The following post is by Jenny Paxson of the Packard Campus.
Thursday, April 27 (7:30 p.m.)
My Man Godfrey (Universal, 1936)
In one of her greatest roles, Carole Lombard sparkles as a dizzy but good-hearted heiress in Gregory LaCava’s comedic take and sometimes caustic commentary on the Great Depression. William Powell portrays Godfrey with knife-edged delivery, the forgotten man whom Lombard has turned into the family butler. Pixilated mother Alice Brady, beleaguered father Eugene Pallette, and snarky sister Gail Patrick round out the cast of one of the most exemplary screwball comedies of the 1930s. The cinematography by Ted Tetzlaff is a shimmering argument for the supremacy of black and white film. My Man Godfrey was added to the National Film Registry in 1999.
Friday, April 28 (7:30 p.m.)
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (20th Century-Fox, 1984)
“A state-of-the-art spaceship flying at the speed of light without narrative coordinates, ‘Buckaroo Banzai’ is the very oddest good movie in many a full moon,” is how “Time” magazine film critic Roger Corliss described this sci-fi adventure comedy, produced and directed by W. D. Richter. Peter Weller stars as the multi-talented Buckaroo Banzai–-a neurosurgeon, nuclear scientist, and rock ‘n’ roller, who is called upon to save the world from a hostile extraterrestrial invasion. The rather loose plot serves as backdrop for a series of bizarrely humorous set pieces, parodying both classic and contemporary sci-fi films. The cast of this cult favorite includes John Lithgow, Ellen Barkin and Jeff Goldblum.
Saturday, April 29 (2 p.m.)
Peter Pan (Universal, 2003)
Australian director P. J. Hogan (My Best Friend’s Wedding) co-wrote and directed this adaptation of the classic play and novel by J. M. Barrie. Film critic Roger Ebert praised the American-British-Australian production writing: “[Hogan] stays closer to the J.M. Barrie book and closer to the book’s buried themes, which are sidestepped by most versions of ‘Peter Pan.’ This expensive new production, shot in Australia, is not simply a riot of pretty pictures, but begins with a Neverland that seems overgrown and pungent — more like Louisiana than Middle-Earth. … At a point when lesser films would be giving us swashbuckling by the numbers, Peter and Wendy dance in mid-air, emulating the fairy ballet.” Jeremy Sumpter stars as Peter Pan with Rachel Hurd-Wood as Wendy and Jason Isaacs and Olivia Williams as Mr. and Mrs. Darling.
Saturday, April 29 (7:30 p.m.)
Timecrimes (Magnolia Pictures, 2007 R-rated *)
Everyman Héctor (Karra Elejalde) is tricked by a scientist into entering a large mechanical device that turns out to be an experimental time machine, setting in motion a horrifying chain of events when he inadvertently runs into himself. Spanish filmmaker and Academy Award Nominee Nacho Vigalondo (for the 2003 short film 7:35 in the Morning) wrote, directed and costars (as the scientist) in this low-budget science fiction thriller–his feature film debut. Well-crafted with dark humor and bizarre twists, the film is in Spanish with English subtitles. *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/.