The Sundance Channel and Criterion have teamed up once again to kill your summer boredom with an oustanding schedule of some of the best features in film history. The Classic World Cinema series will air every Saturday and Sunday night at 9:00pm in July and August. The lineup includes:
“Juliet of the Spirits” (Federico Fellini, Italy, 1965) — In Fellini’s dazzling first color feature, an unhappy housewife (the great Giulietta Masina, Fellini’s wife) is launched on a hallucinatory journey of self-discovery after her philandering husband forgets their wedding anniversary. Airs Saturday, July 6th at 9:00pm.
“The Last Wave” (Peter Weir, Australia, 1977) — Weir conjures an atmosphere of otherworldly mystery in this story of a lawyer (Richard Chamberlain) who begins having disturbing visions after he agrees to represent a group of aborigines accused of murder. Airs Sunday, July 7th at 9:00pm.
“Branded to Kill” (Seijun Suzuki, Japan, 1967) — Suzuki’s brilliantly gonzo yakuza thriller follows the blood-soaked travails of Number 3 Killer, a gangster whose last, botched job has made him the target of Number 1 Killer. Airs Saturday, July 13th at 9:00pm.
“Alphaville” (Jean-Luc Godard, France, 1965) — Godard’s one-of-a-kind fusion of film noir, science fiction and dystopian allegory stars Eddie Constantine as Lemmy Caution, a special agent whose latest mission leads him into the lonely streets of Alphaville, a city ruled by a supercomputer. Airs Sunday, July 14th 9:00pm.
“Cries and Whispers” (Ingmar Bergman, Sweden, 1972) -–In Bergman’s beautiful, haunting masterpiece, a dying woman (Harriet Andersson) transcends the pettiness of her squabbling sisters (Liv Ullmann and Ingrid Thulin) as she recalls moments from the lives they shared. Airs Saturday, July 20th at 9:00pm.
“The Passion of Joan of Arc” (Carl Theodor Dreyer, France, 1928) — Dreyer’s artistic milestone uses actual records to recreate the 15th Century trial of the French martyr, and stars Maria Falconetti. Falconetti gives one of cinema’s greatest performances. Airs Sunday, July 21st at 9:00pm.
For the complete Classic World Cinema schedule and brief synopses of all featured films, pay a visit to the Sundance Channel site.
