Landscape in the Mist (1988) is the third instalment of Theo Angelopoulos’s “trilogy of silence.” Through the eyes of two young children, a brother and sister in search for their father who may not exist, the Greek director reveals the alienation in modern Greece, still haunted by ghosts from its past. Perhaps Angelopoulos’ most accessible film, it is also his most beautiful. With its modernist aesthetic, it underscores the bleakness of contemporary society through haunting scenes that continue to linger long after they disappear from the screen.
Jaws (1975) marks a turning point in Hollywood film production. By the end of the 1960s, the decline of the classical studio system combined with the rising popularity of television had led to a crisis that forced the industry to reinvent itself. After many failed attempts to draw audiences back to movie theatres, Steven Spielberg’s fast-paced thriller about a great white shark terrorizing a beach resort finally turned the tide. Strategically released during the summer months, the film’s overwhelming commercial success provided the industry with a new formula to reestablish its power: the summer blockbuster. The 35mm projection at De Cinema promises to make the iconic shark scenes jump at the audience as they should.
Abbas Kiarostami’s Close-up (1990) hardly needs an introduction here. This very website took its name from the film’s main character, Hossein Sabzian, a conman who impersonates a famous Iranian director to convince a family to star in one of his films. It is a film about how lies, deception and illusion can ultimately lead to the truth. But above all, it is a film about (the love of) cinema.
