SBS World Movies Forever Classic Line-up
Monday 15 February 9:30PM – The Graduate
M
USA, 1967
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance
Language: English
Director: Mike Nichols
Starring: Anne Bancroft, Dustin Hoffman, Katharine Ross, William Daniels
What's it about?
During a party given by his parents to celebrate his graduation, Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) is seduced by Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft). She is the wife of one of his father's closest friends. They have an affair. But then, Benjamin falls in love with her daughter, Elaine (Katharine Ross). Jealous and angry, Mrs. Robinson does everything to keep the young couple apart. Directed by Mike Nichols who won the Best Director Academy Award in 1968 for the film, its soundtrack is also a classic, featuring Simon & Garfunkel.
The Graduate will be streaming at SBS On Demand after broadcast (available until 17 February).
Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft in 'The Graduate'. Source: AAP
Tuesday 16 February 9:30PM – Chinatown
M
USA, 1974
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Language: Spanish, English
Director: Roman Polanski
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Perry Lopez, John Hillerman
What's it about?
Private eye Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) lives off the murky moral climate of sunbaked, pre-World War II Southern California. Hired by a beautiful socialite to investigate her husband's extra-marital affair, Gittes is swept into a maelstrom of double dealings and deadly deceits, uncovering a web of personal and political scandals that come crashing together. This neo-noir classic won Robert Towne an Academy Award in 1975 for Best Original Screenplay. "Forget it, Jake, it's Chinatown."
Chinatown will be streaming at SBS On Demand after broadcast (available until 2 March).
Wednesday 17 February at 9:30PM – Amélie
M
France, 2001
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Language: French
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Starring: Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz
What's it about?
Young Amélie Poulain (Audrey Tautou) works in a Paris café, lives alone and helps people, surreptitiously. Whether it's secretly returning the childhood treasures of a middle-aged man, or matchmaking for the lovelorn, Amélie gives fate a helping hand. When Nino (Matthieu Kassovitz) enters her world, her life takes a new and exciting turn. This fantastical romantic film from Jean-Pierre Jeunet charmed the hearts of cinema-goers around the world.
[link title="Before Amelie came a macabre comedy" url="node/2687"]
[link title="Amelie Movie Review" url="node/3437"]
[link title="Dinner and a Movie: Amelie" url="node/44857"]
Amélie will be streaming at SBS On Demand after broadcast (available until 19 March).
Source: SBS Movies
Thursday 18 February at 9:30PM – The Godfather: Part II
M
USA, 1974
Genre: Drama, Crime
Language: English, Italian, Latin, Spanish
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Starring: Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Robert De Niro, John Cazale, Talia Shire, Lee Strasberg
What's it about?
In the continuing saga of the Corleone crime family, a young Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) grows up in Sicily and in 1910s New York. In the 1950s, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) attempts to expand the family business into Las Vegas, Hollywood and Cuba. In a rare case of the sequel being better than the original Francis Ford Coppola's second film in The Godfather trilogy won 6 Academy Awards in 1975 including Best Director and Best Motion Picture.
The Godfather Part II will not be available to stream at SBS On Demand.
Friday 19 February at 9:30PM – Apocalypse Now Redux
MA15+
USA, 2001
Genre: War
Language: English
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Starring: Martin Sheen, Laurence Fishburne, Robert Duvall, Marlon Brando, Dennis Hopper
What's it about?
Vietnam, the '70s. US Army intelligence officer Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) is sent to Cambodia to eliminate the deranged US Colonel Walter E Kurtz (Marlon Brando). Kurtz is conducting unauthorised and bloody operations from a remote jungle compound guarded by local tribesmen and fellow US soldiers who have also deserted. Taken up river in a patrol boat staffed by Chief (Albert Tucker), Chef (Frederic Forrest), Clean (Laurence Fishburne) and Lance (Sam Bottoms), Willard encounters gung-ho Colonel Kilgore (Robert Duvall) and his helicopter division, a group of Playboy bunnies hired to entertain troops and a French family that has refused to leave its plantation. Finally the river leads to confrontation with the enigmatic Kurtz. Apocalypse Now Redux is a 2001 extended version of Francis Ford Coppola's epic war film Apocalypse Now, which was originally released in 1979 and won 2 Academy Awards in 1980.
[link title="Apocalypse Now Redux Review: A great film, made greater " url="node/3462"]
Apocalypse Now Redux will be available to stream at SBS On Demand after broadcast (available until 21 March).
Source: SBS Movies
Discover more classic films at SBS On Demand
Game of Death
M
Hong Kong, USA, 1978
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Crime, Action
Language: English, Chinese
Director: Bruce Lee, Robert Clouse
Starring: Dean Jagger, Chuck Norris, Robert Wall, Bruce Lee, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
What's it about?
Filmed between August and October 1972, Bruce Lee sadly passed away during filming, with Enter the Dragon director Robert Clouse stepping in to wrap the production and stand-ins covering Lee's role. Lee plays Billy Lo, a Hong Kong-based box-office movie star. His girlfriend, Ann Morris, is a singer climbing to the top. Now it seems the syndicate wants Billy and Ann to join their "management firm". But Billy knows they will be treated like property, so he refuses and tells her to do the same. Even when they "encourage" him to join, he still refuses. When an attempt on his life is made, he fakes his own death and alters his appearance, going after the syndicate one by one.
My Brilliant Career
G
Australia, 1979
Genre: Drama, Romance
Language: English
Director: Gillian Armstrong
Starring: Judy Davis, Wendy Hughes, Sam Neill
What's it about?
Sybylla (Judy Davis), a headstrong girl growing up in early 20th century Australia, has the opportunity of marriage to a wealthy young man whom she loves, but rejects to maintain her independence, preferring to take a job as governess/housekeeper to the family of an illiterate neighbour to whom her father owes money. Based on the novel by feminist author Miles Franklin, this classic Australian film launched director Gillian Armstrong's and star Judy Davis' international careers with Davis winning the 1981 BAFTA for Best Actress and Most Promising Newcomer. The film was nominated for the Cannes Palme d'Or.
Once Upon a Time in the West
M
Italy, 1968
Genre: Western
Language: English
Director: Sergio Leone
Starring: Charles Bronson, Gabriele Ferzetti, Jason Robards, Henry Fonda, Claudia Cardinale
What's it about?
Morton (Gabriele Ferzetti), the power-hungry owner of a railroad company, hires Frank (Henry Fonda), a gunfighter without a conscience, to kill anyone who stands in the way of the completion of the railroad. After Frank murders land owner Brett McBain (Frank Wolff), McBain's widow (Claudia Cardinale) hires two killers of her own to protect her and gain revenge: a mysterious, harmonica-playing desperado (Charles Bronson) and his rogue sidekick (Jason Robards). Sergio Leone's spaghetti western masterpiece (possibly the best western ever made) features a classic score from the one and only Ennio Morricone and is currently ranked in the Top 50 movies of all time on IMDb.
[link title="Once Upon a Time in the West Review" url="node/4929"]
The Red Balloon
G
France, 1956
Genre: Drama
Language: French
Director: Albert Lamorisse
Starring: Pascal Lamorisse, Georges Sellier, Sabine Lamorisse
What's it about?
In this deceptively simple, nearly wordless tale, a young boy discovers a stray balloon, which seems to have a mind of its own, on the streets of Paris. The two become inseparable, yet the world’s harsh realities finally interfere. With its glorious palette and allegorical purity, this 1957 Oscar-winning classic short feature has enchanted generations of movie lovers.
The beloved 1956 Oscar-winning French short film 'The Red Balloon' leaves SBS On Demand on April 30th. Source: Supplied
The Red Shoes
PG
UK, 1948
Genre: Drama
Language: English
Director: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Starring: Marius Goring, Anton Walbrook, Moira Shearer
What's it about?
From a Red Balloon to some magical red ballet shoes. "Why do you want to dance?" asks imperious artistic director Boris Lermontov (Anton Walbrook) to ballerina hopeful, Vicky Page (Moira Shearer), who can answer only with another question: "Why do you want to live?" Under the authoritarian rule of Lermontov, his proteges realise the full promise of their talents, but at a price – utter devotion to their art and complete loyalty to Lermontov himself. Vicky is begrudgingly admitted into Lermontov's troupe, soon becoming its star while falling in love with the equally driven young composer, Julian (Marius Goring). Loosely based on the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale of the same name this classic is filmed in the most wondrous Technicolor you ever did see on the screen. It was also nominated for 5 Academy Awards in 1949, winning 2.
[link title="Restoring The Red Shoes" url="node/364"]
Run Lola Run
M
Germany, 1998
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Crime
Language: German
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Franka Potente, Moritz Bleibtreu, Ludger Pistor
What's it about?
Red Balloon, Red Shoes and now iconic red hair in Run Lola Run! A woman (Franka Potente) races against the clock to meet her boyfriend (Moritz Bleibtreu), who has fallen foul of his gangster boss and needs big money, fast. The film plays out in three scenarios, which demonstrate the repercussions of tiny choices and missed opportunities. This German cult classic burst onto the screen as a techno fast-paced Sliding Doors.
[link title="Run Lola Run Review" url="node/3784"]
The Italian Job
PG
UK, 1969
Genre: Action, Crime, Comedy, Thriller
Language: English, Italian
Director: Peter Collinson
Starring: Michael Caine, Noel Coward, Benny Hill, Margaret Blye, Raf Vallone, Tony Beckley, Rossano Brazzi
What's it about?
Having just left prison, Charlie finds one of his friends has attempted a high-risk job in Torino, Italy, right under the nose of the mafia. Charlie's friend doesn't get very far, so Charlie takes over. Using three Mini Coopers, a couple of Jaguars and a bus, he hopes to bring Torino to a standstill, steal a fortune in gold and escape in the chaos. The classic British film features the charismatic Michael Caine and the iconic line, "You're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!"
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