Film Masterpieces

Eight of the Most Ambitious American and European Films

Eight Lectures

1. “Viridiana” (1961, Spanish, English subtitles) - Condemned by the Catholic Church, this film ranks with the paintings of Velasquez as an engaging portrayal of the Spanish character.
2. “Red River” (1948, American) - Ostensibly about a historic cattle drive from Texas to Kansas, this may be John Wayne’s greatest performance as an imperious man struggling to subordinate and crush a devoted son. A beautiful woman intervenes.
3. “Le Samouraï” (1967, French, English subtitles) - A profound and gripping study of the psychology of a Paris “hit man.” Alain Delon makes the fatal mistake of falling in love with his victim. A stunning portrait of masculine cool.
4. “Force Majeure” (2014, Swedish, English subtitles) - A happy, Swedish family go on a ski vacation in the French Alps. A controlled, nearby avalanche prompts the husband/father to abandon his family to save himself. When the false danger has passed, he must face his wife and two young children. How does a man do that? A surpassingly brilliant and scathing study of marriage.
5. “Umbrellas of Cherbourg” (1964, French, English subtitles) - One of a kind. A story told entirely in song. Romantic, poignant, impossible to resist. The film that made Catherine Deneuve a French icon.
6. “Unfaithful” (2002, American) - Diane Lane and Richard Gere star in a film depicting the perfect, American marriage. Only one thing is lacking - poetry. No other actress has ever portrayed the dual nature of women with Diane Lane's virtuosity. A film that is thrilling, artful and elegiac.
7. “McCabe & Mrs. Miller” (1971, American) - This is, poetically, an erotic Western. A fabulous view of beauty and courage subdued by a harsh and brutal society.
8. “Chariots of Fire” (1981, English, American) - One of the most lavishly elitist films about the British character, sport and Jewish assimilation.

Film Masterpieces (Last Four Weeks Only)

Eight of the Most Ambitious American and European Films

Four Lectures

1. “Umbrellas of Cherbourg” (1964, French, English subtitles) - One of a kind. A story told entirely in song. Romantic, poignant, impossible to resist. The film that made Catherine Deneuve a French icon.
2. “Unfaithful” (2002, American) - Diane Lane and Richard Gere star in a film depicting the perfect, American marriage. Only one thing is lacking - poetry. No other actress has ever portrayed the dual nature of women with Diane Lane's virtuosity. A film that is thrilling, artful and elegiac.
3. “McCabe & Mrs. Miller” (1971, American) - This is, poetically, an erotic Western. A fabulous view of beauty and courage subdued by a harsh and brutal society.
4. “Chariots of Fire” (1981, English, American) - One of the most lavishly elitist films about the British character, sport and Jewish assimilation.