This Sunday – Illuminating La La Land at Vancouver Int’l Film Centre
Love La La Land? Join Vancouver film scholar Michael van den Bos this Sunday for a discussion of movie musicals.
Inspired by the current Hollywood sensation starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, van den Bos’ talk is entitled Illuminating La La Land: The Lyrical Legacy of Movie Musicals. In particular, van den Bos will look at the golden era of Hollywood musicals, from the 1930s through the 1950s. As part of the Sunday, Jan 29 programming, van den Bos will present clips from classic flicks featuring top names like Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra, Cyd Charisse, et al. Following the presentation, the Vancouver International Film Centre will screen two films said to have influenced La La Land.
First up is the Jacques Demy’s The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, starring Catherine Deneuve. In 2013, Slant Magazine said of the 1960 French film: “Deceptively simple in form and, despite its swooning sentiment, knowing about the fluid complications of amour, Jacques Demy’s The Umbrellas of Cherbourg retains its direct appeal to the eyes, ears, and tear ducts after nearly 50 years, with an emotionalism that’s shameless but never crass.”
The other film is New York, New York. Martin Scorsese’s 1977 movie is both a tribute to the Hollywood musical and a melancholy love story between a jazz musician (Robert De Niro) and a performer (Liza Minnelli). According to the Vancouver International Film Centre’s write-up, “New York, New York is a love letter to the romance of the movie musical, but also informed with modern neuroses and angst. Scorsese believed it would be a big hit, but in that he was sadly mistaken.”
Screening times:
Illuminating La La Land: 3 p.m.
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg: 5:40 p.m. (and Jan 31 at 8:15 p.m.)
New York New York: 7:30 p.m. (and Jan 31 at 3:20 p.m.)
The Vancouver Int’l Film Centre is located at 1181 Seymour St. For more info and tickets visit viff.org.
Article source: http://www.insidevancouver.ca/2017/01/28/this-sunday-illuminating-la-la-land-at-vancouver-intl-film-centre/
