May 16th 2014. Pick of the Day.
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As the skies open on our fair metropolis, so too does the NYC rep film circuit switch its energies from potential to kinetic. Lots to recommend today to the tri-state Cinegeek, from seminal works from the silent era, to adventurous and controversial works of animation, to some of the crowned masters of world cinema. To all the whiners out there, buy an umbrella and get over it. To all the pros, I need advise nothing. To both, read on.
New and continuing series today include Fassbinder: Romantic Anarchist (Part One) at the Film Society, An Auteurist History of Film and its Reprise Part Two spinoff at MoMA, Cool Worlds: The Animation of Ralph Bakshi at BAM Cinématek, the Kenji Mizoguchi retrospective at Museum of the Moving Image, Justice in Film at the New York Historical Society, From Mae West to Punk: The Bowery on Film at Anthology Film Arhcives, as, as befits every fine Friday, the Cabaret Cinema selection at the Rubin Museum of Art. The projected projections appear thus;
Film Forum
DR. STRANGELOVE or HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB (1964) Dir; Stanley Kubrick
Film Society of Lincoln Center
GODS OF THE PLAGUE (1970) Dir; Rainer Werner Fassbinder
THE MERCHANT OF THE FOUR SEASONS (1971) Dir; Rainer Werner Fassbinder
LOVE IS COLDER THAN DEATH (1969) Dir; Rainer Werner Fassbinder
MoMA
MY NIGHT AT MAUD'S (1969) Dir; Eric Rohmer
NEVER ON SUNDAY (1960) Dir; Jules Dassin
THE VIRGIN SPRING (1960) Dir; Ingmar Bergman
BAM Cinématek
WIZARDS (1977) Dir; Ralph Bakshi
IFC Center
GODZILLA (1954) Dir; Ishiro Honda
Museum of the Moving Image
THE LIFE OF OHARU (1952) Dir; Kenji Mizoguchi
New York Historical Society
REBECCA (1940) Dir; Alfred Hitchcock
Anthology Film Archives
REGENERATION (1915) Dir; Raoul Walsh
SHE DONE HIM WRONG (1933) Dir; Lowell Sherman
Rubin Museum
SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY (1970) Dir; John Schlesinger
Nitehawk Cinema
FRIDAY THE 13TH (1980) Dir; Sean Cunningham
Today's Pick? My classic film compass immediately steers me toward Kubrick's self-described "nightmare comedy", 1964's DR. STRANGELOVE, but I have a full week to make that my Pick, so I'll play the waiting game. I find Jules Dassin's NEVER ON SUNDAY to be as ebullient as a breeze traversing a beach in Greece, and it's no coincidence he fell in love with star and future wife Melina Mercouri during its production, but perhaps it's a bit too lightweight to best today's competition. The Film Society's retro devoted to German New Wave godfather Rainer Werner Fassbinder kicks off its month-long run with three seminal works from the early days of the filmmaker's career, and though it tempts mightily I also have a lotta time to pluck several Picks from this series. Ditto Moving Image's Mizoguchi series, which still has some time to go before it winds down, and which I urge you to take advantage of before those prints leave our shores for another two decades.
No, tonight I'm choosing a venue rarely in my favor, if only because, in my experience, its grindhouse ambitions come with equal disregard for its audience. However it remains a crucial screen on the rep circuit, this Casa de Mekas, otherwise known as Anthology Film Archives, for its dedication to programming other venues might not consider worthy of booking. This is not the case tonight, as their series From Mae West to Punk: The Bowery on Film offers up two choice cuts any rep screen would be proud to display; one from the early days of cinema, and the other from the really early days of cinema. The latter, Raoul Walsh's REGENERATION from 1915, and the former, Lowell Sherman's SHE DONE HIM WRONG from 1933, are not, sadly enough, offered tonight as a double-bill, but I understand the rent's gotta get paid, so on this extremely rare occasion I'm advocating the paying of separate admissions for the priveledge of enjoying these films in all their rarely-screened-in-35mm glory. Walsh's work is regarded as the first feature length gangster film, and Sherman's contains Mae West's immortal catchphrase, provocatively uttered to a young Cary Grant. You know the one I mean, don't lie. Weather be damned, these screenings could sell out quick, so make sure to buy your tix quick. As usual, get there early so you can sit with the guy who brings his own mattress.
For more info on these and all NYC's classic film screenings in May '14 click on the interactive calendar on the upper right hand side of the page. For the monthly overview listen in to the new 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 I'm going up to see her. You know.
-Joe Walsh
P. S. Should you be feeling charitable during this still 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 the 2012 hurricane. Be a mensch.
