The Chicago Rep-port: 1/19 to 1/25
Repertoire screenings may not be as abundant in Chicago as they are in LA/NY, but when you look around, there are many theatergoing delights. The Chicago Rep-port is a weekly(ish) series highlighting the best and most compelling repertory screenings in the Second City.
Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N State St.
This week, the Siskel is highlighted by three new restorations enjoying full week runs. Chronologically, the first is The Passion of Joan of Arc (Carl Dreyer, 1928, DCP), maybe the greatest silent film ever made. It a masterwork in melodrama and expressiveness, and only better on the big screen, with the full force of Maria Falconetti’s face as large as possible.
Also playing is The Sacrifice (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1986, 4K DCP), one of many films from the Russian auteur that has recently received a restoration. Tarkovsky’s final film explores one of his pet themes, spirituality, though unlike Solaris or Andrei Rublev, this one takes place in the modern world. [Ed. note – it’s an amazing, amazing, amazing film and also you get to see an entire hour burn down]
The last in the trio is the 4-hour French art drama La belle noiseuse (Jacques Rivette, 1990, 4K DCP). Starring Michel Piccoli and Emmanuelle Béart as painter and muse, the film chronicles their complex and ever-changing relationship.
Doc Films, 1212 E 59th St # 3
With the new year, a new batch of fantastic film series are on tap at Doc Films. Over the next few months, you can check out great classic and genre films on bad marriages, feminist horror films, African American visions of the future, and retrospectives on Seijun Suzuki and Alain Delon.
Fridays, Marriage on the Verge of Collapse: Journey to Italy (Roberto Rossellini, 1954, DCP), Ingrid Bergman and George Sanders’s vacation to Italy shines a light on their failing relationship
Sundays, Phantom Rides: Trains & Cinema: 2046 (Wong Kar Wai, 2004, 35mm), a wild pseudo-sequel to In the Mood for Love that scales through time and genre
Mondays, The Future is Black: Afrofuturism in World Cinema: Blade (Stephen Norrington, 1998, 35mm), to hipsters, the film that actually kicked off this “golden age” of superhero films
Tuesdays, Deep Seijun: Rare Films of Suzuki Seijun: Satan’s Town (Seijun Suzuki, 1956, 35mm), the director’s first gangster film which doubles as a jail break movie
Wednesdays, Le Samouraï: An Alain Delon Retrospective: L’Eclisse (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1962, 35mm), the third in Antonioni’s “Trilogy of Incommunicability,” Delon and Monica Vitti embark on an passionated and doomed affair
Thursdays, A Dish Best Served Hot: Feminist Revenge Fantasies: The Match Factory Girl (Aki Kaurismäki, 1990, 35mm), a quiet factory worker gets revenge after being scorned in the quirky ways typical of Kaurismäki
Thursdays, Ginger Snaps Back: A Feminist Take on Horror: Ginger Snaps (John Fawcet, 2000, 35mm), the namesake for this series, a modern feminist take on the typically overly-masculine werewolf genre
The Logan Theatre, 2646 N Milwaukee Ave
As we’ve turned the page on 2017, the Logan Theatre’s late night lineup in January is preparing for a better year with Jolly January, spotlighting purely enjoyable cinema. This week offers two 70s comedies with flights of fancy: Sleeper (Woody Allen, 1973, format unknown) on January 20-22 and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (Mel Stuart, 1971, format unknown) on January 23-25.