Minutes for April 19, 2004

Brent Godfrey

PRESENTATION GIVEN BY:  Chris Sanders

FILMS DISCUSSED:  La Jetee and Twelve Monkeys

La Jetee (1962)  Directed by Chris Marker in France.  Tells its story

using a series of still photographs with narration and music.  The film

is about thirty minutes in length, shot in black and white and uses low

budget props.  It starts off just like its Hollywood remake Twelve

Monkeys; a woman is in an airport. There are social overtones in the

film. The film proposes an interesting thesis on what would have happened if the Germans had won WWII while posing a philosophical (existential) question: Do we see our own death?

Twelve Monkeys (1997) Directed by Terry Gillian, a Hollywood science

fiction film.  A deadly virus has killed five billion people in 1996. 

By the year 2035, only 1% of the population has survived and the people

live underground.  James Cole a convict is sent back in time to find

information on the deadly virus.  He is sent there to investigate the

Army of the Twelve Monkeys who released the virus in 1996.  He is sent

back to 1990 instead of 1996 and arrested.  There are religious

overtones.  Twice he is seen standing under an Angel; and his initials

are the same as Jesus Christ.

PRESENTATION GIVEN BY:  Yvonne Munoz

FILMS DISCUSSED:  The Return of Martin Guerre and Sommersby

The Return of Martin Guerre (1982)  Directed by Daniel Vigne.  The

setting is 16th century France.  After a nine-year absence, the people

of Artigat, France believe Martin Guerre has returned to his home,

wife, and child.  In reality, the man who returned is an imposter named

Arnaud Du Tihl.  He and Martin were imprisoned together during the war.

 During this time, Du Tihl gathered personal information from Martin,

which enabled him to assume Martin?s identity.  His masquerade is

successful until he challenges his uncle, who has tended Martin’s land,

for his inheritance.  This leads to questions about his identity, which

culminates into his trial for impersonating Martin.  Ultimately the

true Martin Guerre reappears consequently Du Tihl is found guilty and

sentenced to hang.  This story is told in a documentary style format.

Sommersby (1993)  Directed by Jon Amiel.  The setting is Post American

Civil War.  After a nine-year absence, a man believed to be Jack

Sommersby returns home from the war to his wife and child.  The man is

in fact an impostor named Horace Madison (Richard Gear).  The real Jack

Sommersby died of a knife wound after a bar room brawl in which he

killed a man.  As cellmates Jack and Horace shared information about

their personal lives.  It is only after Jack’s death that Horace

decides to assume Jack’s identity and return to Jack’s town as an

impostor and as Laurel Sommersby (Jodie Foster) husband. 

Unfortunately, a former suitor of Laurel’s becomes suspicious of Jacks

identity.  This eventually leads to Jack’s arrest for the murder of the

man in the bar.  The real Jack Sommersby, as we know, committed the

murder.  Horace can absolve himself from this crime and the punishment

of the death by revealing his identity.  In the end, Horace makes the

decision to die an honorable death as Jack Sommersby.  This film is a

romantic love story, resulting from Jack and Laurel’s passionate love.

PRESENTATION GIVEN BY:  Daniel Heskett

FILMS DISCUSSED:  The Talented Mr. Ripley and Purple Noon

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)  Directed by Anthony Minghella.  A

charming con man named Tom Ripley is sent to Italy to retrieve Dickie

Greenleaf, and bring him back to his wealthy father.  The mission is

unsuccessful and Tom ultimately kills Dickie, and takes over his

identity.  Homosexuality plays a part in this film as suggested by Tom’s being in love with Dickie.  A scene from the film that was shown was Tom killing Dickie on a boat.  Tom did this out a anger and rage because Dickie’s feelings towards Tom were not the same.

Purple Noon (1960) Directed by Rene Clement.  Basically the same

story line minus Tom Ripley’s character being homosexual.  A scene from

the film that was shown was when Tom Ripley killed Philippe on a boat. 

Tom planned this in order to take Philippe’s lifestyle.

PRESENTATION GIVEN BY:  Fred Cook

FILMS DISCUESSED:  RINGU and THE RING

RINGUE (1998)  Directed by Hideo Nakata. 

THE RING (2002)  Directed by Gore Verbinski

Both films have the same plot.  A journalist niece dies of mysterious

causes.  She learns of a videotape that after viewed the individual

dies seven days later.  She starts investigating to find the truth, but

realizes that there is no way to stop the murders except to record a

duplicate copy of the videotape and pass it on for someone else to

watch.  Suzuki Koji is the author of Ringu.  He used myths and legends

to tell a story.  Ringu was a huge success over in Japan but The Ring

took in more money in three weeks than Ringu had brought in total.

PRESENTATION GIVEN BY:  Paula

FILMS DISCUSSED:  The Birdcage and La Cage aux folles

The Birdcage (1996) Directed by Mike Nichols.  Armand and Albert are

a homosexual couple who own a drag nightclub in Miami Beach.  Albert is

the star at the nightclub.  Armand’s son Val is engaged to Barbara who

is the daughter of a right wing U.S. senator.  They try to conceal

their lifestyle when Val brings his fiance and her parent’s home. 

Paula showed the scene where Albert was leaving Armand and the

nightclub.  Her anlaysis showed that the American remake relied more on verbal humor than the French film. 9The humor in the French film was more visual).

La Cage aux folles (1978)  Directed by Edouard Molinaro.  This film

has the same story line and the same scene was shown.