Europe is at the tip of everybody’s tongue these days, and in March, Europe will be screened at Ciné Lumière with a season dedicated to great European classics such as Jamon Jamon, Wings of Desire or The Seventh Seal.
Jamon Jamon: Shot in the aridity of Zaragoza’s desert, Jamón, Jamón – which juxtaposes erotic desire and food – explores the complex relationship between Silvia (Penélope Cruz), the daughter of a roadside prostitute, her boyfriend José Luis (Jordi Mollà), son of the richest man in town, and Raúl (Javier Bardem), a would-be bullfighter. It also lays bare the aspirations and frustrations of their parents. The film was a big break for the three lead actors, the then extremely young Jordi Mollà, Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem.
Wings of Desire: Winner of the Best Director prize at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival, Wim Wenders offers with Wings of Desire one of his most celebrated films to date. Damiel (Bruno Ganz), a guardian angel wishes nothing more than to leave the monochrome world of the afterlife to experiment Life in full colours and more specifically, love with Marion (Solveig Dommartin), the entrancing mortal he vividly desires.
The Seventh Seal: Ingmar Bergman’s allegorical masterpiece drama centres on a knight (Max von Sydow) who returns from the Crusades only to find back home a world tormented by the Black Death and superstition. In the face of a silent God and questioning his own faith and purpose, he encounters Death who is ready to take him under its dark wing. But to defy fate, he challenges it to a game of chess.
