Arnie Gelbart Movies

World War I was a long and brutal conflict that left more than 16 million people dead, and two months after the war finally came to a halt in November 1918, leaders from the world's major nations came together in Paris, France to draft a treaty that would determine the shape of the post-war world. American president Woodrow Wilson stated his belief that vengeance would not produce justice or prevent another war; instead, he proposed a League of Nations that would give the world's major powers a venue for settling their differences without violence. However, Wilson's vision had little appeal to many European leaders, especially the French and the British, who were foremost in the belief that Germany had ultimately caused the war and deserved a punishment greater than their defeat. A demand for reparations from Germany led to months of angry negotiations that left the Germans in financial ruin, while at the same time other officials were literally redrawing the maps of the world as they determined new boundaries and juggled the placement of refugees amidst shifting allegiances. Historian Margaret MacMillan told the story of the Paris Peace Conference and the drafting of the Treaty of Versailles in her best-selling book Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed The World, and filmmaker Paul Cowan has brought the book to the screen in this film adaptation, which uses both rare newsreel footage and vintage photographs along with staged re-enactments to tell the story of a bid for lasting peace and justice that in time helped launch another world war. Paris 1919 received its world premiere at the 2009 Hot Docs International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The third and final season of the adult-oriented anthology Bliss offers eight titillating tales of erotica, crafted for and about women by several of Canada's best and most prolific female writers and directors. The season begins with "Tango," one of several series entries written by the prolific Laurie Finstad-Knizhik, in which an Argentinian woman (Larissa Gomes) moves to Montreal to escape a romantic relationship with a married man -- only to fall for a seductive tango instructor. In "Penelope's Suitors," the title character, played by Stephanie Morganstern, is a single woman living in a suburban neighborhood teeming with handsome and desirable delivery men. Shary Guthrie stars in "Tying Up Gerald" as a conservative businesswoman who tries to understand her husband's obsession with S&M -- especially since he prefers to be the submissive one. "Badness" takes place in a courtroom, where the plaintiff (Zoie Palmer) is attracted to the pertinacious defense lawyer who is determined to win the case by any means. Female hockey goalie (Jessica Greco) ponders a romance with a man who doesn't like forceful women in "Amazon." "The Arrangement" features an independent-minded Indian woman (Pamela Sinha) who is dead set against her parents' choice for her husband. In "Les Petits Mots," a freewheeling nightclub DJ (Patricia McKenzie) is drawn to a bookstore owner who prefers the quiet life. And in the series finale "Steph's Life," a woman trapped in a dull, conventional lifestyle tries to kick over the traces by web-casting her sex life. ~ All Movie Guide

The second season of the delightfully decadent Canadian anthology Bliss offers eight different erotic playlets, written and directed by women, for women. First up is "Three," a ribald spoof of the American sitcom Three's Company, with Jennifer Podnerski as a 29-year-old free spirit who rather spectacularly violates her platonic relationship with her two male roommates (Ben Bass, Bob Cryer). The title character of "Nina's Muse," played by Thea Gill, yearns for a physical but not spiritual close encounter with her gay neighbor and his lovers, whom she has been secretly photographing from afar. In "Cat Got Your Tongue," a 43-year-old single mother (Wendel Meldrum) gets more than she bargained for when her lust for her son's twentysomething friend is reciprocated. A young cross-dressing woman (Lynda Boyd) captures the heart of an older lady (Leslie Cottle) in "The Marvellon." "Chastity" is the story of a young postulant (Cara Pifko) who falls in love with a co-worker on the eve of taking her vows as a nun. In "Office Management," complications arise when a lady boss (Rachel Hayward) gets an eyeful of her hunky new employee. The title character of "The Piano Tuner" is a blind man (Anthony Leonides) who is "helped," so to speak, by a libidinous lady customer (Shannon Lawson). And in the season's final entry, "Aural Sex," Danny Gilmore and Raven Dauda star in the saga of an enterprising radio DJ who reads erotica over the air. ~ All Movie Guide

Originally seen in bilingual versions (English and French) on Canada's Showcase cable network, the multi-part anthology series Bliss specialized in erotic fictional dramas by and for women. Utilizing the talents of such top female writers and directors as Susan Musgrave, Holly Dale, Tamara Griffiths, Lynne Stopkewich, Cathleen Bond, Ghyslaine Côté, Katherine Schlemmer, Mina Shum, Maureen McKeon, Sylvie Rosenthal, Laurie Finstad-Knizhik, and Adrienne Mitchell, the weekly, hour-long series offered tantalizing playlets exploring the desires, passions, and fantasies of women of all ages -- "the power and richness of female sensuality." Infidelity, homosexuality, S&M, and mate-swapping were among the subjects touched upon, albeit in a tasteful and entertaining fashion (entertaining, perhaps, to everyone but chauvinistic males, who could not help but notice that this was one series in which the men were treated as sex objects). Making its Canadian debut on March 21, 2002, the three-season Bliss was telecast in the U.S. by the Oxygen Network cable service beginning February 15, 2003. Not entirely seriously, Oxygen preceded each of the series' 24 episodes with the disclaimer "Warning! Prolonged exposure to Bliss has been proven to cause clammy hands, rapid heartbeat, and insatiable sexual frenzy." ~ All Movie Guide

The Vikings are haunted by a bitter reputation as vicious giants and uncouth conquerors. On the contrary, Scandinavia produced some of the greatest explorers and leaders the world has ever known. NOVA paints an astounding portrait of a misunderstood people in its two-hour program The Vikings. The first millennium was the domain of rugged sailors who waged war against much of England and Europe. United by a common enemy, the ravaged countries gained a sense of nationality. Beyond rousing resentment, the Vikings led the way in shipbuilding, trading, and art. NOVA presents replicas of the grand Scandinavian ships that carried the warriors across the Atlantic Ocean. As far north as Greenland the Vikings traveled, bringing with them their flamboyant culture. NOVA follows Leif Eriksson and Erik the Red as they sweep across the continents, founding Dublin, Istanbul, and even parts of Russia. With re-creations and the explanation of previously unseen artifacts, the Viking people come to life. ~ Sarah Ing, All Movie Guide

Love, jealousy, revenge and forbidden homosexual passion color this alternately campy and dramatic adaptation of a play by Michel Marc Bouchard. Operating at different levels, the story begins in 1952 inside a Quebec prison chapel where hard-core convict Simon Doucet offers confession to Bishop Bilodeau who has come especially to see him. But no sooner does the Bishop enter the confessional than he is locked in by other inmates and forced to watch them enact gay love scenes from the play The Death of San Sebastian. The story moves backwards to 1912 when Bilodeau and Simon were lusty young boys. Their affair falls apart when Simon takes up with Vallier. This angers Bilodeau who does something terrible in retaliation. Meanwhile, back in the present, Simon attempts to force Bilodeau into owning up to his actions. In keeping with the film's gay themes, all roles, male and female, are portrayed by men. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Marilyn Jordan (Susan Anspach), an American-born housewife, mother, and socialite living in Sweden, is crumbling under the weight of her own existence. She deeply resents her husband Martin's (Erland Josephson) frequent holiday absences and his indifferent attitude toward their two children ("If they are going to grow up in today's world," he admits, "it's about time they faced the fact that nobody keeps promises anymore"). Moreover, Marilyn's eccentric father (who believes he is Buffalo Bill and fires off guns in the house to prove it) and her children -- who hatch an outrageous plan to set up a dating service for senior citizens -- start to drive her completely around the bend. Marilyn feels herself domestically imprisoned -- encased in a bell jar. Her subsequent behavior grows not simply eccentric, but irrational and then comically outrageous. She cooks wiener schnitzel for the entire family, but eats it all herself; unsuccessfully attempts to poison the family beagle; and -- convinced that insects are attacking her during the night -- showers the plant above her bed with bug repellent, much to Martin's consternation. Finally, irritated by Martin's sexual indifference to her, Marilyn manages to get his attention in a last, desperate move by setting his bed on fire late one night. Deeply concerned, Martin consults psychologist Dr. Pazardjian (Per Oscarsson), who does little to help Marilyn and (indeed) turns out to be even nuttier than any of the members of the Jordan family. Via a comic security mix-up, Marilyn later becomes stranded at the Stockholm airport and hitches a ride with a band of horny Yugoslavian immigrants celebrating the new year; they take her to their ZanziBar nightclub for a couple of days, where she begins to break out of her domestic prison by engaging in a torrid extramarital affair with randy Slavic zookeeper Montenegro and by performing as a one-time chaunteuse on-stage. Eventually, Marilyn's family beckons for her to return -- but her brush with independence has made her a very different woman, indeed. Montenegro marked controversial writer/director Dusan Makavejev's English-language debut, and earned widespread critical raves for Anspach's career-defining performance. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide