Writer-director Philip Kaufman (American, b. 1936) creates provocative, often experimental films that convey a deep reverence for filmmaking as an art form. His work also exhibits a remarkable versatility for a filmmaker who engages recurrent themes, from the mythology of heroes (and antiheroes) in The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid (1972) and The Right Stuff (1983) to the erotically charged existentialism of The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988) and Henry and June (1990). This presentation of Kaufman’s work also features his directorial debut, Goldstein, winner of the Prix de la Nouvelle Critique at the 1964 Cannes Film Festival. This love letter to a Chicago that no longer exists is both an ode to the French New Wave and a precursor of American indie filmmaking. All films are from the U.S. and directed by Kaufman.
Organized by Laurence Kardish, Senior Curator, and Jenny He, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Film.