Janus Films at SIFF Cinema (Week 4)

The 4th week of SIFF's tribute to 50 years of Janus Films has completed with a wonderful five day celebration of the cinematic artwork of Ingmar Bergman.

The Janus film series is now at the official half-way point and it has been nothing short of amazing.

This week's films included an early Bergman masterpiece from 1953, Summer with Monika, a simple but very powerful and brutally honest look at love. As we all know, it's not always a walk in the park. The beautiful Swedish countryside and waterways also star in this great film, shot lovingly in gorgeous black-and-white.

Wild Strawberries, from 1957 was screened and the beautiful film tells the story of an old man's journey to receive a prestigious award for his 50 years of service as a doctor. While he travels, the doctor reflects deeply about his youth and attempts to understand (and come to terms with) the failures and mistakes in his life. The film stars silent movie director Victor Sjöström as Professor Borg, and he is marvelous in the role.
There was a problem with this screening due to a portion of the film's subtitles being almost completely unreadable. During the flashback sequence where the Borg family has gathered together (and everyone seems to be wearing white) it was almost impossible to see the white subtitles against the white background. Thankfully, this problem only lasted about 5 minutes but it still harmed the cinematic experience. The print did not appear to be new, so I hope the next time prints are made of this film that they add a decent black shadow to the subtitles so folks can read the subtitles and understand what is being said (especially in a very important sequence like this one).

Shot in luscious full-color by master cinematographer Sven Nykvist, Fanny & Alexander (from 1982) looked stunning on the SIFF Cinema screen. The "short" 3 hour version was screened and the film tells the story of two Swedish children growing up in the early 20th Century. Funny, fascinating and sometimes frightening, this is an amazing cinematic adventure that simply delighted Bergman fans (myself included) at it's two SIFF screenings.

Smiles of a Summer Night was also screened and it proved to be a big hit with the SIFF Cinema crowd. From 1955, this film is a tremendously charming look at the sport of love. A great ensemble cast stars in one of the greatest sex comedies ever filmed. After the screening, a number of folks mentioned how racy and sophisticated this 1953 film was. One of Bergman's most enjoyable films.

The peak of Bergman week was three screenings of his 1957 masterpiece The Seventh Seal, about a knight who plays chess with Death in order to delay or prevent his demise. At the core of this film is an examination of the quest for answers to the deepest questions of all. The beautiful, new print from Janus Films looked absolutely magnificent on the SIFF Cinema screen and it created an unforgettable cinematic experience for all who attended the screenings.

Thanks again go out to the wonderful folks at SIFF and Janus for an amazing 4 weeks of cinematic masterworks. The good news is.....there's 4 more weeks to go! If you haven't made your cinematic pilgrimage down to SIFF Cinema's Janus Series, you need to go soon, before it's over.

Starting Wednesday, the Janus Films Series turns it's focus to Japan, with 4 Japanese classics: Rashomon, Woman in the Dunes, Kwaidan and Makioka Sisters. Each and every one a masterpiece of cinema.

On a non-SIFF note, I ventured down to the Saturday night midnight screening of Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange at the Egyptian Theater and it was an absolute blast! The theater was filled with lovely young devotchka's and malchik's who whooped and hollered with joy all through the screening. After the film, the Egyptian Theater floor looked like a cyclone had blasted through, with the floor covered with popcorn, wrappers, soda cups and other unidentifiable debris. It seemed as though a group of crazed droogies had rampaged through the Egyptian theater in acts of cinematic ultraviolence! No one was hurt though, in fact, everyone had a great time and a big thank you goes out to the Egyptian Theater for the coolest midnight movie program in Seattle and for having to clean up that big mess!