1) The Elephant Man (‘80) Dir. by David Lynch.  Starring Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, and Wendy Hiller. Genre: drama/biopic Set in Victorian England, the real-life story of John Merrick, who, due to a disfiguring congenital disease, was exhibited as a carnival freak. With the help of physician Frederick Treves who rescues him, Merrick attempts to regain his dignity.  A powerful meditation on voyeurism, ethics, and the strength of the human spirit.

2) Orphée ('49) Dir. by Jean Cocteau.  Starring Jean Marais, François Périer, Maria Casarès, and Marie Déa. Genre: fantasy The second film of Jean Cocteau's "Orphic Trilogy," Orphée is a free adaptation of the Greek Orpheus myth taking place in modern day Paris.  Made by one of the masters of fantasy in cinema, Orphée tells the story of a poet's encounter with the princess of death.

4) Le Samourai '(67)   Dir. by Jean-Pierre Melville.  Starring Alain Delon, François Périer, Nathalie Delon, Cathy Rosier, and Jacques Leroy. Genre: film noir/crime drama The story of a professional Parisian assassin-for-hire who, by the nature of his work's solitary demands, has no friends.  This existential gangster drama from French director Jean-Pierre Melville has long been considered a classic of European film noir.

6) Jules et Jim ('61) Dir. by François Truffaut.  Starring Jeanne Moreau, Oskar Werner, Henri Serre, Vanna Urbino, and Boris Bassiak. Genre: drama François Truffaut's memorable tale of three people in love, and how the years affect their interrelationships.  A film of rare beauty and charm. Screenplay by Truffaut and Jean Gruault, based on the novel by Henri-Pierre Roché.

 

* Special Event: City Lights (‘31) with live piano accompaniment Dir. by Charlie Chaplin.  Starring Charlie Chaplin and Virginia Cherrill. Genre: comedy/drama/romance A tramp who falls in love with a blind girl attempts to raise money to finance an operation that will restore her sight.

 

7) The Incredible Shrinking Man ('55) Dir. by Jack Arnold.  Starring Grant Williams, Randy Stuart, April Kent, Paul Langton, and Raymond Bailey. Genre: science fiction/fantasy/existential drama While on a pleasure boat with his wife, Scott Carey is briefly exposed to an ominous nuclear cloud which soon causes him to begin to shrink. Can he maintain his relationships in the human world - - is life, indeed, still worth living - - as he continues to grow smaller and smaller?

8) LaVie rêvée des anges ('98) (a.k.a. Dreamlife of Angels) Dir. by Erick Zonca.  Starring Élodie Bouchez, Natacha Régnier, Grégoire Colin, and Patrick Mercado. Genre: drama Two very different young women share the joy and heartbreak of friendship in this internationally acclaimed award-winning drama.

11) Zelig (‘83) Dir. by Woody Allen.  Staaring Woody Allen and Mia Farrow. Genre: comedy/pseudo documentary Set in the 1920's - 30's, a fictional documentary of Leonard Zelig, who gained fame at the time as the "chameleon man" due to his ability to look and act like anyone who happened to be around him.  Zelig is the ultimate story about a man who just wanted to "fit in." 12) Les Rendez-vous de Paris ('95) Dir. by Eric Rohmer.  Starring Clara Bellar, Antoine Basler, Mathias Mégard, Judith Chancel, Malcolm Conrath. Genre: comedy/romance A romantic comedy about floundering French singles; the film comprises three enchanting tales of love, trust and ambivalence, set in the lush urban landscape of Paris.