MARCH OF COPPOLA – Webster University is Hosting a 4-Film Sofia Coppola Retrospective Next Month

Webster University Film Series has become the location for many national tours of international cinema, often acting as the only such venue in Missouri. The Series is host to speakers and visiting artists who address the pertinent issues in films presented. In an effort to further integrate film with education, the Film Series provides workshops with artists and experts.

As part of the Film Series virtual Speaker Series in March, MARCH OF COPPOLA, focuses on the works of  Oscar-winner Sofia Coppola. Once a week, all throughout March a guest speaker will give a talk on a different film of the writer/director. Each film is available on popular streaming services like The Criterion Channel, HBO Max, and/or Amazon Prime. Watch each ahead of time and then join The Webster University University Film Series all month long for interesting and thought-provoking discussions on the works of Ms Coppola.

Here’s the  line-up:

Lost in Translation – March 4 at 7:00 p.m. with Dr. Daniel Yezbick, Professor of Media Studies and Intercultural/International Education Coordinator at St Louis Community College-Wildwood.
(Sofia Coppola, 2003, USA/Japan, 102 minutes)
Widely considered to be Coppola’s best film, and by far her most well-known, Lost in Translation deals with lonely strangers Bob (Bill Murray) and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) who find solace in each other, while culturally displaced in a city that isn’t theirs. Set in Tokyo, the two meet and quickly form a unique kind of bond in which they speak the same language—in many senses of the phrase. Written and directed by Coppola, this Oscar-winning feature carries forth both a sense of romantic melancholy and a quiet desire for something more.
Lost in Translation is available to watch through the subscription-based streaming service Amazon Prime (subject to change) or can be rented digitally on most platforms for $4. More details can be found HERE

The Virgin Suicides — March 11 at 7:00 p.m. with Taylor Gruenloh, Adjunct Professor of English at Webster University and Assistant Teaching Professor at Missouri S&T.
(Sofia Coppola, 1999, USA, 97 minutes)
Coppola’s debut feature, The Virgin Suicides, puts her on the map as a filmmaker distinct from her father and mentor, the venerable Francis Ford Coppola. Emerging right away as a critical success, the film adaptation of Jeffrey Eugenides’ novel of the same name has only garnered more attention and admiration with age, eventually marking it a modern classic. Favored for its hazy, entranced portrait of youth, The Virgin Suicides stamped Coppola with the soft, blonde overtones of white femininity that she soon became known for. Shown from the collective perspective of a young group of boys, the story follows the five unknowable sisters of the Lisbon family, trapped within the walls of a rigid home and suffocated by a fog of misery.
The Virgin Suicides is available to watch through the subscription-based streaming service Amazon Prime (subject to change) or can be rented digitally on most platforms for $3-4. More details can be found HERE

Somewhere – March 18 at 7:00 p.m. with Jessica Pierce, freelance filmmaker and General Clerk for the Webster Film Series
(Sofia Coppola, 2010, USA, 94 minutes)
Though one of her lesser-known films, Somewhere very much captures the typical spirit of Coppola’s work. Featuring a young Elle Fanning as the daughter of a somewhat estranged celebrity father, Somewhere focuses on a strained-but-ever-evolving relationship between parent and child. Told through few words, long takes, and some improvisation, Somewhere displays love, laughter, and aimlessness through innumerable moments of vulnerability and affection between father and daughter.
Somewhere is available to watch through the subscription-based streaming service HBO Max (subject to change) or can be rented digitally on most platforms for $4. More details can be found HERE

On the Rocks – March 25 at 7:00 p.m. from Dr. Diane Carson, Professor Emerita, St. Louis Community College; Film Critic, KDHX 88.1FM and Alliance of Women Film Journalists.
(Sofia Coppola, 2020, USA, 96 minutes)
Coppola and Bill Murray reunite as director and actor for the first time since 2003 in her latest film, On the Rocks. Worried her husband might be having an affair, Laura (Rashida Jones) confides in her distanced father Felix (Murray), and an investigation of sorts ensues. Having fallen away from his family years prior, Felix uses this time as an opportunity to bond and reconnect. Complete with awkward encounters and an almost slapstick game of cat and mouse, On the Rocks offers a slight shift in tone for Coppola—one with humorous, plentiful dialogue and the air of a slice-of-life comedy.
On the Rocks is only currently available to stream via the subscription service Apple TV+ (subject to change).More details can be found HERE