The following is a guest post by Jenny Paxson, an Administrative Assistant at the Packard Campus.
A triple helping of National Film Registry titles this week.
Thursday, July 16 (7:30 p.m.)
Make Way for Tomorrow (Paramount, 1937)
Director Leo McCarey’s progressive Depression-era drama–based on a play by Helen and Nolan Leary and a novel by Josephine Lawrence–follows a penniless elderly couple (Beulah Bondi and Victor Moore) forced by their self-absorbed children to live separately in order to save money. Challenging the tried-and-true conventions of late-1930s films, Make Way for Tomorrow presents the “golden years” with realism and tenderness. The film received only modest reviews and average box-office success in 1937, but the sensitive screenplay by Viña Delmar and touching performances by Bondi and Moore increased the film’s popularity among contemporary audiences. The film was named to the National Film Registry in 2010.
Friday, July 17 (7:30 p.m.)
Rebel Without a Cause (Warner Bros., 1955)
This portrait of youthful alienation spoke to a whole generation and remains wrenchingly powerful despite some dated elements. The yearning for self-esteem, the parental conflict and the comfort found in friendships are all beautifully orchestrated by director Nicholas Ray, screenwriter Stewart Stern and a fine cast. This was James Dean’s defining performance and an impressive showing for Sal Mineo, who was nominated for the Academy Award for best supporting actor. Named to the National Film Registry in 1990, the film also received Oscar nominations for Natalie Wood as best supporting actress and for Ray’s screenplay.
Saturday, July 18 (7:30 p.m.)
Silence of the Lambs (Orion Pictures, 1991 *R-rated)
Jodie Foster, Sir Anthony Hopkins and director Jonathan Demme won accolades for this chilling thriller based upon a book by Thomas Harris. Foster plays rookie FBI agent Clarice Starling who must tap into the disturbed mind of imprisoned cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter in order to aid her search for a serial murderer who tortures his victims. Silence of the Lambs–winner of Academy Awards for Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Adapted Screenplay–has been celebrated for its superb lead performances, its blending of crime and horror genres, and its taut direction that brought to the screen one of film’s greatest villains and some of its most memorable imagery. The film was named to the National Film Registry in 2011.
* 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/.