February 20th 2014. Pick of the Day.
New York City's premiere resource for classic film screenings in the metropolitan area. Offering reviews, recommendations, venues and a host of links keeping classic film and the silver screens alive.
Ahhh Spring. You tempt like the Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover. Or the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY trailer. Or, y'know, actual Spring. Will'ya get here already? I'd trade the SI cover and the Marvel trailer for a warm afternoon watching baseball. That's how barren this winter has left my otherwise happy-go-lucky soul.
Today's lone series is MoMA's ongoing Auteurist History of Film. Let's go to press;
Film Forum
JE T'AIME JE T'AIME (1968) Dir; Alain Resnais
MoMA
WOMAN IN THE DUNES (1963) Dir; Hiroshi Teshigahara
BowTie Chelsea Cinemas
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? (1962) Dir; Robert Aldrich
Nitehawk Cinema
BLUEBEARD (1944) Dir; Edgar G. Ulmer
Today's Pick? Edgar G. Ulmer's BLUEBEARD, screening as part of the Nitehawk Cinema's Art Seen series. Eddie G.'s had quite the career re-evaluation over the decades, rising from the ranks of interesting footnote, mostly for his expert direction of the budget-bereft public domain classic DETOUR, to a fuller appreciation as overseer of minor stylish classics from multiple genres, including horror, noir and so-called "race" pics, the latter of which included Yiddish and "Negro" flicks. The one-time production design wunderkind was poised, once transplanted to Hollywood from his native Austria, to blaze a career path as one of the medium's top directorial talents, his sophomore effort Universal's top grosser of 1934; occult horror masterwork THE BLACK CAT. Unfortunately he learned the hard way that ruining the marriage of the studio head's nephew was that era's version of a LinkedIn faux pas, and he would forever forward chase the money for whatever gig he could get. Which makes all the more remarkable the cohesive CV the man was able to cobble together under these life-long circumstances, all of which are detailed in the excellent Edgar G. Ulmer: A Filmmaker at the Margins, the new scholarly overview by Noah Isenberg, in whose honor BLUEBEARD screens tonight. I say brave the non-aquamarine follically-festooned denizens of Williamsburg, who usually murder any sense of actual cool, and check out the real/reel barbe dangereux. How did this not screen on Valentine's Day?
For more info on these and all NYC's classic film screenings in February '14 click on the interactive calendar on the upper right hand side of the page. And be sure to follow me on both Facebook, where I provide further info and esoterica on the rep film circuit and star birthdays, and Twitter, where I provide a daily feed for the day's screenings and other blathery. Back tomorrow with a brand new Pick, til then safe, sound, make sure the next knucklehead is too. Excelsior!
-Joe Walsh
P. S. Should you be feeling charitable during this harsh weather period please remember to check in with the good folks over at Occupy Sandy. Some of our NY neighbors are still feeling the effects of last year's hurricane. Be a mensch.
