Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry
By Monica Yin, DC Film Society Member
The documentary Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry (Alison Klayman, 2011) is currently playing at Landmark's E Street Cinema. In 2008 Alison Klayman, just out of college, went to China. A friend asked her to film the artist Ai Weiwei so that a short movie could be made to accompany Mr. Ai's 10,000 photograph exhibit, photos he took during his 1983-1993 stay in New York.
The summer of 2008 was also the year China hosted the Olympics. Mr. Ai was one of several artistic consultants involved in the design of the "Bird's Nest" mega-stadium in Beijing. However, Mr. Ai became increasingly outraged by various Chinese government actions leading up to the preparations for the Olympics, such as the arbitrary removal of citizens and the demolition of their homes in order to clean up appearances and stage a big show before the world. The poor construction materials used in school buildings led to the death of some 5,200 students (some 70,000 people died during the Sichuan earthquake). The industrial accidents in Guangdong and many more complaints criticizing the Chinese government's ill regard for the common man in China. The resulting documentary contains a great deal of background about this fearless activist artist, his work, his world view, his experiences, and his selfless philosophy.
At a screening of Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry on July 28, Carol Huh, Assistant Curator of Contemporary Asian Art at the Sackler/Freer Galleries was present for discussion after the film. She discussed the origin of the Zodiac statues currently exhibited at the Hirshorn. The original Zodiacs were part of the old Summer Palace complex outside Peking. They were later looted by the French and the Germans. Two of the heads turned up many years later at the Yves St. Laurent auction.
She pointed out that Mr. Ai is the only artist who uses social media and news outlets in such a fearless manner. He is considered one of the most vocal of any artist in China today. Art for Mr. Ai is not about the object (he is filmed smashing ancient pottery), for Mr. Ai, art is a concept. This concept is about disseminating an idea and getting others to participate. Mr. Ai's mouthpiece consist of interviews with The Guardian and many twitters per day. In this way, he disseminates ideas and concepts within China and spreads it to the outside world. Twitter allows him to circumvent the government censors by the quick reaction of his followers.
Starting October 7, the Hirshorn will be exhibiting more of his installations including "River Crab Party," "Sunflower Seeds," artistic installations that will incorporate rebars from the Sichuan earthquake, and an installation of the 1,000 - 3,000 porcelain crabs representing a harmonious society.
History and Film: Five Graves to Cairo
By Annette Graham, DC Film Society Member
Historical incidents are a great inspiration for filmmakers but occasionally a movie will inspire history. One of the most remarkable incidents in WWII history, Operation Copperhead, had its root in a film, Five Graves to Cairo (Billy Wilder, 1943) which is being screened at the AFI Silver Theater as part of its spy series on August 4, 6, and 7.
Dudley Clarke had been hired as an intelligence officer to plan and conduct deception activities for the British in the Middle East during WWII. He was also a film buff and some of his best ideas came to him while sitting in the dark, watching cinematic shadows flicker on the screen. While in Naples on January 4, 1944 he saw Five Graves to Cairo, a thriller set in North Africa featuring Erich von Stroheim, Franchot Tone and Ann Baxter. A brief appearance by an actor looking remarkably like Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery set inspiration in motion. Everyone knew that the Allies were planning an enormous invasion of Europe but no one knew where it would be--France was likely but would it be the north or the south? Where ever it would be, Montgomery was sure to be involved. If the actor could be passed off as Monty visiting the Mediterranean, the Germans might think the likely invasion point would be the south and might relax their vigilance on the English Channel. Dudley Clarke was in London in February and set up his plan along those lines.
It turned out that the actor in Five Graves was too tall; a second actor who was found promptly broke a leg. Finally someone noticed the photograph of M.E. Clifton James, an Australian by birth, a veteran of WWI, a stage actor for 25 years, and an obscure lieutenant in the Royal Army Pay Corps--a dead ringer for Monty. Clifton James got a call from the British Army's Kinematograph section asking if he would be interested in making some army films. That caller, actor David Niven, directed him to come to London as soon as possible for a screen test. To his surprise, James was met by intelligence agents and was told that he would be hired to impersonate Montgomery. Every detail had to be absolutely convincing. James spent some time studying Monty's speech, gait, and mannerisms. There were a few problems: James smoked and drank (often to excess)--Monty didn't. Plus he was missing a finger and had to wear a fake. Their personalities weren't at all similar--James was an introvert and unsure of himself, Monty was arrogant and self-assured. Nevertheless the plan was set in operation.
On May 26, the fake Monty set off for Gibraltar, a hotbed of German agents, met with the Governor, had an "accidental" encounter with a known German agent who dashed off to make a telephone call, was seen by German agents who kept an eye on Gibraltar from Spain through telescopes, and at the Governor's reception dropped references to "Plan 303" which sent German agents scurrying. Later, "Monty" was seen getting off a plane at the Algiers airport and being rushed off to meet with British General "Jumbo" Wilson. The two made a round of public appearances, dropping hints about future Allied plans.
Clifton James was not allowed to talk about his adventure for many years (during his absence it was thought that he was on a drunken bender) but he wrote a book, "I Was Monty's Double" which was published in 1954 and appeared in a film also titled "I Was Monty's Double" (John Guillermin, 1958). The book can be read online.
What effect did Operation Copperhead have on the war? We'll probably never know, but Clifton James was absolutely brilliant in the performance of his life--and it was inspired by a movie.
One last irresistible anecdote about Five Graves to Cairo: the eccentric Erich von Stroheim, whose troubles with Hollywood are well-known, had been working in Europe. Hired to play Field Marshal Rommel in Five Graves to Cairo, he returned to California. A magazine reporter asked him "How do you feel about your come-back?" Stroheim's reply: "I do not need to come back; it is just the movies who have come back!" That has got to be the inspiration for Gloria Swanson's famous line (24th on AFI's list of 100 famous movie quotes) in Sunset Boulevard: "I AM big. It's the pictures that got small." Both Sunset Boulevard and Five Graves to Cairo were directed by Billy Wilder and Erich von Stroheim appears in both.
Calendar of Events
FILMS
American Film Institute Silver Theater
"Totally Awesome 80s," the popular series of films from the 1980s, returns for another edition. Titles in August include Thief, Spaceballs, Reckless, The Year My Voice Broke, The Last American Virgin, Married to the Mob, Something Wild, Tootsie, Ishtar, and Stop Making Sense. More in September.
"The Films of Stanley Kubrick" includes Lolita, Dr. Strangelove, A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, and The Shining. More in September.
"70mm Spectacular" offers a rare chance to see 70mm prints projected on 70mm projectors. August's titles are Baraka, Those Magnificent Men and Their Flying Machines, It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, Khartoum, Lord Jim, and Tron. Two more in September.
"Spy Cinema" is a selection of films from more than 80 years. In August you can see The Bourne Identity, Five Graves to Cairo (see the story above, The Man Who Never Was, Pickup on South Street, 13 Rue Madeleine, Five Fingers, Our Man in Havana, The Spy Who Come in from the Cold, The Deadly Affair, The Conversation, The War is Over, The Kremlin Letter, and The Good Shepherd. A few more coming in September.
"James Bond 50th Anniversary" ties into the "Spy Cinema" series and features some of the best films from the Bond franchise. In August you can see Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, and Diamonds Are Forever. One more in September.
The AFI Silver hosts the "Science in the Cinema" series, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and featuring medical- or science-related themes. See below for titles.
The opera on film for August is "Norma" and "Cavalleria Rusticana" and "Pagliacci" and the ballet on film for August is "La Bayadere" with the Paris Opera Ballet and "La Source" also with the Paris Opera Ballet.
Freer Gallery of Art
The 17th Annual "Made in Hong Kong Film Festival" concludes in August. On August 3 at 7:00pm and August 5 at 2:00pm is Rouge (Stanley Kwan, 1988); on August 10 at 7:00pm and August 12 at 2:00pm is An Autumn's Tale (Mabel Cheung, 1987); and on August 17 at 7:00pm and August 19 at 2:00pm is Killer Clans (Chor Yuen, 1976).
This month's "Indian Visions" film is the Bollywood classic Mughal-e-Azam (K. Atif, 1960) on August 11 at 5:30pm.
National Gallery of Art
"Michelangelo Antonioni Centenary" celebrates the 100th anniversary of the birth of Italian master filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni (1912-2007), possibly the most influential film director of the postwar era. The National Gallery of Art and the American Film Institute present a retrospective of his most famous works. On August 11 at 2:00pm is Story of a Love Affair (1950); on August 11 at 4:30pm is I Vinti (1952); on August 12 at 4:30pm is Lady Without Camelias (1953) preceded on the short film Lies of Love (1949); on August 25 at 2:30pm is Le Amiche (1955) preceded by a short film Superstitions (1949); and on August 26 at 4:30pm is L'Avventura (1960) preceded by the short film Metezza Urbana (1948). More in September.
The subject of the series "American Originals Now" is Liza Johnson who will be present on August 19. At 4:00pm is a program of three short works Karrabing! Low Tide Turning (2012), South of Ten (2006), and In the Air (2009). At 5:00pm is the Washington premiere of Return (2011).
"From Vault to Screen: Recent Preservation" features work from film studios in France, UK and Netherlands. On August 5 at 4:30pm is a cine-concert The Spanish Dancer (Herbert Brenon, 1923) starring Pola Negri and Shoes (Lois Weber, 1916). On August 18 at 2:00pm is Bonjour Tristesse (Otto Preminger, 1958) followed by Breathless Jean-Luc Godard, 1960), both starring Jean Seberg.
A special event on August 4 at 2:30pm is "Ways of Seeing: Fortieth Anniversary." Historian Jonathan Conlin will discuss this BBC series on the social history of Western art.
National Museum of the American Indian
The daily film for August is a documentary portrait of four Mohawk women Club Native (Tracey Deer, 2008) shown at 12:30pm and 3:30pm.
Smithsonian American Art Museum
On August 2 at 6:30pm is Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Mike Nichols, 1966) starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.
Washington Jewish Community Center
On August 7 at 8:00pm is Walter and Henry: Two Brothers from Fuerth (Evi Kurz, 2008), a documentary about Henry Kissinger and his brother Walter. Shown at the Renaissance Dupont Circle Hotel, 1143 New Hampshire Ave., NW.
Goethe Institute
"Seize the Day: Outstanding German Films You Might Have Missed:" on August 13 at 6:30pm is Three (Tom Tykwer, 2010); on August 20 at 6:30pm is When We Leave (Feo Aladag, 2010) and on August 27 at 6:30pm is Cave of Forgotten Dreams (Werner Herzog, 2010), shown in 3D.
The Japan Information and Culture Center
On August 15 at 6:30pm is Eclair (Akio Kondo, 2011), filmed mainly in Miyagi prefecture in northeastern Japan prior to the earthquake that hit the area in March 2011.
The National Theatre
The film series starring Humphrey Bogart concludes in August. On August 6 at 6:30pm is The African Queen (John Huston, 1951), on August 13 at 6:30pm is Sabrina (Billy Wilder, 1954), and on August 20 at 6:30pm is The Caine Mutiny (Edward Dmytryk, 1954).
National Institutes of Health
"Science in the Cinema" is a series designed to promote public understanding of science, health, and medicine. Films with a medical science theme are screened, and an expert on the subject provides a commentary and leads an audience question-and-answer period. Films are shown at the AFI Silver Theater and all have captions. On August 1 at 7:00pm is A Dangerous Method (2011) with the theme of psychiatric history. On August 8 at 7:00pm is Contagion (2001) with the theme of pandemics and infectious disease. On August 15 at 7:00pm is 65 Red Roses (2009) with the theme of cystic fibrosis.
Screen on the Green
Classic films are shown on a giant screen on the National Mall between 7th and 12th Streets at dusk (around 8:30pm-9:00pm). Bring a blanket to sit on. The last film for this summer is Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960) starring Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh and Vera Miles.
National Archives
As part of the series "1940: American Goes to the Movies" is The Great McGinty (Preston Sturges, 1940) with Brian Donlevy.
The Avalon
This month's Greek film, Welcome to All Saints (Sotiris Goritsas, 2010), is on August 1 at 8:00pm. The "Czech Lions" film for August is Eighty Letters (Václav Kadrnka, 2011) on August 8 at 8:00pm. The French Cinematheque film is Unforgivable (André Téchiné, 2011) on August 17 at 8:00pm. The August film for "Reel Israel" is Vaservil (Mushon Salmona, 2007) on August 22 at 8:00pm.
Italian Cultural Institute
On August 15 at 6:00pm is My Friends (Mario Monicelli, 1975), about 4 middle-aged friends in Florence who organize idle pranks.
Wolf Trap
On August 4 at 8:30pm is West Side Story (Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise, 1961). The film will be shown in high definition on huge screens and will feature Leonard Bernstein’s original score played live by the NSO. On August 25 at 7:15pm is The Sound of Music (Robert Wise, 1965) film and sing-along.
Reel Affirmations XTra
Reel Affirmations Xtra is a once-a-month screening held at The Carnegie Institute of Science, 1530 P Street NW. On August 10 at 7:00pm and 9:00pm is Keep the Lights On (Ira Sachs, 2012) set in New York City.
FILM FESTIVALS