December 6th 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.
Continuing series this wet and wuthery day include the Robert Altman retro at MoMA, the Silent Clowns Film Series at Lincoln Center's Library for the Performing Arts, the Jean Grémillon trib at Astoria's Moving Image, Screenwriters and the Blacklist: Before, During and After at Anthology Film Archives, and Sunshine Noir at BAM Cinématek. The umbrella-unfolding rationale be thus;
Nitehawk Cinema
LESS THAN ZERO (1987) Dir; Marek Kanievska
GREMLINS (1984) Dir; Joe Dante
Film Forum
THE PASSIONATE THIEF (1960) Dir; Mario Monicelli
MoMA
CORN'S-A-POPPIN' (1956) Dir; Robert Woodburn
COUNTDOWN (1968) Dir; Robert Altman
Library for the Performing Arts
PETER PAN (1924) Dir; Herbert Brenon
Museum of the Moving Image
DAINAH LA METISSE (1932) Dir; Jean Grémillon
REMORQUES (1941) Dir; Jean Grémillon
Anthology Film Archives
Screenwriters and the Blacklist: Before, During and After
INTIMATE STRANGER (1956) Dir; Joseph Losey
JE SUIS UN SENTIMENTAL (1955) Dir; John Berry
THE CASE AGAINST BROOKLYN (1958) Dir; Paul Wendkos
BAM Cinématek
THE LONG GOODBYE (1974) Dir; Robert Altman
Today's Pick? Millions of viewers tuned in this week to NBC's live broadcast of the musical PETER PAN, to hate-tweet Allison Williams specifically and the proceedings entire in general. Maybe it had it coming, maybe it didn't. For myself I can say I was largely thankful for the batshit proceedings, and as much pleasure as I derived from its mocking I also recognized the hard work and earnest effort involved. Plus, it gave us the chance to watch Christopher Walken out-Pirate Preen Johnny Depp. If barely. So maybe a new generation of Pan fans was hatched that evening. Which would be noble goal enough, seeing how long the modern fairy tale has survived.
One such iteration of the Barrie fantasy, one heretofore unknown to me, unspools at the Lincoln Center this day, a day that boasts weather most high seas indeed. Betty Bronson is now a largely-forgotten name in cinema history, but once upon a time the actress beat out the likes of Mary Pickford and Gloria Swanson for the lead in the first film venture into Neverland, one approved by the author himself. Praised at the time for its groundbreaking use of special effects, the film will no doubt be lost on those who only want to obsess over last week's STAR WARS teaser, but for those who view these things as artisinal efforts, the film will surely be embraced as treasure. Want me to seal the deal? Barrier-breaking Asian actress Anna May Wong portrays Tiger Lily. Mic drop.
Herbert Brenon's PETER PAN unspools in glorious 35mm at the Library for the Performing Arts as part of the Silent Clowns Film Series. What can I say? I'm flying.
For more info on these and all NYC's classic film screenings in December '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!
P. S. We're fully entwined in winter's embrace, 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!
