There was a time in my life — not, in truth, all that long ago — when I didn’t think that the genius of Looney Tunes would ever be equalled. Sure, animation has grown to encompass all sorts of new technologies since Bugs and company first hit the screen, but what made those cartoons so essential to me as a boy was never just how they were drawn. Instead, it was the wordplay and wit at work, and the unending nods to all sorts of adult things — opera, politics, sex, and despair — that would prove so vital, and help turn me, later, into a crossword puzzler and movie fan (so many of the cartoons are absolutely swimming in film quotes). They were the first taste of something grown-up; the maraschino cherry plucked out of your grandfather’s empty Manhattan. And for a quiet kid with a quiet dad, Looney Tunes became a common ground; Even if we weren’t always laughing at the same things, we were still laughing together.
Of course, every generation will discover its own geniuses, and to be fair not all those Looney Tunes shorts have held up — especially those produced during wartime, some of which are flat out racist. But for those who remember the feeling that famous fanfare engendered, this weekend offers a rare treat: up in Shelburne Falls this Friday and Saturday, Pothole Pictures is putting on its regular BBPPRRDDEFSFFF — the Bugs Bunny Porky Pig Road Runner Daffy Duck Elmer Fudd Shelburne Falls Film Festival. An 80 minute extravaganza of insane ACME products, scheming rabbits and frustrated ducks, and at least a few minutes of trenchant social commentary. And while so many classic cartoons are now available on demand in one form or another, there remains something undeniably special about a cartoon seen on the big screen, and that feeling of laughing in the dark with the rest of the world.
For a glimpse of what animation has been up to since the Chuck Jones era, head over to Amherst Cinema for a Saturday morning (10 a.m.) screening of A Cat in Paris, Jean-Loup Felicioli and Alain Gagnol’s touching 2010 film about a cat, a cat burglar, and a little girl whose paths cross along the rooftops of Paris. Dino is the cat leading the double life: by day, he is the pet of young Zoé, whose mother is a Parisian detective. But at night, the cat becomes a burglar’s assistant, creeping out to work with Nico, a suave thief whose acrobatic evasions keep him a step ahead of the gendarmes. Together, Nico and Dino work to save Zoé from the clutches of the mobsters that killed her father — the little girl has gone mute in the wake of his death — while also trying to clear their name with her mother.
Much like Looney Tunes before it, A Cat in Paris is chock-a-block with film references that will surely lead some lucky young viewers (in another few years, perhaps) down some wonderful alleys (Reservoir Dogs and The Night of the Hunter are just two of the nods). And like so many French films enamored of American gangster noir, the music here — a jazz soundtrack that features Billie Holiday as well as original dramatic music — tells a rich story all its own.
Also this week: At 4 p.m. Saturday, the Academy of Music in Northampton plays host to a screening of The Champions, a film about the pit bulls pulled from the horror of NFL star Michael Vick’s home, where they were being used in a vicious fighting ring. A story of triumph over a hell of a lot of odds — including pressure from PETA and The Humane Society to euthanize the dogs — this ultimately uplifting documentary highlights not only the incredible resilience of these amazing dogs, but also the deep-running importance of the relationship between humans and animals. A panel discussion will take place following the screening, with owners of one of the rescued pit bulls present. An extra bonus for animal lovers: 100 percent of the box office take will be donated to local animal rescue organizations.•
Jack Brown can be reached at cinemadope@gmail.com Images: A Cat in Paris, courtesy gkids Jack Brown can be reached at cinemadope@gmail.com.
