CATEGORY: AN AUTEURIST HISTORY OF FILM

Jack Lemmon in The Apartment. 1960. USA. Directed by Billy Wilder

These notes accompany screenings of Billy Wilder’s The Apartment on June 19, 20, and 21 in Theater 3.

The Apartment won three Oscars for Billy Wilder as producer, director, and co-screenwriter. Read more

Paris Belongs to Us. 1961. France. Directed by Jacques Rivette

These notes accompany screenings of Jacques Rivette’s Paris Belongs to Us on June 12, 13, and 14 in Theater 3.

Jacques Rivette, who recently celebrated his 85th birthday—and is still active—seems to me to be one of the most uneven, and certainly less prolific, of the major figures to come out of the French New Wave. Read more

The 400 Blows. 1959. France. Directed by Francois Truffaut

These notes accompany screenings of Francois Truffaut’s The 400 Blows on June 5, 6, and 7 in Theater 3.

In the interest of full disclosure, let me make it clear at the outset that of all the directors who came along Read more

The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond. 1960. USA. Directed by Budd (Oscar) Boetticher

These notes accompany screenings of Budd Boetticher’s The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond on May 29 and 30 in Theater 1.

Oscar “Budd” Boetticher (1916–2001) is one of those directors who would likely have been all but ignored by film historians—if Andrew Sarris had not succeeded in making auteur theory prominent. Read more

Jungfrukallan (The Virgin Spring). 1960. Sweden. Directed by Ingmar Bergman

These notes accompany screenings of Ingmar Bergman’s The Virgin Spring on May 22, 23, and 24 in Theater 3.

Ingmar Bergman (1918–2007) had turned 40, and had already directed 20 films Read more

The Cousins. 1959. France. Directed by Claude Chabrol

These notes accompany screenings of Claude Chabrol’s The Cousins on May 15, 16, and 17 in Theater 3.

When Andrew Sarris published Interviews with Film Directors in 1967, he could already write that Claude Chabrol (1930–2010) had “quickly become one of the forgotten figures of the nouvelle vague.” Read more

Il Grido. 1957. Italy. Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni

Il Grido (The Cry) catches Michelangelo Antonioni (1912–2007) in transition from his Neorealist roots to his more personal, despairing vision. Read more

Meshes of the Afternoon. 1943. USA. Directed by Maya Deren

These notes accompany the California Dreaming: The American Avant-Garde, 1942–58 screening program on April 24, 25, and 26.

Although nothing quite comparable to the French Surrealist films of the 1920s came out of America, the occasional maverick production had appeared on the periphery of Hollywood over the years. Read more

Paul Newman, Eva Marie Saint, and John Derek in Exodus. 1960. USA. Directed by Otto Preminger

These notes accompany screenings of Otto Preminger’s Exodus on April 17, 18, and 19.

Otto Preminger (1905–1986), like Josef von Sternberg, Erich von Stroheim, Billy Wilder, Fred Zinnemann, and Edgar G. Ulmer, was a Viennese Jew. Read more