THE SHOUT 1978
For fans of POSSESSION, MORGIANA and other gonzo gothic fantasies! Filmmaker Jerzy Skolimowski (DEEP END) is one of Europe’s greatest cinematic minds, and he absolutely delivers with THE SHOUT, an addictive three-hander between Alan Bates, John Hurt and Susannah York.
Bates is chilling as Crossley, a dark stranger who emerges from the dunes of a sleepy seaside village to wreak havoc on an avant-garde composer and his wife. Insinuating himself in their house, Bates regales his hosts with tales of black magic and the “terror shout”: his ability to shriek so loudly that any creature within earshot is struck dead. Skolimowski twists the narrative in impossible directions while also finding time for extended synthesizer montages, inexplicable role reversals, wild symbology, a cameo by Tim Curry and at least one false ending. In other words, it’s a total blast!
Sunday, October 4
Director: Jerzy Skolimowski
Starring: Alan Bates, John Hurt, Susannah York, Tim Curry
Runtime: 86 min., UK
Language: English
THE COMPANY OF WOLVES 1984
Stories nest within stories in this sensuous retelling of “Little Red Riding Hood” that blurs the line between reality and fantasy and peels away our human masks.
You’ll relish every page in this exquisite bestiary of werewolves from all walks of life. The film begins with a young girl in the present day who sulks in her room and dreams of a fairy tale village in an enchanted forest. The storytellers within the dream are a wise old grandmother, played marvelously by Angela Lansbury, and her inquisitive granddaughter, the film’s answer to Little Red Riding Hood. Their stories concern a boy who makes a deal with the devil, a witch who curses arrogant aristocrats, a feral wolfwoman who emerges from a wishing well, and more, and the granddaughter soon faces her foe.
The storyteller behind the film is Angela Carter, the renowned British author known for her feminist retellings of classic fairy tales, who co-writes this adaptation of her short story of the same name, resulting in a stunning and unforgettable cinematic compendium of lycanthropy. (Facets)
Friday, October 16
Sunday, October 18
Director: Neil Jordan
Starring: Sarah Patterson, Angela Lansbury, David Warner
Runtime: 95 min., UK
Language: English