SATURDAY MORNING CLASSICS, Cinema 21
SATURDAY MORNING CLASSICS
Programmed Exclusively for Cinema 21 by Elliot Lavine
IT’S JACQUES-TOBER! FOUR JACQUES!!
A Quartet of Classics all Courtesy of one brilliant Jacques or another!
CINEMA 21 celebrates the month of Jacques-tober In the most cinematically sparkling way!
October 19 - OUT OF THE PAST (1947)
dir. Jacques Tourneur
One of the most enduring film noir classics of the 1940s, this astounding picture remains a haunting elegy to one of Hollywood’s most cherished genres. The son of the great French film director, Maurice Tourneur, Jacques Tourneur was able to infuse his poetically romantic point of view into one of the most hardboiled films ever created. The tragic, fateful story of a private eye tasked with tracking down the beautiful mistress of a notorious gangster, ripples with erotic tension and excitement from its very first frame. Starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, Kirk Douglas. Stunning cinematography from the legendary Nicholas Musuraca. Directed by Jacques Tourneur. In Black & White. 97 minutes.
October 26 - YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT (1967)
dir. Jacques Demy
One of the most imaginative and charming French musicals is this brilliant story of Delphine and Solange, two beautiful and talented sisters living in the seaside town of Rochefort with their charming mother. Delphine teaches dance and Solange composes music and teaches piano to young pupils. Delphine and Solange are two sisters living in Rochefort. Delphine is a dancing teacher and Solange composes and teaches the piano. Mixed into all this we find Max, a poet and a painter; Simon, owns a music shop trying to forget a lost love, and a pair of carefree young dancers, looking for love. Everything seems to come together just in time to create one of the most wonderful musical fantasies ever committed to film. Starring real life sisters Catherine Deneuve and Francoise Dorleac, Danielle Darrieux, George Chakiris, Grover Dale, Michel Piccoli, and Jacques Perrin. Written and directed by Jacques Demy. In Color. 125 mins.
THE FORTIES!
FIVE FABULOUSLY FAMOUS FILMS FROM THE FORTIES!
NOVEMBER 2 - THE THIRD MAN (1949)
Postwar Austria is the setting for this ingenious thriller written by Graham Greene, a tension-filled drama of deception in an environment dominated by unbridled corruption. Filmed entirely on location in Vienna, The Third Man is a triumph of mood, menace, and a memorable musical score that perfectly sets the malevolent tone for this remarkable film. One of the decade’s premiere noir films. Starring Joseph Cotton, Orson Welles, Alida Valli, Trevor Howard. Mesmerizing cinematography by Robert Krasker. Musical score by Anton Karas. Directed by Carol Reed. In Black & White. 104 mins.
NOVEMBER 9 - SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS (1941)
A screwball comedy with a message. A Hollywood director, known for his zany comedies decides to make a film that addresses the social ills facing the nation. He sets out on a personal journey to discover the meaning of life by becoming a homeless vagrant. The people he meets along the way provide him with more than enough truth about the world he lives in that he ever thought possible. One of the 40s most intriguing comedies, from a true master of the form. Starring Joel McRae, Veronica Lake, Robert Warwick, William Demarest, Franklin Pangborn, Porter Hall, and Eric Blore. Cinematography by John Seitz. Written and directed by Preston Sturges. In Black & White. 90 mins.
NOVEMBER 16 - MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (1944)
The jewel in the crown of all 1940s film musicals, this MGM classic focuses on the Smith family, a boisterous ensemble in 1904 St. Louis. A beautiful, colorful film that takes us through all four seasons of a magical year, culminating in a trip to the World’s Fair. Along the way, love, life, laughter, and most of all, music lights the way. The brilliant cast includes Judy Garland, Margaret O’Brien, Mary Astor, Leon Ames, Lucille Bremer, Tom Drake, Marjorie Main, and Henry Davenport. Cinematography by George Folsey. From the novel by Sally Benson. Directed by Vincente Minnelli. In Color. 103 minutes.
NOVEMBER 23 - CASABLANCA (1942)
Perhaps one of the most beloved films from the 1940s, this wartime classic remains high on the list of perennial favorites. A hard-bitten, disillusioned American ex-patriot now runs a popular nightclub in Casablanca, a way station for those seeking asylum to the United States and freedom from the Nazis. When his former lover arrives on the arm of a hunted underground leader, a crisis of conscience arises, setting off a chain of events that could possibly change the shape of the world. An unforgettable movie experience each and every time. Starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Peter Lorre, Conrad Veidt, and Dooley Wilson as Sam. Cinematography by Arthur Edeson. Screenplay by Julius J. Epstein and Howard Koch. Directed by Michael Curtiz. In Black & White. 102 mins.
NOVEMBER 30 - MIRACLE ON 34 th STREET (1947)
Just in time for the holidays! This seasonal classic can be enjoyed any time of the year. A precocious eight-year-old girl and her young widowed mother find a renewed purpose in life at Christmastime when a strange and wonderful old man who claims to be Santa Claus enters their lives. What could have been a pretty sloppy story instead becomes a charming love story about connections being made when least expected. The beautiful sentiment of this remarkably unsentimental film is felt vividly in each and every frame. Starring Edmund Gwenn, Maureen O’Hara, John Payne, Natalie Wood, William Frawley. Cinematography by Lloyd Ahern. Written and directed by George Seaton. In Black & White. 96 mins.