Histories of Cinema (II)

What would a running history of cinema be like if it revisited its sources again and again so as to be continually rewritten? We've asked Santos Zunzunegui –professor, historian and screenwriter– to make his personal selection of films from the history of the cinema so that, from that list of titles, (titles which are, to a greater or lesser extent, canonical, personal, profound, chronological) a certain "common ground" may be found to continue reflecting on the possible and impossible histories of the cinema.These sessions are part of EQZE's academic syllabus; therefore, all screenings will be accompanied by a prior presentation/lecture.

"Cycles return, like seasons, and they are not similar to each other. Or, rather, they are not similar to each other on the surface; but, they respond to the same basic impulse: Settling accounts with those stories that the cinema has brought to us and which have accompanied us throughout our lives, more or less secretly. As Godard says in his Histoire(s) du cinéma (remember, this was seen in the first edition of Histories of Cinema), to paraphrase the philosopher, “the cinema, like Christianity, is not founded on historical truth; it gives us a story, a history, and it tells us: believe, believe in what has happened”. That is why I propose that you accompany me on a return to the jungle of the cities by following the path of corrupt lawyers influenced by Cain, or the jungle of the young people who are trying to make a living on stage or behind the scenes in the theatre in a world dominated by money; to dedicate a portion of our time to wandering through the baroque labyrinths of a frenetic carnival, or exploring the most unfathomable territories of a desert with no reference points. But I would also like to invite you to recognise that the world can take —for an unforgettable hour and a half— the form of a spy series or of an exotic melodrama, celebrating the tireless narcissism of a genius storyteller. Or to attend the transmutation that turns the desolate wasteland –destroyed by the relentless wind of Yorkshire– into the warm land of colonial Mexico, turning summits into depths, or to be the witness of a relentless fire that devours the wheat fields of Ukraine's fertile countryside while the invader of the homeland is fiercely fought off. Because the highest peaks don't always offer the greatest rewards; at times, great things are reserved for more modest heights. I propose that you explore seldom visited territories in thirteen sessions, as well as works that are, in some cases, secret and whose condition of “masterpiece” is yet to be decided. Even so, all of these pieces do good on the phrase which says that “the cinema substitutes for our gaze a world more in harmony with our desires”. Histories of Cinema is a possible illustration of that magical mutation of space and time. A time that is not lost but unfolds into an unexpected depth that we would not have been able to reach alone". Santos Zunzunegui

What would a running history of cinema be like if it revisited its sources again and again so as to be continually rewritten? We've asked Santos Zunzunegui –professor, historian and screenwriter– to make his personal selection of films from the history of the cinema so that, from that list of titles, (titles which are, to a greater or lesser extent, canonical, personal, profound, chronological) a certain "common ground" may be found to continue reflecting on the possible and impossible histories of the cinema. These sessions are part of EQZE's academic syllabus; therefore, all screenings will be accompanied by a prior presentation/lecture.

Program:

October 25, Friday

• Presentation
• Spione (Fritz Lang, Germany, 1928, 144 min.)

November 24, Sunday

• Presentation
• Gold Diggers of 1933 (Mervyn Leroy, USA, 1933, 97 min.)

December 20, Friday

• Presentation
• The Devil is a Woman (Josef von Sternberg, USA, 1935, 85 min.)

January 12, Sunday

• Presentation
• Le Roman d'un tricheur (Sacha Guitry, France, 1936, 81 min.)

January 24, Friday

• 19:00. Presentation
• 20:00. Shchors (Aleksandr Dovzhenko, USSR, 1939, 92 min.)

February 9, Sunday

• 19:00. Presentation
• 20:00. Force of Evil (Abraham Polonsky, USA, 1948, 78 min.)

February 14, Friday

• 19:00. Presentation
• 20:00. Gun Crazy (Joseph H. Lewis, USA, 1950, 87 min.)

March 6, Friday

• 19:00. Presentation
• 20:00. Stars in my Crown (Jacques Torneur, USA, 1950, 86 min.)

July 4, Saturday

• 19:00. Presentation
• 20:00. Ride Lonesome (Budd Boetticher, USA, 1959, 73 min.)

July 29, Wednesday 

• 19:00. Presentation
• 20:00. En el balcón vacío (Jomí García Ascot, México, 1961, 70 min.)

Agust 12, Wednesday 

• 19:00. Presentation
• 20:00. Red Line 7000 (Howard Hawks, USA, 1965, 110 min.)

Agust 22, Saturday 

• 19:00. Presentation
• 20:00. Two-Lane Blacktop (Monte Hellman, USA, 1971, 101 min.)