"Now Listen to Me..."
This month's column is apologetically late due to my extensive travelling.
Just some thoughts on this month’s happenings:
Classic film screenings from around the world this October include:
In London, United Kingdom The Prince Charles Cinema will present The Shining [U.K. Version] (1980, a 35mm print) Thursday, October 10, Thursday, October 17, Friday, October 18, Monday, October 21, Saturday, October 26, Monday, October 28 and Thursday, October 31, Eraserhead (1977) Friday, October 11, Night of the Living Dead (1968, a 4k restoration) Tuesday, October 15 and Sunday, October 27, The Blair Witch Project (1999, a 35mm print) Wednesday, October 16 and Wednesday, October 30, Charley Varrick (1973) Tuesday, October 22, Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992, a 35mm print) Thursday, October 24, and Psycho (1960) on Saturday, October 26.
* Note: Some of the above showtimes are matinees only.
Click on the film’s respective image for more information. To see October’s complete programming, click on The Prince Charles Cinema banner above.
The Shootist
Walk Cheerfully
Viridiana
In Valencia, Spain, Culturarts Generalitat IVAC – La Filmoteca at the Edificio Rialto will be presenting The Shootist (1976, as part of their CONTEMPORARY WESTERN series) Thursday, October 10 and Tuesday, October 15, Walk Cheerfully aka Hogaraka ni ayume (1930, Silent title, as part of their REFINE THE FORM, CAPTURE LIFE - INTEGRAL YASUJIRO OZ series) Friday, October 11 (Sound Version) and Saturday, October 12 (with Live music by pianist Arcadi Valiente), and Viridiana (1961, a 35mm print, as part of their SPANISH CINEMA DAY 2024 series) on Wednesday, October 16.
Click on the respective film’s image for more information on each screening. To discover more of October’s programming including other films playing in Valencia, Spain at the Edificio Rialto, Castelló, Spain at the Paranimf of the Universitat Jaume I and the Raval Theatre, and Alicante Spain at the Arniches Theatre, click on the banner image above.
In Palo Alto California, The Stanford Theatre continues with their extensive Film Noir Festival. The presentations consist of double bills, all on 35mm film, with live organ performances before the features begin. This month’s highlight is Laura (1944, a 35mm print) paired with Out of the Past (1947, a 35mm print) on Saturday, October 19 and Sunday, October 20.
Click on the above image for the entire programme.
In Hollywood (part of greater Los Angeles) California, The Vista Theater will present Eraserhead (1977, a 35mm print) Friday, October 11 at Midnight Only and Saturday, October 12 at Midnight Only, The Shining (1980, a 35mm print) Friday, October 18 and Saturday, October 19, and Arsenic and Old Lace (1944, a 35mm print) on Saturday, October 19 and Sunday, October 20.
Click on the respective movie poster above for more information and the marquee image for all of the films playing during the month of October.
Laura
The Quick and the Dead
Double Indemnity
Welfare
Night of the Living Dead
In Santa Monica (part of greater Los Angeles) California, The American Cinematheque Aero Theatre will present Laura (1944, an 80th Anniversary Screening) on Friday, October 11.
In Los Feliz (part of greater Los Angeles) California, The American Cinematheque Los Feliz 3 Theatre will present The Quick and the Dead (1995, a 35mm print) on Friday, October 11.
In Hollywood (part of greater Los Angeles) California, The American Cinematheque Egyptian Theatre will present Double Indemnity (1944, an 80th Anniversary Screening) Saturday, October 12, Welfare (1975, a new 4k restoration, as part of their ‘Frederick Wiseman: An American Cinematheque Retrospective’ series) Sunday, October 13, and Night of the Living Dead (1968) on Sunday, October 27.
* Note: Some of the above showtimes are matinees only.
For more information specifically on each of these programmes, click on the corresponding above image. To see the entire month of October’s programming including other films showing at the The Los Feliz 3 Theatre in Los Feliz, The Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, and Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, click on the American Cinematheque banner.
Noir City will take place in Washington D.C. from October 11 - 24. Highlights include a double bill of Black Tuesday (1954, a 70th Anniversary screening) and Le Trou (1960), and a double bill of La Bette Humaine (1938) and Human Desire (1954, a 70th Anniversary screening). For more information, including the complete schedule, click on the image above.
Astor Spooktacular: A Nightmare on Elm Street “Nightmare-A-Thon”
In Melbourne, Australia The Astor Theatre is presenting Ikiru (1952) Saturday, October 12, High and Low (1963) Monday, October 14, and
Astor Spooktacular: A Nightmare on Elm Street “Nightmare-A-Thon” an all night (16 hour) “nightmare-a-thon” marking the 40th anniversary of A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET beginning Saturday, October 26 at 7 pm. The programme reads: One, Two, Freddy’s coming for you…October 26, 7pm, join us for the 2024 edition of our annual Spooktacular with an all night “nightmare-a-thon” marking the 40th anniversary of A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. Showcasing all 6 Nightmare on Elm Street films, + New Nightmare + Freddy Vs Jason on the SuperScreen. Expect some other surprises too. Pleasant dreams and whatever you do, DON’T FALL ASLEEP.
* Note: Some of the above showtimes are matinees only.
Click on the respective poster image for more information on these screenings. To see the rest of October’s schedule, click on The Astor Theatre banner above.
Only Lubitsch Could Have Made It
Watch Out, That Woman Has Evil Eyes: Celluloid Witches
In Vancouver, British Columbia, The Cinematheque will present:
Only Lubitsch Could Have Made It from October 12 - 20. The programme reads:
“Ernst Lubitsch’s work has never needed reappraisal more than it does today,” David Bordwell wrote in 2018. Given that Lubitsch’s reputation has never left pantheon status for critics and audiences alike, this is a curious statement. It isn’t an exaggeration to say that Lubitsch helped invent the Hollywood studio comedy, that he was one of the most popular directors in the world during his lifetime, and that his place in film history remains assured. (Fifteen of his films earned votes in the most recent Sight and Sound “Greatest of All Time” poll.) What more could Bordwell have wanted?
The problem might begin with the tagline that introduces many a celebration: the unified theory of the so-called “Lubitsch touch,” a term that covers marketing materials and critical appreciations alike, despite the fact that nearly no one can agree on what it actually means. Charitably viewed, the term is capacious, allowing one to say that the innuendo of a closed door, the ambiguity of a smile, and the collision of a verbal and visual gag could become the height of sophistication under Lubitsch’s control.
While this might describe who Lubitsch was at a glance, it fails to cover not only the farther reaches of his art (he didn’t only work in sound-era comedies, for instance) but also the distilled power of his images. How, for example, can we trace a link between the way that objects and actions are constantly, emphatically redefined in both a silent-era comedy like Lady Windermere’s Fan and a screwball scenario like Cluny Brown, to cite two films at nearly opposite ends of the director’s career?
Writers as distinct as Gilles Deleuze and Andrew Sarris have isolated key elements of Lubitsch’s unique and innovative approach to cinema, and a behind-the-scenes dossier could very well spell out the historical or technological factors that enabled his command of form. (He was the rare Hollywood studio director with the freedom to choose his own projects, and to complete them with final cut.) Yet the task that Bordwell, an academic by reputation but a moviegoer at heart, knew lay ahead of any critical reevaluation was not so much a change to Lubitsch’s status, as a change to how much of his body of work can be properly reckoned with.
For this series, The Cinematheque has chosen to go slightly outside the canon of regularly screened Lubitsch films, paying special attention to works that attest to the full range of the director’s skill: his silent era in both Germany and America; his pre-Code musicals with Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald; and his defining masterworks, including the underrated Angel, his best-loved film To Be or Not to Be, and his final completed feature Cluny Brown.
This series is timed to coincide with the finale of local filmmaker and lecturer Devan Scott’s comprehensive podcast series on Lubitsch, “How Would Lubitsch Do It?,” which draws on recent restorations and new scholarship to broaden public awareness of Lubitsch’s work. Scott will introduce the newly restored Lady Windermere’s Fan to kick off the series, and return to contextualize the unique production of arguably his greatest musical, One Hour with You.
Also being shown is Watch Out, That Woman Has Evil Eyes: Celluloid Witches from October 24 -31. The programme reads:
Witches have occupied the silver screen since its inception, and our collective imagination since the dawn of civilization. The myth is present in almost every culture in the world. As Benjamin Christensen observes in Häxan, his groundbreaking 1922 film thesis on witchcraft: “When primitive man is confronted with something incomprehensible, the explanation is always sorcery and evil spirits.”
Häxan is one of the first moving-image works to lay out a visual language for occult cinema as we know it. Over time, witches have seen an array of interpretations on screen—defying expectations, eluding classification, and transcending genre, storytelling technique, and narrative conventions. What these depictions have in common, however, is that they feed our insatiable craving for the spiritual and the mystical, thus keeping alive the notion that maybe there is, indeed, magic at our fingertips.
This series represents a small path through these variations on a theme, featuring works by celebrated auteurs, as well as cult classics, each adding their singular twist on the lore. Grounded by the historical snapshot of the witch in Häxan, from which this series takes its title, “Watch Out, That Woman Has Evil Eyes” also encompasses the delightful mysteries of the great feminine in I Married a Witch, The Witches (Le streghe), and The Witches of Eastwick. No such overview would be complete, of course, without a healthy serving of evil eye and the most depraved flashes of dark magic, as seen in Dario Argento’s Inferno and turn-of-the-century game changer The Blair Witch Project, marking its 25th anniversary.
Augmenting our series is a side of short-form witchery, featuring Maya Deren’s hypnotizing Witch’s Cradle and Sebastian Duque R.’s Under Land, a Colombian documentary about two warring women whose long-standing grudge and hateful gossiping unwittingly give power to the very sinister force they are trying to excise.
Sonja Baksa
Series Curator
For more information about either of these series, click on the appropriate image. For all of the films scheduled this month at The Cinematheque, click on the theatre banner above.
In Auckland, New Zealand, Academy Cinemas is presenting The Red Shoes (1948) Monday, October 14 and Monday, October 21, Seven Samurai (1954, a 4k restoration, a 70th Anniversary Screening) Friday, October 18, Ikiru (1952, a 4k restoration) Saturday, October 26, and High and Low (1963, a 4k remaster) on Thursday, October 31.
* Note: Some of the showtimes may be matinees only.
To obtain more information specifically on each of these programmes, click on the corresponding image. To see the entire month of October’s programming, click on the Academy banner above.
In Los Angeles, California The Beverly Cinema will present a double bill of The Beast with Five Fingers (1946, a 35mm print) and The Face Behind the Mask (1941, a 35mm print) Tuesday, October 15 and Wednesday, October 16, The Birds (1963, an I.B. Technicolor 35mm print) Sunday, October 20, and a double bill of Quatermass and the Pit (1967, an I.B. Technicolor 35mm print) and Prince of Darkness (1987, a 35mm print) on Monday, October 28 and Tuesday, October 29.
Click on the respective image for more information. To see the rest of October’s schedule, click on The Beverly Cinema banner above.
A Clockwork Orange
In Detroit, Michigan The Redford Theatre will present A Clockwork Orange (1971, a 35mm print) on Friday, October 18.
Click on the top image for more information. To see the entire month’s programming, click on The Redford Theatre banner above.
In Culpeper Virginia, The Library of Congress at the Packard Campus Theater is presenting The Shape of Water (2017) Friday, October 18, and Alien (1979, a 35mm print) on Saturday, October 19.
Click on the poster image for more information on this film’s screening. To see the rest of October’s schedule, click on the Packard Campus image above.
The Burmese Harp
The Sacrifice
In New York City, New York, Film Forum is presenting:
The Burmese Harp (1956, a 4k DCP Restoration) Friday, October 18 – Thursday, October 24, and The Sacrifice (1986, a New 4k Restoration) Friday, October 25 – Thursday, October 31.
# Note: Some of the showtimes may be matinees only.
For more information on the either of these two films’ presentation, click on the appropriate image above. For a complete calendar of all the films playing this month, click on the Film Forum banner.
In theatres across the U.S., Fathom Events is presenting Back to the Future Part II (1989, a 35th Anniversary Screening) on Saturday, October 19 and Monday, October 21.
Click on each film’s poster image for more information. To see this month’s entire schedule, click on The Fathom Events banner above.
Bad Lieutenant
The Tin Drum
In Bergen, Norway The Cinemateket i Bergen will present Bad Lieutenant (1992) Tuesday, October 29 and Thursday, October 31, and The Tin Drum (1992) on Tuesday, October 29 and Wednesday, October 30.
For more information on either of these film’s showing, click on the corresponding movie image above. For further information on the other films being presented at The Cinemateket, click on the banner image above.
In theatres across the U.S. Flashback Cinema is presenting The Exorcist [Extended Director’s Cut] (1973) on Sunday, October 27, Wednesday, October 30 and Thursday, October 31.
Click on the poster image for more information. To see the entire month’s programming, click on The Flashback Cinema banner above.
Freaks
The Night of the Hunter
In San Francisco, California, The Roxie Theatre will present Freaks (1932, as part of their Wild, Weird, Wicked: Films From Before the Code series) Tuesday, October 29, and The Night of the Hunter (1955) on Wednesday, October 30.
For more information on either film’s showing, click on the appropriate movie image above. For more information on the other films being presented at The Roxie, click on the theatre picture above.
Psycho
In Geneva, Switzerland The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande will present Psycho (1975) with live musical accompaniment featuring Bernard Herrmann’s exhilarating score on Thursday, October 31.
Click on the above image for more information.
There are 21 reviewed films to watch on Turner Classic Movies in the U.S. this month:
The more psychologically disturbing, (than monstrously horrifying) 1941 version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has Spencer Tracy in the title role. This was previously critiqued here. The Dr. will begin his transformation Sunday, October 13 at 3 pm PDT.
Spencer Tracy
Next are 3 superb Neo-noirs playing back-to-back:
Also on TCM’s agenda is the Neo-noir Bullitt (1968), one of Steve McQueen’s most iconic characterisations. Reviewed here, Bullitt will speed its way onto TCM Thursday, October 17 at 10:45 am PDT.
In 1967, British Director John Boorman nailed the American crime milieu with the precision of his film's title, Point Blank, a Neo-noir masterpiece fortified with style and driven by purpose.
Lee Marvin
Lee Marvin's 'cold as a frozen corpse' Walker, is a machine-like man on a mission, appearing unstoppable as he charges through LAX possessed with unbridled vengeance. It's also quite ironic that despite Walker's hardened resolve, the considerable threat he poses, generous amount of punishment he dishes out, and the high body count he seems responsible for, doesn't directly kill anyone in the entire picture. "Was it a dream?" You be the judge when Point Blank (first acclaimed here) hits Thursday, October 17 at 1 pm PDT.
My next TCM film to see is the late Mike Hodges’ 1971 Neo-noir triumph Get Carter which is reviewed as a Blu-ray recommendation here. Viewers can get Carter Thursday, October 17 at 2:45 pm PDT.
Michael Caine
Crime Wave (1953), previously reviewed here, is one wave you'll want to catch Saturday, October 19 at 2:15 pm PDT.
Charles Buchinsky (a.k.a. Charles Bronson)
In the U.K. town of Midwich, strange children with mysterious origins are behaving badly. Find out just how bad when the chilling Village of the Damned (1960), previously reviewed here, airs Saturday, October 19 at 3:30 pm PDT.
This next recommendation is a highly distinctive crime film, overflowing with noir goodness, 1949’s Too Late for Tears. This film also utilises a famous city landmark, namely Los Angeles’ Echo Park lake which was also featured in the Neo-noir Chinatown. Too Late for Tears was previously reviewed here. It's never too late to indulge in actress Lizabeth Scott's classic femme fatale portrayal which TCM will oblige in presenting as part of Eddie Muller’s Noir Alley Saturday, October 19 at 9:30 pm PDT and again on Sunday, October 20 at 7 am PDT.
Next are 3 terrific Film Noirs from the ‘40s playing back-to-back:
MGM contract player Robert Taylor appeared in a startling number of excellent films. Johnny Eager (1941), a previous recommendation here, is one of them. If you haven’t seen this exciting film noir with its irresistible characters (like the one pictured below played by Lana Turner) and situations, don’t miss the opportunity Sunday, October 20 at 9 am PDT.
Lana Turner, Robert Taylor
Despite its ridiculously hard to follow plot, this next recommendation's wildly entertaining detective yarn is worth waking up for.
Previously reviewed here, The Big Sleep (1946) will awaken Sunday, October 20 at 11 am PDT.
A most talented friend on Facebook, Leilani Roundtree, has graciously allowed me to post her own very special modernised trailer for The Big Sleep. This amazing work both spoofs contemporary coming attractions while paying homage to the early classic in a most delightful way. Enjoy!
From the same director who brought us Citizen Kane comes another kind of cinematic hero (of sorts). Michael O'Hara, like the deeply flawed Kane, is flawlessly played by his creator Orson Welles. Unlike Citizen Kane however, this film fell under its producer Harry Cohn's butchery with considerable footage lost and destroyed forever. Nevertheless, what survives is vastly entertaining and not to be missed. The Lady from Shanghai (1947) was also previously recommended here and will reappear on TCM Sunday, October 20 at 1 pm PDT.
A true romance film and of the highest artistic calibre has been reviewed in Opening Up a Treasure: Brief Encounter. Director David Lean's stirring "encounter" will begin on Monday, October 21 at 8 am PDT.
Next, is a cinematic portrait of a powerful historical female leader, Cleopatra (1963), previously reviewed here. Her reign will begin Tuesday, October 22 at 5 pm PDT.
From the same director as Brief Encounter comes another film helmed by David Lean. One of his more ambitious projects may have turned out less artistically accomplished than its director intended. Still, it has many attributes making Doctor Zhivago (1965) well worth seeing. Afterwards, I'd be appreciative if readers had a look at my review here. This epic scale romance will begin Tuesday, October 22 at 9:30 pm PDT.
Omar Sharif, Julie Christie
Next is a sterling example of how to present complex and enthralling characters, all of whom develop naturally while still holding our intense fascination: Citizen Kane (1941).
A previous TCM recommendation here, this American film masterpiece, the only U.S. film represented on our Top Ten: World Cinema Treasures, will begin Friday, October 25 at 7:30 pm PDT.
In our Facebook chat room (all readers are welcome to join here), Citizen Kane came under significant fire for being boring and overrated. It seemed the best defence enthusiasts could muster was based primarily on the film’s technical achievements which prompted me to make the following response:
"Citizen Kane is, for myself, aside from all of the technical razzle-dazzle, an insightful, exploratory look into the human psyche. The relationships are chronicled with immense creativity and dynamism, having personalities rich in intellectual and emotional development, and yet remain consistent with each individual's temperament. It's not simply Welles' flashy style to admire here... it is how ingeniously he fuses those techniques into his narrative's progression that serves to enhance such a passionate overview of his characters while providing a thorough understanding of their experiences from each one's unique perspective, particularly in how some view their past.
I think those who look to a film like Citizen Kane for superficial entertainment qualities are apt to miss out on the profound relationship developments inherent in the narrative. These are rich, multilevel characters with complex emotions responding to their ever changing circumstances. To appreciate the kind of sophisticated delineation of individuality requires a substantial investment on the viewer's part, some may not be accustomed to giving. This is perhaps due to the overwhelming number of lesser cinematic fare providing simple and identifiable personas easy to assimilate as well as instantly gratifying resolutions to their conflicts. Others may be dismissive toward films like this one because they don't like seeing what are perceived as negative traits recognisable in themselves and/or other important people in their lives, plus the fact that, just like in real life, Citizen Kane’s populace tend to suffer through them rather than being provisioned with artificial heroic triumphs. Many films offer an escape from reality. Citizen Kane confronts us with it. Both types have value but when such an enlightening story is told with so much drive, innovation and passion, it transcends both categories.”
Orson Welles, Dorothy Comingore
Both tension and fear are at their zenith in Cape Fear (1962) with Robert Mitchum once again playing southern bred evil incarnate as he did in 1955’s The Night of the Hunter. Viewers prepared to be terrified can visit Cape Fear, previously reviewed here, Saturday, October 26 at 11 pm PDT.
(From left) Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum
My next TCM recommendation is 1947’s Nora Prentiss portrayed by Ann Sheridan. This first-class film noir, previously reviewed here, will make its striking impression Monday, October 28 at 6:30 am PDT.
Kent Smith, Ann Sheridan
Rarely does an atmosphere of such overpowering dread subsume a cinematic story so completely as it does 1943's The Seventh Victim. 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 and reviewed here. The fate of both sisters will be determined Wednesday, October 30 at 3:45 pm PDT.
Jean Brooks
“The mattress is soft and there're hangers in the closet and stationary with ‘Bates' Motel’ printed on it in case you want to make your friends back home envious.”
Still another Hitchcock artistic triumph was, at the time (including throughout its primary creator’s career), the most audacious cinematic assault ever perpetrated on the movie going public or the Motion Picture Production Code for that matter. 1960's Psycho was previously reviewed here. The terror will begin Wednesday, October 30 at 5 pm PDT.
TCM will have a rare showing of the cult classic Blue Velvet, previously reviewed here, on Wednesday, October 30 at 9 pm PDT.
Kyle MacLachlan
Also in this month’s lineup is Todd Browning's shockingly bold and terrifying 1932 film, Freaks, previously reviewed here. They will appear on TCM Thursday, October 31 at 7:15 am PDT.
My final recommendation this month is another rare showing on TCM: The Other (1972) previously reviewed here, Thursday, October 31 at 5 pm PDT.
Chris Udvarnoky, Uta Hagen
TCM's current monthly schedule can be seen by clicking on any of the above TCM related images. To confirm the correct Pacific Daylight (West Coast) showtime information, subtract 3 hours from the Eastern Daylight (East Coast) showtime listed on TCM’s schedule.
This month's Happy Birthday shout-out to the extraordinary filmmaker Ang Lee, who turns 70 on October 23rd.
Some of the abundantly creative director’s more notable works include The Wedding Banquet (1993), Eat Drink Man Woman (1994), Sense and Sensibility (1995), The Ice Storm (1997), Ride with the Devil (1999), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Hulk (2003), Brokeback Mountain (2005), Lust, Caution (2007), and Life of Pi (2012).
The Soundtrack recommendation of the month is Jerry Goldsmith's delicate and haunting score to 1972's spine-tingling The Other.
Director Robert Mulligan, it seems, always got the absolute best from his composers: Elmer Bernstein’s score for To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) and Fred Karlin’s for The Stalking Moon (1968) come to mind. In keeping with this tradition is Jerry Goldsmith’s hauntingly sublime score for the mysterious and terrifying little period piece The Other, previously reviewed here.
This newly released Deluxe (but limited) Edition from Varese Sarabande’s CD Club presents the composer’s complete score (including unused material) in stereo for the first time. Click on the accompanying image for more information.
Diana Muldaur
The Other (1972)...
… previously reviewed here, is also October’s Blu-ray recommendation. The Shock (Region B) issue is out of print but there are a number of reasonably priced copies for sale on the secondary market. One can check out the current listings on E-bay by clicking on the image below.
A.G.