February 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.
Continuing series today include Film Forum's Film Forum Jr., the Film Society's Martin Scorsese Presents: Masterpieces of Polish Cinema, and BAM Cinematek's Vengenance is Hers! Here be the roll call;
Film Forum
FUNNY FACE (1957) Dir; Stanley Donen
ALPHAVILLE (1965) Dir; Jean-Luc Godard
THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI (1947) Dir; Orson Welles
Nitehawk Cinema
SAY ANYTHING (1989) Dir; Cameron Crowe
Film Society of Lincoln Center
PHAROAH (1965) Dir; Jerzy Kawalerowicz
NIGHT TRAIN (1959) Dir; Jerzy Kawalerowicz
ASHES AND DIAMONDS (1958) Dir; Andrzej Wadja
JUMP (1965) Dir; Tadeusz Konwicki
Mid-Manhattan Library
THE HARVEY GIRLS (1946) Dir; George Sidney, Robert Alton
MoMA
MANILA IN THE CLAWS OF LIGHT (1975) Dir; Lino Brocka
Museum of the Moving Image
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962) Dir; David Lean
BAM Cinematek
MS. 45 (1981) Dir; Abel Ferrara
Today's Pick? It's gnawing at me that I haven't yet chosen the Scorsese series focusing on the great and perhaps obscure tradition of Kino Polsk, but several other screenings have simply tempted just that much more. Today, for better or worse, is no different. So I gotta pass up the marvelous lineup of Kawalerowicz's PHAROAH and NIGHT TRAIN, Wadja's ASHES AND DIAMONDS, and Konwicki's JUMP, kinda because I already sound like I've seen them based on my cavalier name drop; but mainly because a posthumous trib to one of the cinema's greatest stars, in his most iconic role, in one of the ten greatest flicks of all-time, is unspooling in its recent and glorious new DCP resto at one of the more undervisited venues, in my esteem anyway, in our movie mad metropolis. Plus, wanna warm up amidst this seemingly unending godawful winter? Head to Astoria and spend four hours in the Nefud desert.
David Lean's LAWRENCE OF ARABIA flaunts its brand spankin' new 1's and 0's today at Astoria's Museum of the Moving Image. There are few film excursions I'd choose over this romantic yet enigmatic Panavision recounting of WWI's Arab Uprising, especially when a big screen viewing is to be had. If you've never seen this projected in 2.20:1, the hell are you waiting for? Make easy stages.
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 with a brand new Pick tomorrow, til then The Sun's Anvil is sounding pretty good right about now...
-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.
