The Exorcist (1973) - Friday Late EVENING (2PM)
The scariest movie ever made could never be made today. Violating virtually every taboo in modern American society while simultaneously affirming the power of the Christian faith, The Exorcist disturbed America as it entered its mainstream. Followed by a panel discussion with Anna Khachiyan, Jack Mason, and Thaddeus Russell.
come and see (1985) - SATURDAY DAY (NOON)
“And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, ‘Come and see!’ And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.” Revelation 6:7-8
Stalingrad-born Elem Kilmov’s final film, Come and See, simultaneously immerses the viewer in both the brutal realities of inalterable historical fact and the surreal realm of apocalyptic nightmares. Originally conceived under the title, Kill Hitler!, and surviving seven years of production delays due to Soviet regulation and censorship, Come and See follows Flyora, a young Belarussian boy eager to answer the call of war and defend his homeland from Nazi invaders as he is conscripted and subsequently dragged through the atrocities of war. Come and See’s ambitions to bear witness to and meditate upon the depths of human cruelty and suffering tested the limits of those involved in the film’s production, most notably 14 year old lead Alexei Kravchenko. Today, Come and See similarly continues to test the limits of audiences, and the medium of cinema itself.
The fountainhead (1949) - Saturday Afternoon (2pm)
One of the most influential works of the 20th century, Ayn Rand’s bestselling novel The Fountainhead, has inspired countless artists, entrepreneurs, and visionaries to strive for higher ideals and persist through greater adversity to manifest their vision without compromise. King Vidor’s enigmatic 1949 film adaptation, which closely follows the screenplay written by Rand herself, condenses Rand’s 800 page novel into two hours of visually captivating romance, propaganda, drama, eroticism, and philosophy. Starring Gary Cooper as Rand’s ideal man in architect Howard Roark and Patricia Neal as femme fatale Dominique Francon, The Fountainhead reaches such aesthetic heights in its sincerity that even the modern communist philosopher Slavoj Zizek has praised it as “the greatest American film.”
After our screening, Jack Mason of The Perfume Nationalist podcast will join Thaddeus Russell in a discussion with the audience about the quality of the film, its historical significance, what it tells us about the role of art in society, and the artistic process itself.
Grave of the fireflies (1988) - Friday night (6:30PM)
Often considered one of most emotional war films ever made, Isao Takahata’s masterwork Grave of the Fireflies exposes the horror and drama of WWII as seen from the perspective of two military children of an Imperial Japanese Navy captain.
The film does not take an explicit stance toward war at all, it simply explores life under war in the most personal sense, focusing on the lives of two innocents as the navigate the hellscape of Japan in search of humanity. It is a film so potent, although revered by many, it is often only viewed once. It is a film that confronts the realities of the war in way never before seen.