Few figures in film history remain as enigmatic and steadfastly unclassifiable as Chris Marker. Best known for “La Jetée” (1962), the experimental science fiction short that provided the inspiration for Terry Gilliam’s “12 Monkeys” (1995), the pseudonymous filmmaker (born Christian-François Bouche-Villeneuve, and frequently working under various other aliases) could not be bound to a single medium; in addition to his groundbreaking film work, he created the wildly popular “Petite ” series of travel books and dabbled in everything from novels to fine art photography. One of Marker’s most intriguing works, however, has long been his rarest: “Immemory,” a 1997 interactive CD-Rom game that doubled as a (typically cryptic) memoir. Unfortunately, the march of progress is rarely kind to vintage software, rendering this groundbreaking work from a legendary artist all but inaccessible via modern computers.
Fortunately, before his death in 2012, Marker devised a print edition of “Immemory,” preserving the work in the more shelf-stable medium of paper and ink. This version, dubbed “Immemory: Gutenberg Edition,” is finally available courtesy of local imprint Exact Change. To celebrate, Exact Change founders Damon Krukowski and Naomi Yang (better known as indie rock duo Damon & Naomi, late of Galaxie 500) are on hand Thursday at The Brattle Theatre to introduce a screening of Marker’s offbeat 1983 essay film “Sans Soleil.” Made up primarily of footage Marker shot in Tokyo and Guinea-Bissau, “Sans Soleil” is narrated by Canadian actress Alexandra Stewart, reading letters allegedly by “Sandor Krasna” (a Marker alias) musing on cultural differences and the beauty of the world. It is as good a gateway as any into the mind of a singular artist, and a perfect introduction to the world of “Immemory.”
On Saturday, the Brattle pays tribute to a very different – but no less important – artist. On what would have been his 67th birthday, you can celebrate the life of the artist forever known as Prince with a special screening of his 1984 breakout vehicle “Purple Rain.” The film itself is not particularly more complicated than the ones Elvis made some decades earlier; Prince, as a fictionalized version of himself dubbed “The Kid,” struggles to make it in the crowded Minneapolis music scene, alongside Morris Day and the Time (as themselves) and pop star Apollonia (filling in for Vanity, who broke up with Prince shortly before production). Where “Purple Rain” sings, figuratively and literally, is in its incendiary performance scenes, in which Prince and the Revolution tear through some of their most iconic hits. This is what it sounds like when doves cry – and when legends are born.
In these times when we find ourselves increasingly isolated from like-minded weirdos, more and more are rediscovering the joy of connecting face to face with others who share their passions. To that end, beloved Cambridge fiber shop gather here is setting up shop at The Brattle on Monday to launch a series titled “Pics and Crafts,” inviting local artists and makers to connect for a craft-friendly screening. Appropriately enough, the inaugural selection is a film synonymous with audience participation, the quintessential cult classic “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (1975). Lights will be kept halfway up so that you can keep one eye on your project while you chant along with the screen. Doors open early, at 5:30 p.m., so you can show off your project and ask others for advice!
The Somerville Theatre’s “F**k the Nazis” series comes to a close Tuesday with possibly the most purely joyful selection of the bunch. The plot of “The Blues Brothers” (1980) is practically part of the cultural vernacular at this point, but in case you need a refresher: Musical brothers Jake and Elwood Blues (John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, reprising their characters from “Saturday Night Live”) embark on a cross-country “mission from God” to get their old band – consisting of such great Memphis musicians as Steve Cropper and Donald “Duck” Dunn – back together. “The Blues Brothers” rates an inclusion in this series thanks to the bumbling neo-Nazis the brothers foil at every turn (all together now: “I hate Illinois Nazis!”). But it also serves as an infectious rebuttal to divisive politics thanks to its melting pot of multiracial rhythm and blues (and performances by legends such as Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Ray Charles and Cab Calloway). If you can find hate in your heart after dancing through this soundtrack in a packed movie house, this entire series was probably lost on you.
Oscar Goff is a writer and film critic based in Somerville. He is film editor and senior critic for the Boston Hassle and his work has appeared in the monthly Boston Compass newspaper and publications such as WBUR’s The ARTery and iHeartNoise. He is a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, and the Online Film Critics Society.
A stronger
Please consider making a financial contribution to maintain, expand and improve Cambridge Day.
We are now a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and all donations are tax deductible.
Please consider a recurring contribution.