AFI FESTIVAL : ‘Peckinpah--Man of Iron’ by Those Who Knew Him

Following are The Times’ recommendations for today’s schedule of the American Film Institute International Film Festival, with commentary by the film-reviewing staff. All screenings, except where noted, are at Laemmle’s Monica 4-Plex, 1332 2nd St., Santa Monica. Information: (213) 466-1767.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED:

“SAM PECKINPAH--MAN OF IRON”(Great Britain; director Paul Joyce; 1:15 and 6:25 p.m.) Anyone who knew and cared about Peckinpah and his films will rediscover him in the words of these interviewees: people who appreciated his gifts as man and filmmaker but were not blind to his capacity for self-destruction and paranoia. James Coburn, Ali MacGraw, Monte Hellman, Kris Kristofferson and many others offer sharp insights into a tumultuous life and career. The film is simultaneously revealing about how hard it is to do good work in Hollywood and to handle movie success when it finally does arrive. (Kevin Thomas) CRITIC’S CHOICE: A discussion with The Times’ Thomas.

“CHILDREN OF NATURE”(Iceland; Fridrik Thor Fridrikkson; 3:30 and 8:50 p.m.) Stunningly bleak or grand scenery surrounds the characters here: Iceland’s gnarled coast, icy waters and sculpted mountains, before which man--or woman--can seem puny and the occasional city a near-absurdity. Nature is the theme: One elderly man leaves it for civilization, destroying his past life, then flees back with an old, lost love. It’s a mystical road movie, yet it’s always empathetic and watchable. Fridrikkson has a potent hand and poetic eye--and some of the most spectacular landscapes available anywhere. (Michael Wilmington)

“COWS”(Spain; Julio Medem; 3:45 and 9 p.m.) The young Basque writer-director Julio Medem has a spectacular visual sense; his feature debut has more striking compositions than any new film in AFIFEST ‘92, but “Zentropa” and “Voice in the Wilderness.” Narrative audacity as well: This four-part epic, set in the Basque countryside, spans some 60 years (1875-1936), and revolves around the entwined fates of the families of two Carlist soldiers, a landowner who dies and an aizkolari (champion log-cutter) who lives. Betrayal, cowardice and rampaging sexuality haunt the tale from its start; the “cows” are the observers, into whose bland, non-judgmental eyes we occasionally sink. Here is a real talent. Excessive as the movie is, it’s the kind of excess that often takes beauty by storming it. (M. W.)

“HOME SWEET HOME”(Great Britain; Mike Leigh; 6:30 p.m.). The life and times of three not so jolly postmen, centering on Stan, a sullen ladies’ man, deserted by his wife, who has placed his even more sullen daughter in an orphanage. Like all of Leigh’s work, funnier and sadder than any brief description can manage to convey, and noteworthy for its portrayal of two inept and thoughtless social workers who couldn’t help anyone out of a paper bag. (Kenneth Turan)

RECOMMENDED:

“MY AMERICAN GRANDSON”(Taiwan; Ann Hui; 6:15 p.m.). Ann (“Boat People”) Hui’s affectionate portrait of an elderly Shanghai pensioner and his brash U.S.-raised grandson coming to terms with each other, suffers from cultural cartooning: The American kid, for all his skateboard and jive, is clearly not American. It’s a sweet film, thick with street color and detail; rather than cultural collision, it’s about bonds of blood. (M. W.)

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”(Germany; Doris Dorrie; 1:30 and 6:45 p.m.). Doris Dorrie loves Billy Wilder’s movies--and she’s caught something like his brash, urbane wit here. It’s a private eye thriller, but it’s no film noir parody. The shamus, Kemal (Hansa Czypionka), is Turkish-born and German-raised, a real outsider, discriminated against by both sides, beholden to none. That twist renders all the hard-boiled noir conventions that “Birthday” recycles--the sleazy office, the femme fatale client, the crooked cops, colorful crooks, scandals and badinage--bitingly new and fresh. A very entertaining movie. (M. W.)

Others: “Social Suicide” (United States; Lawrence Foldes; 4 and 9:15 p.m.) Unintentionally offensive attempt at satire, involving a debutante’s insistence on having a ball escort with a Spanish surname. (K. T.). “The Neon Ceiling” (United States, 1970; Frank Pierson; AFI Goodson, 7 p.m.). An impressive 1970 movie-for-TV . . . with Lee Grant’s Emmy-winning performance as a wife in flight. (K. T.)

Tributes: Songwriter Al Dubin, with film clips and guests. (8:45 p.m.)