CONFERENCE
The films will be screened with English subtitles to allow foreigners to become acquinted with Latvian film classics. As it is not common practice to subtitle these films, this will provide a unique opportunity to watch these films.
On April 7, Riga Film Museum will screen My Wealthy Mistress (dir. Leonīds Leimanis, 1969, Riga Film Studio).
The film is set in Riga in the 1930s. An intelligent unemployed man, Oļģerts Kurmis, moonlights as a carter, and together with his friend, homeless Frīdis, he lands a few small jobs with Mr. Kalnkāja, who hopes to be elected to parliament. Kurmis also feels responsible for the young girl Emma Kārkls, who has recently spent time in jail for petty theft. Emma begins to work as a servant in the Kalnkāja residence and together with Kurmis and Frīdis puts up posters for the minority party. Emma is jailed again, this time with a “political record”.
Film critics find a distant similarity with Italian neorealism and its interest in the “everyman” in this last film of Leonīds Leimanis. At the same time, My Wealthy Mistress also provides a timeless satire of social differences and elections in a multi-party system. The film score, composed by Marģeris Zariņš, one of the first postmodernists in Latvian film music, is impressive and a classic of the genre.
Main cast: Eduards Pāvuls, Līga Liepiņa, Kārlis Sebris, Luijs Šmits, Zigrīda Stungure and others.
My Wealthy Mistress will be screened on Thursday, April 7 at the Riga Film Museum at 18:30, free of charge.
More information: www.facebook.com/events/1144189452266833/
Address: Peitavas street 10 (entrance from Alksnāja street)
The project “Diagnoze – kino’’ is supported by the State Culture Capital Foundation.
Please find attached: Photo by Guntis Grunte, Riga Film Museum Collection
