1999
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Sol Nazerman (Rod Steiger) is a Jewish pawnbroker in New York's Spanish Harlem who lives in a sheltered world with haunting memories of Nazi prison camps. That he remained alive is a source of bewilderment and pain for him, and he has lost faith in everything. It is only through the help from his friend and assistant, Jesus, that Sol learns what it is to be human again. The Pawnbroker marked Steiger's first starring role in a major film. His role in the film garnered him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. From the moment it was released, controversy surrounded the film.
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"Visually powerful and dramatically potent." - David Stratton (Variety) In his film, Passion, Hungarian director Gyorgy Feher transposes James M. Cain's The Postman Always Rings Twice to 1930s Hungary with the exquisitely beautiful Ildiko Bansagi as the sensual young woman who conspires to free herself from a loveless marriage. Beautifully adhering to the classic noir tale, the story begins with the drifter already in the employ of the woman's husband. The remainder of the film is more faithful to Cain's tale, as passion leads to betrayal and murder.
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It's a happening party! You'll be glad you came. Over there's the ex-jock - you know, whatzizname, the guy who used to be someone - til he blew it - with drugs and gambling. There's that famous female ice skater, looking very slinky. The record company exec in shades. The handsome, down-on-his-luck gigolo. The spoiled but oddly likable heiress to a publishing empire. And, oh yeah - three guys with guns. They're the party crashers. Their plan is simple: Take everyone hostage, call up "big daddy" publisher, and demand five million dollars.
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Arriving with her leather jacket, Marlboros and attitude firmly in place, Micki Silva is little prepared to care for her dying uncle or to fall in love with the striking Roberta. Micki, brilliantly played by Broadway's Carol Monda, has abandoned yet another relationship and seeks solace at her uncle's house in a small beach community during the off season. Her gruff exterior belies not the typical soft heart, but a damaged soul yearning to find life again and unwilling to admit her need for companionship.
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Cars go in and out of the OK Garage, but why is it that Rachel, an inner-city schoolteacher, keeps bringing her car back every week? Maybe itÕs the fact that the OK Garage not only specializes in auto repair, but is also run by a crook who is ripping off his customers. In step best friends Sean and Johnny. One has a problem with intimacy, the other plays with lizards to scare off people. They are the perfect pair to help Rachel plot her revenge on the OK Garage. After all, they both lead aimless lives and need a spark like this to awaken something.
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Legendary actor Rod Steiger joins us for an afternoon for a tribute to his career with this highlighted screening of the classic comedy, No Way to Treat a Lady; one of the films Mr. Steiger wanted to share at this year's Cinequest. Based on the novel by William Goldman, director Jack Smight's black comedy is a delightful blend of romantic comedy and murder. The world's wackiest killer and master of disguise (Steiger) stalks the streets of New York, all the while phoning clues to the detective on the case to keep the chase interesting.
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On his way to dusk prayers at a Parisian mosque, Monsieur Slimani, a devout Muslim, is witness to a brutal murder. Barely escaping with his life, he is chased into the prayer room, where he hides among worshippers clad in the same traditional robes. When another witness is murdered, Slimani must decide whether to come forward and risk death or remain silent and live with his conscience. Soon Slimani's son, Alilou, an aspiring journalist, begins to suspect his father's role in the case and takes a dangerous step.
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Next Time has all the ingredients of a quirky love story. Matt is a naive 19-year-old, fresh off the bus from a small town in Ohio. Evelyn, 38, is a street-wise, big city gal. They meet in a downtown laundromat, where Matt pumps Evelyn for advice on detergent and women. With nothing better to do on Saturday nights than fold clothes and engage in soul-searching conversation, they look forward to the next time they meet. As director/writer L. Alan Fraser makes clear, that's all that should matter between these two lonely people. But Evelyn is black; Matt is white.
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Starring Hiep Le (Oliver Stone's Heaven and Earth), a tale of the struggle to cope with death and the question of what is real and not.
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Unique among this year's films is Allan Holzman and Cynthia Gates Fujikawa's Old Man River, a remarkable look at a familiar face from TV and film: character actor Jerry Fujikawa (M*A*S*H's Whiplash WangÕ and the gardener in Chinatown). What makes this film so intriguing is its presentation - a one-woman performance where Ms. Fujikawa learns how much of a stranger her father really was to her. This is a story of her uncovering and discovering a father very different from the one she thought she knew; a man whose life was destroyed and re-made.