FRIDAY, OCT. 19 

Iraq Moratorium Friday March from the West Oakland BART Station to downtown Oakland. Meet at 2:30 p.m., march begins at 3 p.m. www.bayareacodepink.org 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon Speaker to be announced. Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $14.50, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For information and reservations call 526-2925.  

“Designing California Native Gardens; The Plant Community Approach to Artful, Ecological Gardens” with Alrie Middlebrook and Dr. Glenn Keator at 7:30 p.m. at Builder's Booksource, 1817 Fourth St. 845-6874. 

“AIDS in the Black Community” A forum, with film screening, at 6 p.m. at Oakland Public Conservatory of Music, 1616 Franklin St., Oakland. Free. 836-4649. 

“An Unreasonable Man” Conscientious Projector Series documentary on Ralph Nader at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists Hall, 1924 Cedar at Bonita. 841-4824. 

Iraq Moratorium Action from 2 to 4 p.m. at the corner of University and Acton. Sponsored by the Strawberry Creek Lodge Tenants Assoc. and the Berkeley-East Bay Gray Panthers. 548-9696. 

“10 Questions for the Dalai Lama” A documentary by Rick Ray, at 7:30 p.m. at Unity of Berkeley, 2075 Eunice St. 528-8844. www.unityberkeley.org 

“Intro to Fearless Meditation: Practice of the Body” at 7 p.m. at Center for Urban Peace, 2584 Martin Luther King Jr Way. Suggested Donation $20 - $30, no one turned away. 549-3733. 

Berkeley Women in Black weekly vigil from noon to 1 p.m. at Bancroft and Telegraph. Our focus is human rights in Palestine. 548-6310. 

Circle Dancing, simple folk dancing with instruction at 7:30 p.m. at Finnish Brotherhood Hall, 1970 Chestnut St at University. Donation of $5 requested. 528-4253. www.circledancing.com 

SATURDAY, OCT. 20 

Berkeley Downtown Goals & Policies Workshop The community is invited to comment on the proposals for new Downtown Plan from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Berkeley High School Library, Allston and Milvia St. Draft chapters of the plan are available at www.cityofberkeley.info/dap 

Fall Harvest Walk Join the Berkeley Path Wanderers on an easy, level walk to Berkeley community and school gardens. Meet at 10 a.m. at the North Berkeley BART station, just outside the gates. 528-3246. www.berkeleypaths.org 

Open The Farm Meet and greet the animals at the Little Farm in Tilden Park as you help the farmer with morning chores, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. 525-2233. 

Berkeley School of the Madeleine Fall Festival with a Haunted House, games, white elephant sale, food and live music from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1225 Milvia St. at Henry & Berryman streets. www.themadeleine.com 

Berkeley Historical Society Tour of Downtown Berkeley from 10 a.m. to noon. Cost is $8-$10. To register and for meeting place call 848-0181. 

Walking Tour of Oakland Chinatown Meet at 10 a.m. at the courtyard fountain in the Pacific Renaissance Plaza at 388 Ninth St. Tour lasts 90 minutes. 238-3234. www.oaklandnet.com/ 

walkingtours 

Chapel of the Chimes Historical and Botanical Tour at 10 a.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. RSVP to 228-3207. 

East Bay Native Plant Fair Sat. from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sun. from noon to 3 p.m. at Native Here Nursery, 101 Golf Course Drive. Free.  

The New School of Berkeley Halloween Bazaar, with children's games, giant rummage sale, book sale, crafts, haunted house, and more from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 1606 Bonita St. at Cedar. Proceeds support the New School’s scholarship fund. 548-9165.  

East Bay Regional Park District Ambassador Training from 9 a.m. to noon at the Trudeau Center, 11500 Skyline Blvd., Oakland. Registration required. 544-2206. cjohnson@ebparks.org 

Tibetan Association Celebrates the awarding of the Congressional Gold Medal to His Holiness the Dalai Lama at 6 p.m. at Golden Gate Fields, 1100 Eastshore Highway. Tickets are $50. RSVP to 390-6771, 206-0247. 

California Writers Club “Literary Voices from our Community” with Gurnam Brard and Anjuelle Floyd, at 10 a.m. at Barnes & Noble, Jack London Square. 272-0120. www.berkeleywritersclub.org 

Ongoing Vocal Jazz Workshop Sat. from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Abany Community Center, 1249 Marin at the corner of Masonic, Albany. 524-6797. 

Free Car Seat Check from 10 a.m. to noon at the Allston Way Parking Garage, between Harold Way and Shattuck Ave. 647-1111. 

Fire Safety Day Meet a firefighter at 11 a.m. at Habitot Children’s Museum, 2065 Kittredge St. 647-1111. 

“Tropical Rainforests: Challenges and New Hopes” A forum from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts., Oakland. Cost is $15-$30. For information call 415-321-8000.  

Chapel of the Chimes Historical and Botanical Tour at 10 a.m. at 4499 Piedmont Ave. RSVP to 228-3207. 

Old Oakland Outdoor Cinema “Babe” at sunset on Ninth St., between Broadway and Washington. Free, bring your own chair and blanket. 238-4734. 

Full Houses: Poker Tournament to benefit Impact Theatre at 7 p.m. at La Val’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave. $50 buy in, with unlimited $25 rebuys until 9 p.m. 464-4468. 

“Destination Studies Class on Eastern Europe” from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Berkeley City College, 2050 Center St. Cost is $10. 981-2931. 

“Restoring the Heart of Change” Daylong retreat with Kyodo Willilliams at Center for Urban Peace, 2584 MLK Jr Way. Cost is $25. 549-3733. 

“Spirit Never Dies” An evening of communing with those that have passed over at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Psychic Institute, 2018 Allston Way. Cost is $20. 644-1600 . 

SUNDAY, OCT. 21 

United Nations Day Celebration with a parade of the flags of the 193 member nations at 11:30 a.m. at Jack London Square, Oakland.  

Bike Tour of Oakland around Oakland’s Brooklyn neighborhood on a leisurely paced two-hour tour that covers about five miles. Meet at 10 a.m. at the 10th St. entrance to the Oakland Museum of California. Reservations required. 238-3514.  

Community Labyrinth Peace Walk at 3 p.m. at Willard Middle School, Telegraph Ave. between Derby and Stuart. Everyone welcome. Wheelchair accessible. Rain cancels. 526-7377. 

Hope Walks Fundraiser A walk for all ages to benefit Global Strategies for HIV Prevention and Children of Grace in Uganda. Check in at 1 p.m., Walk from 2 to 4 p.m. at Faculty Glade, UC Campus. www.hopewalks.org/berkeley 

“Confronting Cambodia’s Wildlife Crisis” A presentation and discussion with Wildlife Alliance at 11:30 a.m. at Morgan Lounge, Room 114, Morgan Hall, UC Campus. RSVP to 202-223-6350. miller@wildlifealliance.org 

Greening Richmond Learn about global warming and what residents and business owners can do. Information tables on lighting, appliances, solar panels, tank-less water heaters, insulation and more. From 1 to 5 p.m. at DeJean Middle School, 3400 Mac Donald, Richmond. www.greenchamberofcommerce.net 

Green Sunday “Stem Cell and Cloning Research Controversies: Developing a Green Position” with Diane Beeson, and Tina Stevens at 5 p.m. at Niebyl-Proctor Library, 6501 Telegraph Ave. at 65th in North Oakland. 

El Cerrito Historical Society with Richard Schwartz on his new book “Eccentrics, Heroes, and Cutthroats of Old Berkeley” at 1 p.m. at the El Cerrito Senior Center, 6510 Stockton Ave. behind the El Cerrito Library. 526-7507. www.elcerritowire.com/history 

Holiday Gourd Crafting Learn the history of gourds, and how to create a fall centerpiece for your table from 1 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center. Cost is $20-$29. Registration required. 1-888-EBPARKS. 

Community Music Day at Crowden Music Center, with an instrument petting zoo, mini-concerts with the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, and more, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free. ccmc@crowden.org 

Day of the Dead Community Celebration with music, dance, ceremonia, activities, and food, from noon to 5 p.m. at Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. Reservations required. 238-2022. 

“Celebrating the Fabric of Our Lives” A presentation and exhibition of quilts from 2 to 4 p.m. at Salem Lutheran Home, 2361 East 29th St., Oakland. 534-3637. 

East Bay Atheists Annual Picnic from noon to 4:30 p.m. at Big Leaf Picnic Area, Tilden Park. Please bring a dish to share; we provide utensils, beer and soft drinks, and burgers and hot dogs. 222-7580. eastbayatheists.org 

Friends & Family Day at the Magnes from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Judah L. Magnes Museum, 2911 Russell St. 549-6950. www.magnes.org 

“10 Questions for the Dalai Lama” A documentary by Rick Ray, at 7:30 p.m. at Unity of Berkeley, 2075 Eunice St. Cost is $10. 528-8844.  

Free Sailboat Rides from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Cal Sailing Club, Berkeley Marina. Wear warm, waterproof clothing and bring a change of clothes in case you get wet. www.cal-sailing.org 

Free Hands-on Bicycle Repair Class Learn how to repair a flat. Bring your bicycle and tools. At 10 a.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

“Marx and the United States” with Urszula Wislanka and Ron Kelch at 10 a.m. at Niebyl-Proctor Marxist Library, 6501 Telegraph Ave, Oakland. 595-7417. www.tifcss.org 

“Activating Present-Moment Awareness” with Marion Pastor and David Curry at 10 a.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. 525-0302, ext. 306. 

Tibetan Buddhism with Elizabeth Cook on “Sacred Places of the Buddha: Birth of Enlightenment” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

MONDAY, OCT. 22 

“Viokence on the Streets” A law enforcement awareness forum, with film screening, at 6 p.m. at Oakland Public Conservatory of Music, 1616 Franklin St., Oakland. Free. 836-4649. 

“Frontiers in Climate Forecasting” with Bill Collins of LBNL at 5:30 p.m. at Berkeley Rep, 2025 Addison St. 486-7292. 

Teen Chess Club meets at 3:30 p.m. at the Claremont Branch of the Berkeley Public Library, Benvenue at Ashby. 981-6280. 

Berkeley CopWatch organizational meeting at 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. 548-0425. 

TUESDAY, OCT. 23 

Tuesdays for the Birds Tranquil bird walks in local parklands, led by Bethany Facendini, from 7 to 9:30 a.m. Today we will visit Miller/Knox Keller Beach. Call for meeting place and if you need to borrow binoculars. 525-2233. 

“Oil, Gas, and Global Warming: Youth Confronting America’s Petroleum Addiction” with recent recipients of the Brower Youth Award at 6 p.m. at Free Speech Movement Cafe, Moffitt Library, UC Campus. 643-6445. 

“Party Planning for the Holidays” Benefit for Alameda County Community Food Bank with Barbara Llewellyn and Ron Morgan from 10 a.m. to noon at the Food Bank, 7900 Edgewater Drive, Oakland. Tickets are $20, plus a canned food donation, and includes continental breakfast and a guided tour of the facility. 635-3663. www.accfb.org 

“Who Are the Real Fascists?” a panel discussion on the assault on critical thinking at US universities at 8 p.m. at 145 Dwinelle, UC Campus. 848-1196. 

Berkeley High School Governance Council meets at 4:15 p.m. at Berkeley Community Theater Lobby. Topics include School Governance Council Officers, BSEP Officers, ELL Budget. 644-4803. 

Berkeley School Volunteers Orientation from noon to 1 p.m. at 1835 Allston Way. Come learn about volunteer opportunities. 644-8833. 

End the Occupation Vigil every Tues. at noon at Oakland Federal Bldg., 1301 Clay St. www.epicalc.org 

Street Level Cycles Community Bike Program Come use our tools as well as receive help with performing repairs free of charge. Youth classes available. Tues., Thurs., and Sat. from 2 to 6 p.m. at at 84 Bolivar Dr., Aquatic Park. 644-2577. www.watersideworkshops.org 

Community Sing-a-Long every Tues, at 2 p.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave. 524-9122.  

Family Storytime at 7 p.m. at Kensington Library. 61 Arlington Ave. 524-3043.  

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m. at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 548-3991. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. 845-6830. 

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 24 

Birding with the Golden Gate Audubon Society at Lake Merritt and Lakeside Park in Oakland. Meet at 9:30 a.m. at the large spherical cage near Nature Center at Perkins and Bellevue. 834-1066. 

Walking Tour of Jack London Waterfront Meet at 10 a.m. at the corner of Broadway and Embarcadero. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234. www.oaklandnet.com/walkingtours 

“Senior Housing Crisis: How to Fight Back” with Rae Mary, Berkeley Housing, and Jesse Arreguin, Housing Advocate, at 1:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst, Corner of MLK. Sponsored by the Berkeley-East Bay Gray Panthers. 548-9696. 

Berkeley Community Gardening Collaborative with guest speaker, Martin Borque, executive director of the Ecology Center, at 6:30 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. Potluck. 548-2220. 

“Sabotaging Education” How workplace bullying and psychological abuse can undermine students’ education with William Lepowsky at 10 a.m. at Room G-209 at Laney College, 8th and Fallon Streets, Oakland. 464-3181. 

“From Seed to Supper with Mollie Katzen and Friends” at 6:30 p.m. at Windrush School, Multipurpose Room, 1800 Elm St., El Cerrito. Free. 970-7580. http://windrush.org 

“Nuestro Petroleo y Otros Cuentos” A documentary on the oil and coal industries in Venezuela at 8 p.m. at Long Haul Infoshop, 3124 Shatttuck Ave. www.thelonghaul.org 

“An Evening with Elvia Alvarado” Honduran human rights activist and peasant leader at 7 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Oakland, 2501 Harrison St. at 27th, Oakland. Cost is $5-$20 sliding scale. 1-800-838-3006. 

Tilden Explorers An after-school nature adventure program for 5-7 year olds. We will have a nature scavenger hunt from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 1-888-327-2757. 

Black Cat Pocket Pals Crafts inspired by the book for ages 8 and up at 3 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library, 4th floor, Children’s Department. 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6223.  

An Introduction to Marxism, a free class for beginners and students at every level from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Niebyl-Proctor Marxist Library, 6501 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. 595-7417.  

Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day Open House from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the AIMC Berkeley, 2550 Shattuck Ave. at Blake. 684-2552. 

Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets t 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Breeze Market, just west of the I-80 overpass. Everyone is welcome, wear comfortable shoes and a warm hat. Heavy rain cancels. 548-9840. 

THURSDAY, OCT. 25 

Birding with the Golden Gate Audubon Society at the Albany Mudflats at Eastshore State Park, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. For meeting place call 540-8749. 

Oakland Bird Club with Allan Ridley and Helen McKenna-Ridley on “The Anatomy of Flying” at 7:30 p.m. at Oakland Public Library, Rockridge Branch, 5366 College Ave. 444-0355. 

Tilden Tots Join a nature adventure program for 3 and 4 year olds, each accompanied by an adult (grandparents welcome)! We’ll have a nature scavenger hunt from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 1-888-327-2757. 

Tilden Explorers An after-school nature adventure program for 5-7 year olds. We will have a nature scavenger hunt from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 1-888-327-2757. 

Halloween Stories and Songs for Preschoolers at 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Public Library, 1170 The Alameda, at Hopkins. 981-6250.  

Election 2008: Presidential Forum with representatives from the Clinton, Obama and Edwards Campaings at the Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club, at 6:45 p.m at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. 

“The Eccentrics of 19th Century Downtown Berkeley” with author Richard Schwartz at 7:30 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Reception to follow. Tickets are $15. Sponsored by Berkeley Architectural Heritage Assoc. 841-2242. www.berkeleyheritage.com 

“Seeking Palestinian-Israeli Peace” A discussion with Maha Abu-Dayyeh Shamas, Women’s Centre for Legal Aid & Counseling, Jerusalem; Anan Attiri, Director, Nablus Governorate; Naava Eisin, Director of the Archives of Jewish Education at Tel Aviv Univ.; Molly Malekar, Director of Bat Shalom of the Jerusalem Link and Jessica Neuwirth, Founding President, Equality Now, at 5 p.m. at Goldman School of Public Policy, Room 150, LeRoy Ave. entrance near Hearst. 

DataCenter’s 30th Anniversary Celebration Dinner and Reception to honor the DataCenter and its partners at 6 p.m. at Historic Sweet’s Ballroom, 1933 Broadway, Oakland Tickets are $100 per person, $50 per grassroots organizer, RSVP required. 839-3100.  

“Words of Hope” A discussion led by Stop the Traffik featuring the book “Global Sex Workers: Rights, Resistance, and Redefinition” at 5:30 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585.  

“Global Awakenings: Communities that Work for Everyone” An evening with Dr. A. T. Ariyaratne, founder of the Sarvodaya in Sri Lanka, at Alta Bates Health Education Center, 400 Hawthone Ave., Oakland. Suggested donation $10. www.bpf.org 

“Homeschooling 101” with parents and young people from Family Village, Berkeley, and Alameda Oakland Home Learners at 7:30 p.m. at Grace North Church, 1938 Cedar St. 895-2312. 

Easy Does It (EDI) Board of Directors’ Meeting at 6:30 p.m. at 1636 University Ave. 845-5513. www.easyland.org 

ONGOING 

Donate the Fruit From Your Fruit Trees We will gladly pick and deliver your fruit to community programs that feed school kids, the elderly, the homebound and the hungry. The fruit trees should be located in or very near North Berkeley and the fruit should be organic (no pesticides) and edible. This is a volunteer/grassroots thing so join in!! Please email northberkeleyharvest@gmail.com or 812-3369. 

Bay-Friendly Gardening Offers Discounted Compost Bins to Alameda County residents. In addition to the bins, they also offer free workshops, videos, brochures, and answers to your compost questions. To order a bin or for free information about composting, visit www.BayFriendly.org or call the compost information hotline 444-7645. 

CITY MEETINGS 

Downtown Area Plan Advisory Commission Community Workshop from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Berkeley High School Library, Allston and Milvia. 981-7487. 

Parks and Recreation Commission meets Mon., Oct. 22, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5158.  

Zero Waste Commission Mon., Oct. 22, at 7 p.m., at 1201 Second St. 981-6368.  

City Council meets Tues., Oct. 23, at 7 p.m in City Council Chambers. 981-6900. www.ci. 

berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil 

Citizens Humane Commission meets Wed., Oct. 24, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-6601. 

Civic Arts Commission meets Wed., Oct. 24, at 6:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7533.  

Disaster and Fire Safety Commission meets Wed., Oct. 24, at 7 p.m., at the Emergency Operations Center, 997 Cedar St. 981-5502.  

Energy Commission meets Wed., Oct. 24, at 6:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5434.  

Planning Commission meets Wed., Oct. 24, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7484. 

Mental Health Commission meets Wed., Oct. 25, at 6:30 p.m. at 2640 MLK Jr. Way, at Derby. 981-5213. 

Zoning Adjustments Board meets Thurs., Oct. 25 at 7 p.m., in City Council Chambers. 981-7410.

FRIDAY, OCT. 19 

THEATER 

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave., through Nov. 17. 525-1620. 

Altarena Playhouse “Morning’s at Seven” A family comedy by Paul Osborn Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Altarena Playhouse, 1409 High St., Alameda, through Nov. 11. Tickets are $17-$20. 523-1553.  

Central Works “Every Inch a King” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave., through Nov. 18. Tickets are $9-$25. 558-1381. centralworks.org 

“A Shirtwaist Tale” on American labor history, American women’s suffrage, and American Jewish history, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. Suggested donation $20. http://ashirtwaisttale.com  

Ragged Wing Ensemble “Alice in Wonderland” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Envision Academy, 1515 Webster St., Oakland. Tickets are $15-$30. 800-838-3006. www.raggedwing.org 

Shotgun Players “Bulrusher” Thurs.-Sun. at 8 p.m. at the Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. through Oct. 28. Tickets are $17-$25. 841-6500.  

Women’s Will “Antigone” Fri.-Sun. at 8 p.m. at Temescal Arts Center, 511 48th St. between Telegraph and Shattuck, Oakland, through Nov. 11. Tickets are $15-$25 sliding scale. 420-0813.  

EXHIBITIONS 

“One Way or Another: Asian American Art Now” Guided tour at 12:15 and 5:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. 

“Deadly Deviant” Mixed media exhibit celebrating Halloween and Day of the Dead. Opening reception at 7 p.m. at Eclectix Gallery, 7523 Fairmount Ave., El Cerrito. www.eclectixgallery.com 

FILM 

Midnight Movies “The Lost Boys” Fri. and Sat. at midnight at Piedmont Cinema, 4186 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. Cost is $8. 464-5980. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Carl Bernstein discusses “A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Book. 559-9500.  

Tim Maleeny reads from “Beating the Babushka” at 5:30 p.m. at Dark Carnival, 3086 Claremont Ave. 654-7323.  

“Chinese Opera and the Life of Mei Lanfang” A symposium from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Institute of East Asian Studies, 2223 Fulton St. Free.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

John Ulloa, CD release party, at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12. 849-2568.  

Guangzhou Ballet of China at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $32-$68. 642-9988.  

Medicine Ball Band at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ.  

The Stir Ensemble of Chicago at 8 p.m. at Free-Jazz Fridays at the Jazz House, 1510 8th St., Oakland. Cost is $5-$15. 415-846-9432. 

Reggae Angels, Mo’Rockin Project at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $15. 525-5054.  

Sheldon Brown Group at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15. 845-5373. 

The Rockits, Berkeley rock, at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

Reilly & Maloney at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $22.50-$23.50. 548-1761.  

Elizabeth August at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe. 595-5344.  

Fuzzy Cousins, Invincible Czars, Mojow & the Vibration Army at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082.  

Batch & Ras Attitude, Zioneers, Malika Madremana & The Greensphere Band at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low. Cost is $12-$15. 548-1159.  

Times 4 at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

David Sanchez at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $14-$20. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, OCT. 20 

CHILDREN  

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Derique, the high tech clown, at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $5 for adults, $4 for children. 849-2568.  

“The Wizard of Ahhhhs” Sat. and Sun. at 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. at Children’s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Ave. 452-2259. 

EXHIBITIONS 

Celebrating Plein Air Landscape in California Works by 25 prominent Bay Area artists on display Sat. and Sun. from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. 848-3227. www.hillsideclub.org 

Tea Pot Show Works by members of the Potters’ Studio in celebration of their 35th Anniversary. Sat. and Sun. from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 637 Cedar St. 528-3286. 

Native American Doll Maker Mercilla Comacho displays her pow wow dancer dolls Sat. from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sun. from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Gathering Tribes, 1573 Solano Ave. 528-9038. 

“Masks of Africa” from the collection of Hogan Edet and Judah Dwyer. Opening reception at 6 p.m. at Float Gallery, 1091 Calcot Place, Unit #116, Oakland. www.thefloatcenter.com 

FILM 

“Seven Chances” with Judith Rosenberg on piano at 3 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Rajiv Chandrasekharan describes “Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq’s Green Zone” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Mark Wilson on “Julia Morgan: Architect of Beauty” at 7 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. RSVP to 228-3207. 

Alice Medrich describes “Pure Dessert: True Falvors, Inspiring Ingredients, and Simple Recipes” at 4 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

Rhythm & Muse featuring poet Garrett Murphy at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. 644-6893.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

San Francisco Early Music Society The New Esterhazy Quartet performs A Haydn Quartet Dateline of Early America at 8 p.m. at St. John's Presbyterian Church, 2727 College at Garber. Tickets are $10-$25. 528-1725. www.sfems.org 

Guangzhou Ballet of China at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $32-$68. 642-9988.  

Oakland Ballet “Oakland Ballet Company Returns” at 2 and 8 p.m. at Paramount Theater, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. Tickets are $15-$50. 465-6400. 

The Palmer-Cogan Duo with flutist Kris Palmer and pianist Dmitriy Cogan at 8 p.m. at Trinity Chapel, 2320 Dana St. Tickets are $8-$12. 549-3864.  

Broceliande’s Autumnal Celebration House Concert at 8 p.m. in Piedmont. To RSVP and for location call 569-0437. 

Soul Summer Night at the Museum with Oakland School for the Arts, Renee Neufville, Stabe Wilson at 8 p.m. at Oakland Museum, 1000 Oak St. Cost is $25. 629-4139. 

Vicki Randle from the band of the Tonight Show benefit concert for the Pacific Center, a LGBT Community Center at 8 p.m. at Left Coast Cyclery, 2928 Domingo Ave. Tickets are $20. 204-8552.  

Skylar at noon at Cafe Zeste, 1250 Addison St. at Bonar. 704-9378. 

The KTO Project at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $15. 849-2568.  

Ellen Robinson & Her Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ.  

The Unreal Band, Pat Quinn Tribute at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13. 525-5054.  

Mario DeSio, Daivid Gans and Ira Marlowe at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Lost Weekend at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $19.50-$20.50. 548-1761.  

Larry Stefl Jazz Group at 9:30 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $5. 843-2473. 

Eddie Marshall & Holy Mischief at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15-$18. 845-5373. 

Zoyres, Samvega at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $TBA. 841-2082.  

Bag O’ Goodies at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Howdy, rockabilly, bluegrass, at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

David Sanchez at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $14-$20. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SUNDAY, OCT. 21 

THEATER 

“By George, It’s War!” A musical satarization of the Bush administration by Dale Polissar at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $18-$20. 849-2568. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“One Way or Another: Asian American Art Now” Guided tour at 2 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. 

Richard Whittaker and Rue Harrison Photographs and Drawings. Reception at 4 p.m. at The LightRoom, 2263 Fifth St. 649-8111. 

“Celebrating the Fabric of Our Lives” A presentation and exhibition of quilts from 2 to 4 p.m. at Salem Lutheran Home, 2361 East 29th St., Oakland. 534-3637. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Orhan Pamuk reads from “Other Colors: Essays and A Story” at 7 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. Donations accepted. 559-9500. 

Asian American Poetry Now at 3 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. 

An Afternoon with Danny Lyon, documentary photographer and filmmaker at 3:30 p.m., UC Campus. Cost is $12. For reservations see www.fotovision.org 

Leslie Piels and Ann Leyhe describe “Succulents for Containers” at 4 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

Ayamanatara reads from “365 Days to Enlightenment” at noon at All About Eve, 862 San Pablo Ave., Albany. 559-9901. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Community Music Day at Crowden Music Center, with the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free. ccmc@crowden.org 

Live Oak Concert with Marvin Sanders, flute and Lena Lubotsky, piano, at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. Cost is $10. 644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

California Bach Society performs Handel “For the Duke of Chandos” at 4 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft at Ellsworth. Tickets are $10-$25. 415-262-0272. www.calbach.org 

Davitt Moroney, 16th Century English Keyboard music at 4 p.m. at St. John's Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Tickets are $20. 854-6830. 

Guangzhou Ballet of China at 3 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $32-$68. 642-9988.  

Otro Mundo & Agresi Boss in a benefit for Hurricane Felix survivors in Nicaragua from 4 to 7 p.m. at Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists Hall, 1924 Cedar St. Suggested donation $10-$20. 644-0323. 

The Mo’Rockin Project at Jazz at the Chimes at 2 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $10 for concert and reception. 228-3218. 

The Very Hot Club at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Crotty/Phipps/Corman Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ.  

Trick Kernan Combo at 11 a.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Americana Unplugged: Claudia Russel at 5 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

William Beatty and The Unconditionals at 6:30 p.m. at The Mt. Everest Restaurant 2011 Shattuck Ave. at University. 665-6035.  

CDQ+2 at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12-$18. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

MONDAY, OCT. 22 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Linda Spalding describes “Who Named the Knife: A Book of Murder and Mystery” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 559-9500. 

Patrick Durgin, Jen Hofer, Dolores Dorantes and Jesse Seldess read at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

Poetry Express with Steve Arntsen at 7 p.m., at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. 644-3977. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Musica ha Disconnesso, traditional Italian music, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Kurt Ribak, jazz, at 7 p.m. at Le Bateau Ivre, 2629 Telegraph Ave. 849-1100.  

Barbara Morrison at 8 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $16. 238-9200.  

TUESDAY, OCT. 23 

FILM 

“Free Radical: The Films of Len Lye” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808.  

Arab Film Festival Leila Khaled: “Hijacker” Screening and panel discussion at 7 p.m. on UC Campus. Tickets are $8-$10. For details see www.aff.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Poetry Flash with Alta Ifland and Gary Young at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley City College auditorium, 2050 Center St. 525-5476. 

Norman Soloman talks about his new documentary “War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death” and his new book “Made Love, Got War: Close Encounters with America’s Warfare State” at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

“East Wind Melts the Ice: A Memoir through the Seasons” A conversation with author Liza Dalby at 5:30 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585.  

“The Ecstasy of Influence” Local writers try out new material at 7:30 p.m. at Laurel Bookstore, 4100 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland. 531-2073. 

Katha Pollitt talks about “Learning to Drive: And Other Life Stories” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Mariza, Mozambique-born fado singer, at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $24-$46. 642-9988.  

Swamp Coolers at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $10. 525-5054. 

Singers’ Open Mic with Kelly Park at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ.  

Harry Manx at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

George Cotsirilos Trio at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

Dafnis Prieto Absolute Quintet at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $8-$16. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 24 

FILM 

Arab Film Festival in Berkeley Wed., and Fri.-Sun. at California Theater, 2113 Kittredge St. Tickets are $8-$10. www.aff.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

A.J. Jacobs describes “The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible” at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. Donations accepted. 559-9500. 

“Writing Teachers Write” Monthly student/teacher reading series at 5 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Berkeley Poetry Slam with host Charles Ellik and Three Blind Mice, at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5-$7. 841-2082 www.starryploughpub.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Oakland East Bay Symphony Brass Quintet at noon at Oakland City Center, 12th and Broadway. www.oaklandcitycenter.com 

Music for the Spirit with Ron McKean on harpsichord at 12:15 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Oakland, 2619 Broadway. 444-3555. 

Susan Rancourt & Her Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $9. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Bernard Anderson & the Old School Band at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Saoco at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Salsa dance lessons at 8:30 p.m. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

Mysterioso at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Akosua at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790.  

Catie Curtis, Rachel Garlin at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $21.50-$22.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Montclair Women’s Big Band at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$15. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

THURSDAY, OCT. 25 

EXHIBITIONS 

“One Way or Another: Asian American Art Now” Guided tour at 12:15 and 5:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. 

THEATER 

“By George, It’s War!” A musical satarization of the Bush administration by Dale Polissar at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $18-$20. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Richard Schwartz describes “The Eccentrics of 19th Century Downtown Berkeley” at 7:30 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Reception to follow. Tickets are $15. Sponsored by Berkeley Architectural Heritage Assoc. 841-2242. www.berkeleyheritage.com 

Gail Tsukiyama reads from “The Street of a Thousand Blossoms” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

“Words of Hope” A discussion led by Stop the Traffik featuring the book “Global Sex Workers: Rights, Resistance, and Redefinition” at 5:30 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585. www.universitypressbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Catie Curtis, Rachel Garlin at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $21.50-$22.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Bob Kenmotsu Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $8. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Laura Klein and Ted Wolff at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

Redhouse, Ancient Mystic & the Real Far Band at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082. 

Antioquia at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790.  

New York Voices at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $18-$22. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com

Beneath a massive red crossbeam spanning two posts like an arch, a young Asian man is telling a bright little girl a story—it could be a bedtime story—about “the all-time number one honeybear” in the mountains of Japan, as low music from a koto player and a cellist flows around and through their words. 

The little girl interrupts, inquisitively: So this bear’s different from the others?—and her storyteller agrees, adding that new wrinkle to the tale he seems to be shaping on the spot. 

But after the little girl’s gone to bed, her mother, old classmate of the storyteller, talks about her bad dreams since the earthquake, how she’s afraid of “The Earth-quake Man,” who wants to stuff her and everybody else in town into a box.  

The storyteller, who answers a question about his work with, “Like always, I write ’em, they print ’em, and nobody reads ’em—the short story’s on its way out, like the slide rule,” on finding himself alone, everybody asleep, immediately begins a tall tale about a frog, who quotes Hemingway and Conrad, enlisting a nondescript Shin-juku banker to help him fight a giant, angry worm in his lair beneath Tokyo, in a last-ditch attempt to save the metropolis from a fatal temblor. 

So the origami-like folds-within-folds of storytelling expand outward, accordion-like, plot flopping over and enveloping previous plots, as Frank Galati’s adaptation of raconteurish Japanese author Haruki Muri-kami’s whimsical yet pointed After the Quake spins out on the Thrust Stage at Berkeley Rep. 

As the bedtime tale of the honeybear begets a planned trip to the zoo to see a real bear, then jumps the tracks and merges, somehow, with the ongoing and cartoonish “Superfrog Saves Tokyo” improvisation, the third dimension is filled in with intermittent flashbacks from the storyteller’s autobiography. Appropriately, for a third line intersecting the other two, is the familiar tale of two dissimilar school chums in love with the same girl, whom the brasher one marries while the three remain fast friends.  

All three tales alternate, like syncopations in the background string duet, as the motifs from each become familiar in the others, accents shifting from fantasy to memory to the equally fictive story of the present. 

The adaptor, long a Steppenwolf Theatre Company associate (perhaps best known as co-author with Laurence Kasdan of the screenplay for The Accidental Tourist), directs the sharp, skillful cast with a light touch, rendering the spot-on timing necessary to keep the interlocking Chinese box puzzle of the plot moving never facile nor cloying, the changes between tales adroit, the switches of character fluid and unobtrusive. The word-for-word style self-narration of characters from the expository prose (like read-aloud stage directions) of the book is simple but dramatically viable as they act out, yet talk their way through, illusion and reality. 

Hanson Tse as Junpei the storyteller and Jennifer Shin as Sayoko and a nurse both do a fine, sensitive job portraying their characters, as does Gemma Madison Logan V. Phan, alternating with Gemma Megumi Fa-Kaji, as little Sala. Keong Sim as the bookending Narrator of the whole compound tale, as well as (just plain) Frog, and Paul H. Juhn as the brash jock-turned-cynical-city-desk-reporter as well as the colorless banker prove remarkable in both quick-change artistry and comic timing. 

Murakami’s story, taken from two episodes in his novel of the same name, comes off a little bit like a simpler version of Flannery O’Brien’s At-Swim-Two-Birds, a pioneer of self-cannibalizing tales about voracious narratives and their unassuming, escapist storytellers. 

Murakami, son of a pair of Japanese literature teachers, who describes refined Japanese prose as “a kind of bonsai,” was heavily influenced by the shiny surface of postwar American popular culture and its loner individualism. Galati and other non-Japanese adherents to his fiction seem to regard him a little bit like a postmodern J. D. Salinger, a Japanese group-conscious, overly socialized Everyman embroiled with his subconscious in translation to the literalistic, storytelling stage. 

James Schuette’s set adds to the sense of action and overarching reverie, just as the compositions of Andre Pluess and Ben Sussman underpin both moods and modes, as played by cellist Jason McDermott and Jeff Wichman on koto—though there’s maybe a little too much of “Norwegian Wood” as leitmotif, the title of one of Murakami’s books, as well as The Beatles’ knowing number. 

AFTER THE QUAKE 

Through Nov. 25 at the Berkeley Rep,  

2025 Addison St. 647-2900. 

“It’s kind of Antigone In Wonderland,” said Erin Merritt, founder of Woman’s Will, the Oakland-based all-female Shakespeare and classics troupe (who nonetheless have staged Brecht-Weill’s Happy End and Oscar Wilde’s The Important of Being Earnest), about its Bay Area premiere of contemporary playwright Mac Wellman’s Antigone, opening this week at the Temescal Arts Center on Tele-graph in North Oak-land. 

Familiar to most from school, where Sophocles’ original tragedy ranks with his Oedipus Rex as probably the most fa-miliar of classic plays, Wellman’s version seems to be the least faithful—at least on the surface—to the ancient text of all the many adaptations (including those by Brecht, Anouilh and Cocteau) penned over the past two millenia.  

“From the audience, it looks totally different,” said Merritt. “The same classical structure is there, but the characters from the original are hardly ever glimpsed. Wellman has it as the Three Fates, like three schoolgirls, playacting Antigone’s story as they spin it out, using this play-within-a-play as the springboard for the Three Fates to become the Three Graces.” 

Wellman, also a novelist and poet, whose work has been characterized as “pulverizing the syntax of traditional theater” and not to be “summarized or translated into any other medium,” deals with logic and illogic and the shifting nature of ordinary language in trying to deal with the great questions of identity, community, law and justice, that sense of nonsense being another point of comparison with Lewis Carroll’s sublime dream-tale. 

“Most storytelling is horizontal,” Merritt said, “from point to point, episodes on a timeline. Wellman’s is vertical—it’s several stories, all at once, stacked on top of each other. Like in a dream, it makes sense while it’s happening, but it can be hard to decipher later. So we’re asking audiences to stay for a talkback after every show, to collaborate with us by telling what they saw. Everybody always sees things differently, anyway. It’s a really heady piece. Those who’ve taken philosophy classes will get references to the centuries-long logical arguments in the play, but everybody, including kids, will enjoy seeing it, just as a piece of fun.” 

He said crossword puzzle solvers and game players will love it.  

“It uses logic and illogic to create an alternative reality, to push past the ordinary into the wonderful—and we stage that by juggling different genres and metaphors,” he said. “We have sort of a rave aesthetic.” 

Besides the Fates, there’s a fourth character, the Shriek Operator, named after a typographical mark in philosophical discussions that resembles an exclamation point, “a unique, unrepeatable situation ... which yanks and jangles the Fates, pushing them into contradiction and out of it again.” 

Woman’s Will has a blog with rehearsal notes from some of the actors (http://womanswill.blogspot.com), one that compares the play to a production of Streetcar Named Desire, as if the characters would holler out “Stella!” 

“Our audiences are used to seeing our all-female casts infuse difficultly worded classics with references to modern day,” said Merritt. “This time, we simply take them farther down the rabbit hole with us to Wonderland. It’s a play for those full of curiosity to enjoy—about puzzles, not answers.” 

Antigone 

Woman’s Will 

Fri.-Sun. 8 p.m. 

Temescal Arts Center, 511 48th St., Oakland 

$15-$25 

through Nov. 11 

420-0813, www.womanswill.org

Sergio Leone is often thought of as an ironic and humorous filmmaker, a mischievous genre deconstructionist. But though his films have plenty of humor and wit and mischief, they also contain great beauty and depth and insight. Though he may have worked most famously in a genre largely considered pulp—the Western—but Leone was one of the great cinematic artists.  

Pacific Film Archive is presenting seven of Leone’s best films, starting Saturday and running through Oct. 28.  

Leone is best known for his films with Clint Eastwood, the so-called “spaghetti westerns” in which the director deconstructed and built upon the traditions of a uniquely American genre. The “Dollars Trilogy” culminated in perhaps his most beloved film, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1967). But his masterpiece is Once Upon a Time in the West, (1968) a nearly three-hour epic that re-imagines the great myths and imagery of western expansion.  

Leone did not merely deconstruct and caricature the Western, he revitalized it, bringing a greater depth and mystery to its vistas and villains. He delved into the roots of the form’s archetypes, digging up the primal thoughts, emotions and characters that inhabited the landscape. And then he magnified it all; he distilled the genre to its essence and then spread it on thick in deep sepia tones.  

But it is the faces of his characters, even more than the dramatic Monument Valley backdrop, that provide Once Upon a Time in the West’s most enduring images. Leone deepened the impact of the close-up, juxtaposing and equating the rugged terrain of the landscape with the equally rugged terrain of the human face, each giving greater significance to the other. The eyes of his sweat-soaked, sun-scarred outlaws reflect the landscape and imbue it with meaning, and the landscape shapes the characters who survey it.  

Though the widescreen format is ideal for shooting vast panoramic landscapes, it poses problems for photographing people. Close-ups must crop the face above the eye, and still leave wide swaths of wasted open space on either side. Leone made use of these limitations brilliantly, however, bringing his camera in even tighter and expertly balancing close-up faces on one side of the frame with open vistas on the other.  

Leone’s masterful use of the widescreen format is particularly evident in the scene where Jill arrives at the McBain ranch to find the bodies of her husband and his children laid out on tables in the dooryard. The body of her husband, his head in the lower left corner of the frame, slants upwards across the frame to where Jill’s grief-stricken face is positioned in the upper right. Across the frame to the left of her is a group of attentive neighbors dressed in black, and behind them the rugged hills as backdrop. In one expertly composed image, Leone tells the whole story.  

Leone knew how to move his camera as well. One of the most stirring moments in any Western comes when Jill first arrives in Flagstone, hoping to find her new husband waiting for her at the train station. She waits and watches in vain as the throng of passengers moves past until she finally heads into the station office. And here begins a brilliant marriage of form and content: Leone’s camera follows her to the door and then watches through the window as she asks for directions from the station agent. The agent guides her through a door on the opposite side of the building as Leone lifts his camera above the window, up the wall and over the roof, and as the music swells we get our first look at the town, all construction and bustling activity. It is the birth of the West, and we encounter it along with Jill, who is soon to become its guiding feminine life force. Indeed, it is as if the town only comes to life once she lays eyes on it. It is a shot full of the promise, the legend, the myth and the glory of the West, achieved with simple but masterful technique. 

Claudia Cardinale, as Jill, is in fact the cornerstone of the film. Though the photogenic Italian’s voice was dubbed by an actress with a better grasp of English, Cardinale was not cast simply as eye candy, but for her expressive face and her ability to project a mix of weariness and determination. In the scene at the station and again toward the end of the film, when Harmonica walks into the house only to announce his departure, Cardinale demonstrates her talent in close-ups that see her effortlessly transition from happy anticipation to crestfallen disillusionment to iron-willed perseverance. Her face is beautiful yet damaged, once by the life she has escaped and again when the life she hopes to escape to is ripped from her grasp. And again Leone demonstrates his knowledge and faith in the terrain of the human face, patiently holding the camera’s gaze on Jill as the emotional change overtakes her features.  

As the New Orleans hooker turned pioneer homesteader, Jill may at first seem like a mere variation on a stock Western character. But Leone is after something else here. Throughout the film, Jill is consistently associated with water—the water that runs beneath the dream of a town that will be known as Sweetwater; the water that will fuel the heaving, churning steam train that represents progress; the water she heats for the weary Cheyenne’s coffee; the hot bath with which she renews herself after suffering the world’s degradations; and the water she brings to the thirsty railroad workers in the film’s closing shot. She is the life force of this brave new world, the madonna that gives birth to this new land. And though the moments when her clothing is torn or barely held together by flimsy string may seem at first like simple exploitation, there is greater significance in these images. For in the end it will be her strength and determination that shine through the dust and violence, just as it is her beauty and courage that are unleashed once her dandified city clothes are torn apart, the phony veneer of sophistication and respectability giving way to the earthy mother of the West.