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"United Artists' adventurous tradition is on glorious display"
(Dave Kehr, New York Times)
Annie Hall Sept. 26, 28, 29
The Great Escape Sept. 26, 30
Midnight Cowboy Sept. 27, 28
The Pink Panther Sept. 27, 28
Thieves Like Us Sept. 27, *Oct. 1
Q&A Oct. 1, 7:15: Reel Talk w/Chris Funderburg
Sunday Bloody Sunday Sept. 27, Oct. 2
Marty Oct. 3, 4
Last Tango in Paris Oct. 3, 9
Some Like It Hot Oct. 4, 5
The Thomas Crown Affair Oct. 4, 5
Raging Bull Oct. 4, 7
The Magnificent Seven Oct. 5, 8
Since 1919 United Artists has engaged in "some of the most varied and high-quality mainstream picture making in the history of American movies" (New York Sun). Presenting films from the '50s through 1980, this series is an opportunity to re-view these hugely entertaining, provocative, and beloved movies, back on the big screen. We've got films by Billy Wilder, Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, Bernardo Bertolucci, and others - and three of the funniest comedies ever made: Some Like It Hot, The Pink Panther, and Annie Hall. Featuring new prints struck for the 90th anniversary.
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ANNIE HALL Sept. 26, 28, 29
Woody Allen. 1977. 93 m. PG. US. MGM.
"Just about everyone's favorite Woody Allen movie." (Roger Ebert)
After Sleeper and Bananas, everyone knew Woody Allen made the world's funniest movies, but in this romantic comedy he revealed his overall filmmaking skill as well. Garnering four Academy Awards - even beating Star Wars for Best Picture - Annie Hall bounces along with unforgettable gags, creative filmmaking, and terrific performances by Diane Keaton, Allen, and New York City itself. As fresh and alive as ever. |
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THE GREAT ESCAPE Sept. 26, 30
John Sturges. 1963. 172 m. NR. US. MGM.
"A stellar combination of Sturges' pacing, Elmer Bernstein's score, and strong performances." (Entertainment Weekly)
The definitive POW movie, this huge action film is based on a true story about British and American flyers trying to escape a maximum-security German prison camp. It features an all-star ensemble cast including Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, and others, but what most people remember is McQueen's exhilarating motorcycle bid for freedom in the performance that made him an icon. |
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MIDNIGHT COWBOY Sept. 27, 28
John Schlesinger. 1969. 113 m. R. US. MGM.
"Midnight Cowboy remains one of a handful of films that stay in our memory after the others have evaporated." (Roger Ebert)
When UA released both Midnight Cowboy and Last Tango in Paris with shocking X ratings, people came for the buzz, but they stayed for the acting. Jon Voight's career was established by his performance as the Texas stud wannabe Joe Buck, and Dustin Hoffman, fresh from his triumph in The Graduate, proved his mettle as the cynical two-bit hustler Ratso Rizzo. While the passage of decades hasn't dulled this gritty, unrelenting look at the underbelly of urban life, times have changed, and Cowboy is now rated R. |
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THE PINK PANTHER Sept. 27, 28
Blake Edwards. 1963. 115 m. NR. UK/US. MGM.
"A gem of madcap mayhem." (Premiere)
In the first of five Pink Panther films, Peter Sellers introduces the epically bungling French inspector Jacques Clouseau. He's assigned to catch an ultrasuave jewel thief (David Niven) who's after a famous gem with a panther-shaped flaw. Sellers was so popular in this role that the rest of the series - originally conceived as a vehicle for Niven - was made to center on Clouseau instead. And the pink cat in the credits went on to have at least nine lives of his own. |
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THIEVES LIKE US Sept. 27, *Oct. 1
Robert Altman. 1974. 123 m. R. US. MGM.
"An engaging, sharply observed account of a long-lost time." (New York Times)
Robert Altman's often-overlooked tale of Depression-era escaped convicts-turned-bank-robbers was part of his 1970s winning streak (M*A*S*H, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Nashville...). Centered on the love story between an unforgettable Keith Carradine and a charmingly awkward Shelley Duvall, this tender, atmospheric drama is much more intimate than Altman's sprawling films, but it wields the same power.
*Q&A Oct. 1, 7:15: Reel Talk with JBFC Programmer Christopher Funderburg
Tickets: $6 (members), $10 (nonmembers) |
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SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY
Sept. 27, Oct. 2
John Schlesinger. 1971. 110 m. R. UK. MGM
"The acting is flawless.... Sunday Bloody Sunday is a masterpiece." (Roger Ebert)
This bold drama about the love triangle between a gay doctor (Peter Finch), a divorced working woman (Glenda Jackson), and a much younger, bisexual sculptor (Murray Head) was ahead of its time. In 1971 its first onscreen man-on-man kiss is what made headlines, but today its frank depiction of sexuality endures. Penelope Gilliatt's dialogue is "simultaneously rueful and funny, and as spontaneous as love itself " (New York Times). |
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MARTY Oct. 3, 4
Delbert Mann. 1955. 94 m. NR. US. MGM.
"Warm and winning." (New York Times)
In the heyday of the Hollywood Technicolor big-screen epic, UA made this low-budget black-and-white drama about a couple of social misfits. Much to everyone's surprise, it was a critical and commercial success, even taking home four Oscars. Screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky's solid dialogue is bolstered by powerful performances from Ernest Borgnine and Betsy Blair as the lonely souls who miraculously find each other and the joy and excitement of being in love. |
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LAST TANGO IN PARIS Oct. 3, 9
Bernardo Bertolucci. 1972. 136 m. NC-17. Italy/France, in French/English with subtitles. MGM.
"This must be the most powerfully erotic movie ever made, and it may turn out to be the most liberating movie ever made." (Pauline Kael)
In this '70s landmark, a grief-shattered American expatriate (Marlon Brando) and a young, soon-to-be-married Frenchwoman (Maria Schneider) meet in an empty apartment and plunge into a world of engulfing desire and frenzied, impersonal sex. Bernardo Bertolucci brilliantly captures one of Brando's rawest and most uncompromising performances. |
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SOME LIKE IT HOT Oct. 4, 5
Billy Wilder. 1959. 120 m. NR. US. MGM.
"One of the enduring treasures of the movies, a film of inspiration and meticulous craft." (Roger Ebert)
Billy Wilder's comic tour de force stars Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis as unemployed musicians who witness a gangland murder. To escape the gangsters pursuing them, they hit the road - in drag - with an all-girl band bound for Miami. The ruse works pretty well until one falls for the lead singer (Marilyn Monroe) and the other catches the eye of an amorous gentleman millionaire (Joe E. Brown). Sharp wit and plain old slapstick both abound in one of the funniest movies ever. |
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THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR Oct. 4, 5
Norman Jewison. 1968. 102 m. R. US. MGM.
"A stylish caper adventure." (The Onion)
Approaching star status by this time, Steve McQueen played the rich and charming businessman Thomas Crown, the last person you'd think would be a bank-robbing mastermind. Faye Dunaway, as the insurance investigator assigned to the case, has got him in her crosshairs. Slickly shot by the great cinematographer Haskell Wexler, the film has steadily grown in popularity over the years. Two Academy Award nominations. |
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RAGING BULL Oct. 4, 7
Martin Scorsese. 1980. 129 m. R. US. MGM.
"The most highly regarded Hollywood movie of the past two decades. Every aspect of Martin Scorsese's formidable talent is working overtime - including Robert De Niro." (Village Voice)
The extraordinary collaboration of Martin Scorsese and Paul Schrader produced this gritty drama about the troubled prizefighter Jake La Motta. Robert De Niro famously inhabited the lead role, learning to box and gaining 50 pounds in preparation for his incredibly intense performance. Poetic, violent, profane, and shot in crisp black and white, Raging Bull set the standard for a whole new kind of movie. |
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THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN Oct. 5, 8
John Sturges. 1960. 128 m. NR. US, in English/Spanish. MGM.
"Not only ludicrously enjoyable entertainment but also a superior and thoughtful character study." (BBC)
In this teeming adventure story based on Akira Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai, Yul Brynner plays a mercenary hired to protect a Mexican village from a gang attack led by a bandit (Eli Wallach). Brynner rounds up a gang of his own, the remaining "magnificent six" - played by Charles Bronson, Steve McQueen, Horst Buchholz, Robert Vaughn, James Coburn, and Brad Dexter - all of whom deliver career-making performances. One of the most entertaining westerns ever made. |
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