The following is a guest post by Jenny Paxson of the Packard Campus.
Thursday, May 10 (7:30 p.m.)
The Sting (Universal, 1973)
Robert Redford plays a Depression-era con man seeking revenge on the racketeer (Robert Shaw) responsible for the murder of his mentor. He enlists the aid of confidence artist extraordinaire Paul Newman to gather together an impressive array of con men eager to settle the score with Shaw. One of the biggest hits of the early ’70s, The Sting picked up seven Oscars including Best Picture, Director, Screenplay and Best Adapted Score for Marvin Hamlisch’s unforgettable setting of Scott Joplin’s ragtime music. The film was added to the National Film Registry in 2005. Rated PG. 129 min.
Friday, May 11 (7:30 p.m.)
Sahara (Columbia, 1943)
The Packard Campus Theater is presenting three films to commemorate the 75th anniversary of significant events of WWII from May 11 – 17. The action in Sahara takes place in Libya during the Western Desert Campaign and was released just six months after the surrender of Axis forces in North Africa. Setting out to rejoin the American command after the fall of Tobruk, American tank commander Sgt. Joe Gunn (Humphrey Bogart) and his U.S. crew pick up five British soldiers, a Frenchman, and a Sudanese man with an Italian prisoner as they cross the Libyan Desert. The group becomes a microcosm of the Allied forces as they work together to defeat a much larger German unit. Directed by Zoltan Korda, this tense and exciting drama received widespread critical acclaim and three Oscar nominations including Best Supporting Actor for J. Carrol Naish as the Italian prisoner. 97 min.
Saturday, May 12 (7:30 p.m.)
The Pianist (Focus Features, 1984 – R-Rated*)
Adrien Brody won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his sensitive portrayal of famed Polish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman as he struggles to survive the onslaught of Nazi tyranny during World War II in this drama based on his memoirs. A composer and pianist, Szpilman was playing live on the radio in Warsaw when the station was bombed during Nazi Germany’s invasion of Poland. Szpilman and his family were soon forced from their home into the overcrowded Warsaw Ghetto. He later aided the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (April 19 – May 16, 1943), the largest single revolt by Jews during World War II. Szpilman eventually reclaimed his artistic gifts, and confronted his fears–with aid from an unlikely source. The film also won Oscars for Best Director (Roman Polanski) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Ronald Harwood) and was nominated for Best Picture of the year. 150 min. *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/.