Films of China, U.S. and Britain showcased

Advertiser Staff

"Woman Sesame Oil Maker," part of the Chinese Film Celebration, will screen on Sunday and Wednesday at the Academy of Arts.

The first series, a Chinese Film Celebration, will be offered this weekend at a special price: Buy one ticket, get another free. It's part of a nationwide effort, sponsored by the New York Times, to bring the cinema of China to American audiences.

The films will be screened again next week, but at regular ticket prices.

All three films are from the People's Republic of China, and are in Mandarin with English subtitles.

The lineup:

"Swordsmen in Double Flag Town" (1990, 90 minutes; director, He Ping)

A man journeys to claim his bride but incurs the wrath of the Lethal Swordsman by killing the Swordsman's brother, who had tried to rape the bride. Will he flee or fight the Swordsman?

• 7:30 p.m. today; repeats at 7:30 p.m. Monday at full admission price.

"Silk Road" (1997, 95 minutes; director, Wang Xingjun).

The Xi Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-8 A.D.), particularly under Emperor Han Wu Di, witnessed the opening of the western regions and the creation of the Silk Road from the capitals of China to Rome. The film boasts spectacular photography of the western mountains and desert regions of China.

• 7:30 p.m. Saturday; repeats at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at full admission price.

"Woman Sesame Oil Maker" (1992, 106 minutes; director, Xie Fei).

A beautiful, intelligent woman has an affair, seeking comfort from the stress of her business, alcoholic husband and mentally retarded son. When the young girl she has arranged to marry her son discovers her affair, an unusual relationship develops.

• 4 p.m. Sunday; repeats at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at full admission price.

The Occidental tourist

The second series, Treasures from the American Film Theatre, will run eight recently re-released dramas through April. Experts from the University of Hawai'i and Hawai'i Pacific University will introduce the films.

The American Film Theatre was a subscription film series created in 1973 by producer Ely Landau.

The films:

"The Man in the Glass Booth" (1975, USA, 117 minutes; director, Arthur Hiller)

A Jewish New-York-based real estate tycoon is accused of being a Nazi war criminal. Featuring Maximilian Schell in an Oscar-nominated performance.

• 1 and 7:30 p.m. Thursday; introduction/film notes by Phyllis Frus, assistant professor of English, HPU

"Luther" (1974, USA, 112 minutes; director, Guy Green)

Stacy Keach stars as Martin Luther, the 16th-century Augustinian monk who played a central role in the birth of Protestantism and the revolt against the Roman Catholic Church. Also featuring Judi Dench, Patrick Magee, Hugh Griffith and Robert Stephens.

• 1 and 7:30 p.m. March 19; introduction/film notes by Glenn Cannon, professor of theater and interim co-director of the Cinematic and Digital Arts Program, UH-Manoa

"Galileo" (1975, United Kingdom, 145 minutes; director, Joseph Losey)

Bertolt Brecht's examination of the social responsibility of scientists. Topol has the title role, Edward Fox is the inquisitor, John Gielgud the cardinal.

• 1 and 7:30 p.m. March 27; introduction/film notes by Craig Howes, professor of English and director of the Center for Biographical Research, UH-Manoa

"The Maids" (1974, USA, 95 minutes; director, Christopher Miles)

Susannah York and Glenda Jackson are maids who take turns acting out an abusive employer-servant relationship.

• 1 and 7:30 p.m. April 3; introduction/film notes by Marie-Christine Garneau, assistant professor, French, Languages and Literature of Europe and Americas department, UH-Manoa

"Butley" (1973, USA, 130 minutes; director, Harold Pinter)

Alan Bates turns his Tony-winning role into one of his greatest film performances as a lecturer who experiences a truly awful day.

• 1 and 7:30 p.m. April 9; introduction/film notes by Frank Ardolino, professor of English, UH-Manoa

"The Homecoming" (1973, UK, 111 minutes; director, Peter Hall)

Based on Harold Pinter's play, this is the story of a close-knit family whose undercurrents of conflict come raging to the surface.

• 1 and 7:30 p.m. April 17; introduction/film notes by Glenn Man, professor of English, UH-Manoa

"A Delicate Balance" (1973, USA, 132 minutes; director, Tony Richardson)

Friends and family bring out the repressed problems of a complacent marriage in this adaptation of Edward Albee's Pulitzer-Prize-winning play. Starring Katharine Hepburn (nominated for an Academy Award) and Paul Scofield.

• 1 and 7:30 p.m. April 24; introduction/film notes by Glenn Man

"The Iceman Cometh" (1973, USA, 239 minutes plus intermission; director, John Frankenheimer)

A birthday celebration at a saloon takes a devastating look at disillusionment and dashed hopes, based on the play by Eugene O'Neill. Starring Lee Marvin, Bradford Dillman, Jeff Bridges, Fredric March and Robert Ryan.

• 1 and 7:30 p.m. April 30; introduction/film notes by Joseph O'Mealy, interim dean, College of Languages, Linguistics and Literature, UH-Manoa

Tickets to each film in either series are $5 general, $3 for Academy of Arts members. 532-8768.