The following is guest post by Jenny Paxson of the Packard Campus.
Christopher Strong (RKO, 1933)
Thursday, August 16 (7:30)
Christopher Strong (RKO, 1933)
After making a striking film debut in Bill of Divorcement (1932), RKO signed Katharine Hepburn to a long term contract and selected a story about a headstrong, individualistic woman for their new star’s follow-up feature. Playwright Zoe Akins adapted Gilbert Frankau’s novel about a prize-winning aviatrix who drifts into a potentially disastrous affair with the happily married British politician Christopher Strong (Colin Clive). To direct, producer David O. Selznick chose one of Hollywood’s few women directors, Dorothy Arzner. Actual newsreel footage of parades and famous flights added authenticity to the film which also features Billie Burke, Helen Chandler and Jack LaRue in the cast. 35mm archival print, 78 min.
Friday, August 17 (7:30 p.m.)
Flight (Paramount, 2012)
Denzel Washington stars as commercial airline pilot “Whip” Whitaker who astonishingly crash-lands his plane after it suffers an in-flight mechanical failure, saving nearly everyone on board. Hailed as a hero immediately following the incident, an investigation soon turns up evidence that sheds a negative light on the captain. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, the action drama film received wide critical acclaim and earned a Best Original Screenplay nomination for John Gatins. Washington was nominated in the Best Actor category for the Academy Award, the Golden Globe and the Screen Actors Guild Award. MPAA Rated R for drug and alcohol abuse, language, sexuality/nudity and an intense action sequence. No one under the age of 17 will be admitted without a parent or guardian. 35mm archival print, 138 min.
Now, Voyager (WB, 1942)
Saturday, August 18 (7:30 p.m.)
Now, Voyager (Warner Bros., 1942)
A resonant woman’s picture, Now, Voyager features Bette Davis as Charlotte Vale, a dowdy spinster terrorized by her possessive mother (Gladys Cooper) and on the verge of a nervous breakdown. While undergoing treatment at a sanatorium, a caring psychiatrist (played by Clause Rains) suggests that Charlotte go on a cruise, where she finds love with Jerry Durrance (Paul Henreid). The compassionate therapy and later improbable romance transforms her into a confident, independent woman. Davis and Cooper were both Oscar nominated and Max Steiner won for Best Music. Now, Voyager was Bette Davis’ biggest box office hit of the ’40s. It was added to the National Film Registry in 2007. 35mm archival print, 117 min.
For more information on our programs, please visit the website at: www.loc.gov/avconservation/theater/.