Programs are free and open to the public, but children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Seating at the screenings is on a first-come, first-served basis unless otherwise noted. Short films may be shown before some features. For general Packard Campus Theater information, call (540) 827-1079 ext. 79994 or (202) 707-9994. For further information on the theater and film series, visit http://www.loc.gov/avconservation/theater/schedule.html
Thursday, January 3 (7:30 p.m.)
The Thing from Another World (RKO, 1951)
Scientists and American Air Force officials at a lonely Arctic outpost uncover an alien aircraft buried in the ice. Once they melt through to the wreckage, the situation quickly escalates from unpredictable to terrifying. This classic blend of science-fiction and horror is noted for excellent performances (led by Kenneth Tobey, Robert Cornthwaite and Margaret Sheridan), tense direction (often credited to producer Howard Hawks), and the eerie score by Dimitri Tiomkin, which was one of the earliest science fiction films to use a theremin. James Arness, later of Gunsmoke fame who was cast as The Thing was a struggling movie actor at the time. The Thing from Another World was added to the National Film Registry in 2001. Digital presentation, 87 min.
Friday, January 4 (7:30 p.m.)
Journey into Fear (RKO, 1943)
Joseph Cotten scripted and stars in this adaptation of the Eric Ambler novel – a WWII spy drama about an American ballistics expert in Turkey who finds himself targeted by Nazi agents. Safe passage home by ship is arranged for him, but he soon discovers that his pursuers are on board. The film also stars Dolores del Rio, Ruth Warrick, Agnes Moorehead, Jack Durant, Everett Sloane and Orson Welles. Although various sources conflict, Welles also co-directed (with Norman Foster), co-wrote and co-produced the film, though is credited with none of these roles. We are showing a new 35mm print produced by the Library of Congress film preservation lab in May, 2018. 68 min.
Saturday, January 5 (7:30 p.m.)
The Shining (Warner Bros., 1980 – rated R*)
Director Stanley Kubrick’s take on Stephen King’s terrifying novel has only grown in esteem through the years. The film is inventive in visual style, symbolism, and narrative as only a Kubrick film can be. Long and multi-layered, The Shining contains stunning visuals – rivers of blood cascading down deserted hotel hallways, disturbing snowy mazes, and a mysterious set of appearing and disappearing twins. Adding to the film’s esteem are iconic performances by Jack Nicholson as an aspiring writer and recovering alcoholic and Shelley Duvall as his wife who move to an isolated and ominous hotel in the Colorado Rockies to work as the off-season caretakers. “The Shining” was added to the National Film Registry on December 12, 2018. 35mm archival film print. 145 min. *Rated R, no one under the age of 17 will be admitted without a parent or guardian.
Thursday, January 10 (7:30 p.m.)
Ed Sullivan’s Toast of the Town (CBS, 1948-1954)
The American institution known as The Ed Sullivan Show was first titled Toast of the Town when it began broadcasting live from New York on June 20, 1948 – a time when less than 1% of U.S. households had a television set. This program of clips from the first six years of the long-running variety series was curated from original 16mm kinescopes of the show. Included are appearances by Jackie Gleason, Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee, Sarah Vaughn, Zero Mostel, Cab Calloway, Louis Prima, W.C. Handy, Lionel Hampton, Pearl Bailey, Tony Bennett, Les Paul & Mary Ford, Walt Disney, Xavier Cugat with Abbe Lane, Bill Haley & the Comets and Marilyn Monroe’s screen test from 1947. Digital presentation. Approximately 100 min.
Friday, January 11 (7:30 p.m.)
Misery (Columbia, 1990 – rated R*)
Kathy Bates won a Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Annie Wilkes, an obsessive fan of romance novelist Paul Sheldon (James Caan). When Annie rescues Sheldon after he crashes his car during a blizzard, he comes to realize that the nursing care she is giving him is the beginning of a nightmare. Oscar-winning screenwriter William Goldman adapted the 1987 Stephen King novel, creating a heart-stopping psychological thriller. Directed by Rob Reiner, the cast also includes Richard Farnsworth, Frances Sternhagen and Lauren Bacall. 35mm archival film print. 107 min. *Rated R, no one under the age of 17 will be admitted without a parent or guardian.
Saturday, January 12 (2 p.m.)
Balto (Universal, 1995)
In this family-friendly animated film, Balto, an outcast dog, transports desperately needed medicine through blinding storms in Alaska. The epic drama adventure directed by Simon Wells is loosely based on a true story about the dog of the same name who helped save children from the diphtheria epidemic in the 1925 serum run to Nome. The voice cast includes Kevin Bacon, Bridget Fonda, Jim Cummings, Phil Collins (in a dual role), and Bob Hoskins with Miriam Margoyles in a live-action sequence. 35mm archival film print. 78 min.
Saturday, January 12 (7:30 p.m.)
Beauty and the Beast (DisCina, 1946)
Jean Cocteau’s sublime adaptation of Mme. Leprince de Beaumont’s fairy-tale masterpiece – in which the pure love of a beautiful girl melts the heart of a feral but gentle beast – is a landmark of motion picture fantasy, with unforgettably romantic performances by Jean Marais and Josette Day. The spectacular visions of enchantment, desire, and death in Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et la Bête) have become timeless icons of cinematic wonder. Critic Roger Ebert wrote in his four star review, “Before the days of computer effects and modern creature makeup, here is a fantasy alive with trick shots and astonishing effects, giving us a Beast who is lonely like a man and misunderstood like an animal. Cocteau, a poet and surrealist, was not making a ‘children’s film’ but was adapting a classic French tale that he felt had a special message after the suffering of World War II: Anyone who has an unhappy childhood may grow up to be a Beast.” In French with English subtitles. 35mm restoration film print on loan from Janus Films. 93 min.
Thursday, January 17 (7:30 p.m.)
Selma (Paramount, 2014)
David Oyelowo stars as Martin Luther King, Jr. in this award winning drama based on the Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches in 1965 led by King, James Bevel, Hosea Williams and John Lewis. Directed by Ava DuVernay, the film was listed on many critics’ top ten lists for the year. It was nominated for Best Picture and won Best Original Song for “Glory” at the 87th Academy Awards. The cast features Tom Wilkinson as President Lyndon B. Johnson, Tim Roth as Gov. George Wallace, Carmen Ejogo as Coretta Scott King, and Common as James Bevel. Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun Times praised the film as “an important history lesson that never feels like a lecture.” Shown in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Rated PG-13. Digital presentation, 128 min.
Thursday, January 24 (7:30 p.m.)
The X-Files: I Want to Believe (20th Century-Fox, 2008)
When a disgraced priest claims to have visions of the disappearance of a current FBI agent, the agency calls on Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), both of whom left the FBI years ago, to use their paranormal expertise to tackle the case. This supernatural thriller directed by Chris Carter is the second feature film installment of The X-Files franchise which began as a science fiction drama television series (1993-2002) created by Carter. Unlike the first film, released in 1998, the plot does not focus on the series’ ongoing extraterrestrial-based mythological themes, but instead works as a standalone thriller horror story. Rated PG-13. 35mm archival film print, 104 min.
Friday, January 25 (7:30 p.m.)
Husbands and Lovers First National, 1924)
John Stahl may be best remembered for directing the original versions of the melodramas Imitation of Life (1934) and Magnificent Obsession (1935), but in the silent film era he turned out a number sophisticated comedies and dramas dealing with marriage and divorce of which Husbands and Lovers is an especially clever example. Lewis Stone stars as an insensitive cad of a husband with Florence Vidor as his long-suffering wife. Lew Cody, who specialized in playing smooth scoundrels, has the “other man” role. This new 35mm film print produced by the Library of Congress Film Preservation Lab made its debut at the Le Giornate del Cinema Muto Film Festival in Pordenone, Italy in October, 2018. Live musical accompaniment will be provided by Andrew Simpson. 80 min.
Saturday, January 26 (2 p.m.)
Charlie Chaplin Comedy Shorts from the Mutual Years (1916-1917)
When Charles Chaplin signed a record-setting contract with the Mutual Film Corporation in February 1916, it was the culmination of events that changed the motion picture business. He turned out twelve outstanding comedy shorts in a row that have stood the test of time for more than a century. Author Michael J. Hayde, whose book “Chaplin’s Vintage Year: The History of the Mutual-Chaplin Specials” was named by Leonard Maltin as a “New and Notable Film Book” for 2013, will introduce this program of Chaplin’s Mutual comedies including The Fireman (1916) – 24 min., The Pawn Shop (1916) – 25 min. and The Adventurer (1917) – 24 min. Live musical accompaniment will be provided by Andrew Simpson. Digital presentation.
Saturday, January 26 (7:30 p.m.)
Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd (Warner Bros., 1952)
Archivists Bob Furmanek and Jack Theakston present a program of Cinecolor rarities, including film clips and trailers in this unique and forgotten two and three-color process. The feature attraction is the only surviving 35mm SuperCinecolor print of Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd co-starring Charles Laughton recreating his famous role as the bloodthirsty pirate. As the original ads proclaimed, “It’s one big roar from shore to shore!” As a special bonus, they will also screen a classic Abbott and Costello TV show from 1953 in 35mm, co-starring Sid Fields, Bingo the Chimp and Joe Besser as “Stinky.” 70 min. feature, 30 min. television show.
Thursday, January 31 (7:30 p.m.)
Wanda (Janus, 1970)
The only feature film written and directed by Barbara Loden, Wanda is a stark road movie shot on 16mm film on a miniscule budget. The title character, as portrayed by Loden, is a drifter, a floater, a wanderer. Wanda is a groundbreaking film both in the presentation of a woman breaking away from her prescribed life, and in the introduction of a fiercely independent filmmaker. While the film won the Critics Prize in Venice in 1970, it only screened in one theater in New York during its US theatrical release. Wanda was recently restored by UCLA, and was added to the National Film Registry in 2017. Digital presentation, 102 min.