SATURDAY MORNING CLASSICS, Cinema 21
SATURDAY MORNING CLASSICS
Programmed Exclusively for Cinema 21 by Elliot Lavine
SUPER SEVENTIES SATURDAYS!!
January 6 – February 3, 2024
Welcome in the New Year with a stellar quintet of 1970s cinematic classics, each in their own right an influential and essential viewing experience…especially on the BIG SCREEN!! FIVE STRAIGHT SATURDAYS at 11:00 a.m.
JAN 6 - JAWS
Start your January off right with a mid-morning day at the beach! Perhaps the most influential film of the decade, one that virtually invented the whole concept of the “summer blockbuster.” An entire beach community is thrown into a terrified panic when a giant killer shark gets a little too close to the shoreline for anyone’s comfort. Equal parts a gnawing horror film and a slyly dark social satire. The film that officially put its young director on the map. Starring Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, Robert Shaw, Larraine Gary, Murray Hamilton. Based on Peter Benchley’s massive best seller. Directed by Steven Spielberg. In Color. 124 minutes. 1975.
JAN 13 - DOG DAY AFTERNOON
When a Brooklyn bank robbery goes amiss, the curious motivation behind it becomes a media sideshow. Based on a true event, the aim of the robbery was to raise the necessary funds for a sex change operation for one of them, creating a firestorm of feelings on both sides of the equation. An emotionally charged film that never fails to find its mark and further escalated the rising tide of its charismatic star, Al Pacino. Also starring John Cazale, Charles Durning, James Broderick, Chris Sarandon. Directed, with a stunning eye for realistic detail, by Sidney Lumet. In Color. 130 minutes. 1975.
JAN 20 - INVASION of the BODY SNATCHERS
The first (and best) of several “reimaginings” of the classic 50s science fiction classic, the locale shifts to San Francisco in the late 70s when self-help gurus were all the rage, making it more difficult than ever to distinguish between those who are actual human beings and those who are alien pods sent down to earth in order to replicate us all! A visually exciting, breathtaking thriller that will most likely send you home wondering about those you thought you trusted. Starring Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Leonard Nimoy, Jeff Goldblum, and Veronica Cartwright. Directed by Philip Kaufman. In Color. 116 minutes. 1978.
JAN 27 - SHAMPOO
On the eve of the 1968 presidential election, a notorious Beverly Hills hairdresser, a sex magnate to the many beautiful women he caters to, has a crisis of faith. Treated rather indifferently at the time, the film has achieved major cult status as one of the most incisive films of the 1970s. Seen now, it takes on a deeper and darker satirical tone as we head down the stretch to yet another critical presidential election. Starring Warren Beatty, Julie Christie, Goldie Hawn, Lee Grant (Oscar winner), Jack Warden, and Carrie Fisher. Written by Beatty and Robert Towne. Directed by Hal Ashby. In Color. 109 minutes. 1975.
FEB 3 - ROCKY
Hollywood’s all-time champeen underdog classic, the story of Rocky Balboa, a pug without a chance of ever becoming anything but a loser, gets his chance of a lifetime in the boxing ring. But can he overcome the odds? Can he actually find true love while trying to figure out just who he is? This is the film that announced to the world that a new star was born. Written by and starring Sylvester Stallone, with Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Burgess Meredith. Directed by John G. Avildsen. In Color. 119 minutes. 1976.
BRITchcock in the 30s!
February 10 – 24:
A fantastic trio of Alfred Hitchcock’s best 1930s British thrillers!
ALL SHOWS AT 11:00 a.m.
FEB 10 - THE 39 STEPS
An innocent man is thrust headlong into an insidious plot involving spies and political assassination. Mixed in is a healthy dose of typically Hitchcockian dark humor and a sexy subplot that should manage to hold just about everyone’s attention. Brilliantly exciting with more than the requisite number of the director’s many touches. Starring Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll, Lucie Mannheim, Godfrey Tearle, Peggy Ashcroft. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. In Black & White. 87 minutes. 1935.
FEB 17 - THE LADY VANISHES
A kindly old woman disappears into thin air during a lengthy train ride, setting off a chain of intrigue that proves to be utterly baffling to the very end. One of the Master’s most cherished thrillers, it’s designed to keep us all on the edges of our seats. Starring Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave, Paul Lukas, Dame Mae Whitty, Googie Withers. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. In Black & White. 97 minutes. 1938.
FEB 24 - The MAN WHO KNEW too MUCH
The director remade his own film over twenty years later, but this original version still captivates and thrills us in ways the later one never quite captures. The nail-biting suspense tale of a heartless kidnapping of a young girl and the terrifying world of intrigue it opens up for the parents of the victim remains one of the director’s top films. Starring Leslie Banks, Edna Best, Peter Lorre. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. In Black & White. 75 minutes. 1934.