Leyburn Library owns the following films:
All that Jazz (DVD) - A brilliant autobiographical film by Bob Fosse
about an overstressed director pushing himself toward an early grave. During a
major heart-attack, he dreams about a TV show celebrating his imminent death
("this is your death") with people from his life appearing on stage, a death
march, the song "Goodbye my life, goodbye." (1979, 123 min.)
All the Mornings of the World …music and death, beauty and loss, what is
true music? A reclusive violist of 17th c. France creates music after the death
of his wife; based on a book by Pascal Quignard (French, 1994, 110 min.)
American Beauty (DVD) Robert Johnson writes: “American Beauty tells
the story of Lester’s revelation of both his death in life and, ironically, his
life in and through death. … The movie is the chronicle of his rediscovery of
life’s meaning, even amid the struggle of life’s ongoing meaninglessness.”
(1999, 122 min.)
And the Band Played On In 1981-84 doctors at the Center for
Disease Control worked heroically (despite the indifference of the Reagan
administration) to understand and control a new disease which came to be called
AIDS, leaders of the gay community of San Francisco sought funding for research
and debated means of prevention, and distant scientists competed for the fame
of identifying the virus first. Based on the book by Randy Shilts. (1993, DVD,
140 min.)
Bliss (VHS) A dark comedy in which an advertising executive's
Near-Death-Experience during a heart attack changes his life, reveals hidden
dying all around him and his own complicity in it, and leads him to an
Australian version of Candide’s garden (Australian, 1985, 110 min.)
The Day After (DVD). A dire warning staged as the effect of nuclear
war on a group of average decent people in small-town Kansas; the first half
portrays their everyday lives and everything that will be lost, and the second
half portrays the horror and sadness of nuclear bombs and lingering radiation.
Had a huge influence on Ronald Reagan. (1983, ABC Television, 2 hours)
Dead Man Walking (DVD) "Based on the bestselling book, this film tells
of convicted killer Matthew Poncelet and Sister Helen Prejean, his spiritual
advisor; raises troubling questions about death penalty (1995, 118 min.)
A Death in the Family (DVD). Based on the great American literary
gem by James Agee, written about his own experience. Themes of living in
the moment, loss, mourning, faith, burial practices, religious ritual,
reconciliation.
Departures (DVD). Fascinating scenes of the Japanese institution
of "encoffining," a form of undertaker's work, much more ritualized and, as
presented here, more personal than American undertaking. Story of a young
married man who takes up this profession to the objections of his wife and
friends, who consider the work filthy and low. This story is joined with that
of the man's angry relationship with the father who deserted him and his mother.
The man plays cello as a way of giving meaning to the sadness he encounters in
his job and marriage. A philosophy of living life in the face of death,
expressed (in words and through food) by the aged undertaker who trains the man.
Haunting cello compositions by Joe Hisaishi. Winner of 2006 Academy Award, Best
Foreign Film. (2 hours)
Devarim (“Things”) (DVD) An Israeli film reminiscent of Ingmar
Bergman, by Amos Gitai, who plays Goldman in the film, cinematography by Renato
Berta, based on a novel by Yaakov Shabtai titled “Past Continuous.” The plot
begins with a funeral, and becomes a meditation on death and the meaning of
life. In the modern city of Tel Aviv, people prepare food, eat, make love, get
pregnant, die. The film’s characters, dislocated from religion and nation, live
lives of individual freedom but disenchantment and quiet crisis. The film’s
central problem is expressed in the drunken ravings of Besh, who says, “Life’s
a bitch but it’s mesmerizing,” “We’re only temporary, all of us,” “If there was
a God in this city, maybe we’d have something, but even the devil fled, leaving
us here with … a bunch of merchants who call themselves Jews… Damn this city!”
“I feel like shouting to this city, Pull yourself together!” Tel Aviv, pictured
repeat¬edly not only as backdrop but as an active influence, symbolizes the
modern secular context of the crisis. (1995, Israeli, 110 min.)
Harold and Maude (DVD) "A black comedy about a rich young man fascinated
with death and funerals who has a series of adventures with an eccentric and
feisty 80-year-old woman" (1971, 89 min.)
Love Story (DVD) "A young Ivy League couple cross social barriers to
marry, then must cope with untimely illness and death" (1970, 100 min.)
Tuesdays with Morrie, based on book by Mitch Albom (DVD) (2000, 89 min.)
The Five People You Meet in Heaven, based on book by Mitch Albom (DVD)
(2005, 133 min.)
The Funeral (DVD), a subtle comedy of manners about an extended family
dealing emotionally with the death of an elderly father and husband, as they try
to perform the traditional customs of preparation for the coffin, and mourning
and disposal. A useful study of Japanese rituals and attitudes toward the
corpse, and of social behavior in this setting. (Japanese, 1987, 2 hours)
My Mexican Shiva (Morirse está en Hebreo), a comedy of manners centered
around the seven-day Jewish mourning ritual called "shiva," but this film is
much more interested in the conflict between the generations. The death of
the family's patriarch - Moishe, an immigrant from Poland in 1937, an actor and
philanderer - leaves his children full of anger and feelings of rejection;
and the young-adult grandchildren who come to the shiva have their own conflicts
with their parents. The film tells the story of a gradual acceptance and
reconciliation, and eventually a joyful affirmation of the grandfather's death
and of their own love for each other. Two silly angels comment on the
action, trying to guess the fate of Moishe's soul (but adding nothing to
the plot). The Catholic maids and the mariachi band playing at the end
emphasize the Mexican cultural background. Film music by the famous klezmer band, The Klezmatics. (DVD, 98 min. Mexican, 2007)
On Borrowed Time - worth observing the ambivalent and stereotypical
images of death, and the difficulty the screenwriter had in thinking about
death, in a story about an old man who ends death in the world through a trick
played on a Mr. Brink (death personified). The question is whether ending death
is good for the world, or even for the old man, who wants to stay alive to care
for his young grandson. (1939, black and white, 99 min.)
Smell of Camphor, Fragrance of Jasmine (DVD) Director/writer/lead actor:
Bahman Farmanara,. A meditation on the meaning of life in the face of one's own
mortality and the death of those one loves. The main character, a contemporary
Iranian filmmaker, while mourning the death of his wife and the living death of
his mother suffering from Alzheimer's Disease, directs a film on Iranian rituals
of death and gathers actor friends to mourn his own death. Camphor is used in
burial ceremonies, and his mother wore jasmine perfume when he was little.
(2000, Iranian, 93 minutes)
Terms of Endearment "A comedy-drama about the evolving relationship
between a mother and daughter." (1983, 132 min.)
What Dreams May Come (DVD) psychological theory about the afterlife and
earning rebirth (1999, 114 min.)
Wings of Desire (DVD) Another angel flick, but this one is deeper than
most, moody and philosophical. It’s a reflection about the essence of life and
of spirituality from the viewpoint of the compassionate deathless watching over
the inhabitants of Berlin in 1985, and why one would choose death over
eternity. A cult favorite, fascinating camera work. A lot of words to read -
since the film is German. Reminiscent of the German writers, Hesse and Rilke.
(1987, 2 hours)
Two existentialist dramas by the Swedish director, Ingmar Bergman:
Seventh Seal
(DVD) A famous existentialist drama by the Swedish director, Ingmar Bergman: In
medieval Sweden a knight returns from war to find his homeland ravaged by
plague and his own life confronted by death, personalized as a man in black who
plays the knight in a game of chess. The knight suffers from religious doubt
and wants to find one great act which will give meaning to his life before he
dies. Jons, the squire, a cheerful ironic doubter and artist of sorts,
probably represents Bergman’s own view. (1957, 96 min.)
Wild
Strawberries an aged doctor's journey through a landscape of dream and
memory (1957, 90 min.)
Love and death (DVD) Woody Allen's satire of Tolstoy's War and Peace,
with his usual nebbish hero. Plenty of slapstick fun (references to Charlie
Chaplin and the Marx Brothers), but also parodies of 19th century Russian novels
laden with philo¬sophical dialogues, existentialist speeches about angst and
death, and references to Ingmar Bergman films. A white robed Death appears
several times in the film, at the end leading Allen away in a danse macabre
parodying the end of Bergman's "Seventh Seal." (1975, 82 min.)
Rent (DVD) A year in the life of a group of friends in New York's East
Village in the late 80’s, most of them facing death from the newly-recognized
illness called AIDS. Several songs in this musical deal with living in the face
of imminent death, especially “Today 4 U” “Seasons of Love,” and “One Song
Glory.” See lyrics at http://www.allmusicals.com/r/rent.htm (2006, 135 min.)
Six Feet Under, First Season --Watch Episode 1 and any additional episode
(recommended: 3, 9, or 13) (2001)
Testament (DVD) “A nuclear strike has occurred. No one knows who made it
or why, but the unthinkable has happened, and nothing can ever be the same.”
(1983, 89 min.)
Vanilla Sky (DVD) “Adapted from Spanish filmmaker Alejandro Amenábar's
1997 romantic thriller Open Your Eyes. What at first promises to be a
conventional allegory of redemption via true love is turned on its head as Tom
Cruise's character, reduced to wearing a latex mask and spurned by his friends,
wins back his princess only after a miracle of plastic surgery restores his
former beauty. A series of plot twists follows as waking life, technological
advances, and nightmares flip-flop to dizzying effect and David ultimately comes
face to face with his own mortality. --Fionn Meade (2001, 136 min.)
The Fisher King (DVD), directed by Terry Gilliam, starring Robin Williams
and Jeff Bridges. Intertwines two themes - mourning the violent death of a
wife, and guilt over having brought about violent deaths - around the medieval
story of a wounded king brought back to health by the unselfish gesture of a
knight called "the fool." (1991, 137 min)
An Egyptian Story (al-Dhakira) PN1997
.A31357 2000 (DVD) In some ways, an Egyptian version (1988) of
"All that Jazz." A famous Egyptian film director (resembling the
actual director, Youssef Chahine) has a heart attack, and during the bloody operation a
trial is enacted within his ribcage. His child-self,
representing playfulness and his inner voice (?), accuses him of killing himself
artistically. The women in his life are blamed, but he himself is
ultimately responsible. Through memories of turning points in his life, he comes
to recognize that he has lived an inauthentic, lonely, and loveless life, not
only personally but as an Egyptian artist aping the West. (The film,
ironically, is filled with Western film styles and music.) Begins with a
haunting Egyptian song about personal and national fragmentation. (127
min., Arabic)
Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht a Dracula story, the “living
dead” who want to die PN1995.9.V3 N6 1998
Smoke Signals resolution of conflict with dead father
PN1995.9.C55 S58 1999
With Honors (pay attention to what dying means to Simon
Wilder; notice the the epitaph) PN1997 .W575 1998
Whose Life is it anyway? PN1997 .W485 1990
-- a story about a paralyzed automobile victim - a sculptor played by
Richard Dreyfus - who wishes to be permitted to die rather than be kept
alive by mechaical means; opposed by his doctor who thinks his professional
duty is to maintain life
Truly, Madly, Deeply PN1997 .T7785 1992
Devarim (“Things”) (DVD) An Israeli film reminiscent of Ingmar Bergman, by
Amos Gitai, who plays Goldman in the film, cinematography by Renato Berta,
based on a novel by Yaakov Shabtai titled “Past Continuous.” The plot begins
with a funeral, and becomes a meditation on death and the meaning of life. In
the modern city of Tel Aviv, people prepare food, eat, make love, get pregnant,
die. The film’s characters, dislocated from religion and nation, live lives of
individual freedom but quiet cri¬sis. The film’s central problem is expressed in
the drunken ravings of Besh, who says, “Life’s a bitch but it’s mesmerizing,”
“We’re only temporary, all of us,” “If there was a God in this city, maybe we’d
have something, but even the devil fled, leaving us here with … a bunch of
merchants who call themselves Jews… Damn this city!” Tel Aviv, pictured
repeat¬edly not only as backdrop but as an active influence, symbolizes the
modern secular context of the crisis. (1995, Israeli, 110 min.)
Cries and Whispers
PN1997 .C698 1972
The Tibetan Book of the Dead: a way of life (90 min.documentary
in two parts) BQ4490 .T5 1994 Tapes 1 & 2
Mass Death:
Schindler’s List
PR9619.3.K46 S3 1994
Enemies: A Love Story
PJ5129.S515 E5 1990
The Killing Fields
PN1995.9.W3 .K54 "Dith Pran is an aide, translator and friend
of two journalists who are covering the war in Cambodia. He is eventually
exiled to the labor camps in Cambodia's countryside, where he endures four
years of starvation, torture and war before escaping to Thailand"
Death Takes a Holiday (1934) "The Grim Reaper takes time off to find out
what makes the human world tick. He eventually falls in love."
PN1997 .D395 1997
Phantom Limb (DVD) HQ 1073 .P53 2005 A film by
Jay Rosenblatt. The death of the filmmaker's 7-year-old brother when he
was nine remains a painful and haunting memory. The film uses this
personal story as a point of departure for a collection of personal reflections
and readings on grief and loss. (28 min.)
On Our Own Terms R726.8 .O563 2000
(4-part documentary by Bill Moyers, aired in 2000 on PBS; each one 90 min.)
A death of one's own:
"Three
patients, their families, and their doctors discuss some of the issues
surrounding death and how dying people can exert some control over the
manner of their death. Issues include paying for care, humane treatment,
balancing dying and dignity"
A different kind of care:
"Presents
important strides being made in palliative care for the dying, bringing
peace to those who fear that they will be a burden to loved ones, suffer
needlessly, or be abandoned in their hour of greatest need"
A time to change:
"Looks at issues surrounding end-of-life care in hospitals and nursing
homes. Crusading medical professionals discuss ways to improve terminal
care by changing the overburdened health care system in the United States"
Living with dying:
"Patients and medical professionals overcome taboos to discuss the
end of life, demonstrating that dying can be a rich experience for both
the terminally ill and their loved ones"
Choosing death R726 .C56 1993 (documentary:
euthanasia, terminal care, suicide) 2 hours
What remains (DVD) "What Remains follows the creation of Mann's new seminal
work: a photo series revolv¬ing around various aspects of death and decay.
Never one to compromise, Sally Mann (resident of Lexington, Virginia) reflects
on her own personal feelings toward death as she continues to examine the
boundaries of contemporary photography. " (2006, 80 min.)