Acting and Reality

Rendez-vous

May 1985 •French

Nina is a young, carefree actress who arrives in Paris searching for her big break. There, she finds drama both on- and offstage as she becomes involved with three men: a mild-mannered real-estate agent who offers her stability, a bad-boy actor who lives dangerously on the edge, and an intense theater director who casts her in a production of “Romeo and Juliet.” As opening night approaches, the emotional extremes of Nina’s love life fuel her art.

The Beaver Coat

October 1949 •German

Mother Wolffen, a washerwoman, is a woman of principle: A poor man must do what he must to get through life, only he mustn't get caught doing it. All sorts of crooked deals contribute to the improvement of the daily menu and the increase of household funds. When everyone is searching for pensioner Krueger's missing beaverskin coat, Mother Wolffen and her family are calmly enjoying fresh roast venison.

Der Biberpelz

March 1962 •German

My Favorite Year

October 1982 •English

Fledgling comic Benjy Stone can't believe his luck when his childhood hero, the swashbuckling matinee idol Alan Swann, gets booked to appear on the variety show he writes for. But when Swann arrives, he fails to live up to his silver screen image. Instead, he's a drunken womanizer who suffers from stage fright. Benjy is assigned to look after him before the show, and it's all he can do to keep his former idol from going completely off the rails.

National Theatre Live: Skylight

July 2014 •English

On a bitterly cold London evening, schoolteacher Kyra Hollis receives an unexpected visit from her former lover, Tom Sergeant, a successful and charismatic restaurateur whose wife has recently died. As the evening progresses, the two attempt to rekindle their once passionate relationship only to find themselves locked in a dangerous battle of opposing ideologies and mutual desires.

Two Girls and a Guy

April 1998 •English

Two women confront their boyfriend, a two-timing actor who professed eternal love to each.

Cradle Will Rock

December 1999 •English

A true story of politics and art in the 1930s USA, centered around a leftist musical drama and attempts to stop its production.

The Making of a Man

October 1911 •English

A young woman becomes infatuated with the leading man of a traveling theatrical troupe. She sneaks away to join him in the next town, but her father forces her to return home...

Hanussen

May 1988 •Hungarian

A man's story parallels Hitler's rise. Austrian Klaus Schneider, wounded in World War I, recovers in the care of Dr. Emil Bettleheim. Bettleheim discovers that Schneider possesses powers of empathy and of clairvoyance, such that could aid suicidal patients. After the war, with one friend as his manager and another as his lover, Schneider changes his name to Eric Jan Hanussen and goes to Berlin, as a hypnotist and clairvoyant performing in halls and theaters. He always speaks the truth, which brings him to the attention of powerful Nazis. He predicts their rise (good propaganda for them) and their violence (not so good). He's in pain and at risk. What is Hanussen's future?

$pent

March 1999 •English

This comic drama examines the relationships and addictions of a group of twenty-something friends with very dysfunctional, yet interesting lives.

Better Than Escape

July 1993 •Serbian

A Yugoslav stage actor marries an American girl in Belgrade and has a child with her, when his career downhill out of political reasons he develops a drinking habit, his wife leaves him and takes their daughter to U.S.A.

Jedermann

August 1958 •German

¡Three Amigos!

December 1986 •English

A trio of unemployed silent film actors are mistaken for real heroes by a small Mexican village in search of someone to stop a malevolent bandit.

Winter Sleep

June 2014 •Turkish

Aydın is a hotel owner and a retired actor in rural Turkey. As winter emerges he begins navigating the conflicts within the relationships with his wife, sister and existence.

James Dean

August 2001 •English

The man behind the legend and a knowing look at 1950s Hollywood are revealed in this dynamic biopic of the meteoric star whose troubled life echoed his gut-grabbing performances in East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant.

The Country Girl

December 1954 •English

An actor on the skids is given one more chance to regain his stardom, as well as his self-respect, yet his alcoholism may prevent that from happening.

Buddhanum Chaplinum Chirikkunnu

December 2016 •Malayalam

It is a hundred years since Charlie Chaplin,artist nonpareil,appeared on the silver screen mesmerizing audiences across the globe.His signature mustache and derby hat have left their indelible imprint on the annals of film history.Buddha and Chaplin smile is a film that pays homage to Chaplin at the centennial commemoration of his acting career.The film portrays an Indian comedian Indraguptan,who idolized Chaplin.He believes his life resembles Chaplin and nurtures the desire to depict his hero on the big screen.However,he rules out a blind imitation of the late legend.The narrative revolves around his comic wisdom and quest for true love.The dilemma that ensues is the crux of the story.

Yankee Doodle Dandy

May 1942 •English

A film of the life of the renowned musical composer, playwright, actor, dancer and singer George M. Cohan.

Children of Paradise

March 1945 •French

In a chaotic 19th-century Paris teeming with aristocrats, thieves, psychics, and courtesans, theater mime Baptiste is in love with the mysterious actress Garance. But Garance, in turn, is loved by three other men: pretentious actor Frederick, conniving thief Lacenaire, and Count Edouard of Montray.

A Chorus Line

December 1985 •English

A group of dancers congregate on the stage of a Broadway theatre to audition for a new musical production directed by Zach. After the initial eliminations, seventeen hopefuls remain, among them Cassie, who once had a tempestuous romantic relationship with Zach. She is desperate enough for work to humble herself and audition for him; whether he's willing to let professionalism overcome his personal feelings about their past remains to be seen.