LONG-TERM LOVE STORIES
Sometimes love comes quickly, and sadly goes away just as fast. But good love stories can take time to develop, and many do endure. This month the Packard Theater looks at some of those cases where the couples are in for the long haul, hopefully retaining that love they find along the way. Films featuring the likes of James Cagney, Audrey Hepburn, Rachel McAdams, Janet Gaynor and Christopher Reeve, all likely to cause audiences to bring a tissue or two with them to assist in their viewing.
THURSDAY, APRIL 4 @ 7:30 p.m.
Sunrise (Fox, 1927)
German expressionist director F. W. Murnau’s American film debut is considered a masterpiece of the silent era. It was one of the first titles selected to the National Film Registry in 1989. This enchanting parable of temptation and love features an Academy Award-winning performance by Janet Gaynor, recipient of the first-ever Best Actress Oscar as The Wife, along with innovative and mesmerizing Oscar-winning visuals. Themes from Chopin’s Prelude in A Minor feature prominently in one of the earliest examples of the Fox Movietone sound-on-film system. Black & White, Silent with recorded sound, 94 minutes.
FRIDAY, APRIL 5 @ 7:30 p.m.
The Notebook (New Line Cinema, 2004)
Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams play a young couple falling in love. James Garner and Gena Rowlands play the couple now much older, and their story is told through the reading of a notebook. Nick Cassavetes directed the film based upon Nicholas Sparks’ novel of the same name. While the Academy avoided the film (it received no nominations), the public fell in love with it and the film continues to be a favorite today. Color, 124 minutes.
THURSDAY, APRIL 11 @ 7:30 p.m.
Two For the Road (20th Century-Fox, 1967)
While on a road trip, an unhappy couple recall other trips taken over the years. Do the recollections help heal the broken marriage, or just fuel it falling further apart? We will have to see. Audrey Hepburn (My Fair Lady, Wait Until Dark) and Albert Finney (Tom Jones) star and Stanley Donen (Singin’ in the Rain, Charade) directed. The wonderful music for the film was provided by Henry Mancini. Color, 111 minutes.
FRIDAY, APRIL 12 @ 7:30 p.m.
In the Mood For Love (Paradise Films, 2000)
The crowning achievement of film auteur Kar-Wai Wong. A kaleidoscope of colors and music fills this tale of two hallway-crossed lovers that form the deepest of connections over several years despite both being married to others. Starring international superstars Tony Leung (Hard Boiled, Marvel’s Shang-Chi) and Maggie Cheung (Irma Vep, Heroic Trio), this film will make you fall in love at the movies. Often argued to be one of the best photographed films ever made, the cinematography by Christopher Doyle is something that must be seen on the big screen. The Library of Congress presents this work in a beautiful, original, untouched 35mm print.
THURSDAY, APRIL 18 @ 7:30 p.m.
Strawberry Blonde (Warner Bros, 1941)
A turn-of-the-20th-century love story. James Cagney looks back on loves sought; those gained and those lost. While not a musical, the film won the Academy Award for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture due to its use of over a dozen popular tunes from the early 1900’s. Raoul Walsh directed and the film features Olivia de Havilland, Rita Hayworth and Jack Carson in the cast. Black and White, 97 minutes. Also a short subject.
FRIDAY, APRIL 19 @ 7:30 p.m.
Somewhere In Time (Universal, 1981)
This part period-drama, part time-travel fantasy comes from science fiction author Richard Matheson, who adapted the screenplay from his own novel. Filmed primarily on location at the sprawling Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, this romance stars Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour, whose love transcends the laws of time. Also featured are a villainous Christopher Plummer and a memorable original score based on the music of Rachmaninoff. Color, 103 minutes.
THURSDAY, APRIL 25 @ 7:30 p.m.
Annie Hall (MGM, 1977)
Fall in “luff” all over again with iconic couple Alvy Singer and Annie Hall. Diane Keaton is outstanding in the film’s charming title role, which was written especially for her, and Woody Allen is at his neurotic best as he analyzes the absurdity and joy of romantic relationships. Audiences are treated to the masterful cinematography of Gordon Willis, who gave us other 1970s classics like Manhattan, All the President’s Men, and The Godfather. This satirical four-time Oscar-winner was added to the National Film Registry in 1992. Color, 94 minutes.
FRIDAY, APRIL 26 @ 7:30 p.m.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Focus Features, 2004)
Would you erase memories if you could? In this stylized sci-fi romantic drama, that isn’t just a theoretical question. From Michel Gondry (The Science of Sleep, Be Kind Rewind) and Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation) comes a mind-bending reality where a mysterious company can medically erase whatever their clients wish to forget. In the case of mismatched couple Joel and Clementine (Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet), that’s each other. Not your average breakup story, this twisty journey through memory and heartache challenges viewers to examine the stories we tell ourselves that make us who we are. Color, 108 minutes.
Please note: Due to necessary electrical maintenance to the NAVCC facility, the film screening schedule for the next few months will be altered. The Packard Campus Theater will be screening films on Thursday and Friday nights. Programs are free and the matinee show will be family friendly. 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.
Patrons must go through an “airport style” security check upon entering and no large parcels, purses or backpacks are permitted.
Federal law (18 U.S.C. 930) prohibits the possession of any firearm or other dangerous weapons on this Federal facility. This includes in the parking lot, on all roads, trails, and grounds as well as inside the building. This also applies to off-duty law enforcement officers (LEO) and concealed-carry permit holders.
The Packard Campus is located at 19053 Mount Pony Road in Culpeper, Virginia. Access to the campus parking lot begins one hour before show time, entrance into the building begins 45 minutes before the show, and the theater opens for seating 30 minutes before the curtain. Please do not arrive early and queue at the Packard Campus gate.
The Library of Congress Packard Campus of the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center oversees one of the largest collections of motion pictures in the world. Acquired primarily through copyright deposit, exchange, gift and purchase, the collection spans the entire history of the cinema. Since 2008, the art deco theater located at the Packard Campus has shown films each week and screened more than 2,500 titles. The programs highlight the best in cinema, including silent films, Hollywood classics, kids’ cartoons and foreign films.
For more information on LC screenings, see this link.