Southwest Florida does not have a drive-in theater.
It doesn’t have one of those $1-a-seat, second-run screens.
For about every other aspect of cinema, however, we’ve got you covered.
A second cafe cinema in the area, Prado Cinema Cafe, opened last week at the Pavilion in Bonita Springs (see www.naplesnews.com or Showcase magazine on Friday for the full story).
This week, Florida Gulf Coast University unveiled its foreign film series, with classics such as “Gosford Park” (British, 2001) following the quiet devastation of a British household during World War II, or introspective works such the father-daughter bond in the crosshairs of “35 Shots of Rum” (France, 2009).
Foreign and independent films are getting new respect. Hollywood 20, the city’s first-run haven off Naples Boulevard, is devoting a screen to independent films such as “Winter Bone.” If your taste runs to the silver-screen era, the Philharmonic Center for the Arts has teamed up with the Naples International Film Festival for a “Dinner and a Movie” series. The fare, from various restaurants in Naples, is served in Philharmonic Center lobby and halls as a prelude to classic works like “My Favorite Year,” with Peter O’Toole, and the John Wayne epic, “Stagecoach,” in the Daniels Pavilion.
Then there are the specialty shows. Now Southwest Florida has a choice among three different screens for the Metropolitan Opera in HD series, which opens in a very big way, with a new production of Wagner’s “Das Rheingold,” telecast live on HD at 1 p.m. on Oct. 9.
But the luxury cinema, Silverspot at the Mercato, will have beaten it to the punch with HD opera. This time Silverspot is promoting a Verdi festival, with favorites like “Rigoletto,” “Don Carlo” and the over-the-top Franco Zeffirelli production of “Aida” at La Scala. The last comes complete with catcalls from the audience who didn’t like Roberto Alagna’s portrayal of the ill-fated Egyptian warrior.
Silverspot is also putting together a foreign film series, with details to come soon.
Those of us who can’t even afford to visit a $1 cinema can take comfort in the fact that Collier County Public Library will once again offer its free afternoon film series. You may not be able to munch on popcorne here, but the films are quality and the price is right:
Here are partial to full listings that are currently available for specialized series:
Metropolitan Opera in HD
Locations: Regal Hollywood 20, 6006 Hollywood Drive (off Naples Boulevard); 597-4252; Hollywood Theaters Coconut Point 16, 8021 Cinema Way, off U.S. 41 in Estero; 498-8706; Regal Belltower 20, 13499 Belltower Drive (off Daniels Parkway), Fort Myers; 239) 437-2020
Tickets: May vary among locations, but in the $22 range. Beginning Tuesday, buy at the door or via Fandango ticket service: www.fandango.com
Wagner’s “Das Rheingold”: 1 p.m. Oct. 9. James Levine and director Robert Lepage. Bryn Terfel sings the leading role of Wotan, with Wendy Bryn Harmer, Stephanie Blythe, Patricia Bardon, Richard Croft and more.
Mussorgsky’s “Boris Godunov”: Noon Oct. 23. Baritone René Pape in a new production by Stephen Wadsworth. Valery Gergiev conducts.
Donizetti’s “Don Pasquale”: 1 p.m. Nov. 13. Soprano Anna Netrebko; James Levine conducts.
Verdi’s “Don Carlo”: 12:30 p.m. Dec. 11. Roberto Alagna leads the cast, with Ferruccio Furlanetto, Marina Poplavskaya, Anna Smirnova, and Simon Keenlyside
Puccini’s “La Fanciulla del West”: 1 p.m. Jan. 8. Puccini’s wild-west opera with Deborah Voigt in the title role of the “girl of the golden west,” starring opposite Marcello Giordani.
Adams’s “Nixon in China”: 1p.m. Feb. 12. Composer John Adams conducts the Met premiere of his most famous operas
Gluck’s “Iphigénie en Tauride”: 1 p.m. Feb. 26. Susan Graham and Plácido Domingo in Gluck’s interpretation of this primal Greek myth
Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor”: 1 p.m. March 19. Natalie Dessay and Joseph Calleja.
Rossini’s “Le Comte Ory”: 1 p.m. April 9. Bel canto tenor Juan Diego Flórez vying with mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, in the trouser role of Isolier, for the love of Diana Damrau.
Strauss’s “Capriccio: 1 p.m. April 23. Soprano Renée Fleming; Andrew Davis conducts.
Verdi’s “Il Trovatore”: 1 p.m. April 30. Sondra Radvanovsky, Dolora Zajick, Marcelo Álvarez and Dmitri Hvorostovsky.
Wagner’s “Die Walküre”: Noon May 14. Robert Lepage’s new production of the “Ring” cycle, conducted by James Levine. Bryn Terfel is Wotan, lord of the Gods. Deborah Voigt adds the part of Brünnhilde, with Jonas Kaufmann and Eva-Maria Westbroek as the twins, Siegmund and Sieglinde, and Stephanie Blythe is Fricka.
FGCU Renaissance Film Series
All film are at the FGCU Renaissance Academy, 1010 5th Ave. S. Donation: $5. Reservations are requested at 425-3276
“Fateless”: (Hungary, 2006, not rated, subtitles) 1 p.m. Oct. 3. is a haunting account of one boy’s experiences during the Holocaust and his journey to pick up the pieces in the war’s aftermath.
“A Prophet”: (France, 2010, rated R, subtitles) 1 p.m. Oct. 10. Malik El Djebena, part Arab, part Corsican, is cornered in prison by a gang leader and is given a number of “missions,” through which he rises up the prison ranks while secretly devising his own plans.
“The Class”: (France 2008, Rated PG-13, Subtitles) 1 p.m. Oct. 24. This drama follows a year in the life of a French high-school teacher working in a tough neighborhood of Paris.
“Once”: (Ireland, 2007, Rated R, English) 1 p.m. Nov. 7. Featuring Glen Hansard and his Irish band “The Frames,” “Once” tells the story of a busker and an immigrant as they write, rehearse and record songs that reveal their unique love story.
“35 Shots of Rum”: (France, 2009, Not Rated, Subtitles) 1 p.m. Nov. 14. Lionel is a widower who has raised his daughter. Their relationship is examined in this fascinating tale of human nature, love and devotion.
“Gosford Park”: (UK, 2001, Rated R, English) 1 p.m. Nov. 21. World War II, and personal secrets, haunt the magnificent country estate to which Sir William McCordle and his wife, Lady Sylvia, gather relations and friends for a weekend shooting party.
Opera in Cinema
All films are at Silverspot Cinema, 9118 Strada Place, Naples.
Ticket Price: $24, which includes one glass of house wine and snacks from the cinema restaurant to be served during intermission. Reservations strongly suggested.
Information: (239) 592-0300 and wwww.silverspot.com
“Rigoletto,” Verdi: 1 p.m. Sunday and 7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday. Performed at Teatro Regio, Parma, italy. Starring Leo Nucci and Nino Machaidze in the tale of a womanizing man whose object of desire is his jester’s daughter. Famous aria: “La donna e mobile.”
“Aida,” Verdi: 1 p.m. Sept. 12, 7 p.m. Sept. 13 and 14. Performed at Teatro alla Scala, Milan, Italy. Directed by Franco Zeffirelli and starring Violeta Urmana and Roberto Alagna as star-crossed lovers whose countries are at war. Famous aria: “Celeste Aida.”
“Don Carlo,” Verdi: 1 p.m. Sept. 19, 7 p.m. Sept. 20 and 21. Performed at Teatro alla Scala, Milan, Italy.Conducted by Daniele Gatti and starring erruccio Furlanetto; Stuart Neill, who has appeared locally for Opera Naples events; Dalibor Jenis, Anatolij Kotscherga, Fiorenza Cedolins and Dolora Zajick. This is the story of Carlos, Prince of Asturias, whose beloved marries his father, king, and whose friends are plotting against the throne.
“Otello” Verdi: 1 p.m. Sept. 26, 7 p.m. Sept. 27 and 28. Performed at the Salzburg Festival, Austria. Conducted by Riccardo Muti and starring Aleksandrs Antonenko and Marina Poplavskaya in the adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy.
Dinner and a movie
Both films are at the Daniels Pavilion of the Philharmonic Center for the Arts, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd. Films include dinner in the lobby and halls of the Philharmonic Center and a post-film talk. Ticket: $49.
Reservations are required online at www.thephil.org or at 597-1900.
“My Favorite Year”: Starring Peter O’Toole. 7 p.m. Sept. 25. The story of a young apprentice who must squire an unruly, aging star.
“Stagecoach”: 7 p.m. Oct. 9. John Wayne, directed by John Ford, in the original, larger-than-life Western saga.
Collier County Public Library films
Registration is not required. Free. The library announces a new film each month. This season starts in October.
“Nine”: Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Marionn Cotillard, Penelope Cruz and Judi Dench, 6:30 p.m. Oct. 12, South Regional Library, 8065 Lely Cutural Parkway, Naples, 262-7542; 2 p.m. Oct. 13, Headquarters Regional Library, 2385 Orange Blossom Drive, Naples, 593-0177; and 2 p.m. Oct. 14, Naples Regional Library, 650 Central Ave., Naples, 263-7768
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