Welcome to Hanover, Class of 2011. In case you haven't noticed yet, it is not a large town. But if you're the claustrophobic type, don't panic. This fall, the Dartmouth Film Society is bringing cities all over the world to campus. Its film series, "Bright Lights, Big City," features an impressive lineup of movies that capture the aura of urban landscapes as far flung as London, San Francisco and Bombay.
DFS member A.J. Fox '09 came up with the theme for this term's film series.
Fox is a member of The Dartmouth Staff.
"I'm very enthusiastic about the series," DFS director Bailey Massey '08 said. "It concerns the use of the city in films -- how the urban landscape affects characters and sometimes becomes a character itself."
The series will feature classic, silent, foreign and documentary films, as well as a number of new movies. "It was hard to narrow down which films we would pick," Massey said. "We ultimately chose films in which the city had a large, crucial presence, not just films that take place in a city."
"Bright Lights, Big City" kicks off Sept. 28 with a marathon showing of all three Jason Bourne movies: "The Bourne Identity," "The Bourne Supremacy" and "The Bourne Ultimatum." The films' action takes place in a variety of European cities, including Paris and Madrid.
In case you missed it in theaters, "Ratatouille," this summer's animated crowd-pleaser about a rat who dreams of becoming a famous Parisian chef, will be shown Sept. 30. It's one of two films released this summer that are included in the series, along with "Once," a musical love story about a couple of Dublin street performers that features Irish rock band The Frames. "Once" will be showing Oct. 17.
Other highlights include Roman Polanski's film noir classic "Chinatown," a tale of intrigue and corruption starring a young Jack Nicholson as a private investigator who gets more than he bargained for when he is hired to spy on the chief engineer of the Los Angeles water department. The movie will be shown Oct. 10. And don't miss two more great noir films in the Oct. 14 double feature: "Night and the City," set in London, and "Classe Tous Risques," an Italian film that looks at the crime underworld in Milan.
Charlie Chaplin's 1931 classic "City Lights," which finds the Tramp in love with a blind girl who sells flowers on the street, will be shown on Oct. 21. Stanley Kubrick and Woody Allen both claim this movie as a favorite, and its ending has been hailed as one of the most moving scenes in film history.
On Nov. 9, the silent classic "Lonesome," a New York love story made in 1928, will be shown in conjunction with a special visit from the Alloy Orchestra, a three-man ensemble who will perform a score to the film.
"This is a very rare and exciting performance," said Massey of the Alloy Orchestra's visit. The group is known for their use of innovative instruments, such as radiators, and impressive electronic synthesizers that let them create a dazzling array of sounds.
"Bright Lights, Big City" isn't all that DFS has lined up for this fall. To kick off the term, Telluride at Dartmouth will bring six new films from this summer's Telluride Film Festival to Hanover from Sept. 21 to Sept. 27. Among this year's selections is director Todd Haynes' highly anticipated Bob Dylan biopic, "I'm Not There," as well as a new film from "The Squid and the Whale" director Noah Baumbach and Sean Penn's adaptation of "Into the Wild," a 1996 nonfiction book about a man who survived alone in the Alaskan wilderness for over 100 days. Another reason to catch this movie: the soundtrack consists exclusively of new tracks by Eddie Vedder.
DFS also has several film specials planned, including acclaimed director Werner Herzog's "Rescue Dawn" and the documentary "Deep Water," about the world's first solo non-stop boat race around the world.
For DFS series films, individual tickets will be on sale at the Hopkins Center box office 30 minutes before each movie's show time for $5 for Dartmouth students and $7 for the general public. Passes for admission to the entire series are also available at the Hop box office, as well as online, at $12 for Dartmouth students and $20 for the general public.
Tickets for Telluride at Dartmouth are sold in advance at the Hopkins Center box office or one hour before show time at the Loew ticket office for $12 " but you might want to get in line early. Telluride at Dartmouth shows often sell out, as people flock from all around the Upper Valley to catch these early previews of major fall releases.
