The following is a guest post by Jenny Paxson of the Packard Campus.
Thursday, February 28 (7:30 p.m.)
Shane (Paramount, 1953)
George Stevens directed this adaptation of Jack Schaefer’s novel in which Shane, a former gunfighter fighter (Alan Ladd), comes to the defense of homesteaders who are being terrorized by a cattle baron who wants their land. Van Heflin, Jean Arthur (in her last screen appearance) and Brandon de Wilde portray the Starrett Family who befriends Shane. Loyal Griggs lush color cinematography won an Academy Award for this western drama. Shane was tapped for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1993. 35mm archival print, 118 min.
Friday, March 1 (7:30 p.m.)
Silent Movie Double Feature
Atta Boy (Pathé Exchange, 1926)
Popular silent film comedian Monty Banks stars as a copy boy working at a large daily newspaper in New York who dreams of becoming a real reporter. A practical joker tricks him (on April 1st, his birthday) into believing he has been promoted and Monty soon finds himself in over his head in a kidnapping investigation. Banks also produced this action comedy that was directed by Edward H. Griffith. 35mm film print produced by the Library of Congress film preservation lab in 2011. 63 min.
Crooked Streets (Paramount Artcraft, 1920)
In this action-packed spy drama, Gail Ellis (Ethel Clayton) signs on as a secretary to a professor and his wife for a trip to exotic China to acquire antique vases. Once there, Gail is rescued from being accosted and chased by drunken sailors in a dangerous part of Shanghai by young Englishman Rupert O’Dare (Jack Holt). As the story unfolds, the two come to realize they have more than good looks in common. Director Paul Powell handles the proceedings with a stylish and assured hand and the cinematography by William Marshall is especially noteworthy. 35mm archival film print, 52 min. Live musical accompaniment for both films will be provided by Jon Mirsalis.
Saturday, March 2 (2 p.m.)
Rise of the Guardians (Paramount, 2012)
This computer animated action film is based on The Guardians of Childhood book series by William Joyce. The idea for the Guardians came from Joyce’s daughter, who asked him if he thought Santa Claus had ever met the Easter Bunny. In this story, the Guardians enlist Jack Frost to stop Pitch Black from engulfing the world in darkness. The voice cast features Chris Pine as Jack Frost, Alec Baldwin as North/Santa Claus, Hugh Jackman the Easter Bunny, Isla Fisher the Tooth Fairy and Jude Law as Pitch Black. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film. Described on Rotten Tomatoes as “a sort of Avengers for the elementary school set, Rise of the Guardians is wonderfully animated and briskly paced.” Rated PG. 35mm archival print, 97 min.
Saturday, March 2 (7:30 p.m.)
Once & Again (Isabel Dunn, 2018)
The documentary Once & Again quietly examines our digital age through sensitive portraits of three residents of Austin, TX, obsessed with antique phonographs and 78rpm records. It features Jim Cartwright, phonograph collector; Amelia ‘Foxtrot’ Raley, Austin’s only phonograph disc jockey; and Dr. Louis A. Waldman, art history professor at the University of Texas at Austin. Director Isabel Dunn who will introduce the film, was raised in Silver Spring, MD, studied film and liberal arts honors at UT Austin, and is now based in Los Angeles, CA. Still making the rounds on the North American Festival circuit, the short’s accolades include Best Student Film at Lone Star Film Festival 2018 and Official Selection at Big Sky Documentary Film Festival 2019. Digital, 25 minutes. Also on the program, The Immortal Voice (Bray, 1922) a fascinating explanation of how phonograph discs were recorded in the acoustic era. The silent short features an impressive new score by pianist Ben Model. 14 min. Plus an additional short film about sound recording to be announced later will also be on the program .
For more information on our programs, please visit the website at: www.loc.gov/avconservation/theater/.