The following is a guest post by Jenny Paxson, an Administrative Assistant at the Packard Campus.
Two more terrific films from August’s guest programmer Richard Hincha. Please note there will be no screening on Saturday, August 29.
Thursday, August 27 (7:30 p.m.)
Hatari! (Paramount, 1962)
John Wayne stars as Sean Mercer, a macho game hunter who, along with his crew, is engaged in the exciting but dangerous business of catching wild animals for delivery to zoos around the world. Howard Hawks directed this adventure tale shot on location in the wilds of Tanganyika (in what is now Tanzania). According to Hawks, all of the animal captures in the picture were actually performed by the actors; no stuntmen or animal handlers were substituted on-screen. Like many other major films of Hawks, the film is more about the relationships among the characters than plot. Featured in the cast are Bruce Cabot, Red Buttons, Hardy Kruger and Elsa Martinelli. Russell Harlan’s cinematography received an Oscar nomination and Henry Mancini’s catchy “Baby Elephant Walk,” written for a scene in the film, became one of the composer’s most popular works. 157 min.
Friday, August 28 (7:30 p.m.)
The Longest Day (20th Century Fox, 1962)
Darryl F. Zanuck produced this epic telling of the D-Day landings at Normandy that took place on June 6, 1944. Based on the 1959 book The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan, it was filmed in the style of a docudrama, and chronicles most of the important events surrounding D-Day. Shot at several French locations, The Longest Day had three directors, Ken Annakin for British and French exteriors, Andrew Marton for American exteriors, and Bernhard Wicki for German scenes. Studio publicity boasted “42 international stars” in the ensemble cast. They included major stars such as Robert Mitchum, John Wayne, Richard Burton, Sean Connery and Henry Fonda, along with popular teen idols like Paul Anka, Tommy Sands, and Fabian thrown into the mix to attract the younger viewers. The film employed several Axis and Allied military consultants who had been actual participants on D-Day. It garnered five Oscar nominations, winning two – for Best Cinematography and Best Special Effects. 178 min.
For more information on our programs, please visit the web site at www.loc.gov/avconservation/theater/.