Four Films with a Marxist Edge

In conjunction with the University of King's College's Contemporary Studies series on Marxism, we present four films that give a glimpse of the range and international scope of Marxism this century. While the first two films bear the mark of official government policy, Umberto D and The Three Penny Opera show Marxism's influence on social attitudes and aesthetics in working Western democracies.

17 November - Enthusiasm!

Dziga Vertov, USSR (Russia), 1931, 79 minutes

Vertov's first major sound film is a swirling, wild collage of Soviet Industrial achievements and abstract filmic moments delivered in the director's patented, hyperventiled factual style. Vertov uses sound to punctuate and counterpoint his images providing a fascinating and unconventional propagandist documentary.

24 November - Yellow Earth

Chen Kaige, China, 1984, 87 minutes

The first film of the Fifth Generation filmmakers, Yellow Earth is a remarkable, stylized visual document that maintains a Marxist framework while reaching for greater expressiveness. A communist soldier is sent to a remote area to collect folksongs that may be used the the service of the revolution. He meets a young singer living in utter poverty and oppression. Filmed by Yang Zimou (Raise The Red Lantern), Yellow Earth matches compassion with a sweeping visual sensibility in an unforgettable film that launched Mainland Chinese Cinema into a new era. 

8 December - Umberto D

Vittorio Di Sica, Italy, 1952, 89 minutes

Perhaps Di Sica's most touching Neo-Realism work, Umberto D follows the decline of an underpensioned former civil servant as he and his dog end up on the streets of a desperately poor, postwar Rome. Along with Shoeshine and The Bicycle Thief, Umberto D shows the unique fusion of Marxism and Catholicism that drove the internationally influential Italian Neo-Realist movement. 

15 December - The Threepenny Opera

G. W. Pabst, Germany, 1931, 100 minutes

Pabst's early sound version of The Threepenny Opera enraged author Bertold Brecht. With a cast lead by the great Lotte Lenya as Pirate Jenny, the film has persevered as one of the finest cinematic translations of Brecht's work, despite his objections. With music by Kurt Weill, including the immortal 'Mach The Knife', this is an essential film of an essential play.