THE MILL AND THE CROSS / THE DRAUGHTSMAN’S CONTRACT
Synopsis:
June 21st, 22nd
Thu & Fri: 7:30 pm
The Mill and the Cross
2011, Poland/Sweden, 35mm, 95 minutes
directed by Lech Majewski; screenplay by Michael Francis Gibson & Lech Majewski; starring Rutger Hauer, Charlotte Rampling, Michael York
From Lech Majewski, one of Poland's most adventurous and inspired filmmakers, comes a visually ravishing recreation of Pieter Bruegel's epic 1564 painting "The Way to Cavalry," presented alongside the story of its creation -- with Rutger Hauer as Bruegel, Michael York as his friend and art collector, and Charlotte Rampling as the inspiration for his Virgin Mary.
With this fantastically talented cast, as well an enormously complex and imaginative digital tapestry, Majewski takes the audience through Bruegel’s depiction of the story of Christ’s Passion, set in Flanders under brutal Spanish occupation in the year 1564.
From the more than five hundred figures that fill Bruegel’s canvas, THE MILL & THE CROSS focuses on a dozen characters whose life stories unfold and intertwine in a panoramic landscape populated by villagers and red-caped horsemen. We are invited to live inside the aesthetic universe of the painting as we watch Bruegel himself at work on his canvas, weaving the web of his painting and piecing together his sketches. Majewski’s captivating visual effects, combining live actors with location footage and striking painted backdrops, create layer upon layer with which to explore and expand upon the narrative in Bruegel’s work.
“The Mill & The Cross” was inspired by Michael Francis Gibson’s book of the same name, a fascinating study of “The Way to Calvary” and the moment in history in which Bruegel painted.
Thu & Fri: 9:25 pm
The Draughtsman's Contract
1982, UK, 35mm, 108 minutes
written and directed by Peter Greenaway; starring Anthony Higgins, Janet Suzman, Anne Louise Lambert, Neil Cunningham, Hugh Fraser, Dave Hill
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and a Golden Globe nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, the deeply moving new film by the Dardenne brothers (L’enfant, Rosetta) delves into the emotional life of troubled 11-year-old Cyril (newcomer Thomas Doret). When his father (Jérémie Renier) abandons him, Cyril obsessively searches for his bicycle - placing his last bit of hope in this symbol of their relationship. Almost by accident, he becomes the ward of a kind hairdresser (Cécile de France - Clint Eastwood’s HEREAFTER), who seems surprised to find herself so determined to help him. With his wild, unpredictable behavior and his disastrous search for father figures, Cyril risks losing her - though she refuses to give up without a fight. Full of heartbreaking betrayals and unexpected grace, THE KID WITH A BIKE is a film about a child, abandoned to the elements, learning to become good.
