12th
ANNUAL
JAMES RIVER
FILM FESTIVAL
Virginia's
Festival for the
Independent- Minded |
ALL ADMISSIONS
FREE UNLESS NOTED; DONATIONS ENCOURAGED
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 Devotional
Cinema: Yasujiro Ozu's
"A Hen in the Wind" (1948, b&w, 84 min.)
10 a.m., Byrd Theatre, Admission $5
"People
sometimes complicate the simplest things. Life, which seems
complex, suddenly reveals itself as very simple."–
Yasujiro Ozu
Yasujiro
Ozu was born in 1903. He quit Waseda University because "it
wasn't too interesting," and joined Shochiku Studios
at the age of 20. Four years after joining Shochiku, Ozu directed
his first film. "I didn't want to be a director as quickly
as all that. If I were assistant I could spend my evenings
drinking. A director has to spend his time working on continuity."
During his 36 years in the industry, Ozu produced 54 films.
This is a rare opportunity to see one of Ozu's best works
on the big screen in 35mm film, the way it was intended to
be seen. Introduction by JRFF guest Nathaniel Dorsky.
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 In
his notes for an Ozu retrospective at the Pacific Film Archive
at the Berkeley Art Museum, Nathaniel Dorsky wrote: "In
his fullness, all elements of the narrative film are considered
simultaneously; the underlying theme of these elements is the
boundary of containment and release. The screen itself communicates
directly to the audience as a luminous square in darkness, a
reflecting pool of both surface tension and depth. The rigorous
framing makes each shot an elegant 'package of space' having
it's own precise weight. The cuts are delicate mysterious pops
into 'nowness,' opening further the transparency of the moment.
In this stillness, the characters have the freedom to be, and
the story reveals their subtle but inevitable burden of identity
within society. For the audience, bathed in this light, the
accumulated sadness of the human heart blossoms and breaks." |
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 "I
Drink Your Blood" (1971, color, 83 min.) with
director David Durston and actress Lynn Lowry
1:30 p.m., Plant Zero Art Center, Admission $5
Just
reissued on DVD, this campy gore-hound favorite of rabid
hippies on a rampage includes four scenes deleted after
the MPAA slapped it with an X rating for violence—the
first film so designated. Clever, '60s-topical, and
ultimately a real hoot, with nods to George Romero's
"Night of the Living Dead" (director-writer
Durston claims he was instructed to outdo Romero!) and
headlines about the Manson gang, "I Drink Your
Blood" is now considered an independent classic.
After the rating was assigned, producer Jerry Gross
instructed theater owners to cut the film as they saw
fit—which resulted in hundreds of circulating versions!
What makes this film work, ultimately, is that "it
could have happened," says Durston. "The small
town or community is the perfect setting for the unexpected."
Durston and Lowry will discuss the film before and after
the screening as well as sign autographs and sell memorabilia.
The new uncut DVD will also be available for purchase.
Kevin Thomas in the L.A. Times said, "You
cannot judge a film by its title. "I Drink Your
Blood" is a tour-de-force, an edge-of-the-seat
entertainment."
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 Virginia
Production Alliance Workshop:
Light the Lights
4 p.m., Plant Zero Art Center, Admission Free
No
matter what the budget (or the format), all films have
one thing in common—the need to control and manipulate
light to set a mood and show the scene to its best advantage.
For this seminar, Richmond area professionals experienced
in the art of lighting will share their secrets of the
trade. The Virginia
Production Alliance unites professionals in film,
video, and audio, and provides educational and networking
opportunities for the industry in the Commonwealth.
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Pere Ubu Live with Roger Corman's
"X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes" (1963,
color, 80 min.)
9:30 p.m., Byrd Theatre, Advance tickets: $12, At the
Door: $15
  Legendary
avant-garage Cleveland rockers Pere Ubu (Modern Dance,
Dub Housing) return to Richmond after nearly 20
years, playing live to "X: The Man with the X-Ray
Eyes," Roger Corman's 1963 cult classic starring
Ray Milland as the scientist with the privileged, and
finally cursed, X-ray eyes. Many consider it Corman's
finest production and Milland fancied the role one of
his favorites—more reasons why it's a real B-flick
classic. But throw in Pere Ubu's "signature mix
of driving rock and synthesized sound" (Argus)
and you are part of a total live film/music experience
at the historic Byrd Theatre. "I grew up addicted
to Friday night sci-fi flicks," Pere Ubu's David
Thomas says. "The genre had an incalculable effect,
and now it's time to honor our debt." What the
band does, he explains, is a kind of "underscoring"—sound
effects, dialogue, and additional score. During a performance
at London's Royal Festival Hall on the band's recent
UK tour, musical director Glenn Max declared, "Pere
Ubu has raised the standard for live soundtracks."
Advance tickets ($12) available at Plan 9 Music, Chop
Suey Books, and Video Fan.
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PHOTO BY JOE SCHUMACHER
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RARE FIND! Review
We found this
photo and report of the performance held in July,
2004 in New York by blogger Joe Schumacher.
"They played over the movie, under the movie,
sound clips from other movies ("Calling Dr.
Howard. Calling Dr. Fine."), and interjected
new dialogue into scenes. It wasn't the concert
I was expecting. It was something rarer and more
than this sleepy guy could have hoped for."
Thanks,
Joe, for permission to use your extrordinary photograph
and link
to your site.
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