Bryn Mawr Film Institute: November at a Glance

In November, the ends its "What's Up, Doc?" film series, features Muppets movies for its Kids Matinee series, brings National Geographic adventurer Jon Bowermaster to discuss his travels by sea kayak and screens The Wizard of Oz for a sing-along night. 

Dead Man (7 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 1)

Dead Man follows an accountant on his journey into his deeper self and his massive character transformation. The 1995 film stars Johnny Depp and also features Alfred Molina, Jon Hurt, Gary Farmer, and, in his last movie, Robert Mitchum. This acid western, which is a part of BMFI’s fall film course “Stranger Than Paradise: The Films of Jim Jarmusch,” is also a part of the Film Education Spotlight series. Dead Man will be introduced by film critic and author Chris Long, who is teaching the four-week course on Jarmusch.

The Kitchen (7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 2)

Performed at the National Theatre in London, The Kitchen is a post-war drama set in a West End kitchen in the 1950s. It looks at all the different chefs, waiters and waitresses making grand feasts, with a bit of romance thrown in. This workplace dramedy recreates a kitchen on stage. 

The Muppet Movie (11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 5)

This month’s Kids Matinee series is Muppet-themed, leading up to the release of the new Muppets movie Nov. 23. This movie follows Kermit the Frog on his journey from Florida to glamorous Hollywood.

Talk Cinema (10 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 6 and 10 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 20)

Film industry expert Harlan Jacobsen selects and screens up-and-coming movies before their theatrical release. The films are always a surprise and are followed with a discussion led by local film critics and scholars. 

Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival: Little Rose (7:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6)

This Polish spy film is being screened as part of the Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival. This film, with subtitles, is about a woman whose lover sets her up to spy on an intellectual professor and winds up torn between the two men.

Open Screen Monday (9:15 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7)

Open Screen Monday is a monthly free event during which any aspiring filmmakers can submit films, up to 10 minutes long, in DVD or VHS format. Other community members can also attend for free.

Oceans 8 (7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 8)

National Geographic adventurer Jon Bowermaster has been all over the world, exploring it from sea kayaks. He makes movies, and BMFI will be showing three half-hour films from Tasmania, Gabon and Croatia. There will be a Q-and-A with Bowermaster after the films. This event is being shown in conjunction with the Geographical Society of Philadelphia. General admission is $18, BMFI member and Geographical Society member tickets are $15 and student tickets are $7.50.

No Impact Man (7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9)

This film, about a family that tries to minimize their environmental footprint, starts BMFI’s Green on Screen environmental film series and is co-presented by the Radnor Conservancy and the .

The Great Muppet Caper (11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 12)

In this screening for the Kids Matinee series, Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear head to London to investigate a jewelry theft.

Tosca (1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13 and 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16)

Puccini’s popular opera Tosca is going to be broadcast in HD from the Royal Opera House in London and will be introduced by Michael Bolton of the Opera Company of Philadelphia. The opera is set in Rome the night before Napoleon invades Italy.

Thank You For Smoking (7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15) 

This film ends BMFI’s “What’s Up, Doc” film series, which is co-sponsored by and gives a medical perspective on popular films. Thank You For Smoking, about a tobacco lobbyist who spins the truth a little too well, will be introduced by Dr. Michael Walker, a thoracic surgeon at Bryn Mawr Hospital. 

The Muppets Take Manhattan (11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 19)

Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy want to get married, but their wedding depends on how successful their musical variety show becomes on Broadway.

Bolshoi Ballet: Sleeping Beauty (10 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 20) 

This classic story of Sleeping Beauty will be performed by the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow and will be simulcast live from Russia with Grigorovich’s choreography.

The Wizard of Oz Sing-along (7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 22)

BMFI last hosted this event two years ago and is hoping this becomes a tradition, along with the December Sound of Music sing-along. Those who come in costume receive free popcorn.

Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird (11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 26)

Big Bird runs away after being sent to live with a family of dodo birds, in BMFI's Kids Matinee series. 

Landscapes of the Soul (6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 29, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 20)

This film course explores the work of Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni, who is known for his modernist cinema, and his vision and way of communicating a deeper version of truth. Films to be discussed include Cronaca di un Amore, Il Grido, L'Avventura, La Notte, L'Eclisse, Red Desert, Blow-Up, The Passenger and Beyond the Clouds. The class will be taught by Maurizio Giammarco. 

Taxi Driver (7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30)

This classic is celebrating its 35th anniversary with a brand new restored print. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards and follows taxi driver Travis Bickle through late-night Manhattan as he grows more and more unstable. The film will be introduced by Paul Wright, Ph.D., and is being shown as part of the Film Education Spotlight series. It is also being shown in conjunction with BMFI’s cinema classics seminar. Attendees of the one-night class, which begins at 6:30 p.m. and lasts until 9:30 p.m., includes a reading about the film, introductory lecture, the movie ticket, guided discussion after the film, popcorn and a drink.