Monday, October 14, 1996
The American Experience
(above) "The Battle over Citizen Kane"
FILM:
UCLA presents a series of acclaimed documentary films that reach
beyond the realm of mainstream moviesBy Carrie Rosten
Daily Bruin Contributor
Amid a sea of forgettable Hollywood blockbusters lies a small
but powerful oasis in film, the documentary.
By traversing turbulent social waters many larger studios fear
to tread, directors working within this medium attempt to capture
and frame historical truth through the camera’s revealing eye. For
15 years, UCLA’s Melnitz Theater and the Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences have joined forces to present an annual series of
Oscar-winning and -nominated documentaries.
"Academy/UCLA Documentary Series" began Oct. 1 and will continue
every other Tuesday evening through Dec. 10. A select handful of
the field’s crême de la crême will screen for free right
here on campus.
Academy Special Events and Exhibitions coordinator, Ellen
Harrington, explains why the series is such an on-going success.
"We’ve always organized around the principle that the public
doesn’t have the chance to see documentaries on the big screen
often enough. We always include all five Academy nominees in both
the feature length and short categories and then include what the
programming committee determines to be the other really outstanding
films from that group. Opening night was standing room only Â
we always draw large crowds from the community."
This year, viewers will be exposed to a wide range of pertinent
social and historical issues, many of which have continually
sparked heated cultural debates. Next Tuesday is the dual screening
of "Live to Tell: The First Gay and Lesbian Prom in America" and
"The Celluloid Closet." Both films closely examine the societal
implications of homophobia for today’s gay youth as well as for
those forced into the closet in Hollywood’s ’20s and ’30s. The
thematic pairing of these two films is quite intentional, as each
night hopes to engage culturally relevant issues.
"That’s what a documentary’s all about," Harrington explains,
"looking at serious social issues through a historical lens."
The series continues to track historical time two weeks later on
Oct. 29 with "The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American
Movies" followed by "The Battle Over Citizen Kane." Both films,
according to Harrington, "are visual histories on film about film."
"The First 100 Years" pulls film clips and excerpts from a variety
of films from the beginning of film history to the present in order
to form and depict one unifying present. "The Battle Over Citizen
Kane" is about the very controversial release of "Citizen Kane" and
the ensuing battle between Orson Welles and William Randolph
Hearst.
Every evening the series will faithfully present material that
students would rarely have the opportunity to see, especially on
the big screen. November features two evenings of film addressing
intolerance of a global kind. The issues explored range from a
specific anti-gay measure proposed in Oregon, ("Ballot Measure 9")
to the forgotten roles of women in Vietnam, ("Their Own Vietnam"),
to post-revolutionary turmoil in Mexico, ("Grandfather Cheno And
Other Stories").
Part One of the series will close in early December with two
IMAX formatted films, last year’s Academy Award nominee, "The
Living Sea," and the critically-acclaimed "Mexico." Both screenings
offer breathtaking panoramas within the enormous circular IMAX
theater, a stunning cinematic experience.
For a historical and intellectual glimpse at the world,
documentary affords viewers the chance to see just exactly what is
being "documented" today by some of the world’s leading film
makers. By sifting through society’s dirty laundry these filmmakers
attempt to come clean with some historical truths. Harrington
attributes the long-term success rate of this series both to the
controversial subject matter researched and the superior artistry
of the final films shown.
"The films being shown here are the best of the best," she says.
"Any given night that people care to show up for they’re absolutely
going to see wonderful, very accomplished filmmaking."
FILM: This Tuesday, Melnitz will screen "Live to Tell: The First
Gay and Lesbian Prom in America" at 7:30 p.m. followed by "The
Celluloid Closet." Next Tuesday, Oct. 29, Melnitz will screen "The
First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies," and "The Battle
Over Citizen Kane." Admission is free. For more information call
(310) 206-FILM.
Leibovitz Projects
"Salvaged Lives."Sony Pictures Classics
(inset) "Anne Frank Remembered"