English subtitles, 125 minutes
Cast: Toshirô Mifune, Isuzu Yamada, Kyôko Kagawa, Ganjiro Nakamura

Based on the play by Maxim Gorky, this surprisingly comical tale focuses on the daily tribulations of a group of lower-class people living in a small tenement. Osugi (Isuzu Yamada), the landlady, bickers with Okayo (Kyôko Kagawa), her sister, over the man they both want—Sutekichi (Toshirô Mifune), a thief. Kurosawa’s tragicomic film is especially notable for Mifune’s remarkable performance as the edgy yet sensitive Sutekichi.



No Regrets for Our Youth (Waga Seishun Ni Kuinashi, 1946)
Monday, October 6 at 7:30pm
Japanese with English subtitles, 110 minutes
Cast: Setsuko Hara, Susumu Fujita, Denjirô Ôkôchi, Haruko Sugimura

In 1933, Japanese college professor Yagihara (Denjiro Okochi) is fired after expressing his opinions, which are deemed too liberal by his superiors. His daughter Yukie (Setsuko Hara) only becomes aware of her country’s contentious state after her boyfriend Ryukichi’s (Susumu Fujita) writing lands him in prison. He’s eventually charged with spying and executed, prompting Yukie to transport his ashes to his boyhood home.



One Wonderful Sunday (Subarashiki Nichiyobi, 1946)
Tuesday, October 7 at 7:30pm
Japanese with English subtitles, 109 minutes
Cast: Isao Numasaki, Chieko Nakakita, Atsushi Watanabe, Zeko Nakamura

Financially strapped lovers indulge in offbeat adventures in Kurosawa’s heartwarming romantic tale. With only 35 yen between them, young Yuzo (Isao Numazaki) and his fiancée, Masako (Chieko Nakakita), meet at the train station on a sunny Sunday and set out to seek fun on a budget. Masako’s cheery optimism subdues Yuzo’s financial worries as they find many delightfully free adventures. Midori Ariyama and Ichiro Sugai also star.



I Live in Fear (Ikimono No Kiroku, 1955)
Wednesday, October 8 at 5pm
Japanese with English subtitles, 103 minutes
Cast: Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Masao Shimizu, Minoru Chiaki.

Haunted by the threat of nuclear war, aging foundry owner Kiichi Nakajima (Toshirô Mifune) is ready to move his family to South America’s comparative safety at any cost, but problems arise when his wife and children refuse to pull up stakes. Nakajima’s adult offspring go so far as to file a court petition to have him declared incompetent, leaving a sympathetic court counselor (Takashi Shimura) as Nakajima’s only ally in this compelling drama.



Scandal (Shubun, 1946)
Wednesday, October 8 at 7:30pm
Japanese with English subtitles, 105 minutes
Cast: Toshirô Mifune, Bokuzen Hidari, Shirley Yamaguchi, Kichijiro Ueda, Yôko Katsuragi

An artist (Toshirô Mifune) with a rebellious approach to painting finds himself embroiled in a tabloid scandal when he’s photographed in the company of a notoriously camera-shy singer (Yoshiko Yamaguchi). Though it was only a chance encounter, gossip brokers in the press print a salacious story linking the two romantically in this black-and-white Japanese classic.



Not Yet (Madadayo, 2000) 
Thursday, October 9 at 3pm
Japanese with English subtitles, 134 minutes
Cast: Tatsuo Matsumura, Hisashi Igawa, Masayuki Mori 

Kurosawa wrote, directed and edited his farewell film that centers on the life of a professor (Tatsuo Matsumura) who spends his retirement years in forties Tokyo. The sensei’s students and supporters honor him annually with a birthday party and ask him, “Maadha kai? (Are you ready?),” to which he always replies, “Madadayo! (Not yet!).” The film is based on the literary works of Japanese author Hyakken Uchida.



The Idiot (Hakuchi, 1951)
Thursday, October 9 at 5:30pm
Japanese with English subtitles, 166 minutes
Cast: Setsuko Hara, Masayuki Mori, Toshirô Mifune, Yoshiko Kuga 

Masayuki Mori stars as Kinji Kameda, a war veteran who was sentenced to death and then pardoned, in Kurosawa’s adaptation of the Dostoyevsky novel, which relocates the story from Russia to the snow-covered island of Hokkaido. Recently released from an asylum, the fragile Kameda descends further into madness when he becomes entangled with two women (Setsuko Hara and Yoshiko Kuga) and an old friend (Toshirô Mifune).



Kids Movies: Cartoons
Saturday, October 11 at noon.