Subtitle Il.Casanova.di.Federico.Fellini.1976.B...

Woody Allen's romantic comedy of the Me Decade follows the up and down relationship of two mismatched New York neurotics. "Annie Hall" blended the slapstick and fantasy from such earlier Allen films as "Sleeper" and "Bananas" with the more autobiographical musings of his stand-up and written comedy, using an array of such movie techniques as talking heads, splitscreens, and subtitles. Within these gleeful formal experiments and sight gags, Allen and co-writer Marshall Brickman skewered 1970s solipsism, reversing the happy marriage of opposites found in classic screwball comedies. Hailed as Allen's most mature and personal film, "Annie Hall" beat out "Star Wars" for Best Picture and also won Oscars for Allen as director and writer and for Keaton as Best Actress; audiences enthusiastically responded to Allen's take on contemporary love and turned Keaton's rumpled menswear into a fashion trend.Expanded essay by Jay Carr (PDF, 302KB)

subtitle Il.Casanova.di.Federico.Fellini.1976.B...

Joan Micklin Silver's first feature-length film, "Hester Street," was an adaption of preeminent Yiddish author Abraham Cahan's 1896 well-received first novel "Yekl: A Tale of the New York Ghetto." In the 1975 film, the writer-director brought to the screen a portrait of Eastern European Jewish life in America that historians have praised for its accuracy of detail and sensitivity to the challenges immigrants faced during their acculturation process. Shot in black-and-white and partly in Yiddish with English subtitles, the independent production, financed with money raised by the filmmaker's husband, was shunned by Hollywood until it established a reputation at the Cannes Film Festival and in European markets. "Hester Street" focuses on stresses that occur when a "greenhorn" wife, played by Carol Kane (nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal), and her young son arrive in New York to join her Americanized husband. Silver, one of the first women directors of American features to emerge during the women's liberation movement, shifted the story's emphasis from the husband, as in the novel, to the wife. Historian Joyce Antler has written admiringly, "In indicating the hardships experienced by women and their resiliency, as well as the deep strains assimilation posed to masculinity, 'Hester Street' touches on a fundamental cultural challenge confronting immigrants."Expanded essay by Eric A. Goldman (PDF, 375KB

In the 1930s, a number of Protestant groups, concerned about the perceived meretricious effects of Hollywood films, began producing non-theatrical motion pictures to spread the gospel of Jesus. "Parable" followed a filmmaking tradition that has not very often been recognized in general accounts of American film history. One of the most acclaimed and controversial films in this tradition, "Parable" debuted at the New York World's Fair in May 1964 as the main attraction of the Protestant and Orthodox Center. Without aid of dialogue or subtitles, the film relies on music and an allegorical story that represents the "Circus as the World," in the words of Rolf Forsberg, who wrote and co-directed the film with Tom Rook for the Protestant Council of New York. "Parable" depicts Jesus as an enigmatic, chalk-white, skull-capped circus clown who takes on the sufferings of oppressed workers, including women and minorities. The film generated controversy even before its initial screening. The fair's president Robert Moses sought to have it withdrawn. Other fair organizers resigned with one exclaiming, "No one is going to make a clown out of my Jesus." A disgruntled minister threatened to riddle the screen with shotgun holes if the film was shown. Undaunted, viewers voted overwhelmingly to keep the film running, and it became one of the fair's most popular attractions. Newsweek proclaimed it "very probably the best film at the fair" and Time described it as "an art film that got religion." The Fellini- and Bergman-inspired film received the 1966 Religious Film Award of the National Catholic Theatre Conference, along with honors at the 1966 Cannes, Venice and Edinburgh film festivals. It subsequently became a popular choice for screenings in both liberal and conservative churches.Expanded essay by Mark Quigley (PDF, 293KB)

Presented without subtitles, "Preservation" is a short, one-reel film featuring George Veditz, onetime president of the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) of the United States, demonstrating in sign language the importance of defending the right of deaf people to sign as opposed to verbalizing their communication. Deafened by scarlet fever at the age of eight, Veditz was one of the first to make motion-picture recordings of American Sign Language. Taking care to sign precisely and in large gestures for the cameras, Veditz chose fiery biblical passages to give his speech emotional impact. In some of his films, Veditz used finger spelling so his gestures could be translated directly into English in venues where interpreters were present. On behalf of the NAD, Veditz made this film specifically to record sign language for posterity at a time when oralists (those who promoted lip reading and speech in lieu of sign language) were gaining momentum in the education of the hearing-impaired. The film conveys one of the ways that deaf Americans debated the issues of their language and public understanding during the era of World War I.Expanded essay by Christopher Shea (PDF, 227KB) Watch it here

In the early years of sound motion pictures, studios often filmed foreign language versions of American productions. Some utilized subtitles, others were dubbed. In some cases, American stars spoke foreign dialog from a script written phonetically on a blackboard just off camera. More commonly, however, the films featured an entirely different cast. Spanish-language productions were the most common of these alternate versions, thanks to sizeable Latino audiences in Los Angeles and other metropolitan markets, as well as those in Latin American countries. Directed by Charles Lamont and starring Spanish-born actress Luana Alcañiz and Mexican star Fernando Soler, this melodrama surrounds a boxer, released after eight months in jail, who comes home to a recently pregnant wife. Produced at low-budget Columbia studio, "Verbena tragica" was unusual for the multi-version formula in that an English-language version was never made, most likely due to the film's themes of adultery and revenge.Expanded essay by Carl J. Mora (PDF, 424KB)

Movie Title Brief description Call # [1001 Nacht] / Ustredni pujcovna filmu uvadi Narration (sound track) in German; credits in Czech; no Karel Zeman detem Kratky film subtitles [Ab tak chhappan] Ab Tak 56 is about an honest cop Sadhu Agashe who makes a name by killing criminals in 'fake' police encounters instead of locking them up in prison. In Hindi w/ English subtitles [Akermania] Volume one J'ai faim, j'ai froid (I'm hungry, I'm cold): Two young Belgian girls run away from their home in Brussels. [Alsino y el condor] = Alsino and the condor Set in Nicaragua, this film depicts the clash between Central American governments and Sandinista rebels. [Amara, Akbara, Enthon' i] Lavish action-filled account of the separation, separate lives, and eventual reunion of three brothers: one raised by a Hindu policeman, one raised by a Muslim tailor, and one raised by a Catholic priest [Amarcord] = I remember / une co-produzione Memories of episodes about love, sex, politics, family life and italo-francese growing up in a small Italian town in the 1930's [Amoresperros] Three different people are catapulted into dramatic and unforeseen circumstances in the wake of a terrible car crash VHS 38 DVD 1310 VHS 2547 VHS 1241 DVD 746 DVD 7 DVD 821 [Anand] In Hindi, with English subtitles VHS 3079 [Antigone; a tragedy by Sophocles] Cinematic interpretation of Sophocles' immortal tragedy with a cast of over 500 actors of the Greek stage and screen, as well as soldiers and horsemen of the Greek Royal Guard. In Greek w/English subtitles DVD 1521 [Atame!] = Tie me up, tie me down / Miramax Comedy in which an orphaned mental patient kidnaps a porn VHS 25 Films and El Deseo S.A star in an irrationally inspired bid for love [Au revoir les enfants] = goodbye, children / Based on the director's life, this film chronicles Malle's VHS 2244 Nouvelles Editions de Films experiences during the German occupation of France in World War II [Baabul] The story of a father's attempt to rescue his daughter-in-law from her grief after his son dies tragically. The film deals with the social issue of widow remarriage DVD 1279 [Baghban] In Hindi w/English subtitles. At retirement, a father and mother go to live, separately, with their unwilling sons and their wives DVD 1073 [Ballada o soldate] = Ballad of a soldier A young man refuses a medal following an heroic action and instead takes leave from the front to visit his mother. Russian with English subtitles [Banshun] = Late spring / Shochiku Films directed by Yasujiro Ozu The story of a young woman who lives with her father and finds herself growing past the marriageable age. Japanese with English subtitles The Baron and his friends enjoy wild antics and have incredible adventures. They fly to the moon and visit earth [Baron Prasil] = The adventures of Baron Munchausen [Baza ludzi umarlych] = depot of the dead In polish w/English subtitles. Set in the mountains of southeastern Poland, portrays the desperate lives of a group of outcast men who drive deadly roads in trucks loaded with timber VHS 448 VHS 99 VHS 2508 DVD 1101 [Bicycle thief] Italian with English subtitles VHS 2795 [Big Shar] Polish with English subtitles. An aging card shark, Shar, plays and wins against Jurek, who plays with marked cards. DVD 966 [Black Orpheus] Story based on the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice set against the colorful background of the carnival in Rio de Janiero. In Portuguese w/English subtitles. DVD 1769 [Black] The film deals with the journey of two headstrong people, Michelle Mcnally, who cannot see, hear, nor speak and Debraj who teaches her to live and seek knowledge Hindi w/ English subtitles DVD 1287 [Blood of a poet] Videodisc release of the 1930 motion picture DVD 542 [Bodas de sangre] = Blood wedding / by Federico Garcia Lorca Flamenco interpretation of the classic drama by Federico Garcia Lorca. Spanish with English subtitles. VHS 1622 041b061a72