Gilles Modelro, who was appointed Artistic Director of the Year at this year’s AFI Fest, has revealed the films he chose to screen as part of the curated program.
Among the films are Stanley Kubrick’s “Barry Lyndon,” Federico Fellini’s “Casanova,” Puri Avati’s “Arcane Magician,” and Ridley Scott’s “Duelist.”
Del Toro will be releasing four films at the Egyptian Theatre on October 25th.
“Guillermo del Toro is one of the great champions of art form. He is a visionary filmmaker, a passionate cinema and tireless advocate for bold, original storytelling,” said Bob Gazare, president and CEO of AFI. “As guest artistic director at AFI Fest, he brings a unique perspective that inspires viewers of all generations.”
Information about the movie can be found below.
“Barry Lyndon” – 50th Anniversary – New 4K Restoration
It is noteworthy for the painstaking evocation of 18th century life by writer and director Stanley Kubrick. This includes night scenes illuminated only with the candlelight Barry Lyndon, which marks its 50th anniversary this year, but it’s a must-see on the big screen. Callow Striver Redmond Barry is played by Ryan O’Neal, a heartbeat of the 1970s. At the continental frontline, events first led to Barry’s escape and then his victorious re-entry into the Prussian side. He continues to test his luck with a series of palace plots, high stakes gambling and strategic seductions of nobles (Mari Sa Berenson). The film has won seven Academy Award nominations, four filming, art direction, costume design and music.
“Casanova” – 4K digital repair
Federico Ferroni’s infamous 1976 story of Giacomo Casanova is a gorgeous, hallucinatory rethinking of the life of the legendary Venetian seduser, less of a historical portrait than a frenzied Baroque fantasia. Originally envisioned as a major international production with American stars (Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert Redford and Paul Newman were all considered), but the role ultimately went to Donald Sutherland. Far from a romantic hero, Fellini’s “Casanova” is a tragic and melancholy man traveling through grotesque, dreamy Europe. Drawing casually from Casanova’s own memoirs, Fellini excludes the characters through repeated film obsessions, from Casanova’s encounters ranging from noble stars to fantastic and fantastic. Co-authored with longtime collaborator Bernardino Zapponi and produced by Alberto Grimaldi, Fellini’s “Casanova” is a visual and acoustic view with a production design and an unforgettable score by Nino Rota. The result is one of Fellini’s most ambitious and divisive works.
“A mysterious magician”
Giacomo (Stefanodionisi), a young student who is expelled from the seminary after a sacrifice scandal, flees Bologna in search of evacuation. He finds favours to an older woman who directs him to a remote countryside villa home to excommunicator Monsignor (Carlosecchi), who has an occult taste. In need of a new assistant after his final assistant died under mysterious circumstances, Giacomo reluctantly became an apprentice to the magician. Forced to take part in increasingly eerie rituals and tests, Giacomo is consumed by ominous people. Phantoms, ghosts and deadly rumors are beginning to accumulate. The rich atmosphere of spiritual horror film “Arcane Sorcerer” is grandly created by Pupi Avati, the Italian Journeyman film director, most famous for “Zeder.” Guillermo del Toro’s personal favorite and film director Edgar Wright described it as “Barry Lyndon in the horror film.”
“Duelists” – 35mm print
Ridley Scott’s impressive Cannes-winning debut feature is the honor, obsession and pride to be visually arrested. The “Duelist” who stands in the background of the Napoleonic Wars document the 16-year feud between two French officers, Coolhead Armando Derbert (Keith Caradine) and the hot-blooded Gabriel Fellow (Harvey Caitel). Adapted from Joseph Conrad’s novel Duel, Scott’s timeless portrait of interpersonal warfare explores how masculine norms of honor can be caught up in obsession and consume life as the empire grows up. Meticulous attention to detail and the stunning Baroque visuals of filmmaker Frank Taidy – evoking candlelit interiors and misty battlefields, Stanley Kubrick’s “Barry Lyndon’s Visual Elegance.”
Guest artistic directors before the AFI Fest include Pedro Almodovar, Bernardo Bertolucci, Ava du Verver, Gretagerwig, David Lynch and Agnese Varda.
As previously announced, this year’s festival will open with Springsteen: Delivery Me Float No May. “Singing Blue,” starring Song Song Blu on October 22nd, will hold its world premiere at AFI Fest on October 26th. Spongebob Movie: Search for Square People. ”
