February is a short month, both in calendar days – twenty-nine, due to Leap Year - and Cine Club screenings - six only as there were not as many dates available at the Cultural Centre.

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We start off with a Spanish flair, Los Ojos de Julia, a thrilling mystery that should keep everyone on the edge of their seats – if not for the excitement, then at least to be able to read the English subtitles. We celebrate Ronald Colman's birthday by screening the most complete version of one of the truly great moviegoing experiences, Lost Horizon. You can not tire from watching and “listening” to any performance from the velvet-voiced Mr. Colman, but he truly wears his part in Lost Horizon like a comfortable well-tailored suit.Fair Game, a spy thriller based on an unbelievable, but unfortunately true news story, will rivet you to your seat. The Western genre has fallen out of vogue, but when we find one as powerfully made as the Coen Brothers' Oscar-nominated True Grit, we have to share it with you. Jeff Bridges has some pretty big boots to fill behind John Wayne's Oscar winning portrayal of Rooster Cogburn in the original version of True Grit. (Ask Dr. Paula for a true life antedote about Wayne's Oscar winning night.)

The latest cinematic turn of the classic Charlotte Brontë novel, Jane Eyre, is more faithful to the book in emphasing the gothic aspects alongside the romance. Fasten your seatbelts as we end the month with a vicarious journey to Iran - given the current political climate, perhaps the best way to travel. Separation has just won the Golden Globe Award for Best Non-English film and it was the absolute stand out film at the Berlin Film Festival. If your German is up to it, have a chat with one of our regular volunteer Cine Club helpers - the tall and friendly Klaus as he also volunteers at the Berlin Film Festival.
 

(Spain 2010) 117 min. Belen Rueda, Lluís Homar, Boris Ruiz. Dir. Guillem Morales. A woman is trying to unravel a mystery that she literally can no longer see in this thriller Julia and her sister Sara have both inherited a medical condition that is slowly robbing them of their eyesight, with stress severely aggravating the condition. When Julia gets the news that Sara has died, she has a hard time believing the police report that she committed suicide, and she and her husband Isaac begin looking into the matter. As Julia examines the particulars of Sara's death, she begins to suspect the actions of Sara's neighbor Blasco, his daughter Lia, and an aged woman named Soledad. As Julia becomes more convinced that Sara's neighbors were involved in her death, unpleasant events begin happening all around her, and as she comes closer to unraveling the knots that have tied up Sara's death, Julia inches closer to total blindness. Produced in part by Guillermo Del Toro, Los Ojos de Julia (aka Julia's Eyes) was an official selection at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival.

(USA 2010) 108 min. Naomi Watts, Sean Penn. Dir. Doug Liman. This riveting thriller inspired by the experiences of real-life CIA officer Valerie Plame, a fact known outside the agency to no one except her husband and parents. Her husband, Joseph C. Wilson, is a diplomat who most recently has served as the U.S. ambassador to Gabon. Due to his earlier diplomatic background in Niger, Wilson is approached by Plame's CIA colleagues to travel there and glean information as to whether yellowcake uranium is being procured by Iraq for use in the construction of nuclear weapons. Wilson determines to his own satisfaction that it is not. After military action is taken by George W. Bush, who justifies it in a 2003State of the Union address by alluding to the uranium's use in building weapons of mass destruction, Wilson submits an op-ed piece to The New York Times, claiming these reports to be categorically untrue. Plame's status as a CIA agent is subsequently revealed in the media, the leak possibly coming from White House officials, including the Vice President's chief of staff and national security adviser, Scooter Libby, in part to discredit her husband's allegation that the Bush administration had manipulated intelligence to justify the invasion of Iraq. As a result, Plame is instantly dismissed from the agency, leaving several of her delicate operations in limbo and creating a rift in her marriage. Plame testifies before a Congressional committee, while Libby is convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice and given a 30-month prison sentence, President Bush commutes the jail time on Libby's behalf. Crackling with sharp dialogue, gripping intrigue and heart-pounding suspense,Fair Game is the adventure that is so unbelievable, it can only be real.
Original Version (English) with Spanish subtitles.
 

(USA/UK 2011) 120 min. Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Judi Dench. Dir. Cary Joji Fukunaga. Charlotte Brontë's Victorian romance is no stranger to the silver screen, but Fukunaga's affecting and beautifully mounted adaptation is amongst the best. Sometimes, casting can make all the difference. In this case, Australia's Mia Wasikowska plays the determined Jane Eyre opposite Ireland's Michael Fassbender as the world-weary Edward Rochester (neither actor betrays their country of origin). Fukunaga begins with Jane's escape from Rochester's High Gothic Thornfield Hall before flashing back to the days when the plainspoken orphan lived with her cruel and resentful aunt The aunt ships her off to a loveless charity school, where she still manages to receive a fine education, after which she lands a position as governess for Rochester's ward, Adèle. Though his housekeeper (fabulous Dame Judi Dench) makes Jane feel welcome, the brooding Rochester attempts to mock and demean her, but the quick-witted 19-year-old can hold her own. What might offend a more superficial man intrigues her employer (Fassbender is more handsome than the author intended). Sparks fly, but he expresses greater interest in a local beauty. Just as Jane finally pierces Rochester's armor, she discovers his terrible secret, and hits the road. She meets a kindly missionary and his sweet sisters, who offer her the family she never had, before a sequence of well-plotted developments allow Jane to forge her own future. For once, no one can stop her, making for a swoon-worthy, if bittersweet conclusion. 
Original version (English) with Spanish subtitles.

Ronald Colman's Birthday
(USA 1937) 132 min. Ronald Colman, Jane Wyatt, Edward Everett Horton. Dir. Frank Capra. James Hilton's classic storyabout five people stumbling into strange Tibetan land where health, peace and longevity reign. So indelible is this mythical land that its name has entered the culture: Shangri-La. Director Frank Capra, riding high during his mid-'30s hot streak, spared no expense in creating Hilton's paradise onscreen, taxing the coffers of Columbia Pictures and the patience of mogul Harry Cohn. The results, however, are magical: shimmering, seductive, and maybe a bit foolish, truly the creation of an idealist (understandably, the spectacular art direction won an Oscar). And Capra's hero is an idealist, too. Ronald Colman, at his most marvelously elocutionary, plays a wise diplomat whose plane crashes in the snows of Tibet. He and the other survivors are guided to Shangri-La, where they wrestle with the invitation to stay.  A rare movie experience, with haunting finale. After being shown in edited reissue prints for years, this classic has been restored to its original length.
Original Version (English) with German subtitles.

(USA 2010) 110 min. Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin. Dir. Coen Brothers.True Grit is a powerful story of vengeance and valor set in an unforgiving and unpredictable frontier where justice is simple and mercy is rare. Mattie Ross , is determined to avenge her father's blood by capturing Tom Chaney, the man who shot and killed him for two pieces of gold. Just fourteen, she enlists the help of Rooster Cogburn, a one-eyed, trigger-happy U.S. Marshall with an affinity for drinking, and hardened Texas Ranger LaBoeuf to track the fleeing Chaney. Despite their differences, their ruthless determination leads them on a perilous adventure that can only have one outcome: retribution. Roger Ebert review: “The film is admirably, a good Western. That's a surprise to me, because this is a film by the Coen Brothers, and this is the first straight genre exercise in their career. It's a loving one. Their craftsmanship is a wonder."

(Iran 2011) 125 min. Leila Hatami, Peyman Moadi, Ali-Asghar Shahbazi. Dir. Asghar Farhadi. The stand out film of the 2011 Berlin Film Festival and winner of the Golden Bear, A Separation is a suspenseful and intelligent drama detailing the fractures and tensions at the heart of Iranian society. Written and directed by Asghar Farhadi, the film boasts a range of superb performances from the ensemble cast who collectively received the Silver Bears for both Best Actor and Best Actress at the Berlinale. The compelling narrative is driven by a taut and finely written script rooted in the particular of Iranian society but which transcends its setting to create a stunning morality play with universal resonance. When his wife leaves him, Nader hires a young woman to take care of his suffering father. But he doesn t know his new maid is not only pregnant, but also working without her unstable husband's permission. Soon, Nader finds himself entangled in a web of lies manipulation and public confrontations. A Separation is the first ever Iranian film to be awarded the Golden Bear.