The following is a guest post by Jenny Paxson of the Packard Campus.
Never Let Me Go (MGM, 1953)
Thursday, January 16 (7:30 p.m.)
“Never Let Me Go” (MGM, 1953)
Clark Gable and Gene Tierney star in this Cold War curio in which a Moscow correspondent (Gable) is kicked out of the Soviet Union for writing some anti-Communist articles while his Russian ballerina wife (Tierney) is not allowed to emigrate. Tierney took extensive ballet lessons for the film from English ballet dancer and choreographer Anton Dolan that paid off in the Swan Lake sequence. The supporting cast includes Bernard Miles, Richard Haydn, Belita, Kenneth More, and Theodore Bikel. The movie was shot at MGM’s British studios and on location in Cornwall. Directed by Delmer Daves and produced by Clarence Brown, the screenplay was based on the novel Came the Dawn by Roger Bax. 35mm film print. 94 minutes.
Friday, January 17 (7:30 p.m.)
“Jeremiah Johnson” (Warner Bros., 1972)
Army veteran Robert Redford heads for the wilderness in 1850 to make his way as a mountain man, only to find that “civilization” and its constraints are not far behind. Will Geer co-stars as his grizzled tutor Chris “Bear Claw” Lapp. The film was artfully directed by Sydney Pollack and beautifully shot by Duke Callaghan in nearly one hundred locations across Utah. Pollock worked with editor Thomas Stanford for nearly seven and a half months after filming was finished. “It’s a picture that was made as much in the editing room as it was in the shooting,” said Pollack, “because you had all these big shots of a guy walking his horse through the snow. You didn’t see strong narrative line. It’s a picture made out of rhythms and moods and wonderful performances.” Rated PG. Digital. 108 minutes.
The Lady Eve (Paramount, 1941)
Saturday, January 18 (2:00 pm)
“The Lady Eve” (Paramount, 1941)
Director Preston Sturges turns the Adam and Eve story on its head with con artists Barbara Stanwyck and Charles Coburn out to fleece shy and serious beer heir/snake expert Henry Fonda on an ocean voyage. The film features sparkling dialog, a quick pace and more than a touch of Sturges’ trademark screwiness. Monckton Hoffe, who wrote the original story for The Lady Eve, received an Academy Award nomination for Best Writing. The New York Times named it as the best film of the year in their “10 Best Films of 1941” list. The romantic comedy was added to the National Film Registry in 1994. 35mm film print. 94 minutes.
Saturday, January 18 (7:30 p.m.)
“Bad Boys” (Columbia, 1995 – rated R)
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are Miami narcotic detectives in search of $100 million of confiscated heroin that goes missing from station headquarters. Michael Bay directed, so of course, the film is full of flashy action sequences, but the comedic chops of Smith and Lawrence keep the tone fairly lighthearted. This very successful film spawned two sequels: Bad Boys II in 2003 and Bad Boys for Life which opens on January 17. The action comedy is rated R for intense violent action and pervasive strong language. No one under the age of 17 will be admitted without a parent or guardian. 35mm film print. 119 minutes.
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