Tuesday, October 21, 2014

October revivals part 2











Hey all. Mike here with a revival list for the rest of October. Small list, but let me not waste time, here we go:

RETURN OF THE PINK PANTHER (1975) and THE PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN (1976)- Thurs Oct 23 at 6:30- Howard Gillman Theater at Lincoln Center- One admission for both films. A double feature of a couple of the biggest comedy hits of the 1970s. Also among the most successful comedy sequels ever made (adjusted for inflation). Return of The Pink Panther and The Pink Panther Strikes Again, screened in time for the 40th anniversary of the start of the Panther series. The key for me wanting to see this double feature is Return, which is NEVER shown in revival houses around here. United Artists refused to fund the film, after A Shot in the Dark and Inspector Clouseau (without Blake Edwards and Peter Sellers) flopped in the Sixties. Lew Grade's ITC funded the film (UA refused to partner, merely to distribute), and enjoyed the bulk of the profits. After Grade died and his estate was (still is?) in disarray, many works from ITC languished in rights/distribution limbo, including Return of. Only available in a slapdash, pan-and-scan DVD (and not on Blu-ray), you would have to wait for the occasional TCM screening to see this film the way it was shown in 75-76. Until now, for one night only.

 2 films that revived the careers of star Peter Sellers and director Blake Edwards, that some fans of the series prefer over the first two from the 1960s. Or at least prefer certain sequences over whole films in the series. First, Return, from 1975. Once again, the famous Pink Panther jewel has been stolen from the museum of Lugash, and once again Inspector Clouseau has been assigned, over his increasingly manic boss Dreyfus' objections, to find the jewel. The inspector has the notorious Phantom, Sir Charles Lytton, as his prime suspect. But Sir Litton didn't do it, not wanting to lose his luxurious retirement life or time with his beautiful wife (Catherine Schell). So as Clouseau travels around Europe trying to pin this on Lytton (nearly destroying his mansion in the process), Lytton's wife tries to stymie Clouseau at every turn, while her husband travels to find the real thief. As all this goes on, the Lugash secret police has its own issues, and Dreyfus stews with that blinking eye of his . . .

 Lots of plot(s) as you can see, something that hurts the pacing as we are forced to slow down from hysterical moments to merely ok moments. Christopher Plummer is an interesting replacement for David Niven. Not really given much that is humorous, but arguably more virile and physical than Niven. Fans of Plummer's work over the past 10 or so years or strictly from Sound of Music might be surprised by his physicality. And Schell, as his wife is probably a secret ingredient to the success of this film. Beautiful, with chemistry with her husband similar to Nick and Nora Charles, and more than a match for anyone she goes up against. 

 Many elements that are considered important elements to those Panther films were established in the first two Panther films, but stood out more in a film that was more successful than either The Pink Panther or A Shot in the Dark. Henry Mancini's music. Burt Kwouk as Clouseau's overly aggressive man-servant Cato. Herbert Lom as Dreyfus, the Chief Inspector slowly driven mad the incompetent and oblivious Clouseau. Edwards's favorite character actor Graham Stark stealing his scenes from Plummer. DePatie-Freleng's animated credits, featuring the cartoon Pink Panther and Inspector characters; Return features the best animated credits of  the entire series.

 And then we have Peter Sellers, returning to A ist status as Clouseau. Not a role he wanted to return to, but whose success kept him as an A-lister until his death five years later. Return has what I feel is Seller's best scenes in the entire series. His argument with "the Be-lind Bee- gaarrr" with his "min-key" while a bank robbery takes place, his losing battles with a doorbell, a vacuum cleaner, a telephone, and a parrot. His examining the crime scene. Plus the best confrontations with Cato and Dreyfus in the entire series. Throw in cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth's work and the great location work in France, Morocco and Switzerland, and you have a gem of a film rarely seen in the way it was intended. Time to change that.

 Followed by The Pink Panther Strikes Again, from 1976. Dreyfus is driven insane one time too many by Clouseau. To the point that Dreyfus is driven permanently insane. To the point that the former Chief Inspector becomes a criminal mastermind, forming his own gang, and threatening world domination. Dreyfus won't commit that last act if all the nations of the world don't conspire to kill Clouseau. A harder job than it looks for all involved. A broader film than most in the Panther series, but a tighter film than Return. This film has a few excellent scenes: When Clouseau accidentally undoes a year of Dreyfus's therapy in mere minutes, another Cato/ Clouseau fight plus Clouseau's time in his Hunchback disguise, Clouseau's interrogation of a manor's staff in England, all the world's best assassins trying to kill Clouseau at an Oktoberfest. Plus there's the scenes most famous line, where Clouseau asks "Does your dog bite?". Overall, a fun night for all:
       
http://www.filmlinc.com/films/on-sale/pink-panther-50th-anniversary
VERTIGO (1958)- Sat Oct 25, Mon Oct 27, Tues Oct 28 and Thurs Oct 30 at 7 and 9:45, plus Sat Oct 25 at 3:30- Film Forum- A 4k digital restoration. Possibly the same glorious DCP restoration that premiered at the Forum a few years back. If you're the kind of person who looks at sites like this, than you're familiar with the Hitchcock classic. A tragic romance with poor guy Jimmy Stewart, going down the emotional Rabbit Hole of Doom as he falls for Kim Novack, and tries not to literally fall due to his vertigo. The story of obsessive love that has never been done better than this. Not on the big screen anyway.

A film that was ignored at best and derided at worst in its initial release, but attained instant classic status upon its 1984 re-release. a near permanent fixture on most AFI Top 100 lists. In some recent film articles listing best movies, Vertigo has made the leap to 1st or 2nd. Not quite sure about that, but on my own Top 40 for sure.

Now again, note that I haven't written much at all about the story itself. To paraphrase Martin Scorsese when he wrote about Vertigo, not only is Vertigo required viewing, it also requires a Personal Response. Your life experiences will determine how you will take it. I'm guessing anyone who looks at my lists has seen Vertigo before. Therefore, you jumped past following the plot and can get to the heart (figuratively and literally) of the story and how it connects with you. Now you have a week to see this, I'm only posting the possible days and times I could do it in theory:

 http://filmforum.org/film/vertigo-film-page
Next we have two films playing at the same time at IFC Center. Majority rules as to which one is done:
LIQUID SKY (1982)- Tues Oct 28 at 8 with post film discussion by Slava Mogutin- IFC Center- Part of IFC Center's Queer Art Film series, singling out films that involved and or influenced an artist in New York's Gay/Lesbian community. A New York cult film from 1983, that played for several years as a Midnight movie, at the old theater on the same site as the IFC Center, the Waverly. Aliens land on Earth, seeking the substance they find vital, heroin. Landing on what they think is normal Earth, downtown New York during the punk scene, they become fascinated with a female model and her casual sex ways. They also become interested in an androgynous male model. Both models played by actress Anne Carlisle. And if you don't know the film, I'm not going any further.

 The film had champions in a way, in the form of Siskel and Ebert. But after the 1980's, the film has dropped out of sight. Some put it on their list of bad films. Others put it in their list of fascinating cult films. A time capsule of the look and feel of the downtown scene of early 80's New York, in a sci-fi filter. As for who is doing the post film discussion, I'll cut and paste from IFC center's description of this:

  . . . The film’s vision of New York City as the coolest, strangest, most exciting place on Earth was particularly appealing to a generation of artists, freaks and queers, including our guest presenter, Russian-American artist and writer Slava Mogutin who moved here after being exiled for his subversive and pro-gay writings and activism in 1995:

 http://www.ifccenter.com/films/liquid-sky/
MOON OVER BROADWAY (1998) with post-film Q and A with Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker- Tues Oct 28 at 8- IFC Center- Part of IFC Center's D.A. Pennebaker/ Chris Hegedus retrospective. A rare screening of 1998's Moon Over Broadway, the documentary that covered the very difficult task of getting Ken Ludwig's Moon Over Buffalo rwady and open for Broadway. From the press conference, to the clashes involving playwright Ludwig, the producers, director Tom Moore, and leads Carol Burnett (TV star attempting a Broadway comeback thirty years after her last show flopped under murky circumstances) and Philip Bosco (who might have wished he was never born by the time we get to opening night). Disagreements, backstabbing, bad reviews during tryouts, the kind of thing that made Nathan Lane (when he was praising the film) probably think There But For The Grace of God Go I. Due to rights issues (possibly by people who didn't like the way they were portrayed?), this film is NOT on DVD (therefore not on Netflix), and is rarely screened on cable. So this might be the only chance you get to see this documentary. Directors Pennebaker and Hegedus will talk about the film and the show afterwards:

 http://www.ifccenter.com/films/moon-over-broadway/
PSYCHO (1960) for 6 dollars- Wed Oct 29 at 2 and 7- AMC Empire- Honestly, I'm not trying to make a habit of posting this film each and every time it comes up. It's that I haven't seen it each time I've posted, and I'm gonna try again when it's playing at a convenient time for me. Which it is here.

 Familiar to many, but I'm telling you, it's a completely different beast on the big screen as opposed to TV. You're not spending time in your living room, check marking all the familiar aspects of the story. This story sucks you in, lulls you into thinking one way, and then turns it around. Now you know the film's story, you wouldn't be looking at this list if you've never heard of Psycho. But this tightly edited story draws you despite what you know. And if you've somehow NEVER seen it, oh boy I'd like to see this with you.

 And despite being an unplanned landmark in the horror genre, slasher sub-section, I would argue that this plays more like a suspense thriller then a horror pic. So those that have problems with horror flicks, should be ok with this. Interesting to watch acting-wise, as well. John Gavin's boyfriend performance hasn't aged too well, and Vera Miles's isn't bad, but definitely more then a little annoying. Not as shrill as Julianne Moore's in the remake, but still. Martin Balsam continued his reliable character actor work here, as a more believable ex-cop then Bill Macy in the remake.

 There is a reason why this is Janet Leigh's most memorable performance, and it's not because of the shower scene. Go ahead, name another memorable performance of hers. Oops, Touch of Evil, not quite. Being part of the memorable opening scene doesn't qualify as a performance. And Manchurian Candidate doesn't count either. Being the red herring of a story's plot, eh, whatever. Despite Hitchcock's (alleged) feeling about actor being cattle, Leigh gets to play a truly conflicted person. Decent, wanting more out of life, caught up in temptation, then over her head looking for a way out, which is about when she pulls into the Bates Motel.

 But Anthony Perkins' performance feels modern today. Creepy, alive, desperate to open up, yet jittery within his own skin, and with just a little anger threatening to bubble up. Ole' Hitch may not have understood what Perkins was bringing to the table, but Alfred was patient enough to give him free rein. Thanks to the success of this, Tony could never be free of the typecasting. Oscar nominations for Leigh (her only one), Hitch for Director (his last nomination), Cinematography and Art Direction. On both AFI Top 100 lists and in my personal top 100:

 https://www.amctheatres.com/movies/classic-series-psycho-1960

Let me know if there's interest, later all.
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Tuesday, October 07, 2014

October revival: part 1













Hey all, Mike here with a revival list for the bulk of October. I intended to post earlier and include one or two additional films, but I just ran out of time. I'm not doing an even split with the calendar. That's because I may not post another October list, or if I do, I suspect it will be a small list. But that's in the future, here we go with the present list: 



MASH for 6 dollars- Wed Oct 8 at 7- AMC Empire- A cheap screening of one of my favorites, MASH, gets a cheap screening at AMC Empire. One of the best comedies ever made, one of the best satires ever made, one of the best anti-war films ever made. More of a mosaic as opposed to a linear story, put together by Robert Altman in what would soon be noticed as a signature style. Overlapping or overlaying dialogue, long shots, music and sound effects drifting in and out and to either obscure or enhance said overlapping dialogue. All in the service of the story of an American hospital unit during the Korean War and the crazy eccentric Army doctors (Donald Sutherland, Elliot Gould and Tom Skerritt) doing their best to keep their patients alive, to buck the efforts of ramrod regular Army types (Robert Duvall and Sally Kellerman among them), and keep themselves and their friends and colleagues sane. Not a testament to screenwriting, since almost all the dialogue was improvised. More a triumph of editing and of a director who managed to piece together his vision in the editing room. Also a triumph in the casting department, considering how many working character actor types had careers thanks to MASH (use IMDB on your own for this).

Oscar nominations for Picture, Altman for Director, Kellerman for Supporting Actress, and for Editing. An Oscar for Screenplay Adaptation. An award screenwriter Ring Lardner Jr. took has sweet revenge for how little of his dialogue was used. Altman was fine with it, crediting Laudner Jr. for providing the template from where all the ideas would eventually spring forth from. In both AFI Top 100 lists, and in my personal Top 40 all time as well:  




YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN- Thurs Oct 9 at 7:30- Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington- One of the great comedies gets a relatively rare revival screening out in Huntington. Of the two Mel Brooks comedies from 1974, I prefer Blazing Saddles, but boy is it close. I've seen this enough times where I just smile but laugh out loud? Not so much. But then Marty Feldman comes onscreen as Igor (pronounced Eye-Gore), we have Gene Hackman as the blind man who puts the monster thru Hell, we have Putting On The Ritz, that's pronounced Frank-en-stein, and all is right with the world. Never mind Put The Candle BACK!!! 2 Oscar nominations, for Sound and for Gene Wilder's and Brooks' Screenplay. Can you believe the script lost to Godfather Part 2. You can? Well never mind then, just come out and enjoy:



LOST HORIZON (1937)- Fri Oct 10 at 4, 7 and 9:45- Film Forum- A 4k restoration which kicks off the Forum's Frank Capra retrospective. A plane crashes in the Himalayan Mountains, carrying British diplomat Ronald Coleman (modeled after T.E. Lawrence) and several Westerners (including character actor supremos Thomas Mitchell and Edward Everett Sloane) trying to get away from armed revolutionaries in 1935 China. Coleman and the few Western survivors are rescued by mysterious people taken to paradise. As in Paradise, as in Shangri-La, where the High Lama (Sam Jaffe) tells Coleman that not only was the plane crash NOT an accident, but that Coleman himself has been chosen to become the new High Lama. So how would you feel if you arrived at the fabled paradise and found out you could stay forever? How would you feel if you found out you got to run Paradise? What if you found out if Paradise wouldn't survive for long without you? What if you didn't believe in Paradise or pre-destination at all? Then again, why wouldn't you stay in such a beautiful place if the world you're trying to return to is going to Hell (mentions of The Great War and hints of a second World War are dropped throughout).

Capra's Golden Ticket project after the huge success of It Happened One Night. Columbia Pictures gave it the largest film budget ever (in the mid 1930s), and overruns ballooned the budget. The attempt to make this fantasy/drama look fantastical yet not something cheap on a soundstage had Capra shooting in various outdoor locales, including the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Mojave Desert. Snow scenes, airplane scenes and even the Shangri-La sets were also outside studio confines, with Paradise depicted with an opulence rivaling a Busby Berkeley film.

Capra whittled down the 6 hours of film he shot (and occasionally re-shot) into a three and a half edit, which had a legendary preview. And when I say legendary, I mean disastrous. Walkouts, laughter in some of the serious parts, the kind of audience reaction that drove Capra and Columbia to anxiety and depression. Eventually, Capra cut away over 80 minutes of footage, and re-shot portions to emphasis how close to war the world around Shangri-La was. Eventually Capra turned in a 2 hour 12 minute cut, but the film tanked as a roadshow attraction. So yes, this qualifies as an entry in someone's My Year of Flops. 7 Oscar nominations and 4 Oscars including Best Picture didn't help, at least not initially. Neither did taking Lost Horizon out of theaters and cutting out 14 more minutes without Capra's approval or input (resulting in a lawsuit and out-of-court settlement).

Future re-releases and further studio edits, including a 95 minute version from 1949 done to show that Shangri-La did NOT equal Communism, is what finally helped Columbia see profit from this. But some of the footage cut has never been found. Some missing footage has been restored over the years, though some scenes were only reinstated by mixing stills with the original soundtrack. Combined with one recently rediscovered scene is what the Forum will screen. Not the 3 and a half hour original preview, but the original theatrical release; as close to what few audiences paid to see initially as we may ever get. Whether this is a film is something of an undiscovered classic or a film whose strengths far outnumber its weaknesses, is up to you to decide: 



ALIEN: DIRECTOR'S CUT (1979/2003) for 10 dollars- Fri Oct 10 at Midnight- Landmark Sunshine Cinema- Yep, I'm posting Alien again, in part because there are still people who haven't experienced it on the big screen, and in part because I need no excuse to catch this on the big screen. This time it's back as a cheap-ish Midnight screening, at Landmark Sunshine Cinema. A screening of the director cuts release, as opposed to the original 1979 release. It means we get more establishment shots of the soon-to-be claustrophobic ship interiors, more signs of dislike and/or disrespect of Ripley, and the final fates of a few characters. All worked when restored to the film, but not essential to its enjoyment. Whatever cut we get, this film works, better than anything Ridley Scott as ever done. Excellent combo of look, pace and sound all of which as played well before, and should do so again. In my personal top 100. C'mon, it's fun: 



ORIGINAL CAST ALBUM: COMPANY (1970) with LAMBERT AND CO (1964) with post film Q and A with D.A. Pennebaker- Tues Oct 14 at 8:30- IFC Center- Part of IFC Center's retrospective of the work of documentarian  D.A. Pennebaker. The main selection, Original Cast Album: Company, was chosen mostly in honor of the late Elaine Strich. A documentary (originally intended as a pilot) covering the 18 and a half hour recording session of the Broadway show Company, with its original cast. You see performers such as Dean Jones and Donna McKechnie record. You see the men running the recording session: director Hal Prince, composer/ creator/ control freak Stephen Sondheim and album producer Thomas Z. Shepard. But what captured the viewers imagination (then and now), was Elaine Strich, as she struggled to provide an acceptable take of The Ladies Who Lunch. And struggled. And struggled. And STRUGGLED, clashing with Sondheim and Shepard along the way. This film was popular enough at the New York Film Festival for there to be a push to release theatrically, despite its one hour running time. Rights issues helped kill that idea, but you can see it now the way those New Yorkers from 1970 hoped you would see it.

Pennebaker himself will do a post film Q and A about this, mainly about Company. But not entirely, because Company will be preceded by a documentary short Pennebaker released in 1964, Lambert and Co. It is the only record of a 15 minute recording session Dave Lambert did of some new songs of his, in a RCA recording studio. The group performing the songs weren't accepted by RCA, who then erased the tapes of the session. After Lambert died a few months later, this sole record of the session became notable and on demand worldwide. The film itself is a footnote, but an important one. Bob Dylan's manager saw it and hired Pennebaker to document Dylan's 1965 London tour, resulting in the documentary Don't Look Back, changing the careers of both men:



ARSENIC AND OLD LACE(1944)- Wed Oct 15 at 8- Film Forum- From the Forum's Frank Capra retro. This is one of my favorite comedies. Not the best in this weekend series, but my favorite. Thanks to that late unlamented form of home video known as CED Disc from RCA, this was my introduction to both Cary Grant and Frank Capra. I almost wore that disc down, along with other films, but that's for another time.

Despite the play having been done to death in community theater, this Capra comedy is still gold to me. Grant plays a man who comes home to find his beloved aunts are serial killers, who thoughtfully kill lonely old men, and then bury them in the basement with the aid of the uncle who thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt. It's a good thing his serial killer brother returns home on the same night; looking like Boris Karloff and accompanied by his "doctor" who looks like Peter Lorre and is played by Lorre.

Grant thought it was his weakest, most over the top performance. History has been quite kind, disagreeing with Cary. Pitch perfect cast and production. If I had to see only one comedy in this weekend, this would be the one, and not just for sentimental reasons. It is available on DVD, but only in a no-frills version put out by Warner Bros over 10 years ago, give or take. So Netflix may not necessarily come through for you right away. Catch this:




PSYCHO (1960)- Fri Oct 17 and Sat Oct 18 at Midnight for 10 dollars- Landmark Sunshine Cinema- Honestly, I'm not trying to make a habit of posting this film each and every time it comes up. It's that I haven't seen it each time I've posted, and I'm gonna try again when it's playing at a convenient time for me. Which it is here.

Familiar to many, but I'm telling you, it's a completely different beast on the big screen as opposed to TV. You're not spending time in your living room, check marking all the familiar aspects of the story. This story sucks you in, lulls you into thinking one way, and then turns it around. Now you know the film's story, you wouldn't be looking at this list if you've never heard of Psycho. But this tightly edited story draws you despite what you know. And if you've somehow NEVER seen it, oh boy I'd like to see this with you.

And despite being an unplanned landmark in the horror genre, slasher sub-section, I would argue that this plays more like a suspense thriller then a horror pic. So those that have problems with horror flicks, should be ok with this. Interesting to watch acting-wise, as well. John Gavin's boyfriend performance hasn't aged too well, and Vera Miles's isn't bad, but definitely more then a little annoying. Not as shrill as Julianne Moore's in the remake, but still. Martin Balsam continued his reliable character actor work here, as a more believable ex-cop then Bill Macy in the remake.

There is a reason why this is Janet Leigh's most memorable performance, and it's not because of the shower scene. Go ahead, name another memorable performance of hers. Oops, Touch of Evil, not quite. Being part of the memorable opening scene doesn't qualify as a performance. And Manchurian Candidate doesn't count either. Being the red herring of a story's plot, eh, whatever. Despite Hitchcock's (alleged) feeling about actor being cattle, Leigh gets to play a truly conflicted person. Decent, wanting more out of life, caught up in temptation, then over her head looking for a way out, which is about when she pulls into the Bates Motel.

But Anthony Perkins' performance feels modern today. Creepy, alive, desperate to open up, yet jittery within his own skin, and with just a little anger threatening to bubble up. Ole' Hitch may not have understood what Perkins was bringing to the table, but Alfred was patient enough to give him free rein. Thanks to the success of this, Tony could never be free of the typecasting. Oscar nominations for Leigh (her only one), Hitch for Director (his last nomination), Cinematography and Art Direction. On both AFI Top 100 lists and in my personal top 100:



EL TOPO- Fri Oct 17 and Sat Oct 18 at Midnight- IFC Center- The start of Midnight movie screenings are usually traced back to this Mexican film, El Topo, from 1970. Starts off as a somewhat slow moving Spaghetti Western, as a man seeking revenge against bad guys, and then it gets progressively weirder. If you don't know what goes in the film, I won't spoil it for you. The swinging in tone, from comedy to action to drama to metaphysical to romantic to tragic and back to any of the other types I've just described, might drive you nuts. And because it was shot in the late 60s, it has a very trippy quality to it as well. But the episodic style and part-time trippiness does help as does, for me, what writer/director/star/ costume designer/production designer/co-composer Alejandro Jodorowsky said about it: "This is the story of a man searching for peace, and can never find it.". At the very least, you'll walk away from the screening saying, I've NEVER seen a film like El Topo before, never. And I don't think that's a bad thing. Screened in a beautiful looking digital restoration:



FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH- Fri Oct 17 and Sat Oct 18 at Midnight- IFC Center- Part of IFC Center's series of stoner comedies (partial or totally stoner) screened at Midnight. Here we get a sleeper hit from the summer of 1982. A film Universal had no confidence in, and seemed to try to just dump out there. Word of mouth, plus some key good reviews from Siskel and Ebert among others, turned the distribution scheme into a happy accident. Just as the film was dying out on the West Coast, it starts to play big in the East Coast. Sometimes, studio execs are so lucky . . . From Amy Heckerling, who would never direct a better film. So what is this film best remembered for? The realistic glimpse of high school life during a certain time from soon-to-be-very-well-known Cameron Crowe? The compilation of young acting talent, including Jennifer Jason Leigh, Forest Whitaker, Phoebe Cates, Eric Stolz, Judge Reinhold, Nicolas Cage, and Anthony Edwards? The shots of Cates rising from the pool, and Leigh lying on the couch? Or for the casting of Sean Penn? His ascent in the acting world, begins with his perf as the iconic partying surfer dude. His scenes with Ray Walston as Mr. Hand still hold up today. I'm guessing all who read this have seen this film. I'm guessing maybe one at best, actually saw this film on the big screen. Time to correct this:





IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)- Sat Oct 18 at 7:10 and 9:20- Film Forum- Part of the Frank Capra retrospective. A 4K digital restoration of the Capra classic. Possibly Capra's best film, possibly the best romantic comedy Hollywood ever produced. I'm not exactly sure which Capra film I'd pick as my favorite; maybe Arsenic and Old Lace in terms of repeat-ability, but I'm not putting over Mr. Smith Goes To Washington or this in terms of best. And in terms of best romantic comedy, I lean to The Philadelphia Story but I can be persuaded to change my mind with a screening of It Happened One Night.

Spoiled heiress Claudette Colbert marries against her father's wishes. She escapes from Dad's clutches, only to eventually end alone and penniless. She doesn't like the man she meets on the road, cynical reporter Clark Gable. But she agrees to have this unemployed man accompany her to New York and write a story about her. Unpleasant, but not as unpleasant as the alternative: that he 'turns her in' for the $10,000 reward (a lot of money during the Depression) offered by her father for her safe return. These two opposites bicker along the way, but will they get along? What do you think, especially after Colbert shows how she successfully hitchhikes, in the film's most memorable scene.

Romantic comedies might not be respected or as popular as they once were, but it's about the writing, the execution, the casting. It Happened One Night has all that in spades, arguably Capra's best. The first film to win all the major Oscars: Picture, Capra for Director, Gable for Actor, Colbert for Actress and Robert Riskin (Capra's collaborator on films like Meet John Doe and You Can't Take It With You) for the Screenplay. Only One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest and Silence of the Lambs have matched it. On both AFI Top 100 lists. People, this is not one of those films you say no to. Especially with a pristine digital restoration :



Let me know if there's any interest. Take care.
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