Venue: The British Council, Jalan Bukit Aman, KL
Time: 8 pm
Please note that because of administrative reasons, screening days have been changed to
Mon 7 June
I Confess
Alfred Hitchcock; US, 1953, 95 min., bw
A priest hears a murderer's confession, but is resolved to keep his secret even though he himself is accused of the crime. Although this film is short on the suspense value one would normally expect from Hitchcock, it is interesting to see how Hitchcock resolves the moral question of how sacred a church confessional is, particularly when it leaves a killer to roam free, possibly to kill again. The film boasts excellent photography (it was shot in Quebec) and topflight performances, particularly from Montgomery Clift, whose ability to project mood with restrained strength is nowhere shown to better effect than here. With Anne Baxter, Karl Malden, Brian Aherne. This was the film that inspired Robert Lepage's 1995 international success Le Confessionnal.
Mon 21 June
The Wrong Man
Alfred Hitchcock; US, 1957, 105 min., bw
Hitchcock uses the true case of a New York musician falsely accused of a series of armed robberies to create this gripping piece of realism. What gives the film its power is the frightening overtones from Hitchcock's depiction of a police investigation system which though meticulous can pervert justice through mistaken identity. Justice is done in the end, but only after a harrowing ordeal which leaves the musician's wife mentally broken. "This is Hitchcock's most sombre film, unrelieved by his usual macabre humour; the bw photography and the persecuted Fonda's sharply chiselled features lend an impressive documentary feel" (Time Out), With Henry Fonda, Vera Miles, Anthony Quayle.
Mon 28 June
Malaysian Shorts III
It now seems there is enough creative work around us to justify running this series on a regular basis. For the third programme, we intend to show works by Yee Hwa, Melissa Saila, Wong Kew Lit, Amir Muhammad, student works from Akademi Filem Malaysia and Universiti Sains Malaysia, and new work by James Lee. As before, screenings will be followed by discussions with the directors.
