SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS July 7, 10, *20 New 35mm Print!
Alexander Mackendrick. 1957. 96 min. NR. US. Sony Pictures.
"Its pleasures are almost obscenely abundant." (New York Times)
Based on Lehman’s own novella, Sweet Smell features brilliant star turns from Tony Curtis as the fawning press agent Sidney Falco and Burt Lancaster as the monstrous newspaper columnist J. J. Hunsecker, surely one of the most indelible characters in movie history. Lehman found the spark for the plot of this noirish tribute to tabloid Manhattan in his experience working for a Broadway publicity firm.
*Noir Writers Panel July 20 at 7:00: Join us for a lively discussion on mysteries, movies, and the noir core of the Big Apple with:
Jim Fusilli: Author of the award-winning Terry Orr series, which includes Hard, Hard City, named Best Novel of 2004 by Mystery Ink magazine.
S. J. Rozan: Award-winning author of nine novels and editor of the forthcoming Bronx Noir.
Joseph Wallace: Author of 15 nonfiction books, contributor to Hardboiled Brooklyn and Baltimore Noir, and Pleasantville resident.
(Reed Coleman is unable to join us due to a last minute schedule conflict)
The writers will sign copies of their books after the discussion. Books available thanks to the Village Bookstore, located across the street from the Film Center.

NORTH BY NORTHWEST July 8, 11
Alfred Hitchcock. 1959. 136 min. NR. US. Warner Bros
One of the most gripping films of all time, Hitchcock’s thriller (from Lehman’s original screenplay) features Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint in one unforgettable sequence after another: a pursuing cropduster dipping low over a fallow field, the giant stone faces of Mt. Rushmore; a train charging into a tunnel. A sprawling masterpiece that demands to be seen on the big screen.

SHOWTIMES/TICKETS

WEST SIDE STORY July 9, 12
Robert Wise. 1961. 152 min. NR. US. Sony Pictures.
"With Lehman’s sharp writing, Leonard Bernstein’s driving, jazzy score, Jerome Robbins’ kinetic dance numbers, Stephen Sondheim’s edgy lyrics, and a host of powerful performances, West Side Story remains "a landmark of musical history" (Roger Ebert).
Critic Stanley Kauffmann called it "the best film musical ever made," and it’s as fresh, energetic, and moving today as it was 45 years ago.

SHOWTIMES/TICKETS

WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?
July 14, 19
Mike Nichols. 1966. 131 min. NR. US.Warner Bros.
Only Lehman could have so brilliantly adapted for the screen Edward Albee’s controversial play about a couple’s alcohol-fueled love-hate relationship. Richard Burton’s and Elizabeth Taylor’s performances, a revelation in their fierce intensity at the time, still serve up one potent shock after another.

THE SOUND OF MUSIC July 15, 16, 18
Robert Wise. 1965. 174 min. G. US. Criterion Pictures.
Is there any movie as familiar and beloved as this blissfully corny feel-good musical? Who doesn’t know Julie Andrews’ Maria, and Christopher Plummer’s Captain Von Trapp? Director Wise started with Lehman’s glorious script (based on the Rodgers and Hammerstein book) and drew on several other members of the West Side Story creative team, including production designer Boris Leven - and it shows.

FAMILY PLOT July 15, 17
Alfred Hitchcock. 1976. 121 min. PG. US. Universal.
In his final film Hitchcock employs one of his favorite themes - doubling - as he builds a layered story of two criminal couples, one amiable and the other violent. Including great performances by ’70s icons Karen Black and Bruce Dern, this macabre comedy is tricky, surprising, and "pure Hitchcock, with its meticulous construction and attention to detail" (Roger Ebert).

THE PRIZE July 15, 24
Mark Robson. 1963. 129 min. NR. US. Warner Bros.
An homage to Hitchcock, this glossy suspense story set against the backdrop of a Nobel Prize ceremony at the height of the Cold War features Paul Newman as one Nobelist who uncovers a plot against another (Edward G. Robinson). Based on the novel by Irving Wallace, it deftly mixes tension and humor. Fast-paced and engaging.

SHOWTIMES/TICKETS

SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES ME
July 21
Robert Wise. 1956. 114 min. NR. US. Warner Bros./Harvard Film Archive.
Paul Newman explodes off the screen as Rocky Graziano, showing a fiery theatricality in his first screen role. Lehman’s insightful screenplay is based on Graziano’s autobiography recounting his rise from hoodlum to world boxing champ with the help of a tough coach and the love of a good woman (Pier Angeli). Crisp and taut, this seminal biopic also features the screen debuts of Steve McQueen and George C. Scott.

SABRINA July 22, 25
Billy Wilder. 1954. 115 min. NR. US. Paramount.
A beguiling Audrey Hepburn, a suave William Holden - and Humphrey Bogart in a surprising romantic turn - star in Billy Wilder’s witty variation on "Cinderella." Frothy and fun, Lehman’s first major film is "a real and lasting joy" (New York Times) filled with great dialogue: "A woman happy in love, she burns the soufflé; a woman unhappy in love, she forgets to turn on the oven."

THE KING AND I July 23
Walter Lang. 1956. 133 min. G. US. Criterion.
The supreme King of Siam, played by a vigorous and commanding Yul Brynner, meets his match in Deborah Kerr’s Anna, the spirited beauty sent to teach him and his many wives and children the ways of the world. "Every bit of the humor and vibrant humanity that flowed through the [original book] is richly preserved in the screen play," reported the Times when it opened. One of the greatest of all Rogers and Hammerstein adaptations, it’s set in a sea of sumptuous décor and melody. Another big-screen treat.