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| Peter O'Toole and Anthony Quinn (r) in Lawrence of Arabia |
From our friends at AFI Silver Theatre...
70mm Spectacular, Part 2
July 4 - September 2
There’s nothing like seeing large-format films on the big screen, and this summer, AFI Silver delves deep into the history of 70mm filmmaking. Movies shot in this format used film stock with double the standard film gauge—the high-definition of its day—yielding unparalleled results and stunning clarity and vibrancy. Surviving 70mm prints are extremely rare; theaters equipped to project 70mm films are even rarer. This summer’s edition is a follow-up to 2012’s very popular series; 70mm prints will be presented wherever possible along with several stunning new restorations on the Silver’s new Digital Cinema Package (DCP) system. Enjoy these large-format spectaculars on the big screen in AFI Silver’s historic theater—as they were meant to be seen. AFI Member passes accepted.
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA
Sat, Jul 6, 11:00 a.m.; Sun, Jul 7, 7:00; Tue, Jul 9, 1:00; Wed, Jul 10, 1:00; Thu, Jul 11, 1:00 Sat, Aug 31, 2:45; Sun, Sep 1, 3:45; Mon, Sep 2, 5:30
David Lean’s towering achievement, winning seven Oscars in 1962 including Best Picture, and the film that made a then-unknown Peter O’Toole an international star (and earned him the first of his eight nominations for Best Actor). O’Toole is riveting as T. E. Lawrence, the legendary British officer who rallied the Arabs against Turkish invaders during World War I, and Lean’s film, a two-year undertaking shot entirely on location, is one of the true masterpieces of 70mm photography. With Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn and Omar Sharif. DIR David Lean; SCR Robert Bolt, Michael Wilson; PROD Robert A. Harris, Sam Spiegel. UK, 1962, color, 237 min. incl. 10-min intermission. In English, Arabic and Turkish. RATED PG
PATTON
Sat, Jul 13, 1:45
George C. Scott’s magnetic turn as controversial general George S. Patton ranks as one of the screen’s great larger-than-life performances, beginning with the famous opening monologue in front of a giant, screen-filling American flag. Released while the US was mired in the Vietnam conflict, some saw this portrait of an obsessively driven military adventurer (starring the same actor who played Gen. Buck Turgidson in DR. STRANGELOVE a few years earlier) as a critique of the military mindset rather than merely a flag-waver. Said Roger Ebert, “PATTON is not a war film so much as the story of a personality who has found the right role to play.” Winner of seven Oscars, including Best Picture, Director, Actor and Screenplay. DIR Franklin J. Schaffner; SCR by Francis Ford Coppola, Edmund H. North, from the books “Patton: Ordeal and Triumph” by Ladislas Farago and “A Soldier’s Story” by Omar N. Bradley; PROD Frank McCarthy. US, 1970, color, 182 min incl. 10-min intermission. RATED PG
45th Anniversary!
STAR!
Sun, Jul 14, 3:00
The life and career of one beloved British entertainer, Gertrude Lawrence, gets portrayed by another, Julie Andrews, in Robert Wise’s lavish spectacular STAR!, the follow-up to the same creative team’s triumph with THE SOUND OF MUSIC. Lawrence moves up the ranks from vaudeville chorus girl to star performer and grande dame across the jazz age, the war years and peacetime recovery, courted by noblemen and celebrities, a confidante of Noël Coward and the artistic elite. Singing, dancing (choreography by Michael Kidd) and a record-setting number of fabulous costumes animate this extravagant showbiz biopic. Nominated for seven Oscars. DIR Robert Wise; SCR William Fairchild; PROD Saul Chaplin. US, 1968, color, 186 min incl. 10 min intermission. RATED G
LIFEFORCE
Fri, Jul 19, 11:45; Sat, Jul 20, 12 midnight; Sun, Jul 21, 9:40
This ambitious sci-fi/horror hybrid, directed by Tobe Hooper (THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE) from a screenplay by Dan O’Bannon (ALIEN, TOTAL RECALL), with special effects by John Dykstra (STAR WARS), was a big-budget bomb in its day, but a camp classic for the ages! A space shuttle’s rendezvous with Halley’s Comet reveals an alien spacecraft containing hundreds of humanoid creatures in suspended animation. Back on Earth, the aliens come to life and begin draining the life force of human victims, turning them into vampire zombies. Mathilda May is the space succubus who starts the plague and Steve Railsback is the astronaut who must undo his crew’s terrible mistake. The 70mm blowup print’s magnetic track lends the impressive sound design and Elmer Bernstein’s commanding score added resonance. DIR Tobe Hooper; SCR Don Jakoby, Dan O’Bannon, from the novel “The Space Vampires” by Colin Wilson; PROD Menachem Golan, Yoram Globus. UK, 1985, color, 116 min. RATED R
SAMSARA
Thu, Aug 1, 7:00; Sat, Aug 3, 11:00 a.m.; Sun, Aug 4, 11:00 a.m.
SAMSARA reunites director Ron Fricke and producer Mark Magidson, whose award-winning film BARAKA was acclaimed for its visual and musical artistr y. Shot in 25 countries over a period of five years, this film transports audiences to sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial sites and natural wonders, in close contemplation of the surrounding world. Photographed entirely on 70mm film stock, Fricke utilized a breathtaking time-lapse camera designed specifically for this project. “If you see it as a trance movie, a meditation, a head trip or whatever, it may cause you to become more thankful for what we have here. It is a rather noble film.” –Roger Ebert. DIR/SCR Rob Fricke; SCR/PROD Mark Magidson. US, 2011, color, 102 min. RATED PG-13
THE SOUND OF MUSIC
Sat, Jul 27, 3:45; Sun, Jul 28, 6:00
Quite simply one of the most successful and best-loved movies in motion picture history. Ernest Lehman’s screenplay made crucial changes to Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway production, including having Julie Andrews’ Maria sing “My Favorite Things” to the von Trapp kids (instead of the Mother Abbess singing it to Maria), while director Robert Wise and associate producer Saul Chaplin thrillingly transplanted the performance of “Do-Re-Mi” from indoors to all over Salzburg. Five wins among 10 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Director for Wise. DIR/PROD Robert Wise; SCR Ernest Lehman, from the musical by Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse, Oscar Hammerstein and Richard Rodgers. US, 1965, color, 184 min incl. 10-min intermission. RATED G
HELLO, DOLLY!
Sat, Aug 10, 2:00; Sun, Aug 11, 2:00
Director Gene Kelly guided Barbra Streisand to deliver one of her best-loved performances in this big screen adaptation of the hit stage musical, with a screenplay by Ernest Lehman and choreography by Michael Kidd. Featuring a beloved guest appearance by Louis Armstrong on the title song, plus Walter Matthau, Tommy Tune and a pre-“Phantom ofthe Opera” Michael Crawford. Matchmaker Dolly Levi’s colorfulexploits are a must-see on the big screen, in 70mm! DIR Gene Kelly; SCR/PROD Ernest Lehman, from the musical by Michael Stewart and Jerry Herman and the play “The Matchmaker” by Thornton Wilder. US, 1969, color, 146 min. NOT RATED
THE MASTER
Sat, Aug 24, 4:00; Sun, Aug 25, 3:15
The first Hollywood feature filmed and released in 70mm in 20 years makes a return engagement for this year’s 70mm Spectacular series. Paul Thomas Anderson’s controversial character study explores the relationship between master and disciple, in the person of charismatic Philip Seymour Hoffman, a sci-fi author who founds a new kind of faith-based organization called “The Cause” in the years following WWII, and Joaquin Phoenix, an aimless veteran prone to psychotic rages and self-destructive behavior, but also a strong- willed individual in his own right. With Amy Adams, Laura Dern, Jesse Plemons and Lena Endre. Nominated for three Oscars; FIPRESCI prize, 2012 Venice Film Festival; #1 on the 2012 film polls for The Village Voice and Sight & Sound. DIR/SCR/PROD Paul Thomas Anderson; PROD Megan Ellison, Daniel Lupi, JoAnne Sellar. US, 2012, color, 143 min. RATED R
4K Digital Restoration
Restored, uncut, roadshow version!
CLEOPATRA
Sat, Aug 17, 2:00; Sun, Aug 18, 6:45
Recently premiered in the Cannes Classics section of the Cannes Film Festival, this newly restored version of Joseph Mankiewicz’s infamous epic spectacular CLEOPATRA, in the original, uncut full-length format, is a wonder to behold. Restoring more than 40 minutes of deleted scenes, the chronicle of nearly twenty years in the life of Egypt’s cunning queen, iconically embodied by Elizabeth Taylor, is now richer, fuller and more resonant, with the shape of her story arc falling more elegantly into two parts: Cleopatra and Julius Caesar (Oscar-nominated Rex Harrison), and Cleopatra and Mark Antony (Richard Burton). Winner of four Oscars, for cinematography, art direction, costumes and special effects. DIR/SCR Joseph L. Mankiewicz; SCR Ranald MacDougall, Sidney Buchman; PROD Walter Wanger. UK/US/Switzerland, 1963, color, 258 min incl. 15-min intermission. NOT RATED
