"Now Listen to Me..."
Just some thoughts on current happenings:
Classic film screenings from around the world this month include:
In Los Angeles, California The Beverly Cinema will present Zodiac (2007, a 35mm print) on Wednesday, October 2 and Thursday, October 3, Psycho (1960, a 35mm print) Wednesday, October 2 at 2pm only, Final Destination 2 (2003, a 35mm print, the most thoughtfully conceived and creatively executed in the “Final Destination” series) Friday, October 4 at 2pm only, Inherent Vice (2014, a 35mm print) along with The Long Goodbye (1973, a 35mm print) Monday, October 14 and Tuesday, October 15, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962, a 35mm print) Wednesday, October 16 at 2pm only, Eyes Without a Face (1960, a 35mm print) Wednesday, October 23 at 2pm only, The Innocents (1961, a 35mm print) Wednesday, October 30 at 2pm only and Kwaidan (1964, a 35mm print) on Thursday, October 31.
Click on the respective image for more information. To see the rest of October’s schedule, click on The Beverly Cinema banner above.
In theatres across the U.S. Flashback Cinema is presenting Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) Wednesday, October 2 and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) on Sunday October 27 and Wednesday, October 30.
Click on the respective image for more information. To see the entire month’s programming, click on The Flashback Cinema banner above.
In London, United Kingdom The Prince Charles Cinema will present American Psycho (2000, presented in 35mm) Wednesday, October 2, Thursday, October 3, Friday, October 4, Saturday, October 5 and Wednesday, October 9, Zodiac (2007, presented in 35mm) Thursday, October 17, The Mummy (1932) Saturday, October 19, The Night of the Hunter (1955) Sunday, October 20, The Wolf Man (1941) Saturday, October 26, Psycho (1960) Saturday, October 26, Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954, presented in 35mm) Sunday, October 27 and The Exorcist (1973, the theatrical cut and the best version to see presented in 35mm) on Sunday, October 27.
Click on the respective image for more information. To see the rest of 2019’s programming, click on The Prince Charles Cinema banner above.
In theatres across the U.S., TCM and Fathom Events are presenting Ghostbusters (1984, in celebration of this film’s 35th Anniversary and featuring an introduction with rarely seen alternate takes) Sunday, October 6 and Thursday, October 10, Alien (1979, in celebration of this film’s 40th Anniversary) Sunday, October 13, Tuesday, October 15 and Wednesday, October 16 and Spirited Away (2001) Sunday, October 27 (the dubbed version), Monday, October 28 (the subtitled version) and Wednesday, October 30 (the dubbed version).
Click on the respective image for more information. To see the next few month’s schedule, click on The Fathom Events banner above.
In Belo Horizonte, Brazil The Associação Cine Theatro Brasil - Vallourec will present Rosemary’s Baby (1968) Monday, October 7, Alien (1979) Monday, October 14, The Thing (1982) Monday, October 21 and Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) on Monday, October 28.
Click on the respective image for more information. To find out more information (in Spanish) about the theatre and its other programming, click on Cine Theatro Brasil banner above.
Noir City will take place in Washington D.C. from October 11 - 14. Highlights will include 1949’s Trapped, the latest restoration project of the Film Noir Foundation (presented in 35mm), Angel Face (1953, presented in 35mm), The Burglar (1956, presented in 35mm), Pushover (1954, presented in 35mm), The Well (1951) and Woman On the Run (1950, also restored by the FNF and presented in 35mm).
For more information, including the complete schedule, click on the image above.
In Salzburg, Austria The Philharmonie Salzburg will present Buster Keaton’s silent film masterpiece The General (1926) with live musical accompaniment featuring a score composed by Carl Davis on Saturday, October 12.
Click on the image for more information.
In Tokyo, Japan CineConcerts together with The Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra will present Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) with live musical accompaniment featuring Henry Mancini’s melodic score on Saturday, October 12.
Click on the image for more information.
In Kyiv (Kiev), Ukraine Concert.UA together with The Kyiv Metropolis Orchestra will present The Godfather with live musical accompaniment featuring Nino Rota’s sweeping score on Sunday, October 27.
Click on the image for more information.
Throughout various locations in Australia, Event Cinemas will host Hollywood Classics On the Big Screen. This month's showings will include The Towering Inferno (1974) Monday, October 14, Lust for Life (1956) Monday, October 28 and Badlands (1973) on Wednesday, October 30.
Click on the respective image for more information. For a list of the theatres hosting these films, and their complete schedule throughout the remainder of the year, click on the banner image above.
Also throughout various locations in Australia, Event Cinemas will host In The House. This month's showings will include The Outsiders (1983) Monday, October 21 and both Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003) and Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004) on Wednesday, October 30.
Click on the respective image for more information. For a list of the theatres hosting these films, and their complete schedule throughout the remainder of the year, click on the banner image above.
In London, United Kingdom The Avex Ensemble (an 11-piece musical ensemble featuring synthesisers, strings, brass, bass and percussion) will present Blade Runner (1982, The 2007 “Final Cut” which also happens to be the best “Cut”) with live musical accompaniment featuring Vangelis’ mesmerising score on Friday, October 25.
Click on the image for more information.
In Naples, Florida The Naples Philharmonic will present Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) with live musical accompaniment featuring John Williams’ rousing score on Sunday, October 27.
Click on the image for more information.
There are 16 recommended films to watch on Turner Classic Movies in the U.S. this month:
All About Eve is really all about the spoken word and is a prior TCM recommendation here. She will maker her appearance Tuesday, October 1 at 8:45pm PST and again on Monday, October 28 at 12:15pm PST.
(From left) Anne Baxter, Bette Davis, Marilyn Monroe, George Sanders
My next suggested TCM showing to watch is the Marx Brothers' Monkey Business. This is also a former TCM recommendation and was reviewed here. I have also posted 2 famous scenes from this film, the most recent being Capturing a Golden Moment #12. The shenanigans will commence on TCM Saturday, October 5 at (late evening) 1am PST.
The Marx Brothers (From left) Harpo, Zeppo, Chico and Groucho
Journeying to a different, although still comedic, setting, there's Preston Sturges' Sullivan's Travels, a masterful blend of personal concerns, romance and screwball comedy. This treasure is a previous Blu-ray recommendation here. Sullivan's funny, albeit enlightening, adventures will begin Sunday, October 6 at 8:45am PST.
Veronica Lake, Joel McCrea
Next is Strange Cargo which I previously listed as one of my TOP TEN Guilty Treasures. "Strange" is the word for this uneasy but fascinating blend of religious parable, hardened convicts, a test of survival and wisecracking romance. Strange Cargo will dock at TCM Tuesday, October 8 at 6am PST.
(From left) Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, Peter Lorre
Just missing out on my list of Top Ten Westerns (in favour of another Bud Boetticher directed/Burt Kennedy scripted film The Tall T) was Ride Lonesome, a highly distinctive and concise story told with a strong sense of purpose and sophistication. This must-see film starring Randolph Scott was previously reviewed here and will arrive on TCM Wednesday, October 9 at 2:15pm PST.
Rarely does an atmosphere of such overpowering dread subsume a cinematic story so completely as it does 1943's The Seventh Victim.
Kim Hunter, Lou Lubin
A young woman (portrayed as a fetching innocent by Kim Hunter) goes searching for her missing sister (enigmatically played by Jean Brooks) in New York City's Greenwich Village and stumbles upon a satanic cult of devil worshipers, putting both of their lives at risk. Mark Robson, who directed a number of these Val Lewton produced gems, is himself at the peak of his considerable creative powers. This devilishly striking combination of horror and film noir was a previous TCM recommendation reviewed here. The fate of both sisters will be determined Thursday, October 10 at 7:45pm PST and again Tuesday, October 29 at 12pm (noon) PST.
Jean Brooks
Here's a short clip, eerily foreshadowing the shower scene in Hitchcock's Psycho.
The unmissable Busby Berkeley extravaganza Footlight Parade is also a previous TCM recommendation here. Let the show begin Sunday, October 13 at (early morning) 3am PST.
1944’s Laura is director Otto Preminger’s slick and assured amalgamation of mystery (whodunnit) and film noir (obsessive desire, gruesome murder etc) elements. This film was briefly reviewed last month here. Included is a comparison between the detective played by Dana Andrews and James Stewart’s retired investigator in Vertigo. Laura will come to life on TCM Sunday, October 13 at 5pm PST.
One of cinema’s finest masterpieces, L'Avventura, a previous TCM recommendation here, will be presented again Sunday, October 13 at (late evening) 1:15am PST.
There have been quite a few movies centred around boxing over the years from 1937’s Kid Galahad to 2018’s Creed II with plenty of standouts in-between such as 1956’s Somebody Up There Likes Me, 1962’s Requiem for a Heavyweight, 1972’s Fat City and 1980’s Raging Bull. None of these however get as straight to the punchline as 1949’s knockout noir The Set-Up, previously reviewed here and happening again on TCM Wednesday, October 16 at 6:30pm PST.
Later this same Wednesday evening is another film noir bonafide classic, The Narrow Margin, a previous TCM recommendation here. This little firecracker is set to explode Wednesday, October 16 at 11pm PST.
Many experts have claimed that this next TCM recommendation is the first identifiable film noir: Boris Ingster's 1940 Stranger on the Third Floor. Viewers can glean just how many of noir's stylish traits are inherent in this film by reading my previous review here. If you're a noir fan and have never seen this little RKO gem, be a stranger no more Thursday, October 17 at (early morning) 4am PST.
If ever there was a “greatest poet of cinema" award, certainly the names Yasujiro Ozu and Robert Bresson would be considered recipients along with Satyajit Ray, the latter who could easily be afforded the title by his debut film alone, 1955’s Pather Panchali.
(From left) Uma Das Gupta, Subir Banerjee
The story follows a struggling family in a poor Bengali village. Each relation’s personal concerns, behaviour and interaction with others is so authentic, vivid but subtlety enacted, Ray might as well have made a documentary. Every single one of the director’s observances overflow with deep sincerity (especially as they relate to his female characters) and without the least amount of dramatic embellishment, even though their emotional impact is so often substantially heartfelt. Like the passing of time, there are no noticeable transitions in Ray’s narrative. Everything seamlessly moves forward with perfect pace and shot compositions, never overt, that lovingly capture the intimacy of each moment, both characters and their surrounds, with nothing less than a master’s spiritual guidance. This is filmmaking of the highest order, sublime and resonant, that any true cinephile cannot miss. Pather Panchali (in what became the first of Ray’s Apu trilogy) will appear on TCM (updated) Sunday, May 2 (2021) at 5pm PST.
TCM's current monthly schedule can be confirmed by clicking on any of the above TCM related images. For those who live in parts of the U.S. other than the western region, the time zone can be adjusted in the upper right-hand corner of TCM's programme.
In 1968, George A. Romero with the assistance of fellow screenwriter John Russo and producers Karl Hardman and Russell W. Streiner made an impossibly low budget horror film with no known actors and without commercial distribution. Night of the Living Dead set a precedent not only for on screen gruesomeness, central casting (namely the lead hero effectively played by black actor Duane Jones), and highly influential concept, but for narrative efficiency, complex characters and attention to detail.
This film really distinguishes itself in the way its individuals react and deal with one another especially during the siege of a farmhouse. The impressive degree of tension that builds is due not only to the unique and considerable threat gathering outside but the conflicting responses and heated divisiveness from inside the home, acute realism that is augmented by TV broadcasts and news reports. Horror fans will undoubtedly note the realistically portrayed revolting actions of the dead mysteriously brought back to life. Those with a wider appreciation of cinematic storytelling are bound to be additionally awed by this film’s intelligent and provocative discourse over the ungodly threat posed to one’s basic survival. The dead will rise on TCM (updated) Friday, November 24 (2023) at 11 pm PST.
TCM's current monthly schedule can be confirmed by clicking on any of the above TCM related images. For those who live in parts of the U.S. other than the western region, the time zone can be adjusted in the upper right-hand corner of TCM's program.
Night of the Living Dead is also October’s Blu-ray pick of the month. See the last entry in this column for more details.
What exactly is film noir? Many enthusiasts and experts continue to debate the subject, with numerous examples of films that should, and just as many that should not, be included in the category. Some, who most likely feel that noir films rely on a certain look, dismiss any colour film as unworthy of being categorised as such. Others like myself, prone to distinguishing noir by its subject matter, are more inclined to include colour films produced during noir's classic time period that focus on crime and the psychologies of those involved. This brings me to my next TCM selection and a prior Blu-ray recommendation here, 1953's Niagara, one of the strongest arguments for colour noir that exists. See for yourself on Sunday, October 27 at 7pm PST.
Cinematography by Joseph MacDonald
My final TCM recommendation this month is Todd Browning's shockingly bold and terrifying 1932 film, Freaks, previously reviewed here. They will appear Thursday, October 31 at (early morning) 3:45am PST.
TCM's current monthly schedule can be confirmed by clicking on any of the above TCM related images. For those who live in parts of the U.S. other than the western region, the time zone can be adjusted in the upper right-hand corner of TCM's programme.
A Happy Birthday shout-out to the talented actor Charles Cioffi, who turns 84 on October 31st.
He is probably best known to television fans for playing Section Chief Scott Blevins in The X-Files (1993 - 1997). Veteran TV viewers may recognise Cioffi for his portrayal of Ernesto Toscano in NBC’s hit daytime series originating in 1965, Days of Our Lives (1990) and before that as Lt. Matt Reardon in Get Christie Love! (1974, opposite co-star Teresa Graves). Film goers are likely to remember Cioffi for making an unforgettable impression as the sinister Peter Cable in Klute (1971, his motion picture debut). Other film roles include those in Shaft (1971), The Don Is Dead (1973), Gray Lady Down (1978), Time After Time (1979), Missing (1982), All the Right Moves (1983) and Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985).
October's Soundtrack recommendation is Max Steiner’s hauntingly sublime score to John Ford’s western masterpiece The Searchers.
Steiner’s music perfectly underscores the majestic imagery and gripping action sequences with lyrical tenderness as well as fierce aggression when called for and always with masterful precision and judicial restraint. The Searchers is the CC’s Top Ten Western #2 and has been previously reviewed here. The CD issued by Brigham Young University represents the complete score along with the title song by Stan Jones, sung by the Sons of the Pioneers. More information including international ordering from Screen Archives Entertainment can be obtained by clicking on the image.
October’s recommended Blu-ray is to the above reviewed Night of the Living Dead on the Criterion label (North America Region A). For more information including ordering from Amazon.com, click on the accompanying image.
A.G.