|
by Shaula Clark |
April 03, 2009
 The
sweat, the sinew, the roaring crowds. Considering the imagery the
sports world has to offer, there’s little wonder why filmmakers have
been training their lenses on athletes since the dawn of cinema. For
their “Sports on Film” series, the Museum of Fine Arts (465 Huntington
Avenue, Boston, 617.267.9300) eschews the typical schmaltz and
bottom-of-the- ninth-bases-loaded suspense that normally plague the
genre, opting for style instead. Here’s the starting line-up.
Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait (2006) | APRIL 8–18
Bend It Like Beckham this ain’t. Few films are as conceptually stripped-down as Zidane:
using 17 cameras, filmmakers Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno track
every movement of now-retired soccer star Zinedine Zidane throughout a
2005
Madrid stadium match. No narrative or offthe-field biographical
backstory distracts from the footballer’s elegant footwork in this
intense study of solitude.
The Great Ecstasy of Sculptor Steiner (1974) | APRIL 9–12
In
this profile of Walter Steiner and his quest to break the world’s
ski-jumping record, director Werner Herzog follows Steiner behind the
scenes and off the slopes while also exploring the eccentric Swiss
skier’s other obsession — carving odd wooden sculptures, which he
leaves on mountainsides for hikers to find. Awkward and gangly on terra
firma, Steiner’s “great ecstasy” comes in his graceful, jaw-dropping
leaps.
Yeah Right! (2003) | APRIL 10–23
After unleashing such reality-blurring pictures as Being John Malkovich and Adaptation, Spike Jonze released a skateboarding film like none other. No mere documentary, Yeah Right!
offers a fisheyed look at skater luminaries, combined with digitally
aided, physics-defying stunts (invisible boards, impossible jumps, and
a dreamlike zombie-board sequence), plus a peek at an affable Owen Wilson talking a little trash and showing off his rail-sliding steez.
On Any Sunday (1971) | APRIL 18
The
Jane Goodall of adrenaline junkies, Bruce Brown explored the world of
motorcycle racing — including ice racing, off-roading, and
rough-and-tumble dirt-track racing — for this Oscarnominated feature.
Overlook the dorky narration and twangy country-western soundtrack, and
you’ll reap a bounty of breathtaking action shots, courtesy of a pack
of daredevils unfazed by broken noses, limbs, and even spines.
All films screen in the Remis Auditorium at the MFA. For times and ticket information, call 617.369.3306 or visit www.mfa.org. ...
|
