Masterpieces with scores by Krzysztof Komeda – two classic features: KNIFE IN THE WATER by Roman Polanski and LE DEPART, anexuberant New Wave film by Jerzy Skolimowski, as well as brilliant shorts by Polanski, THE FAT AND THE LEAN, and Miroslaw Kijowicz, the animated BANNER (May 17 & 22), are included among the more than 100 films presented in MoMA’s Jazz Score, which offers such classics as Louis Malle’s Elevator to the Gallows with music by Miles Davis and Antonioni’s Blow-Up with music by Herbie Hancock. Polish films in this series, in addition to those with music by Komeda, include Polanski’s Repulsion with music by Chico Hamilton and the first experimental film by Zbigniew Rybczynski, Plamuz with music by Zbigniew Namyslowski (August 1, 3, 7, 9).
The Jazz Score series also includes a selection of Polish film posters in the international exhibition and a Concert Tribute to Krzysztof Komeda by the Tomasz Stanko Quartet with special guest Billy Harper celebrating the film music of Komeda, who helped establish Eastern Europe’s underground jazz scene in the late 1950s and who went on to write the haunting scores for some 40 films, including Rosemary’s Baby.
“The introduction of contemporary jazz to film scoring in the mid-twentieth century brought fresh forms of sophistication and
innovation to world cinema. Until the 1950s, jazz had primarily been used in film as atmospheric or incidental music or during show-stopping musical numbers. Jazz Score celebrates the groundbreaking collaborations between filmmakers, composers, and
musicians who, by experimenting with new forms and techniques, have radically transformed both art forms – jazz and the cinema – from the 1950s to the present day”. (Josh Siegel, curator of Jazz Score)
The Museum of Modern Art
The Roy and Niuta Titus theaters
11 West 53th Street, New York, NY 10019
Admission: $10, $8 seniors, $6 students. Tickets can be purchased in MoMA lobby or at the Film and Media Desk. More information: www.moma.org, 212.708.9400
The Museum of Modern Art and the Polish Cultural Institute
