This spring, the independents are invading. The Dartmouth Film Society's new series, simply named "The Indies," will showcase 28 independent films which all express the freedom and creativity filmmakers find when not bound entirely to the Hollywood system.
Starting with "Sex, Lies and Videotape" and ending with "Fargo," the series promises to have plenty of variety. Marc McDonald, Director of the Dartmouth Film Society, expects high attendance. "I think this series will really appeal to students more than any other in a long time," he said.
Some of the more popular showings are expected to be Quentin Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs" -- which followed "sex, lies and videotape" last night -- the heroin opus "Trainspotting" (April 1) and the Oscar-winning hit "Good Will Hunting" (May 20).
There will also be some highly praised films which only had limited releases: John Sayle's sprawling yet quiet Texas epic "Lone Star" lays out its vast array of characters on April 2. Samuel L. Jackson stars as a respected Louisiana doctor in "Eve's Bayou" on April 2. And "Ulee's Gold," which grabbed Peter Fonda an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of a beekeeper caught up in family turmoil, comes to Spaulding on May 17.
"I think [the films] are all really strong," McDonald said. "The films are very accessible. You can show up any night and be amazed."
When asked what the highlights of the series will be, McDonald cited "The Sweet Hereafter" which, after being put on over 250 top ten films of 1997 lists, he said will be "the best film of the nineties." In addition, Woody Allen's latest Academy Award nominated film, "Deconstructing Harry" will be having its Upper Valley premiere in this series on April 5.
Perhaps one of the biggest event in this film series will be on Wednesday, May 6, when the documentary "Frank Lloyd Wright" will not only be shown, but is scheduled to be introduced in person by its filmmaker, the critically acclaimed and New Hampshire native Ken Burns ("Baseball," "The Civil War").
This film, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, will be shown only at Dartmouth before it is released in the fall on PBS. The film chronicles the immense talent and equally immense ego of the gifted architect.
Ken Burns won't be the only filmmaker appearing in person. Bill Plympton, whose animated spots have appeared several times on MTV and resulted in an Oscar nomination, will be presenting his film "I Married a Strange Person" which is also fresh from Sundance. The animated movie follows a yuppie who finds new powers by transforming the world around him.
Aside from these recent independent hits, there will also be an assortment of classic and cult indies. On April 8 will be a presentation of the Truffaut classic, "The 400 Blows" and on April 19 will be a showing of the 1929 film, "The Iron Mask," with piano accompaniment by Bob Merrill. Other classics include "Big Combo" (May 10), John Cassavetes' landmark "Shadows" and Orson Welles' "Othello" (May 24).
As for cult favorites, a special "Two Weird for Words" double-header on April 29 will feature "Eraserhead," directed by "Twin Peaks" creator David Lynch, and the notorious "Pink Flamingos," from "Serial Mom" director John Waters, which includes some graphic fecal scenes as characters battle for the title of World's Filthiest Person.
In addition, "Hard-Boiled," by action auteur John Woo ("Face/Off"), will prove that Hong Kong does action best on April 22. "El Mariachi," which was made with a measly $7,000 price tag and was basically remade later as "Desperado" with Antonio Banderas, will play on April 22.
With this large range of films, McDonald hopes that people will realize independent films are not a new trend. "People will understand that it's not something that just happened with Sundance," McDonald said.
The series was chosen after it was initially proposed by Bill Pence, Hopkins Center film director, to the Film Society in the Fall. Several people were then asked to recommend film choices. Pence and Sydney Stowe, his assistant, were asked for input as well as others in the Hopkins Center and the Film Studies department.
McDonald estimates that the series underwent probably 10 drafts before the final selection of films was chosen. Ultimately he is very optimistic about this Spring's offering. It will be a series with several highlights, popular movies and special appearances, and he predicts that it will "reignite interest in film at Dartmouth."
Tickets go on sale 30 minutes before showtimes and cost $5.00 for Dartmouth students and $6.00 for the general public. Film Society passes are available at $12 for Dartmouth students and at $18.00 for the general public.
