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Sunday 03/23/08

2:45 AM Encore Dramatic Stories
Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (2005 CHI): Director Zhang Yimou is best known for big budget fantasy epics such as House of Flying Daggers and Curse of the Golden Flower, but his roots are in social realism, and he returns to them every now and then. Such is the case with Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles, a drama about a strained father/son relationship. Set in Japan and China, the film stars Ken Takakura as dad Takata, who's received word that son Kenichi (Kiichi Nakai) is critically ill in a Tokyo hospital. After Kenichi refuses to see him, Takata embarks on an odyssey to China's Yunnan Province that, he hopes, will change his son's mind and allow them to meet one last time. Fans of Jet Li's Hero will be befuddled, but if you're an admirer of less well known Yimou efforts such as Not One Less or Happy Times, you'll definitely want to take a look at Riding Alone.

6:35 AM IFC
Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975 AUS): A beautifully shot and languidly paced feature from Aussie Peter Weir, Picnic at Hanging Rock is also one of the most enigmatic films ever to earn a wide release. Based on Joan Lindsay's novel of the same name, the film depicts the mysterious disappearance of three Australian schoolgirls and their chaperone during a turn of the 20th century outing. Though one of the girls reappears, she cannot recall what has happened to her, and the others are never found. Resolutely unwilling to bring closure to its story, Weir's film features superb outback photography from Russell Boyd, who went on to earn an Academy Award for 2003's Master and Commander. Also airs at 2:30 PM.

10:15 PM Turner Classic Movies
Spring Fever (1927 USA): William Haines and Joan Crawford star as Roaring '20s youth engaged in mating rituals in this charming Edward Sedgwick-helmed romantic comedy. Haines plays working class lad Jack Kelly, who is granted a two-week pass to the ritzy Oakmont Country Club by his kindly employer (George Fawcett). Though lacking in social graces, Jack soon wins the bluebloods over with his first-rate golf game - and finds himself in love with socialite Allie Monte (Crawford). Will love conquer all, or will America's invisible class divide keep Jack and Allie apart? It's as predictable as they come, but if you enjoyed 1928's Haines-Crawford vehicle West Point (which aired earlier this year on TCM), you'll derive similar satisfaction from Spring Fever.

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