The following is a guest post by Jenny Paxson, an Administrative Assistant at the Packard Campus.
Four more delights from June’s guest programmer Larry Smith.
Thursday, June 25 (7:30 p.m.)
Baraka (The Samuel Goldwyn Company, 1992)
Shot on six continents and in 24 countries, this non-narrative documentary directed by Ron Fricke explores the formation and evolution of earth, the ascendance of man and the consequences of technology. “The goal of the film,” says producer Mark Magidson, “was to reach past language, nationality, religion and politics and speak to the inner viewer.” Baraka was the first film in more than twenty years to be photographed in the 70mm Todd-AO format and the first film ever to be restored and scanned at 8K resolution. The score by Michael Stearns features music by Dead Can Dance, Ciro Hurtado and Inkuyo. Roger Ebert included Baraka in his “Great Movies” list, writing that “If man sends another Voyager to the distant stars and it can carry only one film on board, that film might be Baraka.” The rarely screened 70 mm print being shown is courtesy of Magidson Films.
Friday, June 26 (7:30 p.m.)
Meet John Doe (Warner Bros., 1941)
Frank Capra directed and independently produced this socially-conscious story about a grassroots campaign to spearhead national goodwill created by a disgruntled newspaper columnist (Barbara Stanwyck) with the participation of a naive homeless man (Gary Cooper) and egged on by the paper’s wealthy owner. Considered the climax of a trilogy (with Mr. Deeds Goes to Town [1936] and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington [1939]) in which Frank Capra dealt with American individualism, contemporary critics have hailed the film as one of Capra’s most personal. Edward Arnold, Walter Brennan, Spring Byington, James Gleason, Gene Lockhart are featured in this comedy-drama that Bosley Crowther of The New York Times called “a hard-hitting, trenchant picture on the theme of democracy and a glowing tribute to the anonymous citizen.”
Saturday, June 27 (2:00 p.m.)
Shall We Dance (RKO, 1937)
In their seventh picture together, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers star as a ballet master and a showgirl whose manager fakes their marriage for publicity purposes without telling them! Comedy and romance multiply as these two dance their way through a charming plot loaded with misunderstandings. Mark Sandrich directed the musical that features six classic songs by George and Ira Gershwin, including the Oscar-nominated “They Can’t Take that Away From Me,” and “Slap That Bass,” “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off,” “Beginner’s Luck,” “They All Laughed” and “Shall We Dance.” Supporting players include Eric Blore, Edward Everett Horton and Jerome Cowan.
Saturday, June 27 (7:30 p.m.)
Stairway to Heaven (Universal, 1946)
The brilliant British film-making team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger (The Red Shoes) manage to combine fantasy and reality in a captivating manner in this romantic tale of British Royal Air Force pilot Peter Carter (David Niven) who survives a jump from a burning airplane – without a parachute. It seems Conductor 71, the angel-guide sent to escort him to the “Other World,” made an error and comes to earth to reclaim the pilot. But Carter has fallen in love with June (Kim Hunter), the US radio operator who found him seemingly unharmed on the beach. Claiming it was not his fault that he survived, Carter must now plead for his life and his love in a dream-like Heavenly court. Production for the film (released in Great Britain as A Matter of Life and Death) began on the day that Japan surrendered to General MacArthur, bringing an end to the Pacific campaign. The timing was fortuitous for the resulting film captured the imaginations of World War II veterans and their countrymen through its magical blend of romance, comedy and tearful drama. Its bold use of Technicolor is still considered one of the peak achievements of that process. Featured in the cast are Raymond Massey, Roger Livesey, Robert Coote, Marius Goring and Richard Attenborough. The screening print is courtesy of Sony Pictures.
For more information on our programs, please visit the web site at www.loc.gov/avconservation/theater/.