DAVIDSON FILM CLUB
Davidson Film Club Screening “The White Ribbon”
The Davidson Film Club is screening the Oscar-nominated, Golden Globes winning Best Foreign Language Film The White Ribbon on Saturday, September 22, at the Armour Street Theatre at 7:00 p.m.
“Haneke makes his way through this complex and knotty subject matter with a staggeringly effortless grace. As an expression of philosophy, it’s profound and thought-provoking; as a work of cinema, it is flawless.” Ian Buckwalter, DCist
Directed by Michael Haneke, Germany (2009, 2h24). In German with English subtitles.
The film will be presented and discussion led by Dr. Maggie McCarthy, Professor of German, Chair of the German Studies Department, and Co-Coordinator of Film & Media Studies at Davidson College.
Refreshments, including snacks, red and white wine, and bottled water, will be made available by the Film Club.
Film Summary:
From July,1913, to the outbreak of World War I, a series of incidents take place in a German village. A horse trips on a wire and throws the rider; a woman falls to her death through rotted planks; the local baron’s son is spanked and hung upside down in a mill; a pastor bullies his children in the name of virtue, a man is cruel to his long-suffering lover and sexually abuses his daughter. People disappear. A teacher, who courts a nanny in the baron’s household, narrates the story and tries to investigate the connections among these accidents and crimes. What is foreshadowed? Are the children holy innocents or guilty of hideous acts? God may be in His heaven, but all is not right with the world. . . .
Winner of the Palme d’Or (Best Film) at Cannes. 55 wins and 36 nominations in all: Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Actress, Best Editing, Best Lighting.
“The White Ribbon is a stark, contemplative and hauntingly brilliant film.” Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“But along with a finely crafted screenplay, the film’s truly brilliant touch, and what makes this nightmarish fable all the more effective and original, is its stunning black and white photography.” Pamela Jahn, Electric Sheep
“Unlike conventional thrillers, this film does not restore a moral order to the universe. Rather, it questions it. It must be seen. It magnetizes us through profound degrees of mystery, psychology, dramatic intensity and perceptive dialogue, and then still retains enough power after the closing credits to leave us in thoughtful contemplation of its more cerebral perspectives.” Julie Rigg, Movietime, ABC Radio National
“This being a Michael Haneke film, you have to come terms with the fact he will not reveal to you the answers that you seek. Sure, you could come to your own conclusion regarding the culprits but doing so would be beside the point. The ‘why’ is not important. Instead, we are forced to process the consequences, knowing that this horror has happened, was always going to happen and will continue to happen for decades to come.” Spectator Review
If you are not a Davidson Film Club member, walk-ins ($9, N.C. Sales tax included) are always welcome, cash or check. Walk-in students $7.
Reservations may be made in advance at [email protected], with payment at the door—or just walk in!
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We are a non-profit, tax-exempt organization run by volunteers that only exists to bring you fine international fiction films and engage in stimulating discussion about them.