Repertory Series

Recent Raves!
Wednesday, May 2 - Wednesday, May 9, 2007

One of the Brattle's signature series returns to bring us a second chance to see some accclaimed films that were, perhaps, overlooked during their first appearance in the Boston area. We're pleased to offer everything from Hollywood productions hobbled by poorly organized publicity campaigns (THE FOUNTAIN, ZODIAC) to foreign films that were on screen too briefly in town (BAMAKO, DAYS OF GLORY). In particular, don't miss the chance to see the astounding Thai film TEARS OF THE BLACK TIGER on the big screen - this indescribably Technicolored Far East Western is a must see in the cinema!

Film Descriptions, Dates & Showtimes

Wednesday 5/2 at 8:00 & Thursday 5/3 at 4:45, 10:00

Double Feature w/ Zodiac
Comedy Of Power
(2006) dir Claude Chabrol w/Isabelle Huppert [110 min]
Like ZODIAC, COMEDY OF POWER is a true-crime film that focuses on the effects that the dogged pursuit of a particular case can have on the investigator rather than on the result of the investigation. Legendary French director Chabrol takes on the story of a female judge (Huppert) investigating shady business practices amongst the corporate elite of France. A chilling and all-too real exposé of cronyism and corruption.

Wednesday 5/2 at 10:00 & Thursday 5/3 at 7:00

Double Feature w/ Comedy Of Power
Zodiac
(2007) dir David Fincher w/Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr, Chloe Sevigny, Brian Cox, Anthony Edwards [158 min]
This true crime film brings a unique perspective to the stillunsolved Zodiac murders. While ZODIAC has its share of spinechilling sequences, Fincher is more interested in how the effort to comprehend evil deeds can consume the lives of innocent people than in telling another serial killer story. The snappy script brings added life and makes ZODIAC a thoroughly entertaining slice of 1970's San Francisco life.

Friday 5/4 at 7:30

Double Feature w/ Children Of Men
The Fountain
(2006) dir Darren Aronofsky w/Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz, Ellen Burstyn [96 min]
Unfairly dismissed as a failed project, Aronofsky’s audacious narrative wraps together the same characters in three different eras and creates a film that deserves a second look. Hugh Jackman stars a scientist who is desperately searching for a cure for cancer before his beloved wife (Weisz) succumbs to the disease. Meanwhile, conquistador in the South American past and a man in the future uncover mysteries of their own. The stories intertwine and twist themselves into a phantasmagoric crescendo that echoes 2001.

Friday 5/4 at 5:15, 9:30

Double Feature w/ The Fountain
Children Of Men
(2006) dir Alfonso Cuaron w/Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Claire-Hope Ashitey [109 min]
In this adaptation of the PD James novel, it's 2007 and nuclear disaster and environmental destruction have left Britain a fascist state and the world's population completely infertile. When rumors of a pregnant girl in Africa give humanity a sliver of hope, it's up to a jaded government agent and his activist ex-wife to transport her to safety. This phenomenally compelling end-of-the-world scenario is chilling in its sheer plausibility, making CHILDREN OF MEN both a gripping thriller and one of the best cautionary films of the decade.

Sunday 5/6 at 4:30, 7:00, 9:30

The Painted Veil
(2006) dir John Curran w/ Naomi Watts, Edward Norton, Liev Schreiber, Toby Jones, Diana Rigg [125 min]
This widely acclaimed adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham’s novel stars Watts and Norton as Kitty and Walter, a British couple trapped in a loveless marriage in 1920s Shangai. When Kitty succumbs to romantic fantasies and enters into an affair, Walter takes revenge by accepting a job in a disease ravaged and isolated village – endangering both of their lives in the process.

Monday 5/7 at 4:30, 7:00, 9:30

Bamako
(2006) dir Abderrahmane Sissako w/Aissa Maiga, Tiecoura Traore [115 min]
In the courtyard of a house in Bamako, the capital city of Mali, a trial is underway. Proceedings have been undertaken against the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund for their crimes against the continent of Africa. Of course, this is a mock trial – or, at least, a symbolic one – but it includes testimony from real political and cultural figures. Meanwhile, life goes on in the house surrounding the courtyard as Melé, a nightclub singer, deals with her out-of-work husband, Chaka, and their crumbling marriage.

Tuesday 5/8 at 5:00, 7:30, 9:45

Tears Of The Black Tiger
(2000) dir Wisit Sasanatieng w/Chartchai Ngamsan, Supakom Kitsuwon, Stella Malucchi, Suwinit Panjamawat [110 min]
This fantastically entertaining Thai film is filled with hyperactive pop culture references but it is also a lovingly rendered tribute to Technicolor melodramas of the past. The film takes on the nominal form of a Western with “Black Tiger” a formidable gunslinger joining the camp of the baddest outlaw around, Fai. As Fai mounts a deadly campaign against the local police, Black Tiger must choose between his allegiance to his criminal “family” and the love of his childhood sweetheart.

Wednesday 5/9 at 8:00

Days Of Glory
(2006) dir Rachid Bouchareb w/Jamal Debbouze, Samy Naceri, Roschdy Zem, Sami Bouajila [120 min]
Winner, for all four leads, of the best actor award at Cannes 2006, DAYS OF GLORY tells the largely unknown story of North African soldiers fighting against the Nazi occupation of France during WWII. The film focuses on the intertwined tales of four new recruits and follows them through training to battles in Italy and beyond.