Fourteenth Wellington Film Festival
Embassy Theatre, July 5-20, 1985
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71 titles
- DirectorDiane KurysStarsMiou-MiouIsabelle HuppertGuy MarchandA Jewish refugee marries a soldier to escape deportation to Germany. Meanwhile a wealthy art student loses her first husband to a stray Resistance bullet; at the Liberation she meets an actor, gets pregnant, and marries him.Entre Nous
- DirectorJohn ReidStarsJohn GielgudJane BirkinFéodor AtkineIt was only after her death that the work of New Zealand writer, Katherine Mansfield, became well known, thanks to her editor and husband, John Middleton-Murry. She had left New Zealand to travel around France, and she died there from tuberculosis. Thirty three years later, Middleton-Murry is invited to France to approve a new edition of her collected letters and journals, and there he meets a young woman, Marie Taylor (also from NZ) who reminds him strongly of his dead wife. As the two become friends, Marie starts reading old correspondence between Mansfield and her husband, and discovers the true nature of their relationship and that Mansfield's dying wishes regarding her writings have been ignored by the manipulative, and less-than-honest, Middleton-Murry.Opening Night
- DirectorJoel CoenEthan CoenStarsJohn GetzFrances McDormandDan HedayaThe owner of a seedy small-town Texas bar discovers that one of his employees is having an affair with his wife. A chaotic chain of misunderstandings, lies, and mischief ensues after he devises a plot to have them murdered.
- DirectorSatyajit RayStarsSoumitra ChatterjeeVictor BanerjeeSwatilekha SenguptaWhen the movie opens, a woman is recalling the events that molded her perspective on the world. Years ago, her husband, a wealthy Western-educated landowner, challenged tradition by providing her with schooling, and inviting her out of the seclusion in which married women were kept, to the consternation of more conservative relatives. Meeting her husband's visiting friend from college, a leader of an economic rebellion against the British, she takes up his political cause, despite her husbands warnings. As the story progresses, the relationship between the woman and the visitor becomes more than platonic, and the political battles, pitting rich against poor and Hindu against Moslem, turn out not to be quite as simple as she had first thought.
- DirectorEmile ArdolinoStarsJacques d'AmboiseJudy CollinsKevin KlineJacques d'Amboise, a noted former American ballet star who had dancing roles in such films as Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) and Carousel (1956), and who later became a New York dancing instructor.
- DirectorDerek HartDirector Derek Hart takes us where we've never been and shows us what we've never seen backstage at St. Petersburg's famed Kirov Ballet--arguably the best classical ballet troupe in the world. The company was responsible for producing Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker as well as Baryshnikov, Makarova, Nureyev, Pavlova and Nijinsky.
- DirectorJohn SaylesStarsRosanna ArquetteVincent SpanoJoanna MerlinIn a 1966 New Jersey high school, Jill and new student Sheik from the other side of the tracks make their way in a first love romance.
- DirectorJane CampionGerard LeeStarsDavid BentonAnne BerrimanAlan BrownA collection of everyday awkward and embarrassing moments, each with an uneasy familiarity.
- DirectorBertrand TavernierStarsLouis DucreuxMichel AumontSabine AzémaAn elderly painter whose son visits with his family on the weekends, is also surprised by a visit from his still-single daughter.
- DirectorRalph ArlyckStarsDavid HockneyA confrontation between Paris' cultural "monster" on the plateau Beaubourg and the enigmatic-smile lady down the street. Looks at the architecture of the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and its unconventional approach to art display. Parisiens and tourists voice favorable and unfavorable opinions as they are shown viewing the museum's modern art collection.
- DirectorDavid SutherlandStarsJon AnderssonPaul CadmusIn this intimate film portrait, artist Paul Cadmus, makes a nude drawing of his long time companion, demonstrates his mastery of egg tempera painting and recounts his past as a prominent American scene painter and controversial social satirist.
- DirectorHoward BrooknerStarsWilliam S. BurroughsAllen GinsbergHerbert HunckeBurroughs: The Movie explores the life and times of controversial Naked Lunch author William S. Burroughs, with an intimacy never before seen and never repeated. The film charts the development of Burroughs' unique literary style and his wildly unconventional life, including his travels from the American Midwest to North Africa and several personal tragedies. Burroughs: The Movie is the first and only feature length documentary to be made with and about Burroughs. The film was directed by the late Howard Brookner. It was begun in 1978 as Brookner's senior thesis at NYU film school and then expanded into a feature which was completed 5 years later in 1983. Sound was recorded by Jim Jarmusch and the film was shot by Tom DiCillo, fellow NYU classmates and both very close friends of Brookner's.
- DirectorJohn DaviesStarsKay AdsheadFrances BarberMichael BruceA British TV crew interviewing a Catholic Belfast family gets some controversial footage, which headquarters destroys.
- DirectorPat MurphyStarsBrid BrennanBosco HoganDes McAleerThe story of Anne Devlin, who was caught up in the revolt of the Irish under Robert Emmett in 1803, told exclusively from the woman's point of view.
- DirectorF.W. MurnauStarsGeorge O'BrienJanet GaynorMargaret LivingstonA sophisticated city woman seduces a farmer and convinces him to murder his wife and join her in the city, but he ends up rekindling his romance with his wife when he changes his mind at the last moment.
- DirectorAlain ResnaisStarsVittorio GassmanRuggero RaimondiGeraldine ChaplinThree intertwined tales. On the eve of the First World War, Count Forbek starts to build a fantastic castle in the Ardennes forest. After the war he uses it to start a utopian society by brainwashing his friends, including his former fiancee, Livia, and her husband. In the present day, the castle is being used as an alternative school and, in the summer holidays, for an educational conference. At the conference, the American Nora Winkle bets Claudine that the ernest public school teacher Elisabeth Rousseau will be enticed into the bed of Robert Dufresne, even though the principal speaker, Walter Guarini, is obviously interested in Elisabeth. Meanwhile, the children staying at the castle over the holidays invent their own medieval tale about freeing prisoners from the dungeons.
- DirectorGeorgia Wallace-Crabbe
- DirectorHark BohmStarsMarie ColbinMichael GwisdekChristine LimbachA mother shoots the murderer of her daughter in the courtroom.
- DirectorKathy MuellerStarsCarolyn HowardDavid SwannA Vietnam veteran's widow and family still live under the clouds of war.
- DirectorPat O'ConnorStarsHelen MirrenJohn LynchDonal McCannA young man fraught with guilt longs to defect from the Irish Republican Army (IRA). He is drawn to the widow of a slain Protestant policeman but must hide his secret that he was involved in her husband's murder and evade the authorities.
- DirectorPaolo TavianiVittorio TavianiStarsMargarita LozanoOrazio TorrisiCarlo CartierFive stories by Luigi Pirandello set in turn-of-the-century Italy.
- DirectorMatthew ChapmanStarsPeter CoyoteVictoria TennantBlaine NovakTo help his actress girlfriend regain her confidence a Hollywood bigshot bankrolls a small budget film being made by a first-time producer and director pair. Despite the hand-to-mouth way it has to be made the film starts to come good, as does the off-set relationship between the actress and her unknown male lead.
- DirectorGregory NavaStarsZaide Silvia GutiérrezDavid VillalpandoErnesto Gómez CruzAfter their family is killed in a government massacre, siblings Enrique and Rosa flee Guatemala and embark on a perilous journey to "El Norte": the United States.
- DirectorDoug Miller
- DirectorPeter DuffellStarsElizabeth EdmondsSue WallaceGeraldine GriffithsA shy, introverted young girl takes a summer job at a seaside resort in Wales. She finds the staff, the owners and patrons unlike anyone she has ever met before.
- DirectorSebastian HarrisStarsCarlene CarterAn American country singer in London is faced with the choice of deportation or marriage.
- DirectorEttore ScolaStarsÉtienne GuichardRégis BouquetFrancesco De RosaDance moves, music and fashion mark the passage of time inside a Paris dance hall, throughout fifty years of history.
- DirectorMichael SpornStarsIan ThomsonA mouse dentist finds a way help a fox with a toothache without getting eaten.
- DirectorYoshimitsu MoritaStarsYûsaku MatsudaJûzô ItamiSaori YukiJapanese parents hire a tutor for their foolish son and get a critic of their lifestyle.
- DirectorDemetri EstdelacropolisStarsGeorge AgeteesPierre BastienChristian DufaultMother's milk makes strong children, but a child who is a reluctant weaner may have developed a mother-addiction. "Mother's Meat & Freud's Flesh" ironically explores the resulting triangle of a mother, psychiatrist, and mother's boy.
- DirectorOtar IosselianiStarsKatja RupéAlix de MontaiguFrançois MichelA porcelain table service and a painting from the 19th century pass from hand to hand and deteriorate over time, sealing the fate of different characters who cross paths in an unusual Paris.
- DirectorPeter GreenawayPeter Greenaway's celebration of water, and the human relationship with it, choreographed to Michael Nyman music and culminating with a synchronised swimming sequence!
- DirectorJonathan KaplanStarsBonnie BedeliaBeau BridgesDiane DelanoShirley Muldowney is determined to be a top-fuel drag racer, although no woman has ever raced them before. Despite the high risks of this kind of racing and the burden it places on her family life, she perseveres in her dream.
- DirectorLes BlankAlan GovenarBluesman Sonny Rhodes simultaneously addresses death, cigarette smoking, and the nature of the blues.
- DirectorStephen FrearsStarsFreddie StuartRalph BrownA.J. ClarkeTen years after ratting on his old mobster friends in exchange for personal immunity, two hit men drive a hardened criminal to Paris for his execution. However, while on the way, whatever can go wrong, does go wrong.
- DirectorAnnabel JankelRocky MortonStarsTom Tom ClubTom Tom Club performs in the music video "Genius of Love" from the album "Tom Tom Club" recorded for Sire and Warner Brothers Records. The animated music video begins with a group of girls singing the song before switching to images of a ship sailing and later the sun. The video switches to abstract images and later a singing dog.
- DirectorBarry BarclayStarsKeri KaaIndigenous farmers in Peru, Nicaragua, Italy, France, Australia and New Zealand share their intimacy with the land and the seeds they have nurtured for generations; global corporations attempt to 'own' the intellectual property of seeds.
- DirectorMike LeighStarsMarion BaileyTim RothPhil DanielsWhen one brother gets a job from their wealthy aunt, the other becomes increasingly jealous.
- DirectorRuy GuerraStarsIrene PapasClaudia OhanaMichael LonsdaleWhile Erendira, a beautiful teenage girl, has a surreal mystical vision, her grandmother's house catches on fire and burns to the ground. Her grandmother holds Erendira responsible and, in order to extract restitution from the girl, forces her into prostitution. Erendira's surreal mystical experiences continue while her grandmother grows rich from exploiting her.
- DirectorDesmond DavisStarsSam NeillMaeve GermaineJill DoyleFriendship of two girls, childhood friends, is put on the test when they grow up and leave for the big city, each with different life goals in mind.
- DirectorGeoff DunbarStarsWindsor DaviesPaul McCartneyJune WhitfieldRupert Bear goes on a walk in the hills near his home, where he encounters a community of frogs who join together in a musical extravaganza.
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsRob ReinerMichael McKeanChristopher GuestSpinal Tap, one of England's loudest bands, is chronicled by film director Marty DiBergi on what proves to be a fateful tour.
- DirectorStefan AustAxel EngstfeldAlexander KlugeStarsJürgen ProchnowGünther KaufmannManfred ZapatkaAt the peak of the Cold War, the short-range missile crisis, neutron bombs could have potentially annihilated Central Europe.
- DirectorErmanno OlmiStarsAlberto FumagalliAntonio CucciarrèEligio MartellucciThe assuming of responsibility by individuals, the use of science for man and not against him, the duty of truth to increase the stature of people, all together: these are the important themes this movie debates in allegorical form. Roles are performed by non professional actors and actresses.
- DirectorFritz LangStarsBrigitte HelmAlfred AbelGustav FröhlichIn a futuristic city sharply divided between the working class and the city planners, the son of the city's mastermind falls in love with a working-class prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences.1984 Giorgio Moroder version
- DirectorJean-Luc GodardStarsMaruschka DetmersJacques BonnafféMyriem RousselA woman involved with a terrorist group becomes dangerously close to the police officer guarding the bank they plan to rob.
- DirectorFederico FelliniStarsFreddie JonesBarbara JeffordVictor PolettiIn 1914, a luxury ship leaves Italy in order to scatter the ashes of a famous opera singer. A lovable bumbling journalist chronicles the voyage and meets the singer's many eccentric friends and admirers.
- DirectorAlbert KishStarsEmperor Franz JosefKaiser Wilhelm IITsar Nicholas IIThis short showcases the inventions that changed the world, like the telegraph, telephone, and railroads that changed the world before the outbreak of World War I.
- DirectorMichael RadfordStarsPhyllis LoganGiovanni MaurielloGianluca FavillaSet in 1943 Scotland during World War II, Janie is a young housewife married to a man named Dougal, 15 years her senior. As part of a war rehabilitation program, Janie and Dougal welcome three Italian P.O.W.'s to work on their farm and Janie soon falls in love and enters into a doomed affair with one of the Italians named Luigi.
- DirectorEuzhan PalcyStarsGarry CadenatDarling LégitimusDouta SeckSet in 1931, Sugar Cane Alley paints a rich impasto of native life under French colonial rules, filtered through the coming-of-age of a bright, sweetly opportunistic boy.
- DirectorIshu PatelIn this short animation film, a magnificent bird performs for the Emperor inside a glittering palace. Its plumage is a blaze of colour. A blackbird, watching enviously, strives to acquire what he so desperately covets, only to discover that a golden cage can't compete with the open skies.
- DirectorJin XieStarsJianlan ShiFuli WangShi Wei-JianA female Communist cadre is overcome by regret after she breaks up with her former lover attacked as a Rightist during the Anti-Rightist Campaign. Decades later, she now has the chance to rehabilitate him.
- DirectorJim JarmuschStarsJohn LurieEszter BalintRichard EdsonA New Yorker's life is thrown into a tailspin when his younger cousin surprise-visits him, starting a strange, unpredictable adventure.
- DirectorWilliam KeddellStarsTony DrummRay CastleMike SloanIn 1982, after anarchist punk Neil Roberts attempts to blow up the Wanganui police computer, a young man overwhelmed with identification goes on a road trip to find out more.
- DirectorHéctor OliveraStarsFederico LuppiVíctor LaplaceHéctor BidondeA small revolution breaks out in a small Argentine town, as one group of Peronists calls they newly elected peronist a communist. The newly elected official enlists the aid of allies ranging from the town drunk to young peronists to help hold his post. What follows is a slapstick war with a serious message.
- DirectorSkule EriksenKåre TannvikLapp land rights are the subject of this dense and beautiful-looking documentary.
- DirectorGillian ArmstrongStarsDiane KeatonMel GibsonMatthew ModineDiane Keaton stars as a prison warden's wife who falls in love with a death row convict (Mel Gibson.) Believing he's innocent, she helps him and his convicted brother escape.
- DirectorChris MarkerStarsFrançois PérierSophie GarnierBibiane KirbyA computer generates conflicting hypotheses about the future of trade unions.
- DirectorShôhei ImamuraStarsKen OgataSumiko SakamotoTonpei HidariIn a poor 19th century rural Japanese village, everyone who reaches the age of 70 has to climb a nearby mountain to die. An elderly woman is reaching close to her cut-off age during her last days with her family.
- DirectorPierre Veilleux
- DirectorGunnel LindblomStarsEwa FrölingHans WigrenLeif AhrleAbout choices in life and responsibilities.Sally has decided to have an abortion. It seriously affects her relationship with her partner Jonas, and their daughter Mia.
- DirectorFrancesco RosiStarsJulia MigenesPlácido DomingoRuggero RaimondiIn 1820s Spain the soldier Don José falls in love with the fiery and charismatic factory worker Carmen. Conflicts and grievances multiply, however, as it becomes apparent their views on love and commitment are fundamentally incompatible.
- DirectorBob SwaimStarsNathalie BayePhilippe LéotardRichard BerryPolice compel a couple of criminals to become its informants.
- DirectorStefan AnastasiuA man blends in with his surroundings, like a chameleon.
- DirectorPaul BartelStarsMary WoronovPaul BartelRobert BeltranA relatively boring Los Angeles couple discovers a bizarre, if not murderous, way to get funding for opening a restaurant.
- DirectorRob EpsteinStarsHarvey FiersteinHarvey MilkAnne KronenbergA documentary of the successful career and assassination of San Francisco's first elected gay city supervisor.
- DirectorBill PlymptonStarsRuth MaleczechValeria VasilevskiThe Android Sisters sing about the alarming increase in U. S. defense spending during the cold war and its effect on various aspects of the domestic economy.
- DirectorWerner HerzogDenis ReichleStarsWerner HerzogDenis ReichleThe film focuses on a group of Miskito in Nicaragua who used child soldiers in their resistance against the Sandinistas.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsBruce SpenceWandjuk MarikaRoy MarikaA geologist employed by an Australian mining company finds himself disputing the rights of some aborigines who believe their land to be sacred.
- DirectorGaylene PrestonStarsHeather BoltonDavid LetchPerry PiercyA small-town woman, fresh to the city, buys a second-hand Jaguar haunted by the ghost of a murdered woman and her killer.
- DirectorJane CampionStarsDanielle PearseDon ReidAnna Maria MonticelliThe difficulty of separating sexual fantasy and reality become apparent at an investigation of an alledged sexual harassment case.