Judith Rosenberg on piano. A masterpiece of silent comedy, The Italian Straw Hat is a tribute by René Clair to the early French pioneer filmmakers, but one that moves with a rhythm and tempo unseen before its time. “One of the funniest films ever made, and one of the most elegant as well” (Pauline Kael). (84 mins)
Presented as part of our series Grand Illusions:
"A common canard of film history is that the French New Wave of the late 1950s swept aside the French cinema that had come before it, replacing a staid “tradition of quality” with a new, breathless energy. But even for Truffaut, Godard, and their Cahiers du cinéma brethren, the history of film in France, from the passionate poetry of Jean Vigo to the magisterial ironies of Max Ophuls, was an essential source of inspiration. This major series, presented in conjunction with New York’s Film Forum, surveys that history from the end of the silent era to the beginning of the sixties. Spanning four months and dozens of films—including both beloved classics and rarities, many in imported 35mm prints—Grand Illusions builds on our long tradition of exploring this most influential and enduring of national cinemas."
Tickets: $5.50 for BAM/PFA members, UC Berkeley Students; $9.50 for Adults; $6.50 for UC Berkeley faculty, non UCB students, seniors, youth, and disabled
