Film in the WSM office on Sunday

dublin | arts and media | event notice Friday April 08, 2005 20:29 by Dermo - WSM D_Sreenan at yahoo dot co dot uk

Radicalism in the 60's and early 70's A documentary - Grinning without Cats-

A documentary maker, and member of a film collective, made this around the time of the upsruge in struggle around the time of the 1968 though to the early 70's.

Come see it - all interested people welcome.

Anyone interested in radical films who wants to while away part of Sunday afternoon is cordially invited to watch A Grin Without a Cat a documentary about the vast wave of struggles that took place around the globe in the late 1960 s and early 1970 s. The film will be shown at the WSM office at 3pm this Sunday (10/4/05).

Subtitled scenes from the Third World War this epic film incorporates news footage from Vietnam, Paris in May '68, the Prague spring, Japan, Cuba and Chile. This historic footage is skilfully interweaved with interviews to recreate the atmosphere and the sense of momentum felt by revolutionaries at this time. In Paris it cuts between footage of the running street battles and interviews with the participants on both sides. And in Vietnam the film moves compellingly between the cockpit of a US fighter jet dropping naplam to documentary film of its victims and so on. In the latter half of the film it tries to chart the decline of this wave of struggles.

The film was made in 1977 by the French documentary maker Chris marker who spent years working as part of activist film collective before making this and his other films of note. Marker is no riot porn merchant-his films are subtle, thoughtful and at times even poetic.

Two quick points for anyone who thinking of turning up it is long and although this version has English voiceover there are subtitles during the many interviews with non-English speakers so if we all feeling a bit ragged we can break the showing into two sessions. Luckily, the film is formally divided into two parts so this would be easy enough to do.

So bring yourself, bring a friend and anything else you might want. The WSM office is 5 Merrion Row (the small street that runs between St Stephens Green and Baggot Street).

Anarchist and radical films will be shown once a month from now on in the WSM office usually on the first Sunday of the month. If there is anything you would like others to see get in touch.