As legend has it, Rabbi Loew gave life to a Golem in 16th century Prague. Sculpted by his own hand from a mound of clay, the Rabbi carved the Hebrew word "emet," meaning truth, into the giant's forehead and brought it into existence. The creature was meant to be a protector of the Jewish Ghetto, and was to act as a servant to Loew. Taking this legend as his basis, actor/co-director/co-
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Paul Wegener's THE GOLEM (Classic Revival)
Chicago Cultural Center - Friday,
7pm
As legend has it, Rabbi Loew gave life to a Golem in 16th century Prague. Sculpted by his own hand from a mound of clay, the Rabbi carved the Hebrew word "emet," meaning truth, into the giant's forehead and brought it into existence. The creature was meant to be a protector of the Jewish Ghetto, and was to act as a servant to Loew. Taking this legend as his basis, actor/co-director/co-
As legend has it, Rabbi Loew gave life to a Golem in 16th century Prague. Sculpted by his own hand from a mound of clay, the Rabbi carved the Hebrew word "emet," meaning truth, into the giant's forehead and brought it into existence. The creature was meant to be a protector of the Jewish Ghetto, and was to act as a servant to Loew. Taking this legend as his basis, actor/co-director/co-
Occasional Pieces: Film & Video by Steve Connolly (Experimental)
The Nightingale - Saturday, 7:30pm
British filmmaker Steve Connolly's films are inquisitive works: they ask questions about the spaces they investigate, and they ask questions of the viewer. Less exploration and more collected clues, finding the answers does not seem to be as of much concern as finding the right complex. In MAS SE PERDIO (2008) Havana, Cuba is the setting. An outdoor stadium with a few young men working out (potential), the structure of an elegant national ballet school that was never used (forgotten glory), and an intersection being restored with manual labor (limited resources) are shown. Although the film is presented in three acts, each section juxtaposes the different shooting locations, allowing their shared obsolescence to act as a stand in for the continual restoration of the outdated that has permeated communist Cuba. Less structured but more personal is FILM FOR TOM (2005). Connolly gives us all the trappings of a biography when we see scenes from the childhood of Tom Pearson and hear an adult voice recounting the events of his life. However, this is not a film about Tom, but rather about Connolly's anguish over Tom's violent murder. The narrator, after being told by a psychoanalyst that he has no sense of self, responds "Perhaps I could find myself in someone else," and through his film Connolly allows each of us to find our unique story in that of another. Also screening: THE READING ROOM (2002), POSTCARD FROM ISTANBUL (2003), THE WHALE (2003), GREAT AMERICAN DESERT (2007). Connolly in person. (2002-08, approx. 62 min, 16mm and video) JH - Cine-File.info
British filmmaker Steve Connolly's films are inquisitive works: they ask questions about the spaces they investigate, and they ask questions of the viewer. Less exploration and more collected clues, finding the answers does not seem to be as of much concern as finding the right complex. In MAS SE PERDIO (2008) Havana, Cuba is the setting. An outdoor stadium with a few young men working out (potential), the structure of an elegant national ballet school that was never used (forgotten glory), and an intersection being restored with manual labor (limited resources) are shown. Although the film is presented in three acts, each section juxtaposes the different shooting locations, allowing their shared obsolescence to act as a stand in for the continual restoration of the outdated that has permeated communist Cuba. Less structured but more personal is FILM FOR TOM (2005). Connolly gives us all the trappings of a biography when we see scenes from the childhood of Tom Pearson and hear an adult voice recounting the events of his life. However, this is not a film about Tom, but rather about Connolly's anguish over Tom's violent murder. The narrator, after being told by a psychoanalyst that he has no sense of self, responds "Perhaps I could find myself in someone else," and through his film Connolly allows each of us to find our unique story in that of another. Also screening: THE READING ROOM (2002), POSTCARD FROM ISTANBUL (2003), THE WHALE (2003), GREAT AMERICAN DESERT (2007). Connolly in person. (2002-08, approx. 62 min, 16mm and video) JH - Cine-File.info
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)