Great Film Series: SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT

After fifteen films that received mostly local acclaim, the 1955 comedy Smiles of a Summer Night (Sommarnattens leende) at last ushered in an international audience for Ingmar Bergman. In turn-of-the-century Sweden, four men and four women attempt to navigate the laws of attraction. During a weekend in the country, the women collude to force the men’s hands in matters of the heart, exposing their pretensions and insecurities along the way. Chock-full of flirtatious propositions and sharp witticisms delivered by such Swedish screen legends as Gunnar Björnstrand and Harriet Andersson, Smiles of a Summer Night is one of cinema’s great erotic comedies.

The film was the inspiration for the Stephen Sondheim Broadway musical, A Little Night Music.

Welcome to Intro to Film, Spring 2016

Welcome. We are about to begin an adventure in the world of cinema. Our exploration will take us across the the globe and back in time as we discover the art, craft and imagination that has touched each of our lives.

The journey and the magic are about to begin. Enjoy the ride. 

 

Classic Comedy Film Trailers

La Strada: Fellini and the Genius of Anthony Quinn

 

Important films in the pantheon of cinema history are often not recognized as such until decades after their release. This was definitely not the case, however, with La Strada (1954). Revered French film critic Andre Bazin’s reaction to the film announced, “Federico Fellini has here achieved one of those very rare films, of which we forget that they are movies and accept them simply as a masterpiece.”

La Strada (The Street) is the film that first brought superstardom to Italian director Fellini. In telling the story of Zampano, a brutal carnival strongman who purchases Gelsomina, a simple peasant girl, from her family to help him in his act, Fellini created a cinematic bridge between his work as one of the auteurs of European post-war neo-realism and his later autobiographical expressionistic works, such as La Dolce Vita and 8 1/2.

The movie’s narrative follows the two impoverished characters as they tour the countryside performing. Zampano puts Gelsomina to work as a clown, and treats her badly, yet she remains faithful until a chance meeting with a tightrope walker alters their fate.

Fellini was one of the great humanists of the film world. He created characters that do whatever it takes to survive, and in creating them, he offers no judgment; only compassion, sorrow, or joy when they find redemption.

La Strada won over 50 international awards, including a Best Foreign Language Oscar. Fellini’s wife, Giulietta Masina, played the role written for her Chaplinesque talents to perfection, and it became a turning point in her long career. American actor Anthony Quinn’s powerful portrayal of the brutish Zampano brought him long-overdue critical and popular acclaim. Nino Rota’s score, an essential part of the film, was also a smash hit, selling an astounding 2 million copies.

For more background and critique:

http://www.filmref.com/directors/dirpages/fellini.html

http://bronze.uco.edu/passport/italy/springer/strada.html 

Welcome to Intro to Film 101 at Roger Williams University • Fall 2014 Semester

Best twist endings in movies: "The Sixth Sense."

The best twist endings in movies? Those that enhance the film's previous two hours without rendering them moot.

From Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" in 1960 to modern classics like "Memento," "The Sixth Sense" and "The Usual Suspects," twist endings have shocked audiences for decades. Who can forget that he was dead the entire time? Or that she was dead the entire time? Or that he was the criminal mastermind? Or that they were all in his mind? Or that you blew it up?

Below, enjoy 15 of the greatest twist endings in movie history.