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MECHANICS’ OPENS ITS DOORS THIS FALL FOR CINEMA LIT SERIES - WITH SENTINEL FINE ARTS WRITER JUDITH KAHN

BY JUDITH KAHN
Sentinel Fine Arts Writer
Judith Kahn © 2009
Photo by Zoe Christopher

The fall is upon us and the new Cinema Lit Film series, The Luck of the Irish, has been launched. This mini film series is held on Friday nights on the fourth floor of the Mechanics’ Institute Library. The Mechanics’ Library is located at 57 Post Street. The first film featured in this Irish film series was entitled “My Left Foot” produced in 1988 directed by Jim Sheridan. In this movie Daniel Day-Lewis gives a bracing performance when he portrays the artist Christy Brown, who was born with cerebral palsy, and became a distinguished artist in Ireland. It seemed most appropriate to start this series with “My Left Foot” since Jim Sheridan is the only Irish director in the lineup of films for this series. Also this film marked a turning point historically for Irish films. Up to this point Irish films had gained little recognition on the national scene. Ireland then was a small country with economic difficulties. The church had a strong hold on the people of this country and it made clear what was acceptable subject matter for films or books. Three other Irish Films will be featured during this series: “The Commitments” (1991) directed by Alan Parker, starring Robert Arkins, Angeline Ball; “The Informer”(1935) directed by John Ford, starring Victor McLaglen and Heather Angel; and lastly, “The Wind that Shakes the Barley”(2006) directed by Ken Loach starring Cillian Murphy, and Padraic Delaney. All of these films depict how different people struggle with adversity to defy the odds in extremely difficult times. In “The Commitments,” Robert Arkins portrays a depressed lad striving to put together a soul band in a time when Dublin was economically depressed. In “The Informer” the world closes in on a man who informs on his pal during the Irish Rebellion of 1922. “The Wind That Shakes the Barley” is a hard-hitting historical drama set in the early 1920s. In this film the experiences of a young doctor are depicted when he joins his brother in the IRA.

MY LEFT FOOT, 1988

The Luck of the Irish is co-presented by the San Francisco Irish Film Festival and the Irish Literary and Historical Society. Michael Fox is the curator and host of the series. The doors of the cafe open at 6:00 and the movie begins at 6:30. Before this time one can purchase wine, beer or juice and small plates of tasty morsels prepared by Sybil Conn. Prior to each movie there is an introduction presented by Michael Fox or one of the guest speakers. The Mechanics’ Café was voted “best movie food” by SF Weekly. Sybil Conn is a genius at preparing innovative small plates costing only four dollars. Her creations are so colorful and tasty they are impossible to resist. Often she prepares theme plates. For example, for the opening of the Irish film festival she prepared plates with roasted potatoes topped with sour cream and locally smoked wild salmon, garnished with dill. For the Argentinean event she prepared empanadas filled with beef and seasonings. For the general movies she prepares open sandwiches of roast beef, salmon or cheese, garnished with locally-farmed fruits and vegetables. All the plates are delicious and presented in such a colorful manner. Sybil does with food what a skillful painter does with color—her presentation is so stunning that people are immediately drawn to the dishes.

After each film there is a salon discussion in which Michael Fox expands on the themes of a film. He calls the audience’s attention to how the theme of a movie is expressed not only by plot development and dialogue but also through camera movements, lighting, set design, and secondary character relationships. With a series of films from a particular country or by a particular director Michael likes to highlight common themes, pick out unexpected connections and reference the historical context. Personalities or the appeal of movie stars have little interest for Michael. He commented that the cinema lit audience is quite savvy and he can count on a base of knowledge—especially about the actors’ career as well as US and world history.

When I asked Michael how viewing a film in this manner enhances the experience of a film lover, he said that a good movie is like a great novel and it allows them to go beyond the surface of a story and view the film at multiple levels. He remarked that sometimes we’re so caught up in the story that we don’t see the techniques used to further our understanding and identification with characters. In addition, the filmmaker’s sympathies and politics may be more or less obvious and it’s fun teasing out and making explicit what is implicit or submerged.

During the Cinema Lit series Michael invites guest speakers. Some of the guests have included the renowned critic and historian David Thomson, author of “The New Biographical Dictionary of Film,” the fine historian Mathew Kennedy, author of “Joan Blondell: A Life Between Takes,” and noir expert Eddie Muller, author of “Dark City.”

When asked how he arrived at his selections for series he remarked, “I show what I love and what interests me.” He enjoys turning people to “overlooked, obscure or forgotten movies.” He feels strongly that this is one of the functions of an expert in any field. He also wants to include films that are well known but not overexposed and feature popular stars, achieving this delicate balance with the help of MIL events director Laura Sheppard and her assistant Pamela Troy.

THE COMMITMENTS, 1991

Like every kid Michael was awestruck by the big screen from an early age, but it was not until the mid-70’s when he was attending college at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign that he discovered such European films as “The Garden of the Finzi-Continis,” “Lacombe Lucien” and “Last Tango in Paris” that he got serious. He remarked that these films had an intellectual dimension which was lacking in Hollywood films of the period, and they excited him. He enjoyed the fact that these films reveled in ambiguous endings, and invited discussion and analysis. According to Michael, this intellectual dimension was lacking in Hollywood films of the period. Michael was once a financial analyst in Chicago in his twenties and moved to San Francisco for a job which did not work out. It was in 1987 when he was working for a friend’s business to pay the rent he started writing about movies on a freelance basis for a now defunct local monthly called Film Month. Presently, he writes for SF Weekly, SF360.0rg and J (the Jewish newsweekly of Northern California). He is the host and curator of Cinema Lit, a film critic, and journalist. He teaches film at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, located in San Francisco and sits on juries for the San Francisco International, Mill Valley, and United Nations Association film festivals.

In his documentary course, he remarked he is on a crusade of sorts to make people aware that there is a craft and an art to documentaries that we tend to overlook or devalue. He wants his students to realize that documentaries aren’t a mediated slice of reality but the result of thousands of choices and compromises. Michael Fox says most people watch documentaries for their information or educational value or perhaps for a vicarious experience of life they will never approach otherwise. Michael hopes to change this.

The next Film series begins in October and is entitled Tales of the Great Depression. It will run from October 2-30. In this series you will see how people from different walks of life experience the Depression. You will vicariously live the experiences of teenagers who rode the rails with countless other hobos, you will travel through the country with Woody Guthrie in the late 30s, experience what it was like for A.E. Hotchner to grow up alone in St. Louis during this time. One of the movies in the series presents a portrait of the infamous bank robber, John Dillinger, 35 years before “Public Enemies.”

THE INFORMER, 1935

For film lovers and aficionados, the Cinema Lit series is a dream come true—a film lovers paradise. Here one has the opportunity to view classic movies in an informal setting, on a large screen, accompanied by lively conversation, and excellent food and wine. The crowd is congenial and Michael Fox, in his gentle manner, will lead the audience to a different and more discerning way of viewing film.

Mechanics’’ Library is worth a visit on its own. Tours of this landmark building are available every Wednesday at noon. It was founded after the Gold Rush to provide technical education and training for Mechanics’. Today its interests have greatly expanded. It now serves members with a large general interest and has become a splendid research library with upwards of 150,000 books on most subjects. The librarians are always helpful and quite knowledgeable. When doing research on a given topic they point you in the right direction to enable you to complete your research successfully. Mechanics’ Library has a vast collection of more than 2500 videos and DVDs, including classics, drama, comedies, foreign films, and documentaries. Mechanics’ Institute also sponsors a variety of events on a monthly basis: author presentations, music and dance presentations, and on occasion a cooking demonstration. For more detailed information about the library itself and the many events offered visit Mechanics’’ website: Mechanics’ Institute
Or call 415 393-0100. Admission for members is free, and for the public $10.00. Space is limited so reservations are required if you plan to attend an event.

THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY, 2006

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For pleasurable dining experiences in the San Francisco Bay Area,
order this guidebook by Judith Kahn: PATIO ESCAPES – San Francisco & Bay Area Guide to Alfresco Dining



See Related: MUSEUMS WITH SENTINEL FINE ARTS WRITER JUDITH KAHN

* * * * * *

For pleasurable dining experiences in the San Francisco Bay Area,
order this guidebook by Judith Kahn:
PATIO ESCAPES – San Francisco & Bay Area Guide to Alfresco Dining



Judith Kahn is an author, radio producer, walking tour guide and teacher who has been featured in Who’s Who in California. She has written numerous articles about the San Francisco Bay Area, its restaurants, events, culture, and history.

Following the success of the walking tours she wrote and produced the weekly radio show “San Francisco Underfoot” sponsored by KALW. The show covered unique San Francisco happenings and the backstage stories of community events. Ms. Kahn has written articles for San Francisco Focus, Travel Age West, World Airways Inflight Magazine and Inside San Francisco. She is currently working as a features-reporter for the Richmond Review, Sunset Beacon, and is the fine arts writer for the San Francisco Sentinel. Ms. Kahn works and writes in San Francisco.