The following is a guest post by Jenny Paxson of the Packard Campus.
Thursday, August 9 (7:30 p.m.)
La Strada (Dino de Laurentis Distribuzione, 1954)
The legendary Federico Fellini directs his wife, Giulietta Masina, as Gelsomina in the film that launched them both to international stardom. Gelsomina is sold by her mother into the employ of Zampanò (Anthony Quinn), a brutal strongman in a traveling circus. When Zampanò encounters an old rival in highwire artist, the Fool (Richard Basehart), his fury is provoked to its breaking point. With “La Strada,” Fellini left behind the familiar signposts of Italian neorealism for a poetic fable of love and cruelty, evoking brilliant performances and winning the hearts of audiences and critics worldwide. Winner of the first ever competitive Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Shown in Italian with English subtitles. 35mm archival print, 108 min.
Friday, August 10 (7:30 p.m.)
Brief Encounter (Eagle-Lion, 1945)
After a chance meeting at a suburban British train station, a married doctor and a middle-class housewife find themselves drawn into a poignant romance. Adapted by Noel Coward from his one-act play, the film stars Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard as the proper and reserved lovers. Called by Sir Richard Attenborough “a landmark and touchstone” for the film industry, “Brief Encounter” established David Lean as a great director, with a sense of character and romantic fatalism that would be found in such later hits as Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Doctor Zhivago. The film shared the 1946 Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival and was Oscar nominated for Best Actress (Johnson), Best Director (Lean) and Best Adapted Screenplay. Digital presentation, 86 min.
Saturday, August 11 (2 p.m.)
An American Tail (Universal, 1986)
In this animated musical adventure set in 1885, the Mousekewitzes, a Russian-Jewish family of mice, emigrate from Ukraine to America on a tramp steamer where they’ve been led to believe there are “no cats.” During a thunderstorm, young Fievel suddenly finds himself separated from his family and hopes to find a way to reunite with them once in New York. James Horner wrote the score for the film, and the song Somewhere Out There, composed by Horner, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and sung by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram, won a Grammy Award for “Song of the Year,” as well as “Most Performed Song from a Motion Picture” from both the ASCAP and Broadcast Music Awards. Rated G. 35mm archival print, 80 min.
Saturday, August 11 (7:30 p.m.)
Home from the Hill (MGM, 1960)
Robert Mitchum stars as powerful Texas landowner Capt. Wade Hunnicutt in this epic family saga based on the novel by William Humphrey. The story explores the tangled relationships of Wade, his estranged wife Hannah (Eleanor Parker), their adult son Theron (George Hamilton), and his illegitimate son Rafe (George Peppard) from an earlier relationship. Directed by Vincente Minnelli, best-known at the time for sophisticated musicals such as An American in Paris (1951) and Gigi (1958), Home from the Hill represents another genre in which he would win critical acclaim, particularly in later years–the melodrama. The film opened to strong reviews and both Mitchum and Peppard won acting awards for their roles from the National Board of Review. 35mm archival print, 150 min.
For more information on our programs, please visit the website at: www.loc.gov/avconservation/theater/.