by Robert Altman (USA; 1971; 2 hrs, 1 minute)

A haunting, poetic anti-Western based on the 1959 novel by Edmund Naughton, Robert Altman's MCCABE AND MRS. MILLER is a deeply moving motion picture concerning love and the pursuit of wealth in early America. John McCabe (Warren Beatty), a determined businessman with a mysterious past, settles in Presbyterian Church, a small Northwestern town, and opens up a saloon and a brothel. Soon after, the English head madame, Constance Miller (Julie Christie) arrives and forms a partnership with McCabe in order to manage the brothel's business affairs. McCabe soon has trouble expressing his true feelings to Mrs. Miller, with whom he has fallen in love; she, in turn, relies on opium to distract her from her own personal sorrows. After a powerful company arrives and offers to buy out McCabe's property, his stubborn refusal ends up jeopardizing his life, resulting in a showdown with three hired killers in the middle of a freak blizzard. Vilmos Zsigmond's faded imagery--purposely manipulated by "flashing" the film stock before shooting--along with production designer Leon Ericksen's authentic town, brings to life a past world that is tainted with an underlying sadness. Beatty, as the lovesick McCabe, and Christie, who was nominated for an Ocar as the hard-nosed Mrs. Miller, deliver earnest performances that add an even greater despondency to the story, which is heightened by Leonard Cohen's melancholy soundtrack.

by Jacques Tati (France; 1953; 1 hr, 26 minutes)

Jacques Tati, master of his own idiosyncratic genre of cinematic slapstick, followed up his acclaimed debut Jour de f�te with the equally ingenious MR. HULOT'S HOLIDAY. Five years in the making, the film marks the debut of Tati's altar ego, Mr. Hulot, a gangly and awkward Frenchman, perpetually the center and possible cause of a whirlwind of disasters, pratfalls, and mishaps. Tati's scrupulous attention to detail and almost arabesque sense of humor colors the entire film, from the departure of a gaggle of tourists from a malfunctioning train station to the minutiae of resort life. In place of a plot, a series of disastrous coincidences, surreal sight gags and irascible indignations erupt around Mr. Hulot as he gallantly and obliviously strolls through his seaside vacation. While he tries to impress a lovely ingenue, Hulot inadvertently barges in on a funeral, ignites a fireworks stand with his pipe, and topples a Ming vase, rarely realizing the extent of the damage he causes. Tati expertly crafts the visual bombast of traditional slapstick into a beautiful and intricate sequence of incidents, accompanied by an equally elegant and intriguing seaside soundtrack of lapping waves, laughing children and transistor radios, all merging into an absurd symphony of cinematic delight.

by Charles Laughton (USA; 1955; 1 hr, 34 minutes)

In this eerie meditation on good and evil, a schizophrenic preacher--possibly the devil himself--relentlessly hunts two small children across the Depression-era Bible Belt to get at their dead father's stolen fortune. In Robert Mitchum's career-defining role as Preacher Harry Powell, he wears unforgettable tattoos of two four-letter words on his fingers: LOVE and HATE. Hauntingly directed by Laughton, THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER is his only credited directorial effort.

by Emile de Antonio (USA; 1972; 1 hr, 56 minutes)

Emile de Antonio's brilliant documentary features extended interviews with the renegade artists of the American post-World War II period. Working in New York, these painters developed the important art movements of our time -- Abstract Expressionism, Action Painting, and Pop Art -- thereby replacing Paris as the art capital of the world. The artists' generosity and the articulate discussions of their work and the work of others, offers a rare and exciting look into the mindset of some of the world's most influential painters at the peak of their careers.

by Akira Kurosawa (Japan; 1954; 3 hrs, 23 minutes)

Set in 16th Century Japan, Akira Kurosawa's epic SEVEN SAMURAI follows the plight of a defenseless farming village that lives in constant fear of marauding bandits. The farmers know that when their crops are harvested, the thugs will attack, so four men go to town in hopes of employing samurai to fight for them. However, the poor villagers can merely offer payment in the form of shelter and a daily bowl of rice, and initially only Kambei (Takashi Shimura), a brave elder samurai, and his eager young apprentice, Katsushiro (Isao Kimura), take up their cause. Encountering various nomadic warriors on the streets, they slowly put together his team of swordsmen, recruiting Shichiroji (Daisuke Kat�), Gorobei (Yoshio Inaba), Heihachi (Minoru Chiaki), and Kyuzo (Seiji Miyaguchi). Finally, Kikuchiyo (Toshir� Mifune), a scruffy wanderer who has been trailing them, completes the small band of ronin. However, upon reaching the village, the samurai learn that the farmers fear them as much the enemy. Despite the tensions, Kambei and his men slowly train the peasants to defend their village. Eventually the warriors launch a preemptive strike against the bandits, and begin a series of intense conflicts that culminates in a rain-soaked final battle--without a doubt, one of the most stunning sequences in cinema history. Widely considered to be the greatest Japanese film ever made, Kurosawa's SEVEN SAMURAI is also credited with pioneering the modern action movie. This notion is especially evident in thrilling scenes such as Kambei's rescue of a kidnapped child, Kyuzo's duel, and Kikuchiyo's intensive theft of an enemy gun. Although the film clocks in at more than three hours, the story remains consistently engaging and slowly heightens the tension while providing action, drama, comic relief, and character development. Gleefully running amuck, Mifune gives one of his most renowned performances, imbuing the often comical Kikuchiyo with a surprising streak of melancholy and introspection. However, it is Shimura that anchors the entire film as the thoughtful and courageous Kambei, who stoically takes on the leadership of an almost impossible task. A monumental achievement in filmmaking, Kurosawa's SEVEN SAMURAI is cinematic perfection in nearly every aspect, giving the production its much-deserved status as one of the best films ever created.

by Jim Jarmusch (USA; 1 hr, 30 minutes; 1984; Black & White; Rated R)

Beginning in New York City and ending up in Florida, Jim Jarmusch's STRANGER THAN PARADISE is a highly original comedy that has greatly influenced a new generation of filmmakers (most notably, Kevin Smith and Finland's Aki Kourismaki). Willie (John Lurie) is annoyed to learn that his younger cousin, Eva (Eszter Balint), is flying in from Hungary and plans on staying with him for ten days. When she arrives, she and Willie waste their days doing nothing. Eventually, Eva gets bored and leaves New York in order to visit her Aunt Lotte in Cleveland. When Willie and his friend Eddie (Richard Edson) get into trouble while cheating in a poker game, they decide to hit the road and track down Eva. Cleveland is even less exciting than New York, so the trio decide to take the plunge and journey to Florida, where they dream of winning an enormous amount at the track. Unfortunately, the reverse occurs, forcing them to confront the gravity of their situation head-on. Jarmusch fuses his love of European cinema with a New York hipness to create one of the decade's most influential films. Photographed in a static black and white by Tom Di Cillo, STRANGER THAN PARADISE features comically understated performances by its three leads--who are all professional musicians.

by Orson Welles (USA; 1958; 1 hr, 48 minutes)

Orson Welles's TOUCH OF EVIL is nothing short of a masterpiece. Beginning with a three-minute-plus tracking crane shot, the film explodes onto the screen, literally--the marvelously expressive opening shot ends with a car blowing up, and that detonation sets into motion a classic noir tale of betrayal and murder. In a complex exploration of character and morality, Welles plays the racist Captain Hank Quinlan, a grotesque, troubled, and powerful figure who runs his small U.S. border town according to his own version of the law. Quinlan's brutishness and vulgarity contrast starkly with the idealism and playboy good looks of Charlton Heston as Mike Vargas, a Mexican detective trying to put away the leader of a dangerous family of drug dealers--the Grandis. In the U.S. with his new bride, Susie (Janet Leigh), Vargas becomes consumed with exposing Quinlan and his highly questionable methods--too busy to see that his own beautiful blonde bride is in serious danger from both Quinlan and the Grandis. In 1998, Welles's film was restored closer to its creator's original vision, and it is a joy to behold. Every shot is impeccably crafted, every word of dialogue concise and pointed. The camerawork (by Russell Metty and John Russell) is stunning, particularly in the opening scene and the long single take in which Vargas believes he has caught Quinlan planting evidence. The supporting cast, led by Marlene Dietrich, Dennis Weaver, Akim Tamiroff, and Joseph Calleia, gives exhilarating performances. TOUCH OF EVIL, Welles's last studio film, is a near-perfect examination of the dark underbelly of society and the tragic downfall of a once proud man.

by Alfred Hitchcock (USA; 1955; 1 hr, 39 minutes)

This black comedy from Alfred Hitchcock was based on Jack Turner's novel. When a retired sea captain, out doing a little rabbit hunting, discovers Harry's lifeless body in the hilltops of small-town Vermont, he erroneously believes that he is responsible for Harry's untimely demise. So he decides to bury the corpse to cover his tracks. But Harry just won't stay in the ground. Soon the dead man--through no fault of his own--has set off a series of comic misunderstandings, as the town spinster and Harry's wife also blame themselves for his death. THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY was not a runaway hit when it was released, but it holds up very well, demonstrating the director's sharp and morbid humor. It is one of the few comic turns Hitchcock made, and it compares favorably with his other lighter works, Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Rich and Strange, shedding the romantic comedy for grimmer subject matter and satirical wit, which probably suited him more. This was Shirley MacLaine's first film; she gives an enjoyable performance as Harry's ex-wife. The film also features Jerry Mathers of Leave it to Beaver fame. An un-credited star of the film is the Vermont location, seen in its entire full autumn splendor.

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