October 9th 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.
Day 9 of the Mankrospective begins tonight with screenings twelve and thirteen on my docket, 1950's NO WAY OUT and 49's HOUSE OF STRANGERS. If the Film Society was trying to convince me Joseph L. Mankiewicz was a great filmmaker, they came late to that party. If they were trying to convince me my esteem wasn't quite commensurate, point made, sirs and madams.
Ongoing series today include the Michael Roemer mini-trib at Film Forum, Acteurism: The Emergence of Ann Sheridan, 1937-43 at MoMA, Joseph L. Mankiewicz - The Essential Iconoclast at the Film Society, Chelsea Classics at the BowTie Chelsea Cinema, and the Nitehawk Cinema's replication of grindhouse-era Times Square, The Deuce. The mishegoss be thus;
Film Forum
NOTHING BUT A MAN (1964) Dir; Michael Roemer
THE PLOT AGAINST HARRY (1968) Dir; Michael Roemer
MoMA
Acteurism: The Emergence of Ann Sheridan, 1937-43
EDGE OF DARKNESS (1941) Dir; William Keighley
Film Society of Lincoln Center
Joseph L. Mankiewicz - The Essential Iconoclast
NO WAY OUT (1950) Dir; Joseph L. Mankiewicz
HOUSE OF STRANGERS (1949) Dir; Joseph L. Mankiewicz
BowTie Chelsea Cinemas
THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM (1961) Dir; Roger Corman
Symphony Space
THE GODDESS (1934) Dir; Wu Yonggang
Live musical accompaniment by Gary Lucas
Nitehawk Cinema
DOCTOR BUTCHER, M.D. (1980) Dir; Mario Girolami
Today's Pick? Chinese cinema's so-called Golden Age marked the first full bloom of that country's film industry. It is bounded roughly by the country's introduction to the genre, to its first studios, centered in Shanghai, to the Japanese occupation, lasting from 1937-45. Its greatest star, Ruan Lingyu, escaped poverty by entering the industry, and soon rose to its most prominent ranks. She became the era's greatest star, and saddest tragedy, a combination Marilyn Monroe and James Dean, emblematic of her time, her suicide raising her to sheer transcendence. As China's walls have slowly come down and filmographers have enjoyed the opportunity to explore the remnants of that age, her star has finally gotten to shine all across the globe, and tonight it parks itself on NYC's Upper West side.
Wu Yonggang's THE GODDESS screens tonight at the Leonard Nimoy Theater at Symphony Space. Live musical accompaniment will be provided by legendary blues guitarist and composer Gary Lucas. Don't miss this chance to witness a figure who defined the word luminous without need of the projector's bulb.
For more info on these and all NYC's classic film screenings in October '14 click on the interactive calendar on the upper right hand side of the page. For the monthly overview and other audio tomfoolery check out the podcast, and follow me on SoundCloud! For reviews of contemporary cinema and my streaming habits (keep it clean!) check out my Letterboxd 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. We're swiftly returning to the winter climate, and believe it or not some of our fellow NY'ers have still yet to be made whole in the wake of the 2012 storm. Should you be feeling charitable please visit the folks at OccupySandy.net, follow their hammer-in-hand efforts to restore people's lives, and donate/volunteer if you have the inclination and availability. Be a collective mensch, Stockahz!
