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Now Playing at the Packard Campus Theater (Oct. 11 -13, 2018)

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The following is a guest post by Jenny Paxson of the Packard Campus.

The Wiz (Universal, 1978)

Thursday, October 11 (7:30 p.m.)
The Wiz (Universal, 1978)
Charlie Smalls’s jazzy, updated version of The Wizard of Oz won seven Tony Awards on Broadway in 1975, and was brought to the screen three years later with Diana Ross taking the lead role of a grown up, urban Dorothy that Stephanie Mills originated on stage. Directed by Sidney Lumet, The Wiz features an all-star cast including Michael Jackson as Scarecrow, Nipsey Russell as the Tinman, Lena Horne as Glinda the Good Witch, and Richard Pryor in the title role. Shown in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the film’s release and in conjunction with the special event “Declassified – Designing The Wiz” being held at the Coolidge Auditorium in the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, October 27 at 11 am where production and costume designer Tony Walton will join Solomon HaileSelassie of the Music Division for an intimate look at some of the designs he created for film. 35mm archival print, 134 min.

Friday, October 12 (7:30 p.m.)
House on Haunted Hill (Allied Artists, 1959)
An eccentric millionaire (Vincent Price) offers a group of people $10,000 each if they’ll spend a night in a sinister old mansion where several murders have occurred; he even gives each of his guests a tiny coffin containing a loaded handgun, designed to protect them from the spooks that emerge in the house over the course of the night. Produced and directed by William Castle, the king of gimmick horror films, House on Haunted Hill was a great success, especially with younger audiences.  Subsequently, most of Castle’s films would geared toward the teenage market; 13 Ghosts (1960), 13 Frightened Girls (1963), and I Saw What You Did (1965) being prime examples. Digital presentation, 75 min.

Eve’s Bayou (Trimark, 1997)

Saturday, October 13 (7:30 p.m.)
Eve’s Bayou (Trimark Pictures, 1997 – rated R*)
This critically-acclaimed drama is a tale about the shifting psychological ties that bind an affluent Southern black family in the 1960s, as seen through the eyes of 10-year-old Eve (Jurnee Smollett) who worships her philandering father (Samuel L. Jackson). Eve’s Bayou is the first feature film written and directed by Kasi Lemmons, who went on to direct The Caveman’s Valentine, Talk to Me, and Black Nativity. Lemmons is a mentor with Project HER, where new women directors are paired with established women directors. The film won the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature. 35mm archival print, 109 min. Rated R for sexuality and language. *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/.

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