Seattle International Film Festival
The Seattle International Film Festival is held simultaneously at the Egyptian, Harvard Exit and Broadway Market Cinemas (opening night only is at the Paramount). Here is an alphabetical listing of this year's movies, with locations and times of showings, and ticket prices. A full calendar of films and special events is on Pages 6 and 7.
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OPENING NIGHT: May 16, 7:30 p.m., Paramount, $20
"THE MIRACLE" Great Britain Director: Neil Jordan Cast: Beverly d'Angelo, Donal McCann, Niall Byrne, Lorraine Pilkington U.S. Premiere
-- A singular blend of surreal comedy and earthy passion, the festival's opening-night attraction is the latest work of Neil Jordan, director of "Mona Lisa" and "The Company of Wolves." Here he returns to the setting of his own youth to tell a seriocomic tale of innocence lost and humanity gained. Set in the idyllic seaside resort town of Bray, south of Dublin, "The Miracle" introduces us to Rose and Jimmy, best friends and would-be writers who are hooked on investing their everyday lives with touches of magic and mystery. Both are at odds with the world in which they live, and so they invent their own reality, weaving fantasy stories around each of the people they encounter in their walks along the beachfront. One day, the arrival of a glamourous American actress (Beverly d'Angelo), who is starring in a local production of "Destry Rides Again," sets up an unexpected situation. Rose and Jimmy find themselves involved in a story that has already been written, and they are destined to play out their parts. A prize winner at the Berlin Film Festival. (96 mins.).
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CLOSING NIGHT: June 9, 7:30 p.m., Egyptian, $10
"URANUS" France Director: Claude Berri Cast: Gerard Depardieu, Philippe Noiret, Jean-Pierre Marielle, Michel Blanc. U.S. Premiere
-- The film that opened the Berlin Film Festival is the closing-night movie for the 1991 Seattle International Film Festival. Claude Berri, the director of "Jean de Florette" and "Manon of the Spring," is reunited with Gerard Depardieu in this story of the struggles engulfing a small French village in the closing days of World War II. Based on a controversial novel by Marcel Ayme, "Uranus" concentrates on the survivors of a town in that part of France ruled by the Vichy regime: Watrin (Philippe Noiret), a schoolteacher whose wife, house and school were destroyed in a bombing raid; Gaigneux (Michel Blanc), an avowed Communist who is preparing his party for the coming election; Monglat, the town Capitalist despised by just about everyone; and Maxine, who abetted the Nazis and is now hiding out to avoid justice. The only innocent in the group is Leopold (Depardieu), the cafe owner who will bear the heaviest burden of history's judgement. These men are thrown together; each will suffer the influence of the planet which rules conflict. (99 mins.)
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"ABRAHAM'S GOLD" Germany Director: Jorg Graser Cast: Hanna Schygulla, Gunther-Maria Halmer
-- Based on a true story learned from Anna Rosmus, the real-life "Nasty Girl," this dramatic film deals with the effect on Germany today of the ever-present trauma of its Nazi past. Hanna Schygulla plays a woman who returns home after many years to her 14-year-old daughter, even though she is still unreconciled to her father, a former concentration camp guard. (95 mins.) May 30, 9:30 p.m., Egyptian, $6. June 1, 2:15 p.m., Broadway Market, $4.
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"ADRENALINE" France Directors: Yann Piquer, Jean-Marie Maddeddu, Anita Assal, John Hudson, Barthelemy Bompard, Alain Robak, Philippe Dorison Cast: Jean-Marie Maddeddu, Clementine Celarie U.S. Premiere
-- This collection of a dozen bizarre comedy shorts enlists the talents of several emerging European directors in a series of horror or fantasy-based sketches. Among the highlights played for sinister laughs is "T.V. Buster," in which a boob-tube couple, personally harangued by the images of their TV screen, deal with their problem in a highly unorthodox manner. "Corridor" presents us with a booby-trapped house of horrors, watched over by a seemingly benign old couple who offer the house free to anyone who can make it through the nightmarish gauntlet they've constructed. "Physical Culture," a melding of live-action and animation, won a prize for a best short at the Cannes Film Festival. (73 mins.) May 31, midnight, Egyptian, $5.
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"AMAZON" Finland Director: Mika Kaurismaki Cast: Kari Vaananen, Robert Davi, Rae Dawn Chong
-- Finland's largest production to date, this ecological drama was directed by the brother of the country's best-known filmmaker, Aki Kaurismaki ("Ariel," "Leningrad Cowboys Go America"). It's the spiritual odyssey of a seemingly ordinary bank manager who one day robs his own bank, kills his terminally ill wife and flees Finland with his two daughters, accidentally ending up in Brazil. (94 mins.) June 3, 7 p.m., Egyptian, $6. June 5, 5 p.m., Broadway Market Cinemas, $4.
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"THE AMBULANCE" USA Director: Larry Cohen Cast: Eric Roberts, James Earl Jones, Red Buttons
-- Horror director Larry Cohen ("It's Alive," "The Stuff") has created another potential cult film with this sly thriller about a pick-up artist (Eric Roberts) trying to seduce a beautiful New Yorker. She gives him the brush-off but faints - the result of her diabetic condition. From out of nowhere, an ambulance appears and whisks her off to a midtown hospital. After work, he tries to find her, but she appears to have vanished. (95 mins.) May 17, midnight, Egyptian, $5.
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"THE AMBUSH" Yugoslavia Director: Zivojin Pavlovic Cast: Milena Dravic, Ivica Vidovic
-- Banned immediately after it was shown at the 1969 Venice Film Festival, this post-World War II drama deals with revolutionary fervor in Serbia. The main character is a naively enthusiastic accordion player who joins the security police. But his faith in the party is eroded by his comrades' brutal methods. (80 mins.) May 23, 9:30 p.m., Egyptian, $6.
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"ARCHANGEL" Canada Director: Guy Maddin Cast: Kyle McCulloch, Kathy Marykuca
-- From the team that brought you "Tales From the Gimli Hospital" (SIFF '89) comes this eye-filling tribute to the golden age of cinema. Filmed in luminous black and white, "Archangel" takes place at the end of World War I, in a Russian village where a one-legged, amnesiac Canadian soldier seeks his long-lost love. (90 mins.) May 24, 9:30 p.m., Broadway Market, $6. May 27, 2:15 p.m., Broadway Market, $4.
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"ARRIVEDERCI, MILLWALL" Great Britain Director: Charles McDougall Cast: Nick Perry, Kevin O'Donohoe
-- This razor-sharp reflection on things British, set in the early 1980s, introduces us to a new talent in director Charles McDougall. The story follows a group of young toughs as they pursue their favorite sport - soccer hooliganism. Kevin O'Donohoe plays the ring leader of the fanatic soccer hoodlums whose chief goal is to raise money to follow the Millwall team to the World Cup finals in Spain. When news comes from the Falklands that his brother has been killed in battle, he goes off the deep end. (65 mins.) May 29, 9:30 p.m., Harvard Exit, $6.
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"AVA & GABRIEL" Curacao Director: Felix de Rooy Cast: Nashaira Desbarida, Cliff San-A-Jong
-- This film continues the trilogy started with "Almacita di Desolato" (SIFF 1987) by Dutch Antilles-born Felix de Rooy. Set in 1948, the film follows the exploits of Gabriel, a black painter from Surinam commissioned to do a mural of the Virgin Mary for the local church. He meets and falls in love with Ava, a gorgeous local mixed-blood schoolteacher who is engaged to a white police major. Further complications are added by the local burghers, who become alarmed when Gabriel's portrait of the Virgin Mary exhibits distinctly non-white characteristics. Winner, Special Jury Award, 1990 Dutch Film Days. (100 mins.) May 22, 9:30 p.m., Egyptian, $6. May 25, 2:15 p.m., Broadway Market, $4.
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"AVENTIS / IF THEY TELL YOU I FELL" Spain Director: Vincente Aranda Cast: Victoria Abril, Antonio Banderas
-- Victoria Abril and Antonio Banderas, the stars of Pedro Almodovar's "Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!", are featured in this typically Spanish story of sex and politics. Two old friends recall their childhood in ruined Barcelona just after the Spanish Civil War when, for lack of toys, children amused themselves by telling stories about Fascists, anarchists, Republicans, prostitutes, voyeurs and hustlers. (120 mins.) May 25, 9:30 p.m., Harvard Exit, $6. May 27, noon, Broadway Market, $4.
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"AN AVENUE CALLED BRAZIL" Brazil Director: Octavio Bezerra
-- A filmic journey along the 30-mile Avenida Brasil, leading from the airport into downtown Rio de Janeiro, the wide avenue dividing Rio with its outrageous contrasts like a microcosm of Brazil itself. This nonfiction film looks at 24 hours in the life of one of the largest cities on earth, traveling along a trail of crime, shanties, gangs, perversion and corruption. Grand Prize, Festival of Latin American Cinema, Havana (85 mins.) May 29, 9:30 p.m., Egyptian, $6. May 31, 5 p.m., Broadway Market, $4.
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"BABAR/PETER RABBIT FAMILY MATINEE" U.S.A. Directors: Laura Shepherd, Raymond Jafelice Michael Hirsch, Patrick Loubert, Clive A. Smith Cast: The voices of Gordon Pinsent and Carol Burnett
-- An animated triple bill of children's favorites: "Babar's First Step," in which Babar the elephant loses his mother and learns to cope on his own; "Radio Riot," in which the mischievous monkey Zephir calls for a kids' strike; and "The Tale of Peter Rabbit," a new musical version featuring the voice of Carol Burnett. (90 mins). May 25, noon, Broadway Market. Free.
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"THE BALLAD OF THE YELLOW RIVER" China Director: Teng Wenji Cast: Yu Lin, Duan Xiu U.S. Premiere
-- Chosen best director at the Montreal Film Festival, Teng Wenji treats the landscape of China's most famous river valley as lovingly as John Ford did Monument Valley. A classic tale of adventurers, bandits and the maidens they fight over, "Ballad of the Yellow River" is full of humor, as well as the requisite sweep of a wide-screen period epic. (113 mins.) May 20, 7 p.m., Harvard Exit, $6.
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"THE BEST OF THE NORTHWEST" U.S.A World Premiere
-- Three short subjects from Northwest filmmakers: Alec Carlin's "Dicket Docket," an existential comedy; Robert Tullis' "Family Outing to Jesusland," a mystical journey to a mythical place (somewhere in Idaho); and Bradley Cox's "In the Meantime," a gritty prison psycho-drama. (78 mins.) May 20, 9:30 p.m., Harvard Exit, $6.
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"BEST OF THE SHORTS" -- A collection of the best short subjects shown throughout the festival. June 8, 2:15 p.m., Egyptian, $4.
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"THE BIG STEAL" Australia Director: Nadia Tass Cast: Ben Mendelsohn, Claudia Karvan
-- Director Nadia Tass and her husband screenwriter David Parker, creators of "Malcolm" (SIFF 1986) and "Rikky and Pete," co-produced this sweetly humorous twist on the traditional "coming-of-age" story. Eighteen-year-old Danny has only two goals in life: to own a Jaguar and to date the lovely Joanna. Nominated for nine Australian Film Institute Awards. (100 mins.) May 21, 7 p.m., Egyptian, $6. May 26, noon, Broadway Market, $4.
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"THE BLACK REPUBLIC" South Korea Director: Park Kwang-su Cast: Moon Sung-keun, Park Joong-hoon U.S. Premiere
-- The second feature film by Park Kwang-su ("Chil-su and Man-Su," SIFF '90), this is a provocative account of the current state of Korea. Kim, a political activist wanted by the police, hides out in a small, peaceful-seeming mining town on the verge of closure. There he begins an affair with the mistress of the local crime lord, but, like his political activities in Seoul, this too is destined to fail. Winner of the Special Jury Prize at the Festival des 3 Continents (100 mins.) May 24, 7 p.m., Broadway Market, $6.
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"BLOOD AND CONCRETE" U.S.A. Director: Jeff Reiner Cast: Billy Zane, Jennifer Beals
-- Billy Zane and Jennifer Beals are the star-crossed lovers in this eccentric, street-smart whodunit revolving around drugs, murder, and the wages of sin in contemporary L.A.. A host of character actors conspire to prevent Zane and Beals from escaping the confusion around them. (97 mins.) June 5, 9:30 p.m., Egyptian, $6.
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"THE BORROWER" USA Director: John McNaughton Cast: Rae Dawn Chong, Don Gordon, Antonio Fargas
-- The director of "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" made this caustic fable about an outcast alien who is sentenced to life on Earth as punishment for his otherworldly crimes. He literally borrows the heads of unsuspecting Chicagoans in his attempt to assimilate into American society. (91 mins.) May 25, midnight, Egyptian, $5.
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"BRIEF ENCOUNTER" Great Britain Director: David Lean Cast: Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard
-- This simple but powerful story about a doomed affair still merits its status as a romantic classic. It's being presented as part of the festival's tribute to the late David Lean, who received his first Oscar nomination for directing it. (86 mins.) May 18, noon, Egyptian. Free.
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"THE CHOSEN ONE" India Director: Aribam Syam Sharma Cast: Kiranmala, Tomba, Baby Molly U.S. Premiere
-- One of the most acclaimed recent Indian films, "The Chosen One" is the story of a young wife who joins a religious sect in Manipur, near the Burmese border. Starting by talking to flowers and singing arcane songs, she ends by having violent fits, possessed by a benign spirit and being "chosen" to join a sect, the Meibis. Leaving behind her family, she travels to follow her calling. (95 mins.) June 4, 7 p.m., Broadway Market, $6.
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"CITY LIFE" The Netherlands Directors: Dick Rijneke, Mildred van Leeuwarden, Tato Kotetishvili, Carlos Reichenbach, Eagle Pennell, Krzysztof Kieslowski, Alejandro Agresti, Bela Tarr, Gabor Altorjay, Jose Luis Guerin, Ousmane William M'Baye, Clemens Klopfenstein, Mrinal Sen
-- Marathon prize-winning film made up of 12 episodes, each running about 20 minutes, by a dozen different directors. Ranging from Warsaw to Buenos Aires to Calcutta, it's a visual anthology of international short stories by prominent directors. (241 mins.) June 6, 7 p.m., Broadway Market Cinemas, $7.50.
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"CLEOPATRA" U.S.A. Director: Cecil B. DeMille Cast: Claudette Colbert, Henry Wilcoxson
-- The UCLA Film Archive's newly minted print of this Cecil B. DeMille epic should be at home on the big screen at the Egyptian. Anyone who saw DeMille's Roman epic, "The Sign of the Cross," at last year's festival, has some idea of the lusty historical pageant in "Cleopatra": lavish sets and teasing costumes, handsome soldiers and nubile slave girls, passion and plotting, battle and bacchanal. Claudette Colbert makes for a memorably sexy and seductive Queen of the Nile, easily holding her own with the other screen legends associated with the role, including Theda Bara (1917), Vivien Leigh (1946), and, of course, Elizabeth Taylor (1963). (101 mins.) June 9, 2:15 p.m., Egyptian, $4.
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"CLOSE MY EYES" Great Britain Director: Stephen Poliakoff Cast: Alan Rickman, Clive Owen U.S. Premiere
-- This extremely bold movie boasts an uncompromisingly frank approach to its subject which is guaranteed to make the MPAA squirm in its collective seat. As the movie opens, we are introduced to Natalie (Saskia Reeves), a beautiful but unhappy young woman who is attracted to her ambitious brother. Her later marriage to the wealthy and urbane Sinclair (Alan Rickman) complicates the relationship. (105 mins.) May 17, 9:30 p.m., Egyptian, $6. May 18, 2:15 p.m., Egyptian, $4.
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"CROOKED HEARTS" U.S.A. Director: Michael Bortman Cast: Vincente D'Onofrio, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Peter Coyote World Premiere
-- Vincente D'Onofrio ("Full Metal Jacket"), Jennifer Jason Leigh ("Miami Blues") and Peter Coyote ("Heartbreakers") star in this drama about a family stretched to the breaking point. Filmed in Vancouver B.C., it marks the directing debut of Michael Bortman, who wrote "The Good Mother." (105 mins.) May 25, 9:30 p.m., Egyptian, $6. May 27, noon, Egyptian, $4.
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"CROSS MY HEART" France Director: Jacques Fansten Cast: Sylvain Copans, Nicolas Parodi
-- Like "My Life as a Dog," this film tells the story of a young boy coping with the loss of his adored mother through the creation of a fantasy world. The difference is that in this story young Martin enlists the help of his friends to convince the adult world around him that his mother is still alive, so that he can escape being sent to an orphanage. (100 mins.) May 31, 7 p.m., Broadway Market, $6. June 8, 4:30 p.m., Egyptian, $4.
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"DAMNATION" Hungary Director: Bela Tarr
-- Bela Tarr's visually hypnotic new film owes much to the late Soviet director, Andrei Tarkovsky. An apocalyptic setting - rain, mud, scavenging dogs - reinforces the intense personal relationships in the suitably noir-ish Titanic Bar. May 28, 9:30 p.m., Broadway Market, $6.
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"THE DARK BACKWARD" U.S.A. Director: Adam Rifkin Cast: Judd Nelson, Bill Paxton
-- This grotesquely twisted tale comes from early John Waters/David Lynch territory. Would-be stand-up comic Marty (Judd Nelson) has a troubling growth on his back that is turning into a little human hand. But as it grows into a third arm Marty realizes that it's his ticket to show business success, with the help of an unscrupulous agent (Wayne Newton) and a quack doctor (James Caan). (97 mins.) June 7, midnight, Egyptian, $5.
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"DEATH IN BRUNSWICK" Australia Director: John Ruane Cast: Sam Neill, Zoe Carides
-- Sam Neill ("My Brilliant Career," "Dead Calm") plays a hapless, manipulated loser caught in a situation far beyond his control in this increasingly dark black comedy. Neill plays Carl Fitzgerald, a 40-ish, innocent divorcee who, despite his apparent well-to-do upbringing, seems to be a failure in every department. Bedding down with Sophie, a voluptuous young barmaid at the club where he works, provides no relief, and events soon conspire to plunge Carl into a seedy world of drug dealing, violence and murder. Director Ruane deftly shifts the movie's tone from beguiling humor to harrowing tension. (90 mins.) May 28, 9:30 p.m., Egyptian, $6. June 1, noon, Broadway Market, $4.
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"DECEMBER BRIDE" Ireland Director: Thaddeus O'Sullivan Cast: Jurgen Knieper, Donal McCann
-- The directorial debut of the acclaimed cinematographer of "On the Black Hill" and "Ladder of Swords," this drama deals with Northern Ireland at the turn of the century. Sarah Martin is a strong-willed servant girl who comes to live with an aged farmer and his two sons. When the old man dies in a boating accident, Sarah is left alone on the farm with the two brothers. Over time, she develops strong relationships with both men, and eventually bears them two children, which scandalizes the small farming community. "December Bride" was awarded the Special Jury Prize at the recent European Film Awards and also was selected the Best Film Out of Competition at the 1990 Montreal Festival (90 mins.) May 19, 7 p.m., Harvard Exit, $6. May 24, 5 p.m., Harvard Exit, $4.
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"DELUSION" U.S.A. Director: Carl Colpaert Cast: Jim Metzler, Jennifer Rubin
-- Reminiscent of such twisted thrillers as Stephen Frears' "The Hit" and Coen brothers' "Blood Simple," this is a cheeky road movie about an on-the-run corporate embezzler who unwittingly picks up a mob hit man and a chaotic Las Vegas show girl who enmesh him in a deadly cat-and-mouse game. (100 mins.) May 27, 7 p.m., Egyptian, $6. May 28, 5 p.m., Broadway Market, $4.
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"DICEMBRE" Italy Director: Antonio Monda Cast: Pamela Villoresi, Leonardo Trame U.S. Premiere
-- This family drama, set in contemporary Rome during the Christmas to New Year's period, concerns the relationship between an imaginative child and his beautiful, widowed aunt. Andrea has always adored his eccentric Aunt Gianna. When her husband suddenly dies just prior to the Christmas holidays, she asks young Andrea to come and stay with her, and the boy's parents agree out of compassion for the heartbroken Gianna. Andrea and his aunt spend the days indulging their passion for fantasy, but these fantasies take on an ominous edge as Aunt Gianna begins to be convinced that someone is stalking her. (90 mins.) May 29, 7 p.m., Egyptian, $6. June 2, 2:15 p.m., Broadway Market, $4. ---------------------------------------------
"DR. MABUSE, THE GAMBLER" Germany Director: Fritz Lang Cast: Rudolph Klein-Rogge, Aud Egede Nissen, Alfred Abel
-- The Munich Film Museum has provided this carefully restored version of Fritz Lang's original five-hour silent classic about an evil mastermind who exerts a will to power that knows no bounds. Produced during the early days of the Weimar Republic, the film addresses itself to the corruption and economic uncertainty of post-war Germany. Live piano accompaniment will be provided by Robert Israel, and there will be an intermission. (300 mins.) May 20, 6 p.m., Egyptian, $7.50.
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"DOCTEUR PETIOT" France Director: Christian de Chalonge Cast: Michel Serrault, Pierre Romans
-- This disturbing thriller starring Michel Serrault ("La Cage Aux Folles") is based on a true story. During the Nazi occupation Docteur Petiot, a charming Parisian physician, pretended to help Jews flee the country, then killed them, stole their valuables, and disposed of their bodies. Expressionistic art direction emphasizes the nightmarish quality of the story. (102 mins.) May 31, 9:30 p.m., Egyptian, $6. June 2, 4:30 p.m., Broadway Market, $4.
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"DOCTOR ZHIVAGO" Great Britain Director: David Lean Cast: Omar Sharif, Julie Christie
-- As part of its tribute to the late David Lean, the festival is screening a new Dolby-stereo print of his controversial 1965 adaptation of the Boris Pasternak novel about the Russian Revolution. (197 mins.) June 1, noon, Egyptian. $2 donation to Cinema Seattle requested.
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"DOUBLECROSS: THE BARRY SEAL STORY" U.S.A. Director: Roger Young Cast: Dennis Hopper, Robert Carradine, Adrienne Barbeau World Premiere
-- Dennis Hopper has the title role in the true story of drug informant Adler (Barry) Seal, who was machine-gunned to death in Baton Rouge, La., in 1986 by three Colombians. Seal was an airline pilot-turned-coke smuggler who became a key U.S. witness against the notorious Colombian Medellin drug cartel. He was ultimately betrayed by the C.I.A., tracked down in the U.S., and murdered by the Colombians he exposed. (100 mins.) May 23, 7 p.m., Harvard Exit, Free.
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"DROWNING BY NUMBERS" Great Britain Director: Peter Greenaway Cast: Bernard Hill, Joan Plowright, Joely Richardson
-- An earlier film from director Peter Greenaway ("The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover"). Three generations of women, all named Cissie Colpitts, with three rather dull and loutish husbands, decide to do away with them, by, of course, drowning. The local coroner, in love with all three (or so he professes) turns a blind eye . . . or does he? Winner of the award for Best Artistic Contribution, Cannes 1989. (118 mins.) May 19, 9:30 p.m. Egyptian, $6.
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"ECHOES OF A SOMBER EMPIRE" Germany/France Director: Werner Herzog Cast: Michael Goldsmith
-- Werner Herzog returns with a documentary about the rise and fall of African despot Jean Bedel Bokassa, who occasionally ate his political opponents. According to The L.A. Weekly's Steve Goldman, "Herzog's film is in a league with Lanzmann's `Shoah' and Ophuls' `Hotel Terminus.' This macabre tale grows more curious at each turn and ranks alongside the director's best work." (85 mins.) June 2, 4:30 p.m., Egyptian, $4.
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"EMMA AND ELVIS" U.S.A. Director: Julia Reichert Cast: Kathryn Walker, Mark Blum World Premiere
-- Documentary filmmaker Julia Reichert ("Seeing Red," "Union Maids") for the first time puts her talents to work on a fictional film. Her passionate new film touches the concerns of both '60s and post-'60s generations with its story of the volatile friendship between a documentary filmmaker, struggling to chronicle the lost idealism of her now-middle-aged generation, and an antagonistic, but charming younger man. Featuring interview footage with Alice Walker, Angela Davis, and Holly Near, among others. (100 mins.) June 5, 7 p.m., Egyptian, $6.
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"ENCOUNTERS OF THE SPOOKY KIND II" Hong Kong Director: Samo Hung Cast: Samo Hung, Wo Ma
-- The creators of last year's Hong Kong midnight movie, "Pedi-Cab Driver," are back with a slapstick story about beautiful ghosts, shape-changers, wacky magicians, warrior priests and mongo martial-arts mayhem. (94 mins.) June 8, midnight, Egyptian, $5.
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"LES ENFANTS VOLANTS" France Director: Guillaume Nicloux Cast: Anemone, Didier Abot U.S. Premiere
-- Among the most controversial films at this year's Berlin Festival, from 25-year- old Parisian theatre wunderkind Guillaume Nicloux. It's the eerie story of a young man, who, released from a clinic, haunted by reality and memory, embarks on a killing spree without motive or pleasure. Michael Nyman (who does the music for Peter Greenaway's films) composed a particulary hypnotic score, with master cameraman Raoul Coutard ("Jules and Jim") providing the imagery. (85 mins.) May 27, 9:30 p.m., Broadway Market, $6.
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"ESCAPE FROM THE `LIBERTY' CINEMA" Poland Director: Wojciech Marczewski Cast: Janusz Gajos, Zbigniew Zamachowski U.S. Premiere
-- This Polish film owes more to Woody Allen than Andrzej Wajda, borrowing as it does some of the key elements of the Woodman's "Purple Rose of Cairo." The hero is a movie censor whose sense of guilt is manifested in a "ghost" of a character he cut out of an earlier film. (102 mins.) June 6, 7 p.m., Egyptian, $6. June 7, 5 p.m., Egyptian, $4.
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"EUROPA EUROPA" Germany Director: Agnieszka Holland Cast: Marco Hofschneider, Julie Delpy, Andre Wilms
-- This true story, based on the memoirs of the protagonist, recounts the adventures of a young Jewish boy who was born in Germany, moved to the Lodz ghetto and then Russia, where he was used by the Nazis as an interpreter when they invaded the country. He was eventually adopted by a German officer and sent to Berlin to be trained in a Hitler Youth School. Director Holland, known for her collaborations with director Andrzej Wajda, as well as her own films "Angry Harvest" (SIFF 1986) and "A Woman Alone" (SIFF 1985), has brought a thoroughly fresh approach to familiar themes to create a movie at once provocative and totally entertaining. (110 mins.) May 18, 7 p.m., $6. May 25, 4:30 p.m., Harvard Exit, $4.
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"EVENINGS" Netherlands Director: Rudolf Van den Berg Cast: Thom Hoffman, Rijk de Gooijer
-- Based on a novel by Gerard Reve ("The Fourth Man") whose impact in Holland is comparable to that of J. D. Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye," this Dutch production has won multiple honors, including best film and best actor at Dutch Film the recent European Film Awards. (120 mins.) May 21, 9:30 p.m., Egyptian, $6. May 26, 2:15 p.m., Broadway Market, $4.
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"EVERYBODY'S FINE" Italy Director: Giuseppe Tornatore Cast: Marcello Mastroianni, Michele Morgan
-- This newest film from the director of the Oscar-winning "Cinema Paradiso" deals with relationships between parents and children. Marcello Mastroianni plays an elderly gentleman who travels throughout contemporary Italy to visit his adult children, whom he rarely sees and has little contact with. The garrulous father is always ready to produce his family's portrait and share happy memories, but slowly he discovers his children are not as he remembers them to be. (125 mins.) May 17, 7 p.m., Egyptian, $6. May 18, 4:30 p.m., Egyptian, $4.
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"FAST AND LOOSE" Hungary Director: Gyorgy Szomjas Cast: Margo Kiwan, Ildiko Deim
-- Best known for "Mr. Universe" (SIFF '89), Szomjas based his new film on four years of interviews with the two real-life characters, Margo and Ildi, a couple of "good time" girls in Budapest, taking a hard look at Hungary at the crossroads, a country caught in transition between socialism and capitalism. It's a portrait of two hedonists mired in an impoverished society, apparently lost in its consumerist hunger. Winner, best director, Hungarian Film Week 1990 (86 mins.) May 21, 9:30 p.m., Harvard Exit, $6. May 26, 4:30 p.m., Broadway Market, $4.
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"FEMME FATALE" USA Director: Andre Guttfreund Cast: Colin Firth, Lisa Zane
-- On the eve of his honeymoon, Joseph Prince (Colin Firth) arrives home to discover that his bride, Cynthia (Lisa Zane) has mysteriously vanished, leaving behind only a slashed portrait of herself and an alarming note that says only: "I don't know who you are." Learning that Cynthia has fled to Los Angles, he follows and stumbles into the bizarre and dangerous world that his wife inhabited before they met. Billy Zane plays a cynical bohemian artist who urges Joe to give up his obsessive search for a woman Joe never really knew. (90 mins.) May 23, 9:30 p.m., Harvard Exit, $6.
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"FIVE FEMINIST MINUTES" Canada Directors: Kim Blain and Lorna Boschman, Marie Baker, Christene Brown, Alison Burns, Janis Cole, Shawna Dempsey and Tracy Traeger, Ann Marie Fleming, Angele Gagnon and Jennifer Kawaja, Gwendolyn, Mary Lewis, Cathy Martin, Michelle Mohabeer, Sook Yin Lee, Elaine Pain, Cathy Quinn and Frances Leeming, Andree Pelletier, Mary Armstrong
-- An eclectic collection of short films by 16 women from across Canada. They deal with subjects on their minds, including reproductive choice, racism, equality in the workplace, violence against women, incest, female stereotypes, and safe sex. (80 mins.) May 17, 5 p.m., Egyptian, $4. May 18, noon, Harvard Exit, $4.
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"FORBIDDEN LOVE" Czechoslovakia Director: Vladislav Kvasnicka U.S. Premiere
-- An insightful documentary complement to the fictional pictures of the lives of gay men in Eastern Europe shown in last year's SIFF ("Coming Out," "Before the Bat's Flight Is Done"). The director makes a courageous attempt to give the oppressed gay people of Czechoslovakia a human face. Also on the program are two gay short films. (101 mins.) May 26, 4:30 p.m., Egyptian, $4.
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"THE FRONT PAGE" Hong Kong Director: Philip Chan Cast: Michael Hui, Samuel Hui
-- The team that made "Chicken and Duck Talk" (SIFF '90) is back in this lampoon of showbiz and gossip tabloids. Michael Hui plays the editor of a foundering newspaper called Truth Weekly, who decides his only way to survive is to duplicate the tactics of scandal mongering, cheesecake photos and fabrication prevalent all around him. Along for the ride are Samuel Hui as a former martial artist turned investigative reporter and Ricky Hui as the paper's dimwitted photographer. (92 mins.) May 29, 7 p.m., Harvard Exit, $6.
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"THE GAZE" India Director: Mani Kaul Cast: Shambhavi Kaul, Shekhar Kapur U.S. Premiere
-- From the director of last year's "Siddeshwari" comes this tale of love and loss. Based on Dostoevsky's "A Gentle Creature," the script centers on the relationship between a young girl, still in her teens, and a forty-ish man, who meet in his pawnshop and eventually marry. Slowly the man discovers she is lost in another world, one which he cannot be part of or understand. Full of internal tension and unspoken thoughts, "The Gaze" is a film on the impossibility of love in the modern world. (100 mins.) May 27, 7 p.m., Harvard Exit, $6.
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"LA GLOIRE DE MON PERE" France Director: Yves Robert Cast: Philippe Caubere, Nathalie Roussel
-- Based on the first volume of Marcel Pagnol's autobiographical "Souvenirs," this is an intimate epic about Pagnol's childhood relationship with his father. The film focuses on young Marcel's eleventh summer, when his family first holidayed in the hills of Provence, a time Pagnol considered "the most wonderful days of my life." (110 mins.) June 1, 7 p.m., Egyptian, $6. June 2, 2:15 p.m., Egyptian, $4.
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"LE CHATEAU DE MA MERE" France Director: Yves Robert Cast: Philippe Caubere, Nathalie Roussel
-- This second part of Pagnol's childhood memoir focuses on young Marcel's relationship with his gorgeous mother, Augustine. "Le Chateau" returns us to the family's vacation retreat in the south of France, where young Marcel discovers the wonders of the feminine mystique and has his first brush with love. Telescoping forward through the years, the film follows Pagnol's growth to adulthood. (98 mins.) June 8, 7 p.m., Egyptian, $6.
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"GLUCHY TELEFON" Poland Director: Piotr Mikucki Cast: Hanna Mikuc, Katarzyna Latawiec U.S. Premiere
-- This tale of a romantic triangle (or quadrangle, or pentangle) focuses on a thirysomething intellectual cab driver and supporter of Solidarity whose stagnant marriage undergoes a change. (81 mins.) June 2, 7 p.m., Broadway Market, $6.
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"GUILTY AS CHARGED" U.S.A. Director: Sam Irvin Cast: Rod Steiger, Lauren Hutton
-- A black comedy about capital punishment, starring Rod Steiger as a law-abiding man who turns vigilante after the murderer of his family is freed on a technicality. With the help of two employees, Kallin devotes himself to tracking down the murderers who have escaped justice. Once caught, they are imprisoned below Kallin's meatpacking plant, given a homemade trial, and a last chance to repent their sins before being executed in Kallin's souped-up electric chair. The Seattle Symphony recorded the score by Steve Bartek. (95 mins.) June 2, 9:30 p.m., Egyptian, $6.
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"HALFAOUINE - BOY OF THE TERRACES" Tunisia Director: Ferid Boughedir Cast: Selim Boughedir, Carolyn Chelby
-- A conscious attempt to shatter the taboos and stereotypes surrounding Arab society. Set in a colorful quarter of Tunis called Halfaouine several decades ago, it tells the humorous and surprisingly frank story of a 12-year-old boy's sexually awakening at the ladies' Turkish baths. Childhood sexuality is not a familiar theme in Arab films and "Halfaouine" breaks further ground in its depiction of women as real flesh-and-blood human beings beneath their veils. (98 mins.) June 1, 9:30 p.m., Egyptian, $6. June 3, 5 p.m., Broadway Market, $4.
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"HALLELUJAH ANYHOW" Great Britain Director: Matthew Jacobs Cast: Dona Croll, Keith David
-- The strength and vitality of London's Afro-Caribbean community comes to the screen in this story of a strong-willed woman preacher who is forced to reasses her life when a former lover appears. (90 mins.) May 28, 7 p.m., Harvard Exit, $6.
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"HEADING HOME" Great Britain Director: David Hare Cast: Gary Oldman, Joely Richardson U.S. Premiere
-- The creator of "Strapless" and "Plenty" is back with a tale of London in the late 1940s, starring Joely Richardson as a woman caught between two different lifestyles and two very different men. Her dilemma reflects that of England on the brink of the 1950s. (89 mins.) May 30, 7 p.m., Harvard Exit, $6. May 31, 5 p.m., Egyptian, $4.
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"HEAVEN'S GATE" U.S.A. Director: Michael Cimino Cast: David Mansfield, Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken
-- In this year of the triumph of "Dances With Wolves" (a three-hour Western that many industry insiders said was doomed), perhaps it is time to reassess "Heaven's Gate." One of the most famous disasters in movie history, it was cut by more than an hour after its New York opening drew savage reviews. This full-length, 70-millimeter print gives us a chance, for the first time, to see it as the director intended. (219 mins.) May 27, 2:15 p.m., Egyptian, $6.
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"THE HECK WITH HOLLYWOOD" USA Director: Doug Block Cast: Gerry Cook, Jennifer Fox
-- A grimly comic look at the myth vs. the reality of independent filmmaking. Spokane's Gerry Cook (director of "Only a Buck") has the leading role. Also on the program will be an appropriate short subject. (57 mins.) May 17, 5 p.m., Harvard Exit, $4.
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"HERMAN" Norway Director: Erik Gustavson Cast: Anders Danielsen Elisabeth Sand, Jarl Kulle
-- Based on Lars Saabye Christensen's novel about his adolescence, this Scandinavian production confronts more than the usual problems affecting children of that age. The title character is losing his hair, and the film is about how he deals with it. (106 mins.) May 25, 4:30 p.m., Egyptian, $4.
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"UNE HISTOIRE INVENTEE" Canada Director: Marc-Andre Forcier Cast: Jean Lapointe, Louise Marleau U.S. Premiere
-- A raucous tragi-comedy about love and jealousy. At the heart of the film is the radiant Florence (Louise Marleau), who is constantly pursued by a pack of 40 inconsolable ex-lovers. Only one man is impervious to her charms: the one she is in love with, Gaston. A Don Juan of the trumpet who has just returned from Cleveland where his jazz trio was languishing, Gaston soon falls in love with Florence's daughter, Soledad, an actress performing in "Othello." (100 mins.) May 26, 9:30 p.m., Egyptian, $6. May 27, 2:15 p.m., Harvard Exit, $4.
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"HOBSON'S CHOICE" Great Britain Director: David Lean Cast: Charles Laughton, John Mills
-- The rarely seen "Hobson's Choice" is one of the late David Lean's few outright comedies. The legendary Charles Laughton stars as Henry Hobson, an imperious Lancashire bootmaker who demands his three marriageable daughters maintain his shop and home while he partakes of the pleasures of the local pub. Comic complications arise when his eldest daughter marries his chief craftsman and sets up a boot shop of her own. (107 mins.) May 25, noon, Egyptian. Free.
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"HOW WONDERFUL" Australia Director: Lynn Hegarty Cast: Tracy Mann, Jim Holt U.S. Premiere
-- This Aussie comedy traces the gap between the public perception of pregnancy and a woman's own entirely different experiences. Encountering the minefield of expectant motherhood, Kerry confronts unexpected obstacles: the doctor from hell, a mother who gives unwanted advice, girlfriends who simply can't relate to her new state and a Greek Chorus of imaginary nigglers and advice-givers who haunt her at every turn. (55 mins.) May 19, 4:30 p.m., Harvard Exit, $4.
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"INTIMACY" Mexico Director: Dana Rotberg Cast: Emilio Echevarria, Liza Owen
-- This feature debut by documentary filmmaker Dana Rotberg is a comedy quite unlike anything we've seen from Mexico in recent years. The story revolves around a middle-aged schoolteacher who is disdained by his wife and openly gay son, ignored by his students and generally oblivious to the possibilities all around him. He spends his evenings working on a novel he will never finish and dreaming of a better life that he doesn't really believe will ever arrive. Then one day everything changes. (100 mins.) May 29, 7 p.m., Broadway Market, $6.
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"IRON MAN" Japan Director: Shinya Tsukamoto Cast: Tomorrow Taguchi, Kei Fujiwara U.S. Premiere
-- Kinky, deranged, darkly comic, this Japanese production is reminiscent of both David Lynch and "Robocop." A man is raped by a metal penis and transformed into the title character. Unable to control his own mutated sexual organ, Iron Man must ultimately engage in a desperate struggle against the God of the mechanical world in a fight to the finish. (67 mins.) May 24, midnight, Egyptian, $5.
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"ISABELLE EBERHARDT" France/Germany Director: Ian Pringle Cast: Peter O'Toole, Mathilda May U.S. Premiere -- A celebrated writer and adventurer, Isabelle Eberhardt died in a flash flood at the age of 27. This new film by Ian Pringle ("The Prisoner of St. Petersburg," "Wrong World") focuses on her life during the late 18th century in Paris. (100 mins.) June 7, 7 p.m., Egyptian, $6.
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"JIT" Zimbabwe Director: Michael Raeburn Cast: Dominic Makuvachuma, Subongile Nene U.S. Premiere
-- "Jit" captures the spirit of African life by using a deceptively simple love story. The film is mainly about primary colors, rapid movement and the irrepressible beat of the music known as jit-jive, which peppers the soundtrack with many of Zimbabwe's best bands. (92 mins.) May 22, 9:30 p.m., Harvard Exit, $6.
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"KNOCKOUT" Japan Director: Junji Sakamoto Cast: Hidekazu Akai, Yoshio Harada
-- Based on a true story, the independently made "Knockout" swept nearly all major Japanese film awards last year. Offbeat characters in a familiar genre - the comeback of a down-and-out boxer - turn what could have been standard "Rocky" material into something completely different. Donald Richie called it "a brilliant film, one of the finest Japanese pictures of the year." (110 mins.) June 4, 9:30 p.m., Broadway Market, $6.
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"LANA IN LOVE" United States Director: Bashir Shbib Cast: Daphna Kastner, Clark Gregg World Premiere
-- A new film from the star and director of last year's festival entry, "Julia Has Two Lovers." It's the story of a lonely, uptight businesswoman who takes out a personals ad and ends up with a lost plumber who decides to move in with her. (90 mins.) May 28, 9:30 p.m., Harvard Exit, $6.
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"LANDSCAPE WITH A WOMAN" Yugoslavia Director: Ivica Matic Cast: Stole Arandelovic, Bozidarka Frajt
-- Filmed in 1976 and only just completed, this is a portrait of a painter who finds his subjects in a small Bosnian village. An employee of the forest department, he moves to the village, where everyone greets him with suspicion. His dedication to his art gradually wins people over, and he eventually marries a local woman. It was the late director's only completed film. Winner of the Special Jury Prize, Montreal Film Festival 1990 (72 mins.) May 30, 7 p.m., Broadway Market, $6.
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"LENINGRAD, NOVEMBER" Germany/USSR Directors: Andreas Schmidt, Oleg Morosow Cast: Grigori Gladi, Igor Ketschayev U.S. Premiere
-- An episodic portrait of the city and its people - specifically Max, an exile from Germany, who returns to Leningrad to confront his dying father and begins a friendship and an affair. (86 mins.) May 30, 9:30 p.m., Broadway Market, $6.
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"A LITTLE STIFF" U.S.A. Director: Greg Watkins and Caveh Zahedi Cast: Arnold Barkus, Erin McKim
-- A wry comedy about a young filmmaker's infatuation with an attractive and aloof art student. Insinuating himself into her life, he is, as the title suggests, a little stiff in his attempts to win her over, but ultimately resolves his infatuation. Winner of the award for best dramatic film at the Atlanta Film and Video Festival. (86 mins.) May 24, 7 p.m., Harvard Exit, $6. May 26, 2:15 p.m., Harvard Exit, $4.
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"LONELY IN AMERICA" U.S.A. Director: Barry Alexander Brown Cast: Ranjit Chowdry, Adelaide Miller
-- Barry Brown, the editor of "Do the Right Thing," "Salaam Bombay!" and Madonna's "Truth or Dare," makes his directorial debut with this culture-clash comedy about a bright young man from Calcutta who comes to America in search of the American Dream and winds up living a kind of comedic nightmare. (96 mins.) May 18, 7 p.m., Egyptian, $6. May 19, noon, Harvard Exit, $4.
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"THE LOST COLLAR OF THE DOVE" Tunisia Director: Nacer Khemir Cast: Navin Chowdhry, Walid Arakji U.S. Premiere
-- An exotic folktale reminiscent of "1001 Arabian Nights." The story revolves around a young student of poetry and calligraphy who is entranced by a maiden who is kept sheltered in a courtyard garden. He enlists the aid of a messenger for young lovers to capture his true love's heart. Director Naser Khemir's award-winning "Wanderers of the Desert" was shown at last year's Arab Film Festival. (90 mins.) May 19, 7 p.m., Egyptian, $6. May 24, 5 p.m., Egyptian, $4.
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"LOVE UNDER THE DATE TREE" Greece Director: Stavros Tsiolis Cast: Argyris Bakirtzis, Lazaros Andreou
-- This light comedy about two mismatched friends in search of the seemingly unattainable took best film and actor honors at the Thessaloniki Film Festival, and was the Greek submission for Oscar consideration this year as best foreign-language film. Panayotis, a self-obsessed ladies' man who has just buried his wife Maria, comes across a photo that upsets him greatly. The photo shows Maria, who was a pianist, under a date palm tree with Yanis, a violinist who accompanied Maria with his violin on musical tours around Greece. Convinced that the photo is evidence of a romantic liaison between the two, Panayotis confronts the violinist. (94 mins.) June 3, 7 p.m., Broadway Market, $6.
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"LOVE WITHOUT PITY" France Director: Eric Rochant Cast: Hippolyte Giradot, Mireille Perrier
-- This winner of the 1990 Cesar Awards for best first film and best young director is a straight-faced farce about the love affair between a footloose, cynical dreamer and his polar opposite - an over-achieving, headstrong young woman who has little interest in l'amour. (87 mins.) May 24, 9:30 p.m., Harvard Exit, $6. May 26, 4:30 p.m., Harvard Exit, $4.
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"MADO, POSTE RESTANTE" France Director: Alexandre Adabachian Cast: Marianne Groves, Oleg Yankovsky
-- Reminiscent of "Sugarbaby," this bittersweet comedy revolves around a quite unlikely heroine - the undeniably plump but appealing Mado, an aggressive postmistress in a small and very eccentric French village. Mado seems to have no past: She was abandoned by her parents, and the only family she ever knew were the nuns who raised her. For that matter, she seems to have little future, as her job doesn't present a lot of opportunity for advancement and her futile attempts at landing a mate (which include posting notices regarding her availability on walls and trees) have produced no results. (100 mins.) May 25, 7 p.m., Harvard Exit, $6. May 27, noon, Harvard Exit, $4.
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"MANIC ZEN" Japan Director: Masayaki Suo Cast: Masahiro Motoki, Honami Suzuki
-- "Being a monk is so trendy," says the protagonist in this romp through Buddhism in present-day Japan, seen from the perspective of a punk rocker. A rock singer who comes from a long line of priests is due to inherit the responsibility of a temple from his father, but must first serve as a monk for a year to qualify. (102 mins.) May 25, 9:30 p.m., Broadway Market, $6.
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"MINDWALK" U.S.A. Director: Bernt Capra Cast: Liv Ullmann, Sam Waterston, John Heard, Ione Skye -- Set against the medieval splendor of Mont St. Michel in Brittany, "Mindwalk" brings together an unsuccessful politician (Sam Waterston), a poet (John Heard), and a physicist (Liv Ullmann) in an afternoon of passionate debate that recalls "My Dinner With Andre." (112 mins.) May 22, 7 p.m., Egyptian, $6. May 25, 2:15 p.m., Harvard Exit, $4.
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"THE MIRACLE" Great Britain -- Opening-night film - Thursday, 7:30 p.m. at Paramount. See capsule at beginning of text.
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"THE MOON IN THE MIRROR" Chile Director: Silvio Caiozzi Cast: Gloria Munchmeyer, Rafael Benavente
-- Sylvio Caiozzi's twisted, Bunuelian tragi-comedy deals with an entire universe of repressed emotions behind the moldering facades of Chile's great port city, Valparaiso. It's the story of a domineering father and his son's simple rebellion of courting the lonely next-door neighbor. Winner of Best Actress Award (Gloria Munchmeyer) at the Venice Film Festival, 1990. Special Prize at the Valladolid Film Festival, 1990. Official Chilean Entry, Academy Awards, 1990. (75 mins.) May 26, 7 p.m., Broadway Market, $6.
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"MY FATHER IS COMING" Germany/U.S.A. Director: Monika Treut Cast: David Van Michael Massee, Mary Lou Graulau U.S. Premiere
-- This new film from the director of "Seduction, the Cruel Woman" recounts the quirky assimilation of a German girl to New York's East Village culture. She's a waitress and frustrated actress who, despite a German accent, disastrous auditions, and a checkered love life, still dreams of starring roles and of a fulfilling sexual relationship. As the film opens, Vicky's life is about to be complicated by the visit of her Bavarian father, Hans, who has been led to believe that she is already enjoying a successful career and marriage in New York. (82 mins.) May 27, 9:30 p.m., Egyptian, $6. May 29, 5 p.m., Broadway Market, $4.
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"MY LOVELY MONSTER" Germany Director: Michael Bergmann Cast: Silvio Francisco, Nicole Fischer, Forrest J. Ackerman U.S. Premiere
-- In this affectionate spoof of horror films, ghoulish Count Maximilie escapes into the present when his film catches fire. Despite his horrible appearance and inability to speak (he's from a silent film), Max is helped by horror fan Nina in his quite to rejoin his film. (84 mins.) June 1, midnight, Egyptian, $5.
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"MY SKY, MY HOME" Indonesia Director: Slamet Rahardjo Djarot Cast: Pietrajaya Burnama, Banyu Biru
-- The story of two boys on opposite sides of the track in present-day Jakarta. When the poor boy's shanty town is razed and his family dispersed, he and his wealthy best friend travel to his grandmother's place in the country. (102 minutes) May 21, 7 p.m., Harvard Exit, $6.
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"ON THE RUN" Hong Kong Director: Alfred Cheung Cast: Yuen Biao, Pat Ha
-- A film noir from the Far East, this could easily have been retitled "1997," reflecting as it does the state of paranoia facing Hong Kong. Virtually every character is motivated in one way or another by the impending Communist takeover and its real or imagined implications. Yuen Biao plays an internal affairs investigator whose estranged wife, a fellow cop, is murdered. (91 mins.) June 1, 9:30 p.m., Broadway Market, $6.
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"ONE CUP OF COFFEE" U.S.A. Director: Robin Armstrong Cast: William Russ, Glenn Plummer
-- Set against the backdrop of small-town, minor-league baseball in the late '50s, "One Cup of Coffee" tells the story of an over-the-hill pitcher who guides a talented but outcast young black player to triumph even as his own career hangs in the balance. Winner of the audience prize for best dramatic feature at the 1991 Sundance Film Festival. (94 mins.) May 17, 9:30 p.m., Harvard Exit, $6. May 18, 4:30 p.m., Harvard Exit, $4.
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"ONE FALSE MOVE" U.S.A. Director: Carl Franklin Cast: Bill Paxton, Cynda Williams, Jim Metzler World Premiere
-- An Arkansas sheriff dreams of becoming a big-city cop, but his days are filled with settling marital disputes and reprimanding jay walkers. Then a couple of L.A. cops turn up to plan a welcoming party for three fugitives from a California drug killing. Among them is Cynda Williams of "Mo' Better Blues." (103 mins.) June 6, 9:30 p.m., Egyptian, $6.
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"OVERSEAS" France Director: Brigitte Rouan Cast: Nicole Garcia, Brigitte Rouan
-- Set against the dramatic political and social changes sweeping across French Colonial Africa in the 1950's, this French production follows the lives and fortunes of three very different sisters whose lives are irrevocably altered by the advent of the Franco-Algerian War. Winner, the International Critics Prize, 1990 Stockholm Film Festival. (96 mins.) June 2, 7 p.m., Egyptian, $6. June 4, 5 p.m., Broadway Market, $4.
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"PARIS IS BURNING" U.S.A. Director: Jennie Livingston
-- Jennie Livingston's much-discussed documentary takes as its subject the drag balls of Harlem. Mixing interviews with the men who "walk the ball" (a doubly rejected minority, being both black and gay) and scenes from their fantastic fantasy celebrations, Livington's film provides a lively look at an exotic subculture that mimics the values of the white majority with unique wit, irony, and style. Co-Winner, Jury Prize for Best Documentary, 1991 Sundance Festival. (78 mins.) June 3, 9:30 p.m., Egyptian, $6.
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"PEACOCK KING" Hong Kong Director: Lang Nie-Chai. Cast: Yuen Biao, Ken Ogata
-- A typically excessive Hong Kong production about two monks, one Tibetan, one Japanese, to thwart the King of Hell and his virgin daughter from taking over the world. Unknown to each other, the monks are brothers. May 18, midnight, Egyptian, $5.
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"POISON" U.S.A. Director: Todd Haynes Cast: Edith Minks, Millie White
-- Todd Haynes' first feature won the top prize in the dramatic competition at this year's Sundance Film Festival. Since then, it has become almost impossible to discuss the film without discussing the controversy surrounding its partial funding by the National Endowment For the Arts. Heavily influenced by the works of Jean Genet, "Poison" intercuts three very different stories and styles that comingle only in their central theme - a cry of anguish against society's treatment of outcasts and aberrants. The third section, a homoerotic story of love behind bars called "Homo," is the main source of the polemic raised against the film. (85 mins.) May 31, 7 p.m., Egyptian, $6.
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"PRISONERS OF THE SUN" Australia Director: Stephen Wallace Cast: Bryan Brown, George Takei
-- Much like "Breaker Morant," this film deals with a man's crisis of faith when faced with an unpleasant truth: Law and justice are not always the same thing. Bryan Brown plays an Australian military prosecutor who sets out to prosecute some 100 alleged Japanese war criminals at the close of World War II. Nominated for nine Australian Film Institute Awards. (105 mins.) May 24, 9:30 p.m., Egyptian, $6. May 26, noon, Harvard Exit, $4.
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"RASPAD" U.S.S.R./U.S.A. Director: Mikhail Belikov Cast: Sergei Shakurov
-- This Soviet/American co-production focuses on the human effects of the nuclear crisis by exploring the plight of a fictionalized group of survivors in the aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. It illustrates the human cost of technological and ecological calamity. Winner, Best Film, Canary Islands Festival 1990; Most Popular Film, Santander Festival 1990; and the Italian Senate Medal, Venice Festival 1990. (95 mins.) June 3, 9:30 p.m., Broadway Market, $6.
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"RED DUST" Hong Kong Director: Yim Ho Cast: Lin Ching-hsia, Maggie Cheung
-- Dominating the recent Golden Horse Awards (Taiwan's Oscars), "Red Dust" is an epic romance set against the turmoil of 20th century Chinese history. The story begins in 1938 when a successful writer falls in love with one of her readers, a collaborator with the occupying Japanese forces. When the war ends, he must flee to the countryside. Growing in scope from the intimacy of the lovers to the tumult of civil war, the story has the sweep of a Chinese "Doctor Zhivago." (94 mins.) May 30, 9:30 p.m., Harvard Exit, $6
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"RED SUNRISE" Mexico Director: Jorge Fons Cast: Karen and Edwardo Roel Maria Rojo
-- "Red Sunrise" is Mexico's first fictional film to deal with the brutal quashing of the 1968 student demonstration at the Plaza of Three Cultures in Mexico City. It revolves around the story of a family and their long night as witnesses and participants in the massacre. (96 mins.) June 5, 9:30 p.m., Broadway Market, $6.
--------------------------------------------- "THE REFLECTING SKIN" Great Britain/Canada Director: Philip Ridley Cast: Jeremy Cooper, Lindsay Duncan
-- This bizarre feature film debut from the screenwriter of "The Krays" is set in the middle of the Idaho prairies in the 1950s. The story centers on 7-year-old Seth Dove, a boy from a dysfunctional family who's trying to come to grips with sex, sin, death, and the adult world in general. Convinced that a young local widow is really a vampire with designs on his older brother, Seth sets in motion a series of events which have dire consequences for both the widow and himself. Winner, Best Actress and Best Photography, 1990 Stiges Fantasy Festival. Co-Winner, International Critics Prize, 1990 Stockholm Film Festival. (93 mins.) May 18, 9:30 p.m., Harvard Exit, $6. May 25, 4:30 p.m., Broadway Market, $4.
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"REQUIEM FOR DOMINIC" Austria Director: Robert Dornhelm Cast: Felix Mitterer, Viktoria Schubert
-- This 1991 Golden Globe nominee for best foreign-language film explores the case of a man accused of a series of grisly murders in the midst of the turmoil of 1989's Romanian Revolution. Director Robert Dornhelm ("Echo Park," "Children of Theatre Street") was a childhood friend of the accused and traveled to the scene of the crimes in search of the truth. Winner Special Jury Prize, Belgrade Festival 1990. (90 mins.) May 19, 9:30 p.m., Harvard Exit, $6. May 24, 5 p.m., Broadway Market, $4.
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"RESIDENT ALIEN" U.S.A. Director: Jonathan Nossiter Cast: Quentin Crisp, John Hurt, Sting
-- Quentin Crisp, the subject of the award-winning British television drama, "The Naked Civil Servant," is now profiled in a new and characteristically unconventional documentary. Plentiful encounters with this flamboyant and witty icon of gay activism are complemented by interviews with Holly Woodlawn, John Hurt, Fran Lebowitz, and Paul Morrissey. This humorous documentary presents the gay-awareness movement through the eyes of one of its most noted pioneers. (85 mins.) May 19, 4:30 p.m., Egyptian, $4.
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"RODRIGO D. - NO FUTURE" Columbia Director: Victor Gaviria Cast: Ramiro Meneses, Carlos Mario Restrepo
-- Developed from stories and events in the lives of disenfranchised "punkeros" in the high barrios of Medellin Columbia, "Rodgrigo D. - No Future" is a document of a world where you are lucky if you make it past your 20th birthday. Two-thirds of its non-professional cast of nine have died of street-related violence since the film was released. Co-Winner of the Best Feature Award at the Festival Latino, 1990. (92 mins.) June 4, 9:30 p.m., Egyptian, $6.
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"ROMEO AND JULIET IN THE VILLAGE" Switzerland Director: Hans Trommer Cast: Magrit Winter, Johannes Steiner
-- Filmed in 1941 and newly restored to celebrate the 700th anniversary of Switzerland, this is a pastoral variation on the story, set in a small village outside Zurich during the 19th Century. Years after their feuding families separate them, the lovers meet as adults and decide they cannot live apart. (103 mins.) May 19, 2:15 p.m., Egyptian, $4.
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"RUBIN AND ED" U.S.A. Director: Trent Harris Cast: Crispin Glover, Howard Hesseman, Karen Black World Premiere
-- Crispin Glover is convinced that his platform shoes, plaid bell bottoms, and dangerously mismatched shirt are living testimony that he's got it all together. But he still lives at his mom's motel, she's taken away his Walkman and refuses to give him dinner until he can prove he's got friends by bringing at least one person home to visit. A twisted tale of two men, a frozen dead cat badly in need of a burial, and a desert full of possibilities. (96 mins.) May 24, 7 p.m., Egyptian, $6. May 26, 2:15 p.m., Egyptian, $4.
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"RUBY AND RATA" New Zealand Director: Gaylene Preston Cast: Yvonne Lawley, Vanessa Rare
-- The obstinance of old age confronts the impetuousness of youth in this comedy about a fiercely independent 82-year-old whose world begins to crumble when she fails her driving test. Her nephew has designs on moving her to a retirement home, and she decides to rent out her basement suite to a young Maori businesswoman. Through their clash of personalities and generations, these seemingly opposite, determined, and manipulative women are revealed to be remarkably similar. (110 mins.) June 1, 7 p.m., Broadway Market, $6. June 2, noon, Broadway Market, $4.
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"SCORCHERS" U.S.A. Director: David Beaird Cast: Faye Dunaway, Denholm Elliot, James Earl Jones, Emily Lloyd World Premiere
-- A raucous Louisiana Bayou wedding is the focus of this story of small-town passions and overheated Southern pride. Emily Lloyd and James Wilder play the newlyweds, and Faye Dunaway is the town whore, who has been carrying on with the young bride's best friend for some time. (88 mins.) June 8, 9:30 p.m., Egyptian, $6.
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"THE SERBIAN GIRL" Germany Director: Peter Sehr Cast: Mirjana Jokovic, Ben Becker U.S. Premiere
-- Dobrila, the high-spirited and naive heroine of "The Serbian Girl," has fallen in love with a vacationing German who has returned to Hamburg. Determined to see him again, she secretly leaves her family and village and sets off across Europe without money or passport. (90 mins). May 31, 9:30 p.m., Broadway Market, $6.
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"SHINING WEAPON" Sweden Director: Carl-Gustaf Nykvist Cast: Boman Oscarsson, Harriet Andersson U.S. Premiere
-- This new film by Carl-Gustaf Nykvist ("Women on the Roof," SIFF '90) is a thriller propelled by the torments of psychosexual drives. After stealing a medieval icon on commission, its hero becomes obsessed with its images of fratricide and refuses to give it up. (85 mins.) May 29, 9:30 p.m., Broadway Market, $6.
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"SMALL TIME" U.S.A. Director: Norman Loftis Cast: Richard Barboza, Carolyn Kinebrew
-- Focusing on a few days in the life of a petty street hustler, this film makes a plea for understanding for those who are young, poor, and black. In a series of boldly etched scenes, writer-director Norman Loftis introduces us to a young man's parasitic mother, long-suffering girlfriend, and the partners in crime he calls friends - all taking him one step closer to the film's dramatic climax. Winner Best Film, Taormina Film Festival 1990. (88 mins.) June 2, 9:30 p.m., Broadway Market, $6.
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"SON OF A GENERAL" South Korea Director: Im Kwon-t'aek Cast: Park Sang-min, Lee Il-jae U.S. Premiere
-- The latest film from SIFF favorite Im Kwon-t'aek ("Come, Come, Upward," "Mandala," "King Yonsan") is based on the life of Kim Tu-han, son of the general who commanded the Korean independence army in Manchuria. A miserable childhood leads Kim first into joining a hooligan gang, becoming a famous gangster leader, and eventually a leading lawmaker in Korea. "Son of a General" is the highest-grossing film in Korean history. (108 mins.) May 28, 7 p.m., Broadway Market, $6.
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"SPOTTED DOG, RUNNING AT THE EDGE OF THE SEA" U.S.S.R. Director: Karen Gevorkian Cast: Bayarto Dambaev, Doskhan Kholzhakcynov
-- This portrait of the Nykvh people, who live an austere existence on Sakhalin Island, to the north of Japan, may look like a documentary, but it's a scripted work based on a novella by Chingiz Aitmatov. The central story deals with a seal hunt that becomes a young boy's rite of passage. (124 mins.) May 22, 7 p.m., Harvard Exit, $6.
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"STAN AND GEORGE'S NEW LIFE" Australia Director: Brian McKenzie Cast: Paul Chubb, John Bluthal U.S. Premiere
-- Stan is a sweet, 40-year-old bear of a man who lives with his eccentric parents and spends his days minding the barbershop he has worked in all of his life. He decides to quit the shop and strike out in search of a new job, landing a job at the local weather bureau, and a new relationship from a sweet-natured woman named George from Melbourne. (102 mins.) May 26, 7 p.m., Harvard Exit, $6.
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"STORMY SUMMER" France Director: Charlotte Brandstrom Cast: Judith Godreche, Stanislas Carre de Malberg
-- Winner of the best film award at the Sixth Women in Film Festival, "Stormy Summer" is a love story set in German-occupied France. The 16-year-old hero adores his cousin and she seems to return his affection - until an English officer, parachuted in to organize resistance, captures her fancy. (95 mins.) May 28, 7 p.m., Egyptian, $6. May 30, 5 p.m., Broadway Market, $4.
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"STRAIGHT OUT OF BROOKLYN" U.S.A. Director: Matty Rich Cast: George T. Odom, Ann D. Sanders
-- Nineteen-year-old director Matty Rich caused a stir at this year's Sundance Film Festival with this first film, which was filmed on location in Brooklyn's Red Hook housing projects. It's a frank depiction of a struggling, black working-class family. The story centers on a son's attempt to pull off a dangerous robbery, in hopes of getting his family out of their rut of hopeless poverty and frustration. Winner of a Special Jury Prize at Sundance "for a film that perfectly embodies the spirit of independent filmmaking." (91 mins.) May 25, 7 p.m., Broadway Market, $6.
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"THE STRANGER IN OUR MIDST" U.S.A. Director: Andrea Primdahl Cast: Todd Hahn, Alvaro Encinas U.S. Premiere
-- The plight and struggle of an estimated 2 million Central American refugees are at the heart of this documentary. From the issues of international human rights and humanitarian law, the film offers an indictment of U.S. interventionism and its consequences. (103 mins.) May 30, 5 p.m., Egyptian, $4.
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"STRANGERS IN GOOD COMPANY" Canada Director: Cynthia Scott Cast: Alice Diabo, Constance Garneau
-- Originally titled "The Company of Strangers," this Canadian vehicle features a non-professional cast. Seven women, all over 70, and their younger, jazz-singing driver are stranded in a remote farmhouse when their bus breaks down. A remarkably diverse group, the women get to know each other, facing the crisis with humor and spirit. (100 mins.) June 4, 7 p.m., Egyptian, $6. June 6, 5 p.m., Broadway Market, $4.
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"SUMMERTIME" Great Britain/United States Director: David Lean Cast: Katharine Hepburn, Rossano Brazzi
-- Katharine Hepburn is an American schoolteacher on holiday, who becomes romantically involved with a handsome Italian played by Rossano Brazzi. Shot in Technicolor on location in Venice, the film won the late David Lean the New York Film Critics' prize for best director. Both Hepburn and Lean received Academy Award nominations as well. (99 mins.) June 8, noon, Egyptian. Free.
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"SWAN LAKE - THE ZONE" U.S.S.R./Canada/Sweden Director: Yuri Ilienko Cast: Viktor Solovyov, Liudmila Yefimenko
-- Based on the prison stories of the late Armenian director, Sergei Paradjanov ("Shadows of Our Forgotten Ancestors"), this is an allegory about the Soviet Union and its eminent collapse, told almost without dialogue through the camerawork of Ilienko, who served as cameraman on most of Paradjanov's films. (96 mins.) May 26, 9:30 p.m., Harvard Exit.
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"SWORDSMAN" Hong Kong Director: Tsui Hark, King Hu, Ching Siu-Tung Cast: Samuel Hui, Jacky Cheung
-- An action-filled, tongue-in-cheek costume epic from Tsui Hark, the extravagant director of "A Chinese Ghost Story" and "I Love Maria." In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, a gang of villainous eunuchs try to recover a stolen sacred scroll and come up against an eccentric super swordsman. (120 mins.) May 23, 7 p.m., Egyptian, $6. May 25, 2:15 p.m., Egyptian, $4.
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"A TALE OF SPRINGTIME" France Director: Eric Rohmer Cast: Anne Teyssedre, Florence Durrell
-- Sophistication and intelligence are a trademark of Eric Rohmer's films ("Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle," SIFF 1989). In his latest, Jeanne, a young philosophy teacher, and Natacha, an 18-year-old music student, meet by chance at a party. Natacha thinks Jeanne might be just right for her shy father (whose present girlfriend she can't stand), and sets about arranging it. (110 mins.) May 17, 7 p.m., Harvard Exit, $6. May 18, 2:15 p.m., Harvard Exit, $4.
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"THIRD STONE FROM THE SUN" United States Director: Jan C. Nickman Cast: Linda Hunt, Kath Soucie
-- A timely parable about the rediscovery of man's mystical bond with the natural world, with Linda Hunt as the voice of the sailing ship, Varua - a boy's guide on his journey of awakening. Filmed in Alaska, in part on Prince William Sound, just prior to the Exxon Valdez disaster. (90 mins.) June 1, 4:30 p.m., Broadway Market, $4.
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"THIS WAS HOW I IMAGINED PARADISE" Romania Directors: Leonard Hentiu, Catalina Femoaga U.S. Premiere
-- A collection of documentaries that were shot during and immediately after the December 1989, revolution that toppled the Ceausescu regime. They cover the devastation caused by the evolution as well was a detailed account from the helicopter pilots who ferried the Ceausescus around Romania in their bid for escape. (98 mins.) June 9, 4:30 p.m., Egyptian, $4.
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"THE TIGRESS" Ecuador Director: Camilo Luzuriaga Cast: Lissette Cabrera, Rossana Ituralde
-- Camilo Luzuriaga's feature debut is a blend of magical realism, fairy tale, and exploration of male/female psyches. Taking place in the heart of a mythic Ecuadoran jungle, the Tigress of the story is the domineering and untamable Francisca, who is hypocritically vigilant about her youngest sister's virginity. Winner of best film and best first film awards at the Iberoamerican Film Festival in Cartagena, Columbia. (80 mins.) May 27, 7 p.m., Broadway Market, $6.
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"TO CROSS THE RUBICON" U.S.A. Director: Barry Caillier Cast: Patricia Royce, Lorraine Devon World Premiere
-- Shot in Seattle by Barry Caillier, who made "Daredreamer" here, this comedy follows the ups and downs of two women friends who are struggling with careers, personal lives and relationships. (148 mins.) May 26, 7 p.m., Egyptian, $6. May 27, 4:30 p.m., Harvard Exit, $4.
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"TRULY, MADLY, DEEPLY" Great Britain Director: Anthony Minghella Cast: Juliet Stevenson, Alan Rickman
-- Juliet Stevenson ("Drowning by Numbers") plays a woman who is inconsolable after the death of her lover. Once a bright, funny extrovert, she now refuses to leave her decaying flat. Then one day, to her joy and incredulity, her lover (Alan Rickman) returns to her as a ghost. The film marks the directing debut of playwright Anthony Minghella. (104 mins.) May 18, 9:30 p.m., Egyptian, $6. May 19, 2:15 p.m., Harvard Exit, $4.
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"TRUST" U.S.A. Director: Hal Hartley Cast: Adrienne Shelly, Martin Donovan
-- Director Hal Hartley's follow-up to his sleeper, "The Unbelievable Truth" (SIFF '90), is another comedy that delights in taking knowing potshots at traditional middle American values. Two disowned children, a pregnant teenager and an appliance repairman with a passionate hatred of TV sets, try to become just an average couple in a mad suburban landscape of confused terrorists, women planning baby thefts, and parents who plot against their own children. Winner of the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the 1991 Sundance Film Festival. (90 mins.) June 5, 7 p.m., Broadway Market, $6.
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"TWENTY-ONE" Great Britain Director: Don Boyd Cast: Patsy Kensit, Jack Shepherd
-- Twenty-one-year-old Katie has ankled her life in London for a fresh start in New York. As the film unfolds, she steps back in time and across the ocean to recount the events of her 21st year that led her to America in search of a new life. All of this is recounted directly to the audience, in a cheeky manner that is as intimate as the writing in a diary. Patsy Kensit gives a much-praised performance as the audacious Katie. In her Los Angeles Times review, Sheila Benson compared her to the young Julie Christie. (101 mins.) May 25, 7 p.m., Egyptian, $6. May 27, 4:30 p.m., Broadway Market, $4.
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"TWILIGHT" Hungary Director: Gyorgy Feher Cast: Peter Haumann, Janos Derzsi
-- A killer is loose in the woods around Budapest. His victims are young girls. The investigating detective becomes obsessed with the case, loses his objectivity and is taken off the assignment. Pursuing the crime on his own, he delves deeper into the killer's psyche through his elaborate deductions and uncanny intuition. Building up a "Psycho"-like suspense, the film avoids blatant violence, prefering to remain in a psychological netherworld. (105 mins.) May 26, 9:30 p.m., Broadway Market, $6.
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"URANUS" France -- Closing-night film - Sunday, June 9, 7:30 at the Egyptian. See capsule at beginning of text.
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"THE VIOLENT COP" Japan Director: Takeshi Kitano Cast: Takeshi Kitano, Hakuryu U.S. Premiere
-- Japan's No. 1 entertainer makes his directorial debut with this police drama. Best known for his role as Sergeant Hara in "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence," Takeshi Kitano here plays the tough cop, Azuma. When a top detective is implicated in a yakuza drug operation, Azuma's desire to clear his friend's name leads in him into very deep waters. The film is at turns cynical, brutal and comic. (103 mins.) May 27, 9:30 p.m., Harvard Exit, $6.
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"THE WALL" Germany Director: Jurgen Bottcher U.S. Premiere
-- The last film made in East Germany, "The Wall" chronicles the last days of the Berlin Wall. It takes the form of a celluloid poem interweaving images and sound to create a history of this ultimate symbol of the Cold War. Winner of the international critics' prize and chosen as the Best Film out of competition at the Berlin Festival. (99 mins.) June 6, 5 p.m., Egyptian, $4.
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"WINGS OF FAME" The Netherlands Director: Otakar Votocek Cast: Peter O'Toole, Colin Firth
-- When failed writer Brian Smith (Colin Firth) shoots pompous actor Caesar Valentin (Peter O'Toole) on the steps of a theater during a film festival and is subsequently killed in an accident, both end up in a hotel for dead celebrities situated in the afterlife where they pursue their cat-and-mouse struggle. Winner Best Technical/Artistic Achievement, 1990 Europa Cinema Festival. (116 mins.) May 30, 7 p.m., Egyptian, $6. June 1, 4:30 p.m., Egyptian, $4.
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"THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF DOGS" Australia Director: Mark Lewis
-- Anyone familiar with Mark Lewis' previous film, "Cane Toads," knows what to expect of this similarly humorous documentary about dogs who just want to be dogs and people who want their dogs to be people. There's the woman who's obsessed with dogs defecating on her lawn and another whose holiday was spoiled by a Pelican hungry enough to eat her small Chihuahua. And then there's Fugly, a charming German short-haired pointer who's been convicted on more than 60 occasions under section 9 of the 1966 Dog Act. Also on the program are two new shorts featuring dogs: Bill Plimpton's animated "Dig My Do," starring a rock-'n'-rollin' hound dog, and "The Dog Ate It," a comedy about a desperate college student trying to create his term paper in one night and his hungry dog Max. (52 mins.) May 23, 5 p.m., Egyptian, $4. May 25, noon, Harvard Exit, $4.