The International Academic Affairs Committee has awarded an internationalization grant to the Friends of the Leonard H. Axe Library. The purpose of the grant is to purchase films in French, Spanish and other languages to support instruction as well as to provide opportunities to study international films and the cultural differences (and surprising similarities) exhibited in them.
The film list was put together with the help of Dr. Miriam Krepps, Dr. Bert Patrick, Dr. Steven Harmon and other faculty. There are older classics such as the venerable adventure film La Salaire de la Peur (The Wages of Fear), or Simon del Desierto (Simon of the Desert) , one of the famous Luis Buñuel’s Mexican films. There are history based dramas such as Le Retour de Martin Guerre (The Return of Martin Guerre), about a notorious case of fraud in Renaissance France, or Vatel (the only English film) about the famed 17th century French chef, butler and Master of Festivities, François Vatel. Some films are dramatizations of renowned classics, such as El Sur and Emma Zunz, both based on stories by Jorge Luis Borges. The recent Mexican Renaissance in film is represented with modern classics such as Como Agua Para Chocolate (Like Water for Chocolate), a romantic adventure/comedy about the surreal culinary creations of a lovelorn cook, or Solo Con Tu Pareja (Only With Your Partner) an inspired comedy by the famous Cuarón brothers. There is an African documentary, Afrique, Je te Plumerai (Africa, I Will Fleece You), an indictment of the devastations of colonialism in Cameroon. We have some of the films and are catalogingthem. So, the rest should be up on display and ready for viewing very shortly. A complete list of all other films purchased follows.
French8 Femmes – Eight women snowbound in a house with the corpse of a man each one of them had a reason to kill.
Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme- Moliere’s classic about the foibles of a “nouveau riche”.
Camille Claudel – Brilliant career and sad life of French sculptor.
Chocolat – In French and English. A French chocolatier prepares concoctions which inspire the passions of the villagers of a conservative French town.
Cyrano de Bergerac - Rostand’s great play brought to the screen.
Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain – Young girl uses bizarre, quasi magical techniques to improve the lives of her friends and family.
The Gerard Depardieu Collection:
Tous Les Matins du Monde / The Count of Monte Cristo / Changing Times - Three classics starring Dépardieu.
Horseman on the roof – Italian revolutionary finds himself in France during the 1832 cholera epidemic.
Inch' Allah dimanche – Algerian immigrants try to adjust to life in France.
Jean de Florette/Manon of the Spring - Greedy farmer robs a family of its water rights. Original film and sequel sold together.
Karmen Gei,– Story of Carmen, in an African setting. In French and Wolof.
Keita: the Heritage of the Griot, - 13th century African Sundjata Epic brought to the screen. In French and Jula.
Marius et Jeanette – Two unlikely lovers hit it off in a romantic comedy.
Molière – Film based on the life and plays of Moliére.
Monsieur Klein – Art dealer named Klein in the Vichy region of France gets confused with a Jew with the same name.
My Father’s Glory – Son’s relationship with his school teacher father.
My Mother’s Castle - Companion piece, and sequel, to above film.
Queen Margot – Marguerite de Valois, 1st wife of Henri IV, faces political intrigues at the 16th century French court.
Ressources Humaines – Young business student gets an internship at the factory where his father works.
Ridicule – Courtiers play cruel word games at the doomed court of Louis 16th.
Le Samourai – Lonely hit man performs his last hit.
La Vie en Rose – Biopic on life and career of singer Edith Piaf.
Spanish Bad Education – Two boys in a parochial school fall in love, only to be thwarted by a pedophile priest.
Cabeza de Vaca – Mexican film about the adventures of the famous explorer.
Camila – Classic Argentine film about a priest and his lover in 1847 Argentina.
Cronos – Mysterious object found in a pawnshop grants immortality…and a thirst for blood.
The Devil’s Backbone – Orphans survive the Spanish Civil War with the help of kindly ghosts in 1939 Spain.
I, the Worst of All – Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz battles the Inquisition in 17th entury Mexico.
The Motorcycle Diaries - Che Guevara explores South America on a beat up motorcycle.
The Orphanage – Child is kidnapped under very mysterious circumstances.
The Other Conquest - Hernan Cortes conquers Mexico.
The Sea Inside- True story of Ramón Sampedro, a quadriplegic who wished to end his life after a diving accident.
Viridiana – Confused Catholic novice opens her family home to paupers with disastrous results.
What Have I Done to Deserve This? – Neurotic housewife and her troubled family.
International films in other languages:
AfricanGuimba the Tyrant – Evil African tyrant overthrown by his own people. In Bambara and Peul.
Danish & French Babette’s Feast - Two aging preacher’s daughters sacrifice their chance at love and marriage to care for others.
Italian Opera The La Scala Opera Collection:
Adriana Lecouvreur, Lucia di Lammermoor, Cosi fan Tutte, Don Giovanni, Lo Frate 'Nnamorato, La Fanciulla del West, La Donna del Lago, William Tell, Attila, I Due Foscari, I Vespri Siciliani
PolyglotBabel- Shooting in Morocco has repercussions in Japan, Mexico and the United States.
Portuguese City of God – Gangs erupt in a Brazilian favela.
Labels: DVD Collection, Friends of Axe, International Academic Affairs Committee
