Cinemateca, February 9–15, 2009

José Luis Pick’n’tip

The History of Mexico Twelve years ago, Bob Sommerlott, Director of Academic Affairs of the Institute of San Miguel, suggested a live documentary to replace the poorly attended lectures on the history of Mexico. .

Starting with 64 slides and two actors, The History of Mexico has evolved through script, staging and visual changes to four actors and 337 slides. That evolution took two years. For the past 10 years, this final version has been presented to full houses of tourists at Teatro Santa Ana in the Biblioteca Pública. Five years ago, a member of the audience, a reporter for The New York Times, said, “This story should be required viewing by all who enter Mexico.” That day, the idea of a DVD presentation was born. Proceeds benefit the Biblioteca’s kids’ scholarship programs. 

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 José Luis at alephamour@hotmail.com.  Thank you.

The Movies

Cinemateca Land of Smiles

Video Opera and Ballet series continues:
The Land of Smiles (Das Land des Lächelns)
Monday, February 9 at 3pm
German with English subtitles, 102 minutes
Director: Max Reichmann
Cast: Franz Lehár, René Kollo
One of Lehár’s later works, this is a “romantic” operetta in three acts and has a bittersweet ending which the Viennese loved. The title refers to the Chinese custom of smiling, whatever happens in life. The leading character, Prince Sou-Chong, has a song early in the show, “Immer nur lächeln” (“Always smiling”) which describes this.

The operetta is set in Vienna and China in 1912. In Act I, in Vienna, the heroine Lisa, a Countess, marries a Chinese prince and returns with him to his homeland despite the warnings of her friends and family. In Act II, in Beijing, she finds that she is unable to come to terms with his culture, and especially that he must take other wives. He assures her that it’s just a formality, but unhappiness is inevitable and she is locked in the palace. Her love changes to hate. In Act III, Prince Sou-Chong is left alone, while his beloved Lisa returns to her homeland. His sister Princess Mi had also become attached to the Viennese official Gustav, and so the ending is doubly sad. But the prince respects the custom: always smile.
Next week: Mozart in Turkey

“Searching for the Maya” 
From the series Ancient Mexico
Thursday, February 12 at 5:30pm 
English with Spanish subtitles, 60 min
Deep in the rainforest are the lost Mayan cities of Chichen Itza and Palenque. Discover their magic and learn about the Maya culture while exploring some of the region’s most exquisite examples of pre-Hispanic architecture. “Searching for the Maya” is part of the award-winning Ancient Mexico series, acclaimed at the Cannes Film Festival and recipient of the National Cable Award. Excerpts from the series have appeared on the Discovery and Learning Channels, Time-Life Television, BBC, France’s Canal Plus and Belgium’s Planet. 


Spiritual Cinema Series
Illusion (English)
Tuesday, February 10 at 3pm 
Drama, English, 106 minutes 
Director: Michael Goorjian
Cast: Kirk Douglas
Are the highlights of our lives inscribed in a great “Book of Life?” What kind of impact do our actions (and inactions) have on others’ lives? Can we redeem the past with good works in the present? Can a movie that takes on these deep questions be captivating, entertaining and inspiring…all at once? In Illusion, director/writer/co-star Michael Goorjian and star Kirk Douglas answer these questions with an emphatic yes! 


The History of Mexico 
Wednesday, February 11 at 5:30pm
Poetic-visual-chronological narration, English, 60 minutes
Director-producer: Murray Kamelhar
Cast: Cleo Stevens, Gary Whare, Lilia Trapaga, José Luis Mendoza 
For the past 10 years, this final version has been presented to full houses at Teatro Santa Ana. Through the voices of the actors and the beautiful visuals, The History of Mexico brings to life the struggles, defeats and victories of its people. The poetry, the art, the color and craft of their culture are also part of their story. 


Global Justice Films
I.O.U.S.A. 
Monday February 9 at 5pm
English, 85 minutes
Director: Patrick Creadon
With the country’s debt growing out of control, Americans by and large are unaware of the looming financial crisis. This documentary examines several of the ways America can get its economy back on the right track. In addition to looking at the federal deficit and trade deficit, the film also closely explores the challenges of funding national entitlement programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

Body of War Friday, February 13 at 5pm English, 87 minutes Director: Phil Donahue, Ellen Spiro Cast: Tomas Young

Tomas Young left for Iraq a gung-ho soldier. He returned home paralyzed, struggling to deal with his physical limitations and his changing feelings about the war. This eye-opening documentary looks at the raging debate over the war in Iraq through the eyes of this courageous young hero who signed up for the military two days after Sept. 11, only to be sent to Iraq where a bullet shattered his life physically and emotionally. 


Kids Movies: Cartoons
Saturday, February 14 at noon 

Capturing the spirit on film

Spiritual Cinema Series
Illusion
Tue, Feb 10, 3pm 
Teatro Santa Ana
Biblioteca Pública
Insurgentes 25
50 pesos

Are the highlights of our lives inscribed in a great “Book of Life?” What kind of impact do our actions (and inactions) have on others’ lives? Can we redeem the past with good works in the present? Can a movie that takes on these deep questions be captivating, entertaining and inspiring, all at once? In Illusion, director/writer/co-star Michael Goorjian and star Kirk Douglas answer these questions with an emphatic “yes”!

Douglas suffered a stroke in 1996 that robbed him for a time of the power of speech. Douglas had to learn to move his lips again, and it made him immensely grateful for something he had taken for granted. Many would have assumed that the 89-year-old actor would have chosen retirement, but you can’t keep an old dog down, as Douglas’ performance shows. It has been said that Douglas could open windows to the dark, desperate side of the soul, but that’s not the whole story. The windows he opened often let in the light of redemption.

This presentation, part of LifePath’s Spiritual Cinema Series, is a love story pairing Christopher Baines (Goorjian) with Isabelle (Karen Tucker) in a dance of thwarted intentions. But it’s Christopher’s father, Donald, a once-powerful but now lonely, aged and ailing film director, played by Douglas, who may hold the key to their future. Donald, on his deathbed, regrets having forgone love in his life for the sake of his career, his biggest regret being the abandonment of Christopher, his illegitimate son, 30 years earlier. With some “magical” help from Stan (Ron Marasco), a long-deceased favorite film editor, Donald is shown three films—three visions—of Christopher’s life. In a romantic homage to Capra’s classic It’s A Wonderful Life, Goorjian masterfully leads us through the yearnings, the dangers and pathos, and the possibilities for redemption that we all face. This is terrific storytelling, a drama of life, love and death, with a tone and texture that lead us all to question how real and immutable is thi
s life we lead, and how much of it is just a fable, a dream, an illusion? A treat for heart and soul, suitable for the whole family. Join us after the film to talk about our own conditioning, healing, what holds us back and what can we do about it.




Reeling from debt and war 

Center for Global Justice Films
I.O.U.S.A. 
Mon, Feb 9, 5pm
Body of War
Fri, Feb 13, 3pm
Teatro Santa Ana
Biblioteca Pública
Insurgentes 25
50 pesos

Described as an inconvenient truth about the economy, the documentary film I.O.U.S.A. takes a dark look at the national debt, the trade deficit and the lack of personal savings in the US—and the failure of political leaders to take the road to bankruptcy to which these are leading the nation seriously. The film demonstrates how little the public understands such economic issues while going a long way toward making them more understandable through the creative use of graphics. 

I.O.U.S.A. is based on the book Empire of Debt and the “Fiscal Wake-up Tour” that the former director of the Government Accountability Office, David M. Walker, and Robert L. Bixby of the Concord Coalition have been taking around the country for several years. But what has awakened people to our debt crisis is not so much their efforts as it was the financial meltdown that hit just after the film was released last summer. And that crisis was based on private speculative debt, not the public debt and entitlements that the film sees as bringing on a fiscal tsunami. That lies in the future. 

Body of War, produced and directed by Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro, is an indictment of the politics that led to the invasion of Iraq and a heartbreaking account of one man living with the aftermath. Tomas Young was a 22-year-old from Kansas who decided to enlist in the army after watching President Bush with his bullhorn atop the rubble of the World Trade Center. Expecting to be sent to Afghanistan, he was instead shipped to Iraq. Five days later, while riding through Sadr City in an unarmored, uncovered Humvee, a bullet severed his spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. 

Body of War is the story of Young’s political awakening. It is also the story of a nation’s awakening to the abuse of the patriotic sentiments of youth by politicians and the human costs of war. A discussion follows the film. 




Google maps and magic ’shrooms

Bioneers Film Series
Tue, Feb 10, 3pm
Teatro Santa Ana
Biblioteca Pública
Insurgentes 25
50 pesos


The first film features perennial Bioneers favorite Paul Stamets, the brilliant explorer of the deep biology of the mysterious kingdom of mushrooms and other fungi. The magical mushrooms hold the potential of changing the world with fungi-based ecology, medicine, nutrition, soil revitalization, toxic waste clean-up, and more.


Stamets is the president of Fungi Perfecti, a business supplying mycotechnologies to mushroom growers and other ecological businesses. He has pioneeered countless techniques of edible and medicinal mushroom cultivation and written six books. The latest is Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save The World.

The second film features computer scientist and software specialist Rebecca Moore, who manages the Google Earth Outreach program.

This amazing technology supports communities and indigenous peoples around the world, applying Google's mapping tools to pressing problems such as environmental and cultural preservation.