SPRING 2007 CINEMATHEQUE PROGRAM

Cinematheque screenings are open to members and their guests. Membership is available at the door.

Trial Membership (1 month/4 screenings/1 guest) $18/$15
3 Month Membership (12 screenings/3 guests) $36/$32
Annual Membership (52 screenings/12 guests) $85/$75

Saturday screenings commence at 1pm.
Monday screenings commence at 7pm.

Mailing list and enquiries: brettgarten@iprimus.com.au

Sat 4/8 & Mon 6/8 THE COOL WORLD

The Cool World USA/1963/B&W/106mins/16mm Dir: Shirley Clarke. A 14 year old boy needs a gun so that he can become the leader of his gang in this study of black teenagers in Harlem.



Bridges Go Round USA/1958/Colour/7mins/16mm Dir: Shirley Clarke. A poetic close-up view, using multiple superimpositions, of a giant metropolitan bridge, first with a soundtrack of electronic music, second with a jazz soundtrack.

Sat 11/8 & Mon 13/8 A DIFFICULT DOUBLE FEATURE

Wavelength Canada/1967/Colour/45mins/16mm Dir: Michael Snow. Made with outdated and deteriorated film stock, 'Wavelength' is a continually changing experience of cinematic illusion and anti-illusion. One of the most acclaimed avant garde films of all time.



Vinyl USA/1965/B&W/66mins/16mm Dir: Andy Warhol. A minimalist adaptation of A Clockwork Orange that predates Kubrick by several years, Vinyl is a series of explorations of sexual taboos. Gerard Malanga dances and performs with chains while Edie Sedgwick assumes the position of the viewer.



Sat 18/8 & Mon 20/8 UNDERGROUND CAMP



Puce Moment USA/1949/B&W/8mins/16mm Dir: Kenneth Anger. A Hollywood star goes through the ritual of assuming an identity - from a planned feature on Hollywood in the twenties.

Flaming Creatures USA/1963/B&W/43mins/16mm Dir: Jack Smith. Ten scenes of uncertain polymorphously perverse sex accompanied by nostalgic and repetitive music filmed on often murky and over-exposed film stock, minimally edited with deliberately obscured boundaries between the scenes. Susan Sontag has rightly described Smith's film as 'too full of pathos and too ingenuous to be prurient'.



Kustom Kar Kommandos USA/1965/Colour/4mins/16mm Dir: Kenneth Anger. A ritual to the point of fetishism carried out by the builder of a 'dream buggy'.

Hold Me While I’m Naked USA/1966/Colour/15mins/16mm Dir: George Kuchar. A mix of lurid melodrama, personal reflections and overblown, or sad, music. Effective as both a melancholy diary of frustration and a powerful pastiche. Said to be a major influence on John Waters.

Blonde Cobra USA/1963/B&W & Colour/33mins/16mm Dir: Ken Jacobs, Bob Fleischner and Jack Smith. A reworking by Jacobs of film and sound tape abandoned by the filmmakers. The original intention was to make a 'light monster movie comedy' in two separate stories. Jacob's film is a fragmented weave of sound and image designed to undermine the viewer's expectations regarding sound/image relationships in a narrative.

Eclipse of the Sun Virgin USA/1967/Colour/12mins Dir: George Kuchar. A follow-up to Hold Me While I'm Naked described by Kuchar as 'a chilling montage of crimson repression'.

SAT 25/8 & MON 27/8 SEX & HYGIENE



Educational films that reflect the changing attitudes to sex education from the 40s to the 80s, including:

For Your Information Canada/1940/B&W/20mins/16mm. A Royal Canadian Air Force educational film for women discussing the effects of venereal disease.

Human Reproduction USA/1947/B&W/20mins/16mm. Though this sex education film concentrates on presenting the anatomy and physiology of human reproduction in sober medical terms, its release kicked off a controversy in many American cities and towns over the legitimacy of sex education in public schools. The film is narrated from the point of view of an adult who tries to decide how to answer his son's natural questions about sex and reproduction. With excellent diagrams of the reproductive process. “A very enlightening film.” www.archives.org

How Billy Keeps Clean USA/1951/B&W/11mins/16mm. Dir:
Shows young, active boys how to play hard yet keep clean by learning how to wash, when to wash, and how keeping clean helps to make a person better liked and healthier.

Dance, Little Children USA/1961/Colour/28mins/16mm Dir: Herk Harvey. From the Kansas Board of Health and the director of the cult classic Carnival of Souls comes this nightmarishly comic vision about how a craze for the Twist causes a syphilis epidemic in small town America. “Especially hilarious” Phil Bacharach, DVD Talk

Vasectomy USA/1972/Colour/17mins/16mm Dir: Several men who have had or will have vasectomies discuss their fears of and reasons for undergoing this operation. Animated diagrams are used to describe the procedures involved.

Condom Sense USA/1981/Colour/25mins/16mm Dir: Steve Faigenbaum. A series of comic vignettes dealing with myths about condoms is interwoven with a story about two young lovers and their conflicts over birth control. Produced before public attention was brought to the AIDS epidemic in the U.S.

Sat 1/9 & Mon 3/9 FILMS ABOUT SCIENCE

End of One USA/1970/Colour/7mins/16mm Dir: Paul Kocela. A camera records the last moments of a seagull on a polluted beach.

Primitive Man in a Modern World USA/1969/Colour/23mins/ 16mm Dir: Christian propaganda masquerading as anthropology from the Moody Institute of Science. “What were they thinking?” www.laughingsquid.com “Wholly undesirable for student viewing at any level.” American Anthropologist

Hippocampe (The Sea Horse) France/1934/B&W/14mins/16mm Dir: Jean Painleve. Painleve was a trained biologist who experimented with the photography of underwater life, bringing a surreal quality to the natural world.

Flatland USA/1965/12mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Eric Martin. An animated mathematical allegory based on Edwin Abbot’s great Victorian fantasy about a square who discovers the third dimension, but is imprisoned by the inhabitants of the two dimensional world when he tries to preach three dimensionality.

Our Friend the Atom USA/1958/Colour/50mins/16mm Dir: Hamilton Luske. Produced by Disney in cooperation with the U.S. Navy and General Dynamics, builders of the nuclear submarine USS Nautilus, Our Friend The Atom relates the history of atomic energy in a combination of live-action and animation.



Sat 8/9 & Mon 10/9 TOP 12 AMERICAN CARTOONS

A 1994 poll of animation professionals produced this top 12:

1. What's Opera Doc? USA/1957/Colour/7mins/16mm Dir: Chuck Jones. Parody of Wagner's "Der Ring des Nibelungen" with Elmer Fudd in the role of Siegfried and Bugs
Bunny in drag as Brunhilde.



2. Duck Amuck USA/1953/Colour/7mins/16mm Dir: Chuck Jones.
Daffy versus an off screen animator in this humorous essay by demonstration on the nature and conditions of the animated film and the mechanics of film in general.

3. The Band Concert USA/1935/Colour/10mins/16mm Dir: Wilfred Jackson. Despite interference from a persistent bee, a noisy Donald Duck playing Turkey in the Straw, and a full scale whirlwind, Mickey's band doggedly performs the William Tell Overture.

4. Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2th Century USA/1953/Colour/7min/16mm Dir: Chuck Jones. Duck Dodgers (Daffy) is sent to Planet X to find a new source for the Earth's dwindling supply of the shaving cream atom, Aludium Q-36.



5. One Froggy Evening USA 1955 Colour; Sound; 7 minutes Director, Chuck Jones. A man discovers a singing frog and spends his savings promoting him as a theatrical show with disastrous consequences.

6. Gertie the Dinosaur USA/1909/B&W/9mins/16mm Dir: Winsor McCay. McCay bets a friend he can bring a museum's dinosaur to life by means of a series of drawings.

7. Red Hot Riding Hood USA/1943/Colour/7mins/16mm Dir: Tex Avery. A wolfish Hollywood hipster loses all control when he catches sight of Red Riding Hood, a shapely cabaret singer.

8. Porky In Wackyland USA/1938/B&W/7mins/16mm Dir: Robert Clampett. Porky pursues the Dodo bird through Wackyland. This is a Clampett classic with 'some of the screwiest gags, characters and concepts in animation history'.

9. Gerald McBoing Boing USA/1950/Colour/7mins/16mm Dir: Robert Cannon. An adaptation of a Dr. Seuss story about a young boy who makes sounds instead of words.


10. King Size Canary USA/1947/Colour/8mins/16mm Dir: Tex Avery. A scrawny alley cat's desperate search for food rapidly escalates, with the help of a bottle of Jumbo Gro.

11. Three Little Pigs USA/1933/Colour/9mins/16mm Dir: Burt Gillett. This retelling of the traditional story was a morale booster when it was released in the depths of the Depression.

12. The Old Mill USA/1937/Colour/9mins/16mm Dir: Wilfred Jackson. An early Disney colour animated cartoon about birds and animals living happily in a deserted old windmill. Their peace and comfort are disturbed by a violent storm. The Disney style is fully developed at this stage.

Sat 15/9 & Mon 17/9 CHARLIE IS MY DARLING

American Music from Folk to Jazz to Pop USA/1969/Colour/ 46mins/16mm Dir: Traces the roots of popular music in America today. Includes performances by The Dave Clark Five and The Supremes and commentary by Richard Rogers and Duke Ellington.

De Da de Dum Australia/1968/19mins/B&W/16mm Dir: Garry Shead. An experimental documentary about artist/poet/novelist/ singer Pip Proud who, at the time the film was made, was being feted as an Australian underground superstar.

Beatles clips Early music clips and TV appearances.

Charlie is My Darling UK/1966/B&W/46mins/16mm Dir: Peter Whitehead. The first Rolling Stones movie, Charlie… combines concert footage of the Rolling Stones tour of Ireland in 1965 with backstage interviews.



Sat 22/9 & Mon 1/10 FRENCH DOCOS & SHORTS

Nuit et Brouillard (Night and Fog) France/1952/Colour&B&W/
32mins/16mm Dir: Alain Resnais Black and white archival footage of German concentration camps in World War II is intercut with colour shots of the camps as they were in 1956 to create a moving counterpoint of present and past.



Le Maitre Fous (The Crazy Masters) France/1954/Colour/30mins/
16mm Dir: Jean Rouch. A disturbing documentary about the West African religious sect called Haouka. The rituals of the sect are parodies of the military and diplomatic ceremonies of British colonial rule, raising questions about the psychic effect of western civilization on African cultures.



Pacific 231 France/1949/B&W/9mins/16mm Dir: Jean Mitry. Mus: Arthur Honnegger. A visual interpretation of Honegger's musical impression of a fast train hauled by the powerful Pacific 231.

L’Opera Mouffe France/1960/B&W/14mins/16mm Dir: Agnes Varda. Personal and affectionate portrait by Agnes Varda of the market and slum area of Paris known as 'la Mouffe'.

La Premiere Nuit (The First Night) France/1958/B&W/20mins/ 16mm Dir: Georges Franju. A nocturnal reverie woven around a young boy's escape to the Paris Metro for a night.

La Belle Cerebrale (Beautiful Dreamer) France/1967/Colour/ 14mins/16mm Dir: Peter Foldes. A naked girl chews a pear and paints her toenails while two men argue in the background. As she daydreams, a wig emerges from a drawer to caress her, flowers bloom in her hair, and a box opens to decorate her with jewellery.

Sat 29/9 & Mon 1/10 A PYTHON IN THE BOARDROOM: THE CORPORATE TRAINING FILMS OF JOHN
CLEESE

John Cleese co-founded Video Arts in 1971 to create training films for business purposes. Rarely seen outside their workplace context, these films are a must for fans of comedy, Monty Python and middle management.

Who Sold You this Then? UK/1972/23mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Peter Robinson. John Cleese is Charlie Jenkins, the Service Engineer. Shows how he can destroy the reputation of his company and its products every time he talks to a customer. With John Cleese, Madge Ryan, Jonathan Lynn, Bernard McKenna.

Meeting of Minds UK/1973/Colour/14mins/16mm Dir: Peter Robinson. A lesson in how best to handle customers. Highlights the barriers put up by both the customer and the salesperson. With John Cleese, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Connie Booth, Angharad Rees, June Whitfield, John Barron.

In Two Minds UK/1973/Colour/18mins/16mm Dir: Peter Robinson. A basic training course for all staff who deal face to face with customers in any service industry. With John Cleese, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Connie Booth

It's All Right, It's Only a Customer UK/1973/Colour/29mins/ 16mm Dir: Peter Robinson. John Cleese plays four different Herberts - head office employees who have lost touch with the real world and are living in a world of their own. With Ronnie Barker.

Man Hunt UK/1974/Colour/32mins/16mm Dir: Peter Robinson. Outlines how and how not to conduct interviews. Shows where and how the three principal faults occur. John Cleese plays the three managerial types who exemplify these faults, Ethelred the Unready, Ivan the Terrible and William the Silent.

Sat 6/10 Only CZECH FANTASY RETROSPECTIVE: DAISIES

Daisies Czechoslovakia/1966/76mins/35mm Dir: Vera Chytilová. Two girls go on an anarchic rampage, joyously exploiting a string of hapless men that get in their way. Imported 35mm print.



Mon 8/10 Only CZECH FANTASY RETROSPECTIVE: VALERIE AND HER WEEK OF WONDERS

Valerie and her Week of Wonders Czechoslovakia/1970/77mins/ 35mm Dir: Jaromil Jires. Magical earrings are the link to a fantasy world of vampires, priests, grandmothers & carnival parades. Imported 35mm print. “Virtually every shot is a knock-out.” Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader.

Sat 13/10 Only CZECH FANTASY RETROSPECTIVE: LATE AUGUST AT THE HOTEL OZONE & JOSEF KILIAN

Late August at the Hotel Ozone Czechoslovakia/1967/77mins/ 35mm Dir: Jan Schmidt. In a post-apocalyptic world where the male species has seemingly disappeared, nine Amazonian women try to survive, spending their time foraging for food and hunting animals, until one day they encounter a man ­ the last man on earth ­ in possession of a most interesting object.

Josef Kilian Czechoslovakia/1963/38mins/35mm Dir: Pavel Jurácek & Jan Schmidt. Regarded as one of the finest evocations of Kafka, this darkly comic film follows a young man who wanders the streets of old Prague and encounters a "cat rental" shop. Both imported 35mm prints.

Mon 15/10 SORRY, NO SCREENING

Sat 20/10 & Mon 22/10 HISTORY OF THE CHINESE KUNG FU FILM

Join Barrie Pattison, Australia’s leading film historian, in this special multimedia presentation on the development of the Chinese martial arts film from the silent era to the present day.



Mon 29/10 Only THE GURU

UK/1968/Colour/16mm Dir: James Ivory. A jaded British pop star visits India to learn the sitar in this thinly veiled satire of George Harrison’s Indian odyssey. Plus Sai Baba.

WINTER 2007 CINEMATHEQUE PROGRAM

Cinematheque screenings are open to members and their guests. Membership is available at the door.

Trial Membership (1 month/4 screenings/1 guest) $18/$15
3 Month Membership (12 screenings/3 guests) $36/$32
Annual Membership (52 screenings/12 guests) $85/$75
Saturday screenings commence at 1pm.
Monday screenings commence at 7pm.

Mailing list and enquiries: brettgarten@iprimus.com.au

Sat 5/5 & Mon 7/5 STEEL HELMET

Steel Helmet USA/1951/86mins/B&W/16mm Dir: Sam Fuller.
Hard-boiled professional infantryman, Sergeant Zack, survives the massacre of his platoon by North Koreans with the help of a Korean orphan he calls Short Round.
“This is a beautifully done action film, one of the most powerful war stories ever made. Gene Evans, in his debut movie role, is nothing short of sensational. The film is taut and grim, holding one's interest throughout.’ Dennis Schwarz
“One of the most raucous guys in film, Fuller was the first to try for a poetic purity through a merging of unlimited sadism and pastoral nostalgia with flickerings of myth.” Manny Farber
“One of the great war films of the twentieth century.” Lars Lindahl



Goya: The Disasters of War France/1952/20mins/B&W/16mm Dir: Pierre Kast. Goyas's images of war are accompanied by poetic narration and music written and composed by French filmmaker Jean Gremillon.

Sat 12/5 & Mon 14/5 MY BEST FIEND

My Best Fiend Germany/1999/95mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Werner Herzog. Herzog charts his love-hate relationship with actor Klaus Kinski (1926-1991) in this poignant documentary. Herzog relates his first encounter at age thirteen with Kinski, re-visits the Amazon tributaries of 'Aguirre' and 'Fitzcarraldo', explains how they independently and simultaneously hatched plans to murder one another, and reveals why 'every grey hair on my head I call Kinski.' Music by Popul Vuh.



Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe USA/1980/20mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Les Blank. A Record of Werner Herzog honouring a vow he made to Berkeley student Errol Morris that he would eat his shoe if Morris ever made a film.

Sat 19/5 & Mon 21/5 DEEP END

Deep End Poland-UK-Germany/1970/89mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Jerzy Skolimowski. Mike, a sexually naive 15 year old, becomes infatuated with Susan, a fellow worker, who proves to be dangerously casual in her manipulation of Mike's emotions. This comic study of innocence fumbling with sex is also in turn touching, disturbingly surreal and suddenly tragic. With Jane Asher and Diana Dors. Music by Can and Cat Stevens.

Great UK/1975/28mins/B&W&Colour/16mm Dir: Bob Godfrey. An anarchic musical sprint through the life, works, achievements and failures of Isembard Kingdom Brunel - Britain's genius industrial engineer from the Victorian era. Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, 1975.

Sat 26/5 & Mon 28/5 BURROUGHS

Burroughs. USA/1983/89mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Howard Brookner
A film portrait of the American author, William Burroughs. Burroughs explains why he
became a writer and gives readings from some of his works: 'Nova Express', 'The Place of Dead Roads', 'Cities of the Red Night', 'The Wild Boys' and 'Naked Lunch'. Features interviews with Hubert Huncke, Allen Ginsberg, Brion Gysin, Patti Smith, Terry Southern and more.



Ghosts Before Breakfast Germany/1927/7mins/B&W/16mm Dir: Hans Richter. Surrealist experiment by Hans Richter with musical accompaniment.

Sat 2/6 & Mon 4/6 THE SCARECROW

The Scarecrow New Zealand/1982/Colour/16mm Dir: Sam Pillsbury
A Kiwi gothic coming of age story set in a small, eccentric, rural New Zealand town. Part mystery, thriller, part black comedy, this off-beat New Zealand film was based on the seminal novel by Ronald Hugh Morrieson and stars John Carradine and Tracy Mann.
“A wonderfully well observed film version of a complex literary work.” Peter Harcourt
“Put together with the verve and slapdash construction of a New Zealand outdoor dunny.” Geoff Chapple, NZ Listener, 1982.



Straight and Narrow USA/1970/10mins/B&W/16mm Dir: Tony Conrad. An optical hallucinatory effect is created with alterations of vertical and horizontal lines.

Sat 9/6 & Mon 11/6 HIGH SCHOOL

High School USA/1968/75mins/B&W/16mm Dir: Frederick Wiseman. This examination of a Philadelphia High School with an upper middle class and predominantly white student body, is structured as a series of interactions between students and their parents, teachers and administrators. The main concern is not educational method but social issues like the development of sexual roles, competitiveness and relationships with authority figures.
“Characters of teachers and students are caught sharply in telling vignettes.” Variety



Room 222: A Minor Altercation USA/1973/25mins/16mm Dir: Charles Rondeau. An episode of a TV high school classroom drama with a touch of comedy that is deeply rooted in ideals that emerged in the late 60s.

Saturday 16/6 & 18/6 PERFUMED NIGHTMARE

Perfumed Nightmare Philippines/1977/95mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Kidlat Tahimik. A semi-autobiographical fable by a young Philippino about his awakening to, and reaction against, American cultural colonialism. A totally original blend of the real and the surreal, poetry and politics, naivety and insight.

"This bloody, blundering business...": or the Price of Empire USA/1977/31mins/ B&W/16mm Dir: Peter Davis. Documents the role which racism can play in influencing U.S. foreign policy. Shows how competing interests seek to influence public opinion and foreign policy by presenting widely divergent accounts of the same situation.

Sat 23/6 & Mon 25/6 HIGH LONESOME

High Lonesome USA/1991/95mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Rachel Liebling. Traces the evolution of bluegrass, one of America's most vital musical fusions, from its folk roots in the Kentucky Hills through the innovations which have shaped its modern forms. The story unfolds through the words and songs of the musicians themselves, notably its founder Bill Monroe, along with other seminal bluegrass legends like Ralph Stanley, Mac Wiseman, Jimmy Martin, Flatt & Scruggs as well as many younger musicians who carry on their legacy.

Later that Same Night USA/1971/15mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Will Hindle. A personal film 'poem' about the rural Appalachian Mountains of North Alabama.
“Hindle has an uncanny talent for transforming spontaneous unstylized reality into unearthly poetic visions.” Gene Youngblood.

Sat 30/6 & Mon 2/7 MORGAN: A SUITABLE CASE FOR TREATMENT

Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment. UK/1968/97mins/B&W/ 16mm Dir: Karel Reisz. An anarchic comedy/drama about a schizophrenic sculptor, fantasist and socialist who identifies with various forms of jungle life, particularly gorillas. Stars David Warner and Vanessa Redgrave.

A France/1964/10mins/B&W/16mm Dir: Jan Lenica. A man is haunted by a large, aggressive letter A.

Sat 7/7 & Mon 9/7 THE ANGRY BREED

The Angry Breed USA/1968/94mins/Colour/16mm Dir: David Commons. Combining elements from the beach party and action film genres, this exploitation film is a story about a Vietnam vet hero and aspiring actor, Johnny Taylor, who has a red hot script, but can't get noticed in Hollywood. Music by Dave Allan and the Arrows.

Film USA/1965/22mins/B&W/16mm Dir: Alan Schneider. Buster Keaton appears in this nihilistic one-character play without words written for the film medium by Samuel Beckett.

Sat 14/7 & Mon 16/7 SHORT FILMS ABOUT DRUGS



World of the Weed USA/1968/22mins/B&W/16mm. A history of the use of the hemp plant from its origins in China.

Ups and Downs USA/1972/20mins/Colour/16mm Young people tell of the dangers of “speed”, “barbs” and diet pills.

The Choice USA/1971/34mins/Colour/16mm. The staff of a high school newspaper decide to do an issue on the drug problem, by dividing into two groups to research the pros and cons of drug taking. Wizard of No USA/1984/10mins/Colour/16mm. Sticking up for yourself isn't always easy, but it's worth it.

Hollywood and Vine USA/1977/25mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Richard A. Miner. Hollywood celebrities such as Dana Andrews and Dick Van Dyke discuss their experiences as alcoholics on the way to recovery and the effects of this disease on the entertainment industry.

Drugs: Some Get Busted Australia/1982/12mins/Colour/16mm. A series of interviews with young Australians convicted of drug smuggling - meant to deter potential offenders.

Looking for Mushrooms USA/1962/3mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Bruce Connor. A record of the filmmaker’s mushroom hunts in the Mexican countryside. Set to the Beatles song
Tomorrow never Knows.

Sat 21/7 & Mon 23/7 PRETTY POISON

Pretty Poison USA/1968/89mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Noel Black.
This off-beat, black-comedy/drama stars Tuesday Weld and Anthony Perkins in his best performance since ‘Psycho’. Perkins is a convicted arsonist/murderer who has an active fantasy life. While working in a small town he is attracted to a teenager who willingly participates in his fantasies but has something more terrifyingly realistic on her mind. Based on the novel She Let Him Continue by Stephen Geller.

Skater Dater USA/1965/18mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Noel Black.
A sensitive young boy is divided by the love for his girl and the mateship of his gang in this poetic adolescent romance, told without words. Music by Mike Curb

Sat 28/7 & Mon 30/7 CROATIAN ANIMATION

Twelve innovative, allegorical, animated films from Zagreb Films in Yugoslavia that combine elements of Bauhaus, surrealism, modern art and design, with a wicked and warm sense of humour.

Alone 1958/13mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Vatroslav Mimica. A sensitive man is frightened by the impersonality of his work environment.

Ersatz 1961/10mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Dusan Vukotic. Depicts a make-believe world of inflatable substitutes for everything, including man. Won an Oscar for Best Animated Short, 1961.

Don Quixote 1961/11mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Vlado Kristl. Animated story of Don Quixote and his servant Sancho Panza and their fight against police, an army and his old enemy, the windmill.

Everday Chronicle 1962/11mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Vatroslav Mimica. A blind man with a music box loses his dog..

Play 1962/13mins/Coour/16mm Dir: Dusan Vukotic. Two young children, a boy and a girl, devise a game with crayons. It starts with a flower being run over by a car and ends in a war game with tanks, airplanes and rockets.

Without Titles 1964/3mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Borivoj Dovnikovic. A cartoon about a man who tries to play his drum and is constantly interrupted by the intrusion of credit titles.

The Wall 1965/4mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Ante Zaninovic. Two men are confronted by a large and impenetrable wall.

The Fly 1966/8mins/Colour/16mm. Dir: Aleksandar Marks & Vladimir Jutrisa. A horror story about a man and a pesky fly.

Art for Arts Sake 1969/9mins/16mm Dir: Dusan Vukotic. An entertainer who swallows unlikely articles such as glass and razor blades, eventually turns to cannibalism.

Passing Days 1970/10mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Nedeljko Dragic. A man is prevented from leading a simple life by the strange people and forces that enter his world.

Tup Tup 1972/10mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Nedeljko Dragic. What may happen to a calm person constantly irritated by a certain sound while reading the newspaper.

Satiemania 1978/15mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Zdenko Gasparovic. An attempt to provide an animated visual accompaniment to the satirical, mocking, but sometimes lyrical music of Erik Satie



The Chauvel Cinematheque acknowledges the assistance of the National film and Video Lending Service, the National Film & Sound Archive, the Australian Film Commission and the Hobart Film Society in the creation of this program.

AUTUMN 2007 CINEMATHEQUE PROGRAM

AUTUMN 2007 CINEMATHEQUE PROGRAM

Mailing list and enquiries: brettgarten@iprimus.com.au
Cinematheque screenings are open to members and their guests. Membership is available at the door.

Trial Membership (1 month/4 screenings/1 guest) $18/$15
3 Month Membership (12 screenings/3 guests) $36/$32
Annual Membership (52 screenings/12 guests) $85/$75
Saturday screenings commence at 1pm.
Monday screenings commence at 7pm.

Sat 3/2 & Mon 5/2 FILMS ON FILM

Cinema Switzerland/1973/3mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Sebastian C. Schroeder. An Afghan street cinema, using the sun as a light source directed through mirrors.

Dick Smith: Make-Up Artist USA/1976/18mins/Colour/16mm Dir: David E. Smith. Shows the aging techniques used on Dustin Hoffman in 'Little Big Man' and Marlon Brando in 'The Godfather'



Drive-In Blues USA/1986/28mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Jan Krawitz. This brief history provides a nostalgic celebration of the drive-in as a social institution in America.

Reverse Angle Germany/1982/16mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Wim Wenders. This essay film is a montage of 'tourist' images of Manhattan, television commercials, the 'Hammett' editing rooms, fragments of a session with Hammett's producer Francis Ford Coppola,
Edward Hopper's paintings, Emmanuel Bove's writing - juxtaposed with new wave music and Wenders' personal reflections.

To Shoot a Mad Dog Australia/1976/26mins/Colour/16mm Dir: David Elfick. An insight into the crazed production of Philippe Mora's Australian feature film 'Mad Dog Morgan', starring Dennis Hopper at his manic worst.

Showing the World We're Still Here Germany/1972/16mins/B&W and Colour/16mm Dir: Werner Herzog. Herzog appears in person in this film which his camera-man shot during the filming of ‘Aguirre, the Wrath of God’.

Sat 10/2 & Mon 12/2 CLAYMATION

A program of clay animated shorts, focussing on the work of three masters of the form: Will Vinton, Joan Gratz and Elliot Noyes Jr.

Claymation: Three Dimensional Animation USA/1978/18mins/ Colour/16mm Dir: Will Vinton. A group of animators discuss and demonstrate the steps involved in producing a clay animation film.

Closed Mondays USA/1974/7mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Will Vinton. A wino wanders into an art museum and believes he sees the art objects come to life. Won an Oscar for Best Animated Short of 1974.

Clay: Origin of the Species USA/1964/8mins/B&W/16mm Dir: Elliot Noyes Jr. Whimsical clay sculptures metamorphise from one form to another. Oscar nominated for Best Animated Short of 1965.

Creation USA/1981/8mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Will Vinton An illustration of one of seven poems on the theme of the Creation written in the style of a black preacher by James Weldon Johnson.

Mona Lisa Descending the Staircase USA/1991/7mins/Colour/ 16mm Dir: Joan Gratz. An entertaining and colourful journey through the development of modern art, from impressionism, through cubism and surrealism to contemporary pop art and postmodern hyper-realism. Won an Oscar for Best Animated Short in 1993.



Fable of He and She USA/1974/10mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Elliot Noyes, Jr. An animated fable that challenges stereotyped thinking.

Martin the Cobbler USA/1976/28mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Will Vinton A poor cobbler has a dream in which he hears the Lord promise to visit him. Instead poor people in need of food, clothing, warmth and understanding come to him. In the end he understands that this is how the Lord visits men today.

Toilette USA/1976/7mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Joan Freeman. An animated film using clay figures to illustrate a young woman's indecision when dressing in the morning.

Sat 17/2 & Mon 19/2 DOUBLE POSSESSION

USA/1973/80mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Bill Gunn. This offbeat black independent film, also known as ‘Ganja and Hess’, was marketed as a blaxploitation horror film upon release but is really a challenging work that addresses issues of African-American culture and spirituality. Dr Hess Green, an esteemed anthropologist, is assigned a new assistant of unstable disposition. When Hess is stabbed with an African relic, he becomes obsessed with blood, being possessed by an ancient curse.

Sat 24/2 ONLY - HORROR OF PARTY BEACH



USA/1964/16mm/78mins Dir: Del Tenney. This outrageous “monster musical” fuses the beach party genre with ‘Creature from the Black Lagoon’. Atomic radiation causes a sea monster (a man in a rubber suit with hot dogs stuck to his face) to rise from the deep and attack liberated women. The crisp, B&W photography sometimes resembles the work of surrealist Man Ray, while the feminist back lash angle, terrible “surf” music, and the quirky, fast-paced direction, make this a unique example of unintentional, garage surrealism. Screens once only – no Monday screening.



Sat 3/3 & Mon 5/3 ALL ROADS LEAD TO POE

A selection of short films either based on, or about, American author, poet and critic, Edgar Allan Poe.



Edgar Allan Poe: A Background to his works USA/1975/15mins/ 16mm. This award-winning educational film uses art work created in the style of Poe’s writings to illustrate scenes from his major works.

The Raven USA/1942/18mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Dave Fleischer
A loose, comic adaptation of Poe’s classic poem from the Fleischer Bros. studio, creators of Betty Boop.

The Poisoner Poisoned Czech/1969/28mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Milos Makovec. An episode from the Czech portmanteau film, ‘Prague Nights’, concerning mysterious disappearances in a peculiar hotel - based on the Poe story , ‘The Terribly Strange Bed’.

Toby Dammit aka Never Bet the Devil You’re Head Italy/1968/ 38mins/16mm Dir: Federico Fellini. An episode from the French portmanteau film, ‘Tales of Mystery and Imagination’ starring Terence Stamp as a burnt-out Hollywood star.



The Raven USA/1951/12mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Larry Jacobs.
A reading of Edgar Allan Poe's poem ‘The Raven’ illustrated by the engravings of Gustave Dore.

Sat 10/3 & Mon 12/3 BITTER BIERCE

American master of both civil war and horror literature (often together), Ambrose Bierce was a newspaper muckraker par excellence, civil war hero and literary villain, whose grim and ironic tales of soldiers and civilians earned him the appellation above.



Man and the Snake UK/1975/26mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Sture Rydman. After an evening's conversation about the uncanny power of snakes, a zoologist's overnight guest awakes to see two beady eyes staring at him in the darkness.

The Boarded Window USA/1973/17mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Alan W. Beattie. A husband’s loss of his wife is compounded by the terrifying and uncertain circumstances of her death.

Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge France/1962/28mins/B&W/ 16mm Dir: Robert Enrico. A Confederate citizen stands on the scaffold, about to be hanged, and seems, by a miracle, to escape.

Chickamaugua France/1962/29mins/B&W/16mmDir: Robert Enrico
A boy wanders from his homestead during a battle in the American Civil War and comes across a group of dead and dying soldiers.

One of the Missing UK/1969/27mins/B&W/16mm Dir: Tony Scott About a young soldier trapped beneath a fall of masonry and confronted by a loaded rifle. From the director of ‘True Romance’.

Saturday 17/3 & 19/3 SOCIAL SCIENCE FILMS

The Hole USA/1962/15mins/Colour/16mm Dir: John Hubley. Two construction workers - one black, one white - converse about politics, families, modern technology and attitudes to life, while excavating a hole. Winner of the 1962 Oscar for Best Animated Short.

One Small Step USA/1980/16mins/Colour/16mm Dir: A film about getting along with each other, courtesy, the golden rule, smiling more, being less indifferent to others and more cooperative.

Have I Told You Lately that I Love You USA/1958/17mins/B&W/ 16mm Dir: Stuart Hanisch. One day in the life of an upper-middle-class American family, showing their dependence upon machines and the effect of automation on their relationships with one another.

Feeling of Hostility USA/1948/32mins/B&W/16mm A case history of a girl who, lacking affection and understanding at home attempts to substitute achievement - often obtained at the expense of others.

Eye of the Beholder USA/1953/25mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Felix Feist. This film is designed to show that what one sees in any situation is conditioned by one's past experience and point of view.

Work:Alienation on the Assembly Line USA/1970/15 mins/16mm Dir: A study of the alienation experienced by workers on assembly lines in
Detroit car factories.

Sat 24/3 & Mon 26/3 WATERSIDE WORKERS FILM UNIT

Lament the disappearance of Sydney’s working harbour with this retrospective of politically engaged films from Sydney’s legendary Waterside Workers’ Federation Film Unit.

The Hungry Mile Australia/1955/28mins/B&W/16mm Dir: Keith Gow, Jerome Levy. A passionate survey of the struggles and achievements of the Waterside Workers' Federation, including some striking scenes of the depression (reconstructed with amateur actors), showing the impact of the economic hardships of the 1930s.

Indonesia Calling Australia/1948/22mins/B&W/16mm Dir: Joris Ivens, Edmund Allison, Marion Michelle, Catherine Duncan.
Joris Ivens was in Sydney to make a film about the return of the Dutch to Indonesia for the Netherlands Government. Instead he, and others, made a film about the refusal of the waterside workers to man and load Dutch ships and arms. Narrated by Peter Finch.

Four's a Crowd Australia/1956/15mins/B&W/16mm Dir: Keith Gow, Jerome Levy, Norma Disher. Caricatures of four undesirable union types - 'Glass Arm Harry', 'Tiddly Pete', 'Nickaway Ned' and 'Ron the Roaster'. Narrated by Leonard Teale.

Land of Australia - Aboriginal Culture Australia/1957/10mins/
B&W/16mm Dir: Keith Gow, Jerome Levy. A short documentary highlighting Aboriginal culture and beliefs as represented through traditional art and creation legends. Narrated by Leonard Teale.

November Victory Australia/1954/20mins/B&W/16mm Dir: Jerome Levy, Keith Gow, Norma Disher. A view of the national waterfront strike in November 1954 against the policies of the shipowners and the Menzies government.

Not Only the Need... Australia/1958/20mins/B&W/16mm Dir: Keith Gow, Jerome Levy, Norma Disher. Contrasting government housing policies with the realities of slum conditions and inadequate housing.

Sat 31/3 & Mon 2/4 FILMS OF MAX & DAVE FLEISCHER

The cartoons of the Fleischer brothers represent animation at its best. This program represents almost the entire collection of Fleischer cartoons held in the National Library collection.

The Chinaman USA/1920/6mins/B&W/16mm. Koko the Clown and his entanglement with a Chinaman.

Modelling USA/1921/7mins/B&W/16mm. Animated film about a cartoon clown who comes to life.

Bubbles USA/1922/7mins/B&W/16mm. A charming combination of live action and animation from the 'Out of the Inkwell' series.

Koko's Earth Control USA/1927/B&W/16mm. Koko and his dog tamper with the levers that control Earth.

Koko the Kop USA/1927/B&W/16mm. Koko the Kop in conflict with a hungry dog.

Finding His Voice USA/1929/11mins/B&W/16mm. This cartoon was produced for Western Electric and demonstrates how sound is reproduced in talking pictures.

In My Merry Oldsmobile USA/1931/5mins/B&W/16mm. Animated sing-along to the tune of In My Merry Oldsmobile

Betty in Blunderland USA/1933/7mins/B&W/16mm. A parody of 'Alice in Wonderland'.

Betty Boop's Rise to Fame USA/1934/9mins/B&W/16mm. Betty demonstrates her routines in a revue style structure.

Betty Boop in Poor Cinderella USA/1934/10mins/B&W/16mm.
An animated musical retelling of the Cinderella story.

Betty Boop and Grampy USA/1935/7mins/B&W/16mm. Grampy outlasts Betty Boop and friends at a party in his trick house.

Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor USA/1936/16mins/ Colour/16mm. This was the first cartoon to be given wide theatrical billing as a main attraction.

Sat 7/4 & Mon 9/4 BRAKHAGE FRAME BY FRAME

Legendary experimental filmmaker Stan Brakhage’s hand-painted films represent the largest body of work in abstract painting. This special presentation will look at several Brakhage films, including the Dante Quartet, Dog Star Man, Mothlight and others in full, and then again, frame by frame, to reveal the extent of Brakhage’s work and genius. The frame by frame presentation will be accompanied by a commentary by Cinematheque curator Brett Garten.

Sat 14/4 & Mon 16/4 CITY SYMPHONIES

City symphonies mix documentary, narrative and experimental techniques to create portraits of cities. In this program is a range of city films, from the silent era to more recent work. The silent films will be accompanied by new scores, performed live on stage.

Rien Que les Heures (Nothing but Time) France/1926/35mins/ B&W/16mm Dir: Alberto Calvalcanti. A day in the life of Paris in the 1920s, concentrating on the human side, with a social conscience not usually associated with the genre. With live music.

Regen (Rain) Netherlands/1929/11mins/B&W/16mm Dir: Joris Ivens. This model 'city poem' observes the changing face of Amsterdam during the rain. With live music.



Manhatta USA/1921/7mins/B&W/16mm Dir: Paul Strand & Charles Sheeler. This portrait of New York was one of the first American avant garde films. With live musical accompaniment.

Rhythm of a City Sweden/1947/18mins/B&W/16mm Dir: Arne Sucksdorff. This film poem is built on incident and observation evoking without commentary, the rhythm of life in a Stockholm - 'where the fittest survive'. Won an Oscar for Best Short Doco 1949.

N.Y., N.Y. : A Day in New York USA/1960/17mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Francis Thompson. Through a variety of lenses, reflectors, special optical effects and editing, Thompson distorts and creates a city. The soundtrack moves from concrete sounds to abstract jazz.

Iran France/1971/18mins/Color/16mm Dir: Claude Lelouch. Iran is seen as a country in transition. A buried masterpiece from the director of ‘A Man and a Woman’.

San Francisco UK/1969/15mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Anthony Stern
A flood of rapidly cut images backed by an early demo version of Pink Floyd's Interstellar Overdrive.

Sat 21/4 & Mon 23/4 WAR HOT AND COLD

This program of propaganda films will be introduced by David McKnight, acclaimed author of ‘Beyond Right and Left’.

Menace Australia/1952/10mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Jack S. Staged and documentary footage is disguised as newsreel in this anti-communist tract. It was widely released in Australia in the ‘50s.

Hot Spot USA/1943/5mins/B&W/16mm One of the 'Private Snafu' series of cartoons shown exclusively in the armed services. The basic purpose of this one was to acquaint military personnel with conditions in Iran. Script by Theodor Geisel aka Dr. Seuss.

Red Nightmare USA/1962/29mins/B&W/16mm Dir: George Waggner. A small town American takes his civil liberties for granted until he dreams of a communist takeover. A right-wing Twilight Zone from producer Jack ‘Dragnet’ Webb.



Tokio Jokio USA/1943/7mins/B&W/16mm Dir: Leon Schlesinger. This highly racist war time spoof/propaganda film is still of interest as a study of the allies attitudes towards the Japanese during World War II. Music by Carl Stalling.

The Autobiography of a Jeep USA/1944/10mins/B&W/16mm Dir: Irving Lerner. A humorous film designed to convey some information about the general purpose vehicle which became affectionately known as the 'Jeep'.

In Our Hands USA/1956/15mins/B&W/16mm. Hilarious and chilling, this film is part of a series of right-wing, cold-war propaganda films.

RSL News Australia/1969/8mins/B&W/16mm. A “newsreel” produced for and shown exclusively in Australian RSL clubs.

Cap'n Cub Scraps the Japs USA/1943/9mins/B&W/16mm Dir: Ted Eshbaugh. A bizarre wartime propaganda film for children which culminates in a dogfight in which Captain Cub pits his aerial combat skills against a bomber piloted by an evil Japanese monkey.

Sat 28/4 & Mon 30/4 BYGONE WORLD OF SYDNEY’S THEATRES

Join Ian Hanson, Australia’s pre-eminent theatre historian, on an amazing journey back in time to the heyday of Sydney’s picture palaces. This special cinematheque program will consist of a multimedia presentation from Ian’s extensive archive of slides, photographs, films and videos, on the lost theatres of Sydney.



Guest In Our House Australia/1947/15mins/B&W/VHS Hilarious Hoyts staff training film. Made for Hoyts by Fox-Movietone.

Hamilton Weber and the State Orchestra Australia/1934/10mins/B&W/DVD Dir: Ken G. Hall. Remains of Ken G.Halls short ‘Cinesound Varieties’ filmed at the State Theatre by Frank Hurley.

The Chauvel Cinematheque acknowledges the assistance of the National film and Video Lending Service, the National Film & Sound Archive, the Australian Film Commission and the Hobart Film Society in the creation of this program.

SUMMER 06/07 CINEMATHEQUE PROGRAM

Sat 28/10 & Mon 30/10 HALLOWEEN ZOMBIE DOUBLE

I Walked with a Zombie USA/1943/69mins/B&W/16mm Dir: Jacques Tourneur. An ambiguous combination of horror fantasy and psychological thriller, the film blurs the distinction between good and evil, poetically depicting tribal customs without stereotyping.

White Zombie USA/1932/67mins//B&W/16mm Dir: Victor Halperin. Bela Lugosi is at his malevolent best as plantation owner and voodoo priest, Murder Legendre, in this atmospheric creeper.

Sat 4/11 & Mon 6/11 FILMS OF SAUL AND ELAINE BASS

This program celebrates the vision of Hollywood’s greatest graphic designer, Saul Bass, creator of many memorable short films, title sequences and poster designs for Hitchcock, Scorsese and others.

Bass on Titles USA/1977/35mins/Colour/16mm. Bass discusses the development of his titles designed for feature films. The film features ten of the more than forty film titles Bass has created including, 'Man with the Golden Arm', 'Seconds', and 'Walk on the Wild Side'.

Why Man Creates USA/1968/24mins/Colour/16mm. Using a variety of film techniques, Bass examines the nature of the creative process. Won an Oscar for Best Short Documentary of 1969.
“This is a really powerful documentary.” imdb.com
“I saw it twice in high school. My teacher was Eliza Stone. She was strange and tough- a frail old bird whose class is one of the few I would not cut.” imdb.com

The Searching Eye USA/1964/16mins/Colour/16mm. A cinemato-graphic treat in which ordinary objects reveal unexpected worlds of visual experience.

Psycho (Trailer) USA/1960/7mins/B&W/16mm. Bass & Hitchcock collaborated on this revolutionary promotional trailer for 'Psycho'.

Notes on the Popular Arts USA/1977/20mins/Colour/16mm. Uses live action, animation, and special effects to show how the popular arts in America serve as means of self-projection and fantasy fulfilment. Nominated for the Best Short Film Oscar of 1978.

Quest USA/1983/30mins/Colour/16mm. A race of people are trapped on a strange planet where lack of sunlight and vegetation has reduced the life to 8 short days. Based on a story by Ray Bradbury.

Sat 11/11 & Mon 13/11 dial H-I-S-T-O-R-Y (Sat. starts 2:30pm)

USA/1998/68mins/Colour/Digital Dir: Johan Grimonprez.Buckle up for this acclaimed hijacking documentary that eerily foreshadowed 9-11. Blends archival footage of hijackings with surreal and banal themes, including fast food, pet statistics, disco, and quirky home movies. David Shea composed the superb soundtrack to this free fall through history. The theme of hijacking planes can be read as a metaphor for the hijacking of images out of their context.

"An eccentric, roller coaster ride through history." Time Out

Sat 18/11 & Mon 20/11 OFF THE CHARTS

USA/2003/58mins/Colour/Digital Dir: Jamie Meltzer. This fascinating, at times unsettling, documentary exposes the strange underworld of the song-poem industry. In this little known subculture, "ordinary people" respond to come-on ads in the back pages of magazines, mailing in their heartfelt but often bizarre poems to "music industry" companies that, for a fee, turn those poems into real recordings. OTC explores a unique, never-before-seen slice of Gothic Americana through interviews with song-poem writers, the jaded producers and musicians who set their words to music, and a few of the growing number of zealous song-poem connoisseurs.

“Probably the best movie you've never seen.” imdb.com

Screens with short 16mm musical films: Let’s Sing with Popeye,
Autobahn, Braverman’s Condensed History of the Beatles,
Fish Heads, Mongoloid, and The Three Little Bops.

Sat 25/11 & Mon 27/11 PARODIES

There are chuckles aplenty with this gaggle of zany send-ups.

Hardware Wars USA/1977/13min/Colour/16mm Dir: Ernie Fosselius. Silly and amateurish, but hilarious nonetheless, this ‘Star Wars’ spoof was the first fan film and still the best.

The Dove USA/1968/15mins/B&W/16mm Dir: George Coe & Anthony Lover. Madeline Kahn stars in this Oscar nominated Bergman parody that captures the tone of the Swedish master.

Porklips Now USA/1980/22 minutes/Colour/16mm Dir: Ernie Fosselius. A parody of 'Apocalypse Now' featuring Martin Sheen look-alike William Gray as "Dullard".

Blaze Glory USA/1969/8mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Lee Janson & Chuck Menville. Ingeniously filmed Western satire.

Dream Doll UK-Yugoslavia/1979/12mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Bob Godfrey & Zlatko Grgic. A lonely man falls in love with a life-size, inflatable doll in this Oscar nominated animation based on "The Red Balloon". “Twelve minutes of heaven.” imdb.com

Song of the Prairie Czechoslovakia/1949/22mins/Colour/16mm. Dir: Jiri Trnka An operatic parody of American westerns by the virtuoso Czech puppeteer.

Massingham Trailers UK/1949/9mins/B&W16mm. Dir: Richard Massingham. A set of trailers from the films of Richard Massingham, who specialised in making satires of educational films. Henri Langlois once mentioned the director in the same breath as Jean Vigo, Luis Buñuel and Mack Sennett. An antecedent of The Goon Show, Richard Lester and Monty Python, he mined a manic and uniquely British strand of comedy.

Kama Sutra Rides Again UK/1970/9mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Bob Godfrey. This parody of sex manuals by Australian born animator Godfrey was shown before A Clockwork Orange in the UK.

Java Junkie USA/1979/5mins/Colour/35mm Dir: Tom Schiller. A witty film noir send-up about a caffeine addict.

Sat 2/12 & Mon 4/12 AFRO PROMO

Australian Premiere. USA/1997/91mins/Colour & B&W/Digital. Curated by Jenni Olson and Karl Knapper. Filled with insights on race and social dynamics, this fascinating compendium of Coming Attractions explores an extensive range of stylistic approaches – Blaxploitation, Comedy, Music Bio, Plantation Drama, and more – all smartly organized by genre, or viewable as one outrageous joyride through motion picture history.

“A sometimes funny, sometimes frightening look at Tinseltown’s presentation of Blacks.” – Edward Marguiles, Movieline

“Offers considerable fun, and food for thought.” Variety
“Less a history of Hollywood racism than a chilling testament to the capacity of marketing to co-opt social change.” Village Voice

Sat 9/12 & Mon 11/12 Short Film Smorgasbord

A gourmet selection of the finest in short filmmaking.

Les Astronautes France/1960/B&W/13mins /16mm Dir: Walerian Borowczyk. Assistant Dir: Chris Marker . A satirical look at competitive space travel using collage and pixilation techniques

Street of Crocodiles UK/21mins/1986 This animated puppet film is adapted from the short stories of the Polish writer and artist Bruno Schulz published in the thirties. The Street of Crocodiles is part of an eerie, derelict town where strange but recognisably human figures engage in an endless round of apparently meaningless activity.

Very Nice Very Nice Canada/1961/7mins/B&W/16mm Dir: Arthur Lipsett. Impressions of the absurdity and triviality of everyday life, described by Kubrick “one of the most imaginative and brilliant uses of the movie screen and soundtrack that I have ever seen.”

Television Land USA/1971/12mins/B&W/16mm Dir: Charles Braverman. A montage of images of television that indicates the profound effect television is having upon society.

Outer Space Austria/1999/10mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Peter Tscherkassky. Prolific Austrian avant-garde filmmaker and theorist, Tscherkassky. reinvents a 1981 Barbara Hershey horror vehicle in this bravura experimental film. Gavin Smith's Films Of The Year, Film Comment.

The Sandman USA/1981/4mins/Colour/35mm Dir: Elliot Noyes Jr. An animated film made entirely from sand. More titles to come.

Sat 16/12 & Mon 18/12 ROGER CORMAN: KING OF THE B’S

Roger Corman: Hollywood's Wild Angel USA/1978/57mins/ Colour/16mm Dir: Christian Blackwood. Corman made his reputation as a director in the ‘50's with films like 'Little Shop of Horrors' and 'Bucket of Blood' then acted as a godfather to a generation of American filmmaking by producing the first films of Scorsese, Coppola, Demme, Bogdanovich, Dante, and many others.

Rock All Night USA/1958/60mins/B&W/16mm. Dir: Roger Corman. This 'fairly deranged rock and roll suspense picture' is a personal favourite of Corman's: 'One of the strangest movies I ever made'. It was shot on one set in a fortnight.

Sat 23/12 Only SATANIC HISTORY OF HOLLYWOOD

For years religious groups have claimed Hollywood a dark satanic mill, hell-bent on perverting the minds of impressionable youth. Now, for the first time, you’ll learn the shocking truth behind the Satanic influence in Hollywood in a special multimedia presentation on Hollywood’s satanic underground presented before tonight’s films by Cinematheque curator Brett Garten. Xmas parties welcome.

All Eyes on Sharon UK/1969/12mins/B&W/16mm. Production Featurette about the making of eye of the Devil starring Sharon Tate.

Lucifer Rising USA/1972-1981/27mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Kenneth Anger. An intricate tapestry of images that is about as pure as cinema gets. 'Lucifer Rising' is given dramatic emphasis by Bobby Beausoleil's psychedelic rock score, recorded while he was serving time in prison for his involvement with the Manson Family Murders.

Invocation of My Demon Brother USA/1969/11mins/Colour/16mm Dir: Kenneth Anger. Mick Jagger created the droning Moog soundtrack to this fast moving collage of Magick elements.
“Anger’s short films - and especially this one - have probably been more important in shaping pop and art culture than any other single short film. For that he deserves credit and recognition.” imdb.com

Seventh Victim USA/1943/71mins/B&W/16mm Dir: Mark Robson Regarded as the most personal of producer Val Lewton's productions, and until Rosemary’s Baby, the benchmark for occult horror in Hollywood, this story, about a society of devil-worshippers in Greenwich Village and their attempt to silence one of their members when she endangers their secrecy, is rich in detail; but it is also the oppressive mood, the romantic obsession with death-in-life, which dominates the film.

Sat 30/12 & Mon 1/1 WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER

Australian Premiere. USA/2001/97mins/Colour/35mm Dir: David Wain. Janeane Garofolo and Paul Rudd star in this witty parody of coming-of-age teen movies of the 70s & 80s. Laugh away your NYE hang-over with this over-looked comic gem, never released in Australia, and presented here for the first time in a brilliant 35mm print.

“ A delectable parody of dawn-of-the Reagan-era teen flicks.” David Ansen, Newsweek
“The funniest movie I’ve seen all year.” Ain’t it Cool News

Sat 6/1 & Mon 8/1 RAINBOW MAN

Australian Premiere USA/1997/48mins/Colour/Digital Dir: Sam Green. From the makers of the Academy Award nominated doco, ‘The Weathermen’ comes ‘Rainbow Man’ - one of the most bizarre cases in the annals of American true crime. Rollen Frederick Stewart, a.k.a. ‘Rainbow Man’, achieved notoriety during the late 70's by appearing in the crowd at thousands of televised sporting events wearing his trademark rainbow-coloured afro wig. Later - after he became a born-again Christian - he added a sign reading "John 3:16". Over the years, grabbing the attention of the media became an obsession for Stewart. He abandoned his home and marriage to roam the country living out of his car, studying TV Guide each week in a never-ending quest to stay televised... with tragic consequences.

"More than an exploration one life, The Rainbow Man is a parable about alienation, the media, and the meaninglessness that often defines American life." Trevor Groth, Sundance Film Festival

Sat 13/1 & Mon 15/1 Films of LEN LYE

New Zealand born painter, filmmaker, sculptor, writer and teacher, Len Lye, was an artist’s artist and pioneer of “direct” cinema, or making films without a camera. Lye was also a member of Britain’s Realist Film Unit and made documentaries, commercials, and propaganda, or “morale-booster” films. The diverse talents of this eccentric and under-rated artist will be presented tonight with this extensive retrospective of his work. Monday’s screening will be accompanied by a talk by producer John Maynard, former director of the Len Lye Foundation.

Tusalava UK/1929/B&W/7mins/Digital. Lye's first film concerns Aboriginal myths about the witchetty grub.

Rainbow dance UK/1930/4mins/Colour/16mm. An ingenious animated advertisement for the British Post Office.

Experimental Animation UK/1933/2mins/B&W/16mm Fragment of unfinished film by Len Lye using puppet-animation.

Kaleidoscope UK/1935/Colour/4mins/16mm. An abstract film, made as a cigarette commercial using stencilling and hand painting.

Birth of a Robot UK/1936/7mins/Colour/16mm. Puppet film produced for the Shell Oil Company.

Trade Tattoo: The Rhythm of Work-a-Day Britain UK/1937/6mins/Colour/16mm Black and white documentary footage is fed through the Technicolor separation system so that it gains some of the complexities of modern painting.

Colour Flight UK/1938/5mins/Colour/Digital. A mainly abstract film, ostensibly an airline commercial, painted directly onto celluloid and synchronised to 'Honolulu Blues'.

Kill or be Killed UK/1939/18mins/B&W/16mm. Army training film showing how a British soldier stalks and kills a German sniper.

Swinging the Lambeth Walk UK/1939/4mins/Colour/Digital
Abstract animation is synchronised to music.

Newspaper Train UK/1939/6mins/B&W/16mm This wartime morale-booster displays Lye's eccentric sense of humour and his ingenuity in using simple film tricks to achieve complex effects.

N or NW UK/1940/8mins/16mm Slightly surreal tale of a couple sorting out their differences by letter.

Musical Poster No. 1 UK/1940/2mins/Colour/16mm. This hand- painted film warns the public against the danger of talking too much.

When the Pie Was Opened UK/1941/B&W/8mins/16mm. Lively war-time propaganda film giving a recipe for a vegetable pie.

Cameramen at War UK/1941/15mins/B&W/16mm. Documentary on the task of the newsreel cameramen.

Color Cry UK/4mins/1952/Digital. An innovative direct film.

Rhythm UK/1957/B&W/5mins/Digital. The process of assembling a car is cut to match the rhythms of African drum music.

Free Radicals USA/1958-1979/4mins/B&W/16mm. A primitive kinetic dance of white lines and angles meticulously scratched onto black and white film over an 8-month period.

Particles in Space USA/1979/4mins/B&W/Digital. Simple scratches on black leader film take on profound qualities when synchronised to tribal drumming.

Tal Farlow USA/1980/B&W/3 minutes/Digital. Black scratch designs accompany a piece of jazz guitar music.

Sat 20/1 & Mon 22/1 BEST AND WORST ADS

USA-UK-Australia-France-Germany/120mins/B&W & Colour/ 16mm & 35mm. Two hours of the best and worst cinema and TV ads spanning the twenties to the naughties. From the first cinema advertisements produced by German avant-garde artist, Oscar Fischinger, through the incredible advertising films of Len Lye, to the latest high tech ads – this is a vast collection of hucksters and hacks, snake-oil salesmen and visionaries.

Saturday 27/1 BLACKTOP DREAMS

UK author Jack Sargeant will discuss the road movie genre in a guest lecture / Q&A - part of the Chauvel’s road movie season.

Two-Lane Blacktop USA/1971/102mins/Colour/16mm. Dir: Monte Hellman. This existential road movie is an under-rated cult classic and stars Warren Oates, James Taylor, and the Beach Boys Denis Wilson as rev-heads racing because there's nothing else to do.

Sunday 28/1 BLACKTOP DREAMS DOUBLE

Gun Crazy USA/1949/87mins/B&W/16mm Dir: Joseph H. Lewis A sexed-up film-noir couple-on-the-lam road movie described by the Surrealists as a film-noir version of L’age D’or.

They Live By Night USA/1948/95mins/B&W/16mm Dir: Nicholas Ray. A bleak tale of young love on the run from the law and heading nowhere. A classic.

The Chauvel Cinematheque acknowledges the assistance of the National film and Video Lending Service, the National Film & Sound Archive and the Australian Film Commission in the creation of this program.

Transcript of an introductory talk to The Dark Side of the Rainbow 21/10/06

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the final screening in the first Chauvel Cinematheque program. My name is Brett Garten and I am the curator of the Cinematheque program, a projectionist here at the Chauvel, and your host for what I hope is a very enjoyable evening. Tonight we are to enter the mysterious world of “syncing” where classic movies and classic albums are played simultaneously to create a new hybrid work of art.

Before I go on I’d like to point out some of the distinguished members in the audience – Film historian, director and all round movie whiz Mr Barrie Pattison. Barrie has the honour of walking out of almost every cinematheque screening. The big question is - Will he make it through today’s screening? Also in the audience tonight ladies and gentlemen, one of Sydney’s leading film buffs, veteran Neighbours screenwriter and all round nice guy, Michael O’Rourke.

Also in the audience tonight Tina Kaufman, Eoghan Lewis of Sydney Architecture Walks, so local history buffs take note, Mr Lewis is in the colourful knitted sweater.

So we’ve come to an end to the first cinematheque program and I’ve saved the best till last. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have become members. I’d especially like to thank everyone who took out annual memberships. The faith and commitment you’ve shown in the programming delights me and your generous finacncial contribution has certainly helped keep this little project viable.

The membership system is unavoidable for two reasons. One, it is a requirement of the NFVLS, a vast library in Canberra from which the majority of the films in the last program were sourced. Secondly, and more importantly, it gives me the right to screen films unclassified by the OFLC, thus avoiding censorship, and the privilege of having to pay for said censorship. Not that I’m going to show anything too crazy... well, you never know.

Okay, before we get to today’s film, I’d like to say a few things about the new program. One, there are a few digital presentations on this new program. Yes, I know some, maybe many of you, are film purists. I’m the same, but I have included a few digital programs in this new calendar. Yes, I’d love to present only film at the cinematheque, and I promise, I will show a lot of film, but 1) good prints, especially 35mm prints are simply not available, unless I import them at great expense, and 2) the Lenard sound sytem installed at the Chauvel really shows up the limitations of 16mm sound, whereas DVDs and Betacam tapes sound great. Lastly, the Cineo video projector we have here in Cin. 1 is an excellent high definition video projector that offers picture quality comparable to 16mm. I have run 16mm and dvd of the same film side by side, and while you can tell the difference, the video does in many ways look and sound better; the image is sharper, the source material is generally free of the annoying scratches, dirt and colour shift found on most 16mm prints, and finally the sound is great. We have also just this week acquired a digital media server, which, while I’m still to get my head around it, will provide much opportunity in the future for both more diverse programming and excellent picture quality.

I did a short demonstration of the incredible Lenard sound system behind the screen here at the Chauvel a few weeks ago, and tonight, you will hear it in full force. You will also see the excellent Norwegian Cineo video projector in action for the first time in a cinematheque program tonight as tonights short tonight is off DVD. I have dumped the short film advertised in the program, the rather bland anti-drug educational film The Wizard of Yes, and replaced it with something called Jovian Echoes. Now Jovian Echoes is another example of this "syncing" phenomena- it's the trip sequence from the end of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey matched up with Pink Floyd’s epic psychedelic powerhouse, Echoes, off the Meddle album. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed by this last minute reshuffle. In fact, these two sync up as if they were made for each other. There is even a rumour floating around that the track was a demo made by Floyd and sent to Kubrick at the time he was cutting 2001, who used it as a temp track for the ending of the film. In an interview with Dave Gilmour, he states that his biggest regret was not doing the soundtrack for 2001, the implication being that he had sent off a demo track, or at least expressed some interest, to Kubrick for his consideration.

Before I go on about Dark Side of the Rainbow, I’d like to draw your attention to some of the highlights of the new program. The Satanic History of Hollywood, a program that includes two shorts by Kenneth Anger, Lucifer rising and Invocation of My Demon Brother, plus the 1942 Val Lewton production The Seventh victim, one of my favourte movies. I will also present an hour-long powerpoint presentation, the Satanic History of Hollywood, - consisting of five interlocking mini-biographies that document the shocking truth behind the satanic history of Hollywood - based on an essay I have been trying to write for the last ten years.

The second highlight is the films of Len Lye. Lye was a New Zealander who was a pioneer of direct cinema. By direct cinema, I mean making films without a camera, using painting, stenciling and scratching on the actual film stock itself. Lye invented the techniques used by Brakhage and Norman McLaren that we saw featured in the last program. He was also a pioneer of experimenting with colour processes. Not only that, he was also one of the pioneers of advertising films, or ads and his ads have to be seen to be believed. They are still to this day, far more sophisticated artistically than the ads of today.

Furthermore, he wasn’t just a filmmaker, he was also a painter, a kinetic sculptor (by kinetic I mean he scuplpted or rather engineered these giant moving sculptures) and a philosopher, whose philosphy was outlined in the book Individual Happiness Now, which I am still looking for if you find of a copy. Lye was arguably the greatest film artist to emerge from this part of the world and the program will consist of two hours,/twenty films by this amazing and eccentric genius. Not only that but I have also secured producer John Maynard, producer of Sweetie, The Boys, and many other of Australias’ greatest films, to give a talk on the night about Len Lye. Mr Maynard was a former director of the Len Lye Foundation in New Zealand and knew Len quite well.

The third promising program is the two hour compilation I have entitled rather blandly, Best and Worst Ads. This program consists of over a hundred ads - from the dawn of cinema to the present day - and promises to be for me , a major hassle – imagine selecting and splicing over a hundred separate films together. But hopefully, for you, it will be a bit of a treat.

But that’s in the future. Tonight it’s time for Dark Side of the Rainbow.

Early on in the cinematheque program, I think it was after the second program, Wax and the Discovery of Television Among the Bees, a member came up to me after the show and said, "Brett, do you have to be on psychedelic drugs to enjoy every film in the cinematheque program?" I said to him, "Well, no..." but I think today it would definitely help. I’m going to talk for another ten minutes or so, and our short today is about 25mins, so, in case you’re wondering ... there is still time.

The mother of all syncs, Dark Side of the Rainbow, was said to be discovered about twenty years ago by persons unknown, persons highly likely to be under the influence of psychedelic drugs. The idea is to sync up the 1939 MGM classic, The Wizard of Oz, with Pink Floyd’s 1973 art-rock classic, Dark Side of the Moon. Both film and album are among the most famous works of the twentieth century in their respective media and are familiar to almost everyone. Wizard... would have been the most popular movie of all time, had it not been gazumped the same year by Gone with the Wind, and Dark Side... was noted for it's prolonged presence in the Billboard charts - a phenomenal testament to its brilliance.

There is a lot of talk on the internet about this particular sync – some people swear it was planned by the band - that the mysterious coincidences are just too perfect, while others cite the psychologist Carl Jung’s term synchronicity as the explanation. Jung described synchronicity as a kind of meaningful coincidence, and used synchrocity to illustrate his idea of a collective unconscious – where all is connected, all is one.

Rather than go into the debate here, I will just cite a mysterious example. What is the name of the most famous song in Wizard of Oz?.. Over the Rainbow. And what is on the cover art of Dark Side of the Moon?.. A prism.

So note here that the front cover of Dark Side... goes from a black and white prism to a coloured rainbow, just like the movie goes from B&W to colour, and that on the back of the album, it goes from colour to B&W – again, just like in the movie.

Now you may think it’s all a load of bong-wash, but it is fun to speculate. The more you know about the movie, and the album, the more media literate you are, the more you will see. Personally, I think that the brain has an intrinsic drive to make order out of chaos, to see patterns and make connections. I think that is the real reason behind its significance. Your brain will get a real work-out today, far geater than a sudoku puzzle or a cryptic crossword. It will strive to see the connections and make out the patterns between the film and the album.

A film as famous as the Wizard of Oz has many stories about it. For one, conspiracy theorists claim, and I don’t fully understand this, that it is somehow used as a mind control weapon by the illuminati. The illuminati are said to be an occult group made up of powerful men who secretly control the world. The conspiracy was popularised by psychedelic era author Robert Anton Wilson. The man who wrote the book The Wizard of Oz, Frank L. Baum, was apparently a member of the Theosophical Society, an early precursor to the new age cults and new religious movements of today. The Theosophical Society was led by Madame Blavatsky, and its members included Rudolph Steiner and Krishnamurti. Baum was said to have created The Wizard of Oz book as a theosophical fairy tale, incorporating the ancient wisdom of the so-called mystery religions, or occult religions. The yellow brick road is said to signify gold, or money, which is the name of the most famous song on the album, and that to follow the yellow brick road is to follow the path of materialism, consumerism, capitalism, the Great Satan. The moral of ...Oz is that of individualism, of putting the yourself first, the first precept of the Satanic universe. paranoid critics claimed that Baum had dressed up Satan's original lie and were distributing it worldwide as popular American fairy tale.

One other interesting story about the Wizard of Oz is the myth of the hanged man - that a man hung himself on the set of the film and it was caught on-camera. In one version of the sory a munchkin extra hung himself on the set as a result of an unrequited love. You can see it in the background of the scene where the tinman is dancing on the yellow brick road and there is a large bird, a crane, walking around in the middle-ground. As Dorothy, the Tin Man and the Scarecrow walk up the yellow brick road at the end of the scene, look at the trees at the top of the screen just left of the middle and you’ll see the hanging man. The hanging man story was a hook reported in the news at the time of the Wizard of Oz's 50th anniversary in 1989, but has since proved to be fake. How could a man hang himself on a film set and none of the many cast and crew notice? It may be a myth, but it sure looks like a hanging man. Far-out conspiracists postulate that the hanging man is also a card in the tarot deck, but after watching it a few times, it is in fact the bill of a second bird - another crane.

But enough speculation. To wrap up, some of you may have twigged that the album is only half he length of the movie. Well there are several theories as to what to do next: 1. Repeat the album, or 2. Play animals, then meddle. After some late night experimentation I discovered that the second half of the films works beautifully with the first Pink Floyd album, Piper at the Gates of Dawn. The whimsical nature of the record, thanks largely to the recently departed original Pink Floyd frontman Syd Barret, is a great fit. It’s a much rawer, freakier album than Dark Side... and suits the second half of the movie. So Dark Side will play through, then repeat a bit, and then its off to Syd Barret land for the conclusion.

Anyway I hope you enjoy the show and hope to see you next week for a special Halloween zombie double. Thank You.