Author Archives: rarefilm

Umarla klasa / Dead Class (1977) Andrzej Wajda, Tadeusz Kantor, Maria Kantor, Zofia Kalinska, Documentary, Drama

Umarla klasa (1977)
The Dead Class (1975), by Tadeusz Kantor and the Cricot 2 company, is considered one of the most innovative and influential works of twentieth-century theatre. The breakthrough first version of the production – performed to great critical acclaim, but only rarely seen live by audiences outside Poland – was documented on film in 1976 by the Oscar-winning director Andrzej Wajda.
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Blue Sunshine (1977) Jeff Lieberman, Zalman King, Deborah Winters, Mark Goddard, Horror, Thriller

Blue Sunshine (1977)
At a party, someone goes insane and murders three women. Falsely accused of the brutal killings, Jerry is on the run. More bizarre killings continue with alarming frequency all over town. Trying to clear his name, Jerry discovers the shocking truth…people are losing their hair and turning into violent psychopaths and the connection may be some LSD all the murderers took a decade before.
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The Savage Eye (1960) Ben Maddow, Sidney Meyers, Barbara Baxley, Gary Merrill, Herschel Bernardi, Drama

The Savage Eye (1960)
This drama takes the form of a story told using documentary material as an intrinsic part of the narrative. In this journey through the dark side of 1950s urban life, the camera follows Judith – a newly divorced woman looking for a fresh start – through the streets of Los Angeles as she encounters the strange denizens of the city, ranging from trendsetters to religious fanatics. All the tawdry and desperate faces of this world become a mirror for Judith’s personal failures and struggles to claim her new life.
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In a Lonely Place (1950) Nicholas Ray, Humphrey Bogart, Gloria Grahame, Frank Lovejoy, Film-Noir, Mystery, Drama

In a Lonely Place (1950)
When a gifted but washed-up screenwriter with a hair-trigger temper – Humphrey Bogart, in a revelatory, vulnerable performance – becomes the prime suspect in a brutal Tinseltown murder, the only person who can supply an alibi for him is a seductive neighbor (Gloria Grahame) with her own troubled past. The emotionally charged In a Lonely Place, freely adapted from a Dorothy B. Hughes thriller, is a brilliant, turbulent mix of suspenseful noir and devastating melodrama, fueled by powerhouse performances. An uncompromising tale of two people desperate to love yet struggling with their demons and each other, this is one of the greatest films of the 1950s, and a benchmark in the career of the classic Hollywood auteur Nicholas Ray.
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Les yeux sans visage / Eyes Without a Face (1960) Georges Franju, Pierre Brasseur, Alida Valli, Juliette Mayniel, Drama, Horror

Les yeux sans visage AKA Eyes Without a Face (1960)
After causing an accident that left his daughter Christiane severely disfigured, the brilliant surgeon Dr. Génessier works tirelessly to give the girl a new face. He does so however by kidnapping young women and attempting face transplants. He has been woefully unsuccessful to date. The doctor’s world begins to collapse around him when his daughter realizes just what he has been doing.
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Majka asfalta / Mother of Asphalt (2010) Dalibor Matanic, Marija Skaricic, Janko Popovic Volaric, Kresimir Mikic, Drama

Majka asfalta AKA Mother of Asphalt (2010)
The final straw in a marriage already on the rocks is when Janko hits Mare because she would not sleep with him. Although it is late at night Mare decides to leave her home with their 7 year-old son, and thus begins her search for a new beginning… Powerfully acted by actress Marija Škari?i? who has already won several awards for this role, the film follows her through increasingly challenging situations, which she desperately tries to present to her son as a game they’re playing. In stark contrast to the surrounding Christmas-time consumer bonanza, the young woman is left without money, friends, or even compassion. The only help she and her son are offered comes from the lonely nighttime security guard at the glitzy mall, Krešo.
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Uma Abelha na Chuva / A Bee in the Rain (1972) Fernando Lopes, Laura Soveral, João Guedes, Zita Duarte, Drama

Uma Abelha na Chuva AKA A Bee in the Rain (1972)
This Portuguese drama examines the daily life minutiae and intrigues of two scions of society in the rural village where they live. One is a wealthy landowner, the other a widowed aristocrat who lives in a world of her own. “Starting off from a fine novel by Carlos de Oliveira, Fernando Lopes doesn’t so mush reconstitute a story, but rather defines an atmosphere parallel to that which exists in the literary work. The erosion of time, the crumbling of an epoch, the decline of a stately home, the disintegration of emotions: the film version of A Bee in the Rain talks about all these things, using a language that is sparse and unpolished, fascinating and at the same time repulsive in its disturbing silence” (Lauro Antonio).
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Entre os Dedos / Noise (2008) Tiago Guedes, Frederico Serra, Isabel Abreu, Ivo Alexandre, Filipe Duarte, Drama

Entre os Dedos AKA Noise (2008)
After the structural collapse at a construction site, Paulo loses his job because he denounces the situation to the authorities. His relationship with his wife deteriorates more every day. Anabela, Paulo’s sister, lives with their father, who suffers from post-war syndrome from his involvement in the Colonial Wars. Bela is his nurse, and the only comfort for a terminally ill patient.
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