Top Hat
Great American Songbook The fourth pairing of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers is still the best, partly because they’ve brought Irving Berlin’s music along for the fun. Introduction by Michael Lasser.
Sweetie
Three by Campion Jane Campion’s first feature film is an unconventional, punkish, funny, and ultimately devastating, family drama about two sisters, one of whom is mentally troubled.
Delicious
Great American Songbook This ninth pairing of romantic leads Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell is the first film fully scored by George and Ira Gerswhin. Introduction by Michael Lasser
Roberta
Great American Songbook Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers appear here in support of Randolph Scott and Irene Dunne. Jerome Kern provided the music for the songs, with lyrics primarily from Dorothy Fields. Dunne performs “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” and “Lovely to Look At,” while Astaire and Rogers steal the show with their “I Won’t Dance” number.Introduction by Michael Lasser.
The Grapes of Wrath
Labor Film Series A confluence of talents all contributing some of their finest work makes The Grapes of Wrath one of the greatest epics in American cinema: the novel by John Steinbeck, the direction of John Ford, the acting of Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, and John Carradine, and the black-and-white mastery of cinematographer Gregg Toland,
Filibus
Silent Tuesdays Filibus, the mysterious aviatrix, is a master of disguise and a notorious jewel thief. Rappelling down from her airship on the unsuspecting rich, she makes her living off of those who have made their living off of others. Live piano accompaniment by Dr. Philip C. Carli.
The Piano
Three by Campion Beautifully filmed in the stunning blue hues of New Zealand’s forests, and breathtaking shorelines of the Pacific Ocean, The Piano is set in 1850 during the colonization of New Zealand. Written and directed by Campion, The Piano was nominated for eight Academy Awards, of which it won three, for Campion’s script and the performances by Hunter and Paquin.
Viridiana
Palme the 60's Director Luis Buñuel was a master provocateur, and his award-winning Viridiana is no exception.
The Bicycle Thieves
Labor Film Series In this founding film of the neorealist movement, De Sica used non-actors, including Lamberto Maggiorani as Ricci, a poster-hanger who relies on his bicycle to make a living. While he is busy with his son Bruno, the bicycle is stolen and the two embark on an odyssey of despair.
Shall We Dance?
Great American Songbook Fred and Ginger are at it again, this time to the music of George and Ira Gershwin. Introduction by Michael Lasser.
It
Silent Tuesdays The film that made Clara Bow a star. In her first lead role, Bow is Betty Lou Spence, a shopgirl who has a crush on the store manager, Cyrus Waltham Jr. (Antonio Moreno), who also happens to be the son of the owner and heir to their fortune. Live piano accompaniment by Dr. Philip C. Carli.
Portrait of a Lady
Three by Campion Three years after the success of The Piano, director Jane Campion was granted the largest studio budget she would ever have and a cast full of renowned actors to bring her stylish interpretation of the Henry James novel to the screen.
42nd Street
Great American Songbook Ruby Keeler is the young ingenue in this backstage musical. She plays Peggy Sawyer, just in from Pennsylvania, trying to get her big break on Broadway. Introduction by Michael Lasser.
Harlan County, U.S.A.
Labor Film Series Intending to cover struggles in the labor movement—and in the United Mine Workers of America in particular—filmmaker Barbara Kopple was on hand to capture the Brookside miners’ strike in 1973. Kopple and her crew were able to gain unprecedented access to the front lines of a labor standoff.
The Harvey Girls
Great American Songbook Judy Garland is in top form in this western musical, with songs by Harry Warren and Johnny Mercer. Traveling on a westbound train to Sand Rock, New Mexico, Susan Bradley (Garland) is intending to marry the man she has been corresponding with but has never met.
A Sleeping Memory
Silent Tuesdays Despondent after the disgrace and suicide of her father, Eleanore Marsten (Emily Stevens) leaves her comfortable lifestyle for a position at a department store. There, she meets the wealthy and attractive Powers Fiske (Frank Mills), who promises that he can remove her painful memories with a simple brain operation. Live piano accompaniment by Dr. Philip C. Carli.
Cabiria
National Silent Movie Day Lavish and grand in scale, this Roman epic is one of the first feature films produced and, according to Martin Scorsese, deserves credit for many of the innovations attributed to directors Cecil B. DeMille and D. W. Griffith.
Stormy Weather
Great American Songbook The luminous Lena Horne plays nightclub singer Selina Rogers to Bill Robinson’s Bill Williamson, just returning home from World War I. Introduction by Michael Lasser
