Office (2015)

Thursday, November 22, 2018 @ 7:00 PM
Plaza Theatre - 1133 Kensington Rd NW, Calgary, AB
$12 General | $10 Members/Seniors/Students | $40 5-Pack Punch Pass | $99 Season Pass

DIRECTED BY JOHNNIE TO | HONG KONG/CHINA | 119 MINS.

Johnnie To is a Hong Kong director know for stylish gangland action movies of often epic scope. In 2015 he surprised many by releasing Office, an energetic and more-than-a-little-subversive musical featuring eye-popping production design and a sprightly cast fronted by confirmed megastars Chow Yun-fat and Sylvia Chang. Chang also wrote the film, which is based on her own stage play. Office focuses on a number of characters whose trajectories intertwine before, during, and after the 2018 global financial crisis. It situates matters of the hearty within the context of ruthlessness, corruption, and a plethora of unethical practices. It features immaculate sets by frequent Wong Kar-wai collaborator William Chang and infectious tongue-in-cheek musical numbers by influential Taiwanese singer-songwriter Lo Taiyu. If To’s crime movies often bear the clear influence of Jean-Pierre Melville, Office might well be an homage to the mischievous candy-coloured Hollywood frolics of Frank Tashlin.

- Written by Jason Wierzba 

FOCUS: WORLD MUSICALS

With the introduction of sound to the cinematographic lexicon, the Hollywood musical very quickly became one of the preeminent public entertainments of the 1930s. Even now, when one thinks of musicals, one may well be inclined to envision the lavish spectacles of Hollywood or Bollywood. There is a general tendency to overlook the variations on the form, often uniquely characteristic of their national or cultural spheres, that continue to emerge from around the globe. Calgary Cinematheque is pleased to have the opportunity this season to expose audiences to musicals from Hong Kong, Egypt, Iran, Japan, and Indonesia. Musicals are by nature popular entertainment, public art, spectacles meant to be enjoyed by amassed spectators representing a collective body. They are inherently celebratory and communal. Musicals from around the world viewed (and heard) in public space ideally expand our concept and experience of community. Think of these films as locally-global phenomena; experiences grounded in kinship and exultation.

About Calgary Cinematheque

We are a non-profit film society dedicated to presenting significant, challenging, and essential works of cinema art in Calgary. During our season, which runs from October to April, we screen films weekly, in curated programs which situate each film in a thematic and historical context. We do this because we believe cinema is an essential form of artistic, social, and political expression. Audiences should be able to engage with a wide range of cinematic expression, not only with what is commercially viable. We believe in the power of sharing these experiences with other people in a theatrical setting and we strive to cultivate a community around that experience.  

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