It’s spring in Culpeper, and our fancy lightly turns to thoughts of monsters.
Thursday, May 15 (7:30 p.m.)
King Kong (RKO, 1933)
Filmmaker Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong), recent discovery Ann Darrow (Fay Wray) and his team discover a giant prehistoric ape, dubbed Kong, while searching for locations on an uncharted jungle island. The crew manages to subdue the primate and bring Kong to New York to exploit him in a stage show from which he promptly escapes, spreading mayhem. Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack directed this classic beauty-and-the-beast adventure, which was added to the National Film Registry in 1991. 35mm print received through copyright in 1989.
Friday, May 16 (7:30 p.m.)
King Kong Escapes (Toho, 1967)
At the behest of his wealthy benefactress, evil Dr. Who (Eisei Amamoto) builds a robotic King Kong to retrieve a rare radioactive element. However, when the simian machine falters, there’s only one alternative: the real King Kong. Ishiro Honda directed the Japanese/American co-production, which features special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film is dubbed in English. 35mm print received through copyright in 1968.
Saturday, May 17 (7:30 p.m.)
Pan’s Labyrinth (Picturehouse, 2006, R-rated*)
Guillermo Del Toro directed this dark fantasy set in Fascist Spain about the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer who escapes into an eerie-but-captivating imaginary world. The film won Oscars for cinematography, art direction and makeup and was nominated for best foreign language film. In Spanish with English subtitles. 35mm print received through copyright in 2006. *No one under the age of 17 will be admitted without a parent or guardian.
For more information on our programs, please visit the web site at www.loc.gov/avconservation/theater/.