"Critics' Choice" to revisit the films and era of 1968
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The series is presented by the Film Programmes Office of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and organised by the Hong Kong Film Critics Society. The six films will be screened from May 27 to August 19 at the Cinema of the Hong Kong Film Archive and the Lecture Hall of the Hong Kong Science Museum. Post-screening seminars and workshops will also be arranged.
Critic Li Cheuk-to describes Lindsay Anderson's "If…." (1968), as "a microcosm of the class society and a testament of the revolutionary era. Its capture of the spirit of youthful rebellion against authority and establishment is unrivalled in the era." The film tells of a student uprising against the establishment, authority and tradition at a boarding school, in which the black-and-white and colour sequences alternate in a random way, blurring the boundary between reality and fantasy as well as culminating in a most shocking and unforgettable ending. The stunning performance of the male lead, Malcolm McDowell, became regarded as a classic. The film won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival 1969.
Writing on Jaromil Jireš's "The Joke" (1968), critic Matthew Cheng said, "Based on the debut novel by Milan Kundera, this classic of the Czech New Wave was made during the Prague Spring." The story follows Ludvik, who makes what he thinks is a harmless joke on a postcard to the girl he loves, but which has huge repercussions. He is then kicked out of the university and even sent to a labour camp. Many years later Ludvik returns to the city to take revenge, but he pulls a joke on himself instead.
Critic Cheng Chuen-wai describes Nagisa Oshima's rhapsody "Diary of a Shinjuku Thief" (1969) as "a battle of love and lust on the bookshelf and the stage. The ultimate happening of the Shinjuku avant-garde." In the film, book thief Birdie prowls around inside the famed Kinokuniya bookstore of Shinjuku, but gets caught by Umeko, a fake shop assistant. Instead of calling the police, the bookstore boss gives Birdie an autographed copy of his book. Birdie then joins Umeko on an odyssey of avant-garde theatre and sex.
Critic Lau Yam says Glauber Rocha's "Antonio das Mortes" (1969) is "the classic on the Latin American struggle. Love and pity towards the soil and its people. An aesthetic war waged with religion, politics, the avant-garde and the popular. A war that is dazzling and hungry at the same time." This Brazilian Cinema Novo classic is unique in its depiction of social protest and is an uninhibited blend of styles featuring Antonio, a bounty hunter hired by a local oligarchy to wipe out bandits. After Antonio succeeds in killing the bandit leader, he decides to side with the peasants, demands that the powerful colonel distribute food to the people and even joins hands with various mysterious figures to oppose the authorities. The film earned Glauber Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival 1969.
Critic Bryan Chang refers to remarks by Serge Daney, a French film critic, when describing Alain Tanner's "Jonah Who Will Be 25 in the Year 2000" (1976) as "a didactic film with no lesson to teach, an encyclopaedic film with no conclusion." Reviewing the year of 1968 in 1976 while gazing with hope towards 2000, the film looks at humanity's past and future. The story follows eight post-68 characters who try their best to live their own lives in opposition to corrupting capitalist society, searching for absolute freedom. The film won Best Screenplay at the USA National Society of Film Critics Awards 1977.
According to critic William Lau, Louis Malle's "May Fools" (1990) offers "a revisionist view on May 1968 from the standpoint of the countryside and vested interests." Set in May 1968 in France, the film depicts the sudden death of a vineyard matriarch, following which her estate is expected to be divided among her two sons and granddaughter. The unrest in Paris is spreading to the countryside, even to people of the vineyard with no access to the latest news other than the radio, and they represent just a sample of the French population of all ages who now face a new era to come. The film looks back on this historic era with black humour, with music by the legendary jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli to accentuate the nostalgic mood. The film won Best Supporting Actress at the César Awards 1991.
All films have Chinese and English subtitles. "Diary of a Shinjuku Thief" is classified as Category III, and only persons aged 18 or above will be admitted.
Post-screening seminars in Cantonese, with free admission, will be arranged for all the screenings, and will be hosted by the six critics who selected the films and guests, namely Long Tin, Thomas Shin, Timmy Chen, Sonia Au and Bobby Kwok.
In addition, four workshops themed "Looking Back: the Times and the Films of 1968" will be conducted in Cantonese with Simon Shen, Sonia Au, Lau Yam and Tammy Cheung as speakers. They will share their insights on the subject of the workshops, which are entitled "May 1968: How It Happened" (June 9); "The Subversive 1960s (France)" (June 17); "The Subversive 1960s (Rest of the World)" (June 23) and "Post-68 Documentaries: Dialectics of Truth" (July 7). The workshops will be held in the Lecture Hall of the Hong Kong Space Museum from 3pm to 5pm.
Tickets for all screenings and workshops, priced at $55 and $90 respectively, are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For credit card telephone bookings, please call 2111 5999. For programme enquiries, please call 2734 2900 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/fp/en_US/web/fpo/programmes/cc2018/index.html.
Ends/Friday, April 27, 2018
Issued at HKT 18:15
Issued at HKT 18:15
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