The following is a guest post co-written by Jenny Paxson and John Snelson of the Packard Campus.
Thursday, July 14 (7:30 p.m.)
Four’s a Crowd (Warner Bros., 1938)
The four in the screwball comedy Four’s a Crowd are a quartet of Warner Brothers’ biggest stars of 1938: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Rosalind Russell and Patric Knowles. Michael Curtiz directed this fast-paced romance that finds Flynn as a publicity agent hired to stir up “good press” for a nasty millionaire (Walter Connolly). Along the way, he takes a job as an editor at a newspaper owned by Knowles and romances both de Havilland, who plays Connolly’s daughter, and Russell, a star reporter. A new 35mm print of the film, recently produced by the Library of Congress Film Preservation Lab, will be screened. 92 minutes.
Friday, July 15 (7:30 p.m.)
Black Narcissus (Universal, 1947)
This explosive work about the conflict between the spirit and the flesh is the epitome of the sensuous style of the British filmmaking team Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. A group of nuns—played by some of Britain’s finest actresses, including Deborah Kerr, Kathleen Byron and Flora Robson—struggle to establish a convent in the Himalayas, while isolation, extreme weather, altitude and culture clashes all conspire to drive the well-intentioned missionaries mad. A darkly grand film that won Oscars for Alfred Junge’s art direction and Jack Cardiff’s cinematography, Black Narcissus is considered one of the greatest achievements by two of cinema’s true visionaries. 100 minutes.
Saturday, July 16 (2 p.m.)
A Little Princess (Warner Bros., 1995)
In this film adaptation of the beloved children’s classic by Frances Hodgson Burnett set during WWI, a young girl, reared in India, lives an enchanted life filled with wealth, exotic adventures and a father’s love. However, when tragedy strikes, she must rely on her will and imagination to relive the joy of her wondrous childhood. From Academy Award-winning director Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity,Children of Men, Harry Potter and The Prisoner Of Azkaban), the film was critically acclaimed and garnered Oscar nominations for cinematography and art direction-set decoration. The film stars Eleanor Bron, Liam Cunningham (in a dual role) and Liesel Matthews as the title character, Sara Crewe. 97 minutes.
Saturday, July 16 (7:30 p.m.)
Monsoon Wedding (USA Films, 2001 – R-rated*)
Cultures and families clash in director Mira Nair’s beloved, insightful and energetic blend of Hollywood and Bollywood styles. Focusing on the preparations for the arranged marriage of a modern upper-middle-class Indian family’s only daughter, Aditi (Vasundhara Das), the exuberant and colorful Monsoon Wedding is a mix of comedy, chaotic melodrama and a celebration of modern-day India, family, love and life. The film won the Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival. 114 minutes. *No one under the age of 17 will be admitted without a parent or guardian.
For more information on our programs, please visit the website at: www.loc.gov/avconservation/theater/.