Film Screenings

Film Club BETA

Every other Tuesday you can join Film Club BETA at the American Center in cooperation with the Faculty of Social Sciences. In the club you can see essential American movies which have shaped the history of modern American cinematography and played significant economic and esthetic roles. After the film, expert Dr. Richard Nowell will host a discussion on the film and provide information about the works of individual film studios, their strategies, impact etc.

Every Friday, the American Center presents a documentary screening.

Admission is free of charge and film screenings are open to all film fans. If you would like to receive programs and invitations, join our mailing list.

October 2011

Swing: Pure Pleasure | Friday, October 7, 3 PM

In the mid 1930s, as the Great Depression was at its worst, Benny Goodman finds himself hailed as the "King of Swing" and becomes the first white bandleader to hire African-American musicians. He has a host of rivals among them, Chick Webb, Tommy Dorsey, Jimmie Lunceford, Glen Miller and Artie Shaw. Louis Armstrong heads a big band of his own, while Duke Ellington continues his independent course, but great black artists still can't eat or sleep in many of the hotels where they perform. Billie Holiday emerges from a childhood of tragedy to begin her career as the greatest of all female jazz singers. Screening in English. PSB: Jazz »
Catch-22 | Tuesday, October 18, 6 PM

A satirical war film adapted from the book of the same name by Joseph Heller. Considered a black comedy revolving around the "lunatic characters" of Heller's satirical anti-war novel, it was the work of a talented production team which included director Mike Nichols and screenwriter Buck Henry (who also acted in the film). They worked on the film for two years, and accomplished the tasks of recreating a World War II bomber base and converting Heller's complex novel to the more streamlined medium of a feature film. Screening in English.
Swing: The Velocity of Celebration | Friday, October 14, 2011, 3:00 PM

In the late 1930s, jazz thrives as the Great Depression deepens. The saxophone emerges as an iconic instrument of this and wildly popular style of music; this segment introduces two masters, Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young. Young migrates to Kansas City, where a vibrant music scene is prospering with musicians such as trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison and drummers Jo Jones and Chick Webb. Out of this ferment emerges pianist Count Basie, who forms a band that epitomizes the Kansas City sound. Billie Holiday cuts recordings while other female musicians, including pianist Mary Lou Williams and singer Ella Fitzgerald emerge on the jazz scene. Benny Goodman holds the first-ever jazz concert at Carnegie Hall while Duke Ellington tours Europe. Screening in English. PSB: Jazz »
Jazz: Dedicated to Chaos | Friday, October 21, 2011, 3:00 PM

When America enters WWII in 1941, swing becomes a symbol of democracy and entertainers like Dave Brubeck, Glenn Miller and Artie Shaw take their music to the armed forces overseas. In Nazi-occupied Europe, gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt blends jazz with his own musical traditions. In New York Billie Holiday is the unofficial queen despite a growing addiction to narcotics. Duke Ellington, assisted by the gifted young arranger, Billy Strayhorn, brings his music to ever-greater heights. After dark a small underground of gifted young musicians led by the trumpet virtuoso Dizzy Gillespie and saxophonists Charlie Parker and Ben Webster begin to develop a new fast and intricate way of playing, developing a new music called bebop. Meanwhile in 1945, black soldiers return home to the same racism they fought against, and a growing unrest sets the seeds for future rebellions. Screening in English. PSB: Jazz »
Top Gun | Tuesday, October 25, 2011, 6 pm

Top Gun is an 1986 American action film directed by Tony Scott, and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer. It is representative of the blockbuster era. The screenplay was written by Jim Cash and Jack Epps, Jr., and was inspired by the article "Top Guns" written by Ehud Yonay for California magazine. The film stars Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, and Tom Skerritt. Cruise plays Lieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, a young Naval aviator aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. He and his Radar Intercept Officer (RIO) Nick "Goose" Bradshaw (Edwards) are given the chance to train at the Navy's Fighter Weapons School. The film depicts Maverick's progress through the training, his romance with a female instructor (McGillis), and his overcoming a crisis of confidence following a fatal training accident. Screening in English.