American Cinematheque

The films of Chris Marker (July 29, 1921 - July 29, 2012) are a travelogue of pure mystery, where his beloved cats and owls materialize to remind us just how far we have to go and how much we have to remember. His favorite medium was the cinema essay: a series of impressions, snapshots and postcards from distant lands, linked together by Marker’s enigmatic voice. Join us for a tribute to the avant-garde filmmaker with a four-night program including LA JETEE, SANS SOLEIL, THE LAST BOLSHEVIK, ONE DAY IN THE LIFE OF ANDREI ARSENEVICH, REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS TO COME and shorts program A Chris Marker Bestiary.

Named for its Italian origins, the “spaghetti Western” was among the hottest dishes on the movie menu in the 1960s, with a group of brash, ambitious Italian filmmakers reinventing the most quintessentially American of genres. Stripping the form of its romantic patriotism and replacing it with bare-bones brutality and satire, the spaghetti Western incorporated widescreen framing, sweaty close-ups and expressive sound design (most often courtesy of composer Ennio Morricone), changing the way Westerns looked, sounded and felt. Small budgets bought plenty of bang for the lira, and relentless action and rootless antiheroes could be counted on to deliver appreciative audiences. Following Film Forum’s lauded program in New York, the American Cinematheque inherits this comprehensive salute to the spaghetti Western, and offers a look at the Wild West from a few thousand miles east.