The following is a guest post by Jenny Paxson, an Administrative Assistant at the Packard Campus.
More cinematic treats from Richard Hincha, this month’s guest programmer.
Thursday, August 20 (7:30 p.m.)
The Pink Panther (United Artists, 1963)
This comic masterpiece by Blake Edwards introduced both the animated Pink Panther character in the film’s opening and closing credit sequences, and actor Peter Sellers in his most renowned comic role as the inept Inspector Clouseau. The influence of the great comics of the silent era on Edwards and Sellers is apparent throughout the film, which is recognized for its enduring popularity. Henry Mancini’s score was nominated for an Academy Award and the soundtrack album was awarded a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 2001. Shot in the Alps in Northern Italy as well as Rome and Paris by Cinematographer Philip Lathrop, the film was added to the National Film Registry in 2010. 115 min.
Friday, August 21 (7:30 p.m.)
I Was a Male War Bride (20th Century Fox, 1949)
Cary Grant stars as French officer Henri Rochard, who is paired with a WAC lieutenant (Ann Sheridan) for duties in post-WWII Europe. Although at first at odds, the two soon fall in love and decide to marry – only to discover that the only way to get Rochard back to the US is via the War Brides Act (there being no provision for war grooms). Hawks advised Grant on how to play his character in drag: “just act like a man in woman’s clothes.” The ruse worked well – audiences flocked to see it and Grant called the film “the best comedy I’ve ever done.” Director Howard Hawks shot the exterior scenes on location in Heidelberg, Germany with interiors in London. Surprisingly, the film was based on a true story. 105 min.
Saturday, August 22 (2 p.m.)
The Sundowners (Warner Bros., 1960)
Fred Zinnemann directed this adaptation of Jon Cleary’s 1952 novel about a family of nomadic sheepherders in the Australian Outback. Studio head Jack Warner approved the project with the understanding that it would be made inexpensively in Arizona, but the director persuaded him that the actual location would make for a better film – and bigger box office. Starring Robert Mitchum, Deborah Kerr, Michael Anderson, Jr., Peter Ustinov, Glynis Johns and Dina Merrill, it was one of the first Hollywood films shot on location in Australia, where temperatures often soared to 108 degrees. The film received critical acclaim and was nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress in a Leading Role for Deborah Kerr. 133 min.
Saturday, August 22 (7:30 p.m.)
The Train (United Artists, 1964)
In this fictionalized account based on actual events, ruthless Nazi Colonel Von Waldheim (Paul Scofield) arranges to move a stolen cache of priceless art treasures from Paris before the Allies retake the city. He commandeers a train to Germany, which rallies Resistance fighters, led by an initially reluctant Burt Lancaster, to somehow stop him without destroying the legacy he’s trying to confiscate. Directed by John Frankenheimer, the film was shot in black and white and almost entirely on location in France. New York Times critic Bosley Crowthers called it “realistic and intensely engrossing” and praised the film for its action and hair-trigger suspense. The Train was Oscar nominated for best writing and was named as one of the top ten films of the year by the National Board of Review. 113 min.
For more information on our programs, please visit the web site at www.loc.gov/avconservation/theater/.