Hollywood Summer Nights Series 2008
June ~ August

a
	FREE EVENT: HOPES AND FEARS Bryn Mawr: June 2 Mon 7:00 Created as a joint endeavor between the Philadelphia Film Office’s Greater Philadelphia Filmmakers program and Great Expectations, the year-long project on civic engagement run by the Philadelphia Inquirer, HOPES AND FEARS is a film competition in which area filmmakers created short films about their hopes and fears for our city. This free event will include screenings of the winning films with filmmaker Q&A, and a panel discussion with cultural, political, and civic leaders from the Philadelphia area.
a
	THE 39 STEPS 1935 – 1 hr 27 min – Great Britain – b/w 35 mm d: Alfred Hitchcock County: June 2 Mon 7:00 Bryn Mawr: June 4 Wed 7:00 Ambler: June 5 Thu 7:30 An early British-made Hitchcock with his trademark “mistaken-man” storyline. The film’s bewildered hero eludes police in a wild chase across Scotland — all the while handcuffed to a beautiful woman. Hitchcock’s trademark use of timing, atmosphere, and comedy fully flowered in this classic.
a
		LA SCALA OPERA SERIES
	TRISTAN UND ISOLDE Wagner – Conducted by Daniel Barenboim and directed by Patrice Chereau – 5 hr Bryn Mawr: June 4 Wed 7:00 & June 29 Sun 1:00 Added to the series due to popular demand! Daniel Barenboim, one of the greatest Wagnerian maestros, had been dreaming of staging TRISTAN with distinguished director Patrice Chereau for 25 years. Particularly worth noting in the cast are Ian Storey, Waltraud Meier, Machelle De Young, Gerd Grokowski, Matti Salminen, and Will Hartmann.
a
	NORTH BY NORTHWEST 1959 – 2 hr 16 min – USA – color – 35 mm - MGM d: Alfred Hitchcock – w/ Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason County: June 9 Mon 7:00 Bryn Mawr: June 10 Tue 7:30 Ambler: June 12 Thu 7:30 The quintessential Hitchcock comedy-thriller, with bewildered businessman Cary Grant chased across the country by both spies and the police. It contains one memorable scene after another — including the United Nations murder, the crop-duster attack, and the Mount Rushmore climax.
a
		LA SCALA OPERA SERIES
	LA RONDINE Puccini – Conducted by Carlo Rizzi and directed by Graham Wick at Teatro La Fenice in Venice – 2 hr 10 min Bryn Mawr: June 11 Wed 7:00 & June 22 Sun 1:00 LA RONDINE is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini with an Italian libretto by Giuseppe Adami, based on a libretto by Alfred Maria Willner and Heinz Reichert. It was first performed at the Theatre de l’Opera in Monte Carlo on March 27, 1917. Concerning the tragic love affairs of a kept woman and her maidservant, LA RONDINE has been likened to Verdi’s La Traviata.
a
	THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE 1948 – 2 hr 6 min – USA – b/w – 35mm - Warner Brothers d: John Huston – w/ Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, Tim Holt County: June 16 Mon 7:00 Bryn Mawr: June 18 Wed 7:30 Ambler: June 19 Thu 7:30 Humphrey Bogart stars in this dark story of gold, greed, and human nature at its worst. Directed by John Huston with great cinematic skill, and co-starring his father, Walter Huston, as a grizzled old prospector. (They both won Academy Awards!) A memorable film.
a
	WEST SIDE STORY 1961 – 2 hr 32 min – USA – color – 35 mm - United Artists d: Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise – w/ Natalie Wood Ambler: June 24 Tue 7:30 County: June 25 Wed 7:00 Winner of ten Oscars, this dynamic musical is an imaginative retelling of Romeo and Juliet, transforming their families to warring gangs in New York City. Featuring unforgettable music by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim.
a
	AN EVENING WITH LAUREL AND HARDY: A CHUMP AT OXFORD 1940 – 1 hr 3 min – USA – b/w – 35 mm - United Artists – w/ Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy Bryn Mawr: June 23 Mon 7:30 BMFI is delighted to welcome back the Sons of the Desert, the official Laurel and Hardy fan club, for an evening of hilarity with Stan and Ollie. The feature for this year is A CHUMP AT OXFORD, in which the boys get sent across the pond for a free ride at England’s most prestigious educational institution. The feature will also be preceded by the classic short from 1931, Come Clean. Hosted by Roger Gordon, President of the Two Tars Tent, the local chapter of the Sons of the Desert.
a
	PAT AND MIKE 1952 – 1 hr 35 min – USA – b/w – 35mm - MGM d: George Cukor – w/ Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn County: June 23 Mon 7:00 Bryn Mawr: June 25 Wed 7:30 Ambler: June 26 Thu 7:30 Tracy and Hepburn team up again in this delightful romantic comedy. Hepburn plays a champion golfer, and Tracy a shrewd - and slightly shady sports manager. A boisterous romp of a film that includes encounters with the mob, a dim-witted boxer, and that Tracy/ Hepburn chemistry - what more do you want?
a
	FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE 1963 – 1 hr 58 min – USA – color – 35 mm - United Artists d: Terence Young – w/ Sean Connery County: June 30 Mon 7:00 Bryn Mawr: July 2 Wed 7:30 Ambler: July 3 Thu 7:30 The second James Bond movie and possibly the best, featuring a witty and remarkably gritty plot. A beautiful Russian spy and an international crime organization are moving to steal a top-secret machine. Only a very young Sean Connery is there to stop them.
a
	THE MIRACLE OF MORGAN'S CREEK 1944 – 1 hr 39 min – USA – b/w – 35 mm - Paramount d: Preston Sturges – w/ Betty Hutton, Eddie Bracken Ambler: July 1 Tue 7:30 County: July 2 Wed 7:00 Bryn Mawr: July 3 Thu 7:30 An uproarious comedy from Preston Sturges about a small town girl who finds herself “in a family way” after attending a party for the boys going off to WWII. She thinks she got married, but that evening’s events are all a little hazy. Sharp dialogue, amusing characters and deft slapstick make this a great American comedy. Sturges was a genius!
a
	A NIGHT AT THE OPERA 1935 – 1 hr 36 min – USA – b/w – 35mm - MGM d: Sam Wood – w/ The Marx Brothers County: July 7 Mon 7:00 Bryn Mawr: July 9 Wed 7:30 Ambler: July 10 Thu 7:30 The Marx Brothers shine in this gleeful farce, which may be their best movie. Featuring their normal insanely funny physical and verbal gags, as well as an almost coherent plot (for them). From the ocean liner stateroom scene to the sanity clause to the raucous sabotage of the final opera performance, this is a satiric gem.
a
		FRENCH SUMMER NIGHTS
	AMELIE 2001 – 2 hr 2 min – France – color - w/ subtitles – 35 mm d: Jean-Pierre Jeunet w/ Audrey Tautou Ambler: July 8 Tue 7:30 County: July 9 Wed 7:00 Bryn Mawr: July 10 Thu 7:30 A funny, romantic and very playful film, AMELIE is about a shy shop girl in Paris who acts as a guardian angel for her eccentric neighbors. Extraordinary cinematography and a dazzling array of Parisian settings, plus a lead performance from Audrey Tautou that recalls Audrey Hepburn, make this a truly magical film.
a
	THE ASPHALT JUNGLE 1950 – 1 hr 52 min – USA – b/w – 35mm - MGM d: John Huston – w/ Sterling Hayden and Marilyn Monroe County: July 14 Mon 7:00 Bryn Mawr: July 16 Wed 7:30 Ambler: July 17 Thu 7:30 A film noir of the very highest order, this b&w beauty from John Huston charts a big jewel heist planned as “a final score.” As in most noirs, nothing goes as planned and nothing is what it seems. Featuring great cinematography and marvelous performances from tough guy Sterling Hayden and a luminously young Marilyn Monroe.
a
		FRENCH SUMMER NIGHTS
	JULES AND JIM 1962 – 1 hr 45 min – France – b/w – 35mm d: Francois Truffaut – w/Jeanne Moreau Ambler: July 15 Tue 7:30 County: July 16 Wed 7:00 Bryn Mawr: July 17 Thu 7:30 French New Wave filmmaker Francois Truffaut directed this classic about the friendship of two men and a free-spirited young woman. Spanning the turn of the century through the first World War, JULES AND JIM is an unconventional and moving look at friendship and love.
a
	Outdoor Screening: ROCKY 1976 – 1 hr 59 min – USA – color – United Artists d: John G. Avildsen Bryn Mawr: July 18 Fri 8:00 In partnership with World Team Tennis and the Philadelphia Freedoms, BMFI is proud to present an outdoor screening of one of the greatest sports films of all time, ROCKY. Join us at the Freedoms’ new stadium at the King of Prussia Mall and relive the magic of this story about a South Philadelphia boxer who gets a shot at the big time when he’s offered a fight against heavyweight champ Apollo Creed. Tickets are $5 general admission and $4.50 for BMFI members. Visit www.wtt.org for more information.
a
	THE BIG LEBOWSKI 1998 – 1 hr 57 min – USA – color – 35mm -“R” d: Joel Coen – w/ Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, John Turturro County: July 21 Mon 7:00 Bryn Mawr: July 23 Wed 7:30 Ambler: July 24 Thu 7:30 Mark it! This Coen Brothers classic just keeps getting better. Jeff Bridges plays an aging Los Angeles hippie-type in a stoned update of Dashiell Hammett. There’s mistaken identity, a kidnapping plot, some stupifyingly colorful characters, and a ton of bowling. The Dude, Walter, Donny, Brandt, Maude, Bunny, Jackie Treehorn, Jesus Quintana, the Big Lebowski,and “the rug that ties the room together”– they’re all here, man. If you will it, Dude, it is no dream!
a
		FRENCH SUMMER NIGHTS
	BREATHLESS 1960 – 1 hr 30 min – France – b/w - w/ subtitles – 35 mm d: Jean-Luc Godard - w/ Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg Ambler: July 22 Tue 7:30 County: July 23 Wed 7:00 Bryn Mawr: July 24 Thu 7:30 One of the first, and perhaps the most influential, of the French New Wave films, BREATHLESS is a groundbreaking and endlessly watchable film about a Paris hood who kills a cop and goes on the lamb with his American girlfriend. It’s breezy, cinematically inventive, and full of love for the movies.
a
	ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS 1955 – 1 hr 29 min – USA – color – 35mm - Universal d: Douglas Sirk – w/ Jane Wyman, Rock Hudson County: July 28 Mon 7:00 Bryn Mawr: July 30 Wed 7:30 Ambler: July 31 Thu 7:30 In this classic melodrama from Douglas Sirk, Jane Wyman stars as a suburban widow who is scorned by her neighbors and children when she becomes romantically involved with a younger man. Highly stylized and featuring amazing Technicolor, HEAVEN carries its razor sharp social commentary just below the surface.
a
	IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE 1946 – 2 hr 10 min – USA – b/w – 35 mm - RKO d: Frank Capra – w/ James Stewart, Donna Reed Ambler: July 29 Tue 7:30 County: July 30 Wed 7:00 Bryn Mawr: July 31 Thu 7:30 It’s Christmas in July with this perennial favorite — the classic Capra film about small town values and the American spirit. An angel stops Jimmy Stewart from ending his life and shows him the true value of his life. See it on the big screen — it’s even better.
a
	ROMAN HOLIDAY 1953 – 1hr 58 min – USA – b/w – 35 mm - Paramount d: William Wyler – w/ Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck County: Aug 4 Mon 7:00 Bryn Mawr: Aug 6 Wed 7:30 Ambler: Aug 7 Thu 7:30 ROMAN HOLIDAY is a charming romantic comedy made memorable by its superb lead performances. Audrey Hepburn plays a princess on an official visit to Rome who slips away and falls in love with an American newspaperman played by Gregory Peck. Hepburn is especially luminous in the role that made her a star.
a
	BLUE VELVET 1986 – 2 hr – USA – color – 35 mm – “R” - d: David Lynch – w/ Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Laura Dern, Dennis Hopper Ambler: Aug 5 Tue 7:30 County: Aug 6 Wed 7:00 Bryn Mawr: Aug 7 Thu 7:30 In David Lynch’s unsettling tale of suburbia, an investigation is launched after a young man discovers a severed human ear in a vacant field. With an all-star cast that includes Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, and a memorable Dennis Hopper, BLUE VELVET pries open an alternate reality of dread and evil that lurks just beneath the surface of everyday life.
a
	THE MALTESE FALCON 1941 – 1 hr 41 min – USA – b/w – 35 mm - Warner Brothers – d: John Huston w/ Humphrey Bogart County: Aug 11 Mon 7:00 Bryn Mawr: Aug 13 Wed 7:30 Ambler: Aug 14 Thu 7:30 Bogie is perfect as Sam Spade in this brilliant detective yarn — still explosive and surprising after all these years. The black and white cinematography is memorable and the supporting performances from Mary Astor, Sydney Greenstreet, and Peter Lorre are legendary. It’s the stuff that dreams are made of.
a
	CARMEN JONES 1954 – 1 hr 45 min – USA – color – 35 mm - Twentieth Century-Fox - d: Otto Preminger w/ Dorothy Dandridge, Harry Belafonte Bryn Mawr: Aug 14 Thu 7:30 Oscar Hammerstein II translated the famous Bizet opera into this modern-day fable of love, betrayal, and tragedy, with an all African American cast. Dorothy Dandridge stars as Carmen, a WWII parachute-maker who falls in love with an Air Force man named Joe (Harry Belafonte). A memorable musical extravaganza with great performances from Dandridge and Belafonte.
a
	ANNIE HALL 1977 – 1 hr 33 min – USA – color – 35mm - United Artists – d: Woody Allen – w/Woody Allen, Diane Keaton County: Aug 18 Mon 7:00 Bryn Mawr: Aug 20 Wed 7:30 Ambler: Aug 21 Thu 7:30 One of the few comedies to win the Oscar for Best Picture, ANNIE HALL is the unforgettable story of the meeting, romance, and eventual break-up of a neurotic comedian and a lovably ditsy young woman. Lauded for its unconventional narrative and wonderful dialogue, this film has influenced scores of romantic comedies that have followed.
a
		BOLSHOI BALLET AT BMFI
	THE PHARAOH'S DAUGHTER Bolshoi Theatre – Music by Cesare Pugni Choreography by Pierre Lacotte – 1 hr 42 min - Digital Bryn Mawr: August 21 Thu 7:30 As a preview for our upcoming fall series on ballet and film, we present THE PHARAOH’S DAUGHTER. In 1862, Marius Petipa mounted this ballet without music after the composer, in a fit of anger, had destroyed the piano score. The music was added later on to the already completed dances. Petipa was convinced that music existed just for dance, and dance just for ballerinas. Tickets are $15 general admission and $12 for BMFI members.
a
	LAWRENCE OF ARABIA 1962 – 3 hr 41 min – USA – color – 35 mm Columbia d: David Lean – w/ Peter O’Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Omar Sharif County: Aug 25 Mon 7:00 & Sept 1 Mon 7:00 Bryn Mawr: Aug 27 Wed 7:00 Ambler: Aug 28 Thu 7:00 & Aug 31 Sun 7:00 LAWRENCE is a sprawling blockbuster of an epic about an adventurer’s life in the Middle East. The film is exciting, spectacularly beautiful and, needless to say, was meant to be seen on the big screen. Peter O’Toole is astonishing — his piercing blue eyes and commanding presence highlight one of the most memorable performances of movie history. They just don’t make them like this anymore!
a
		BOLSHOI BALLET AT BMFI
	BOLT Bolshoi Theatre – Music by Dimitri Shostakovich – Choreography by Alexei Ratmanski – 1 hr 45 min – Digital Bryn Mawr: August 28 Thu 7:30 As a preview for our upcoming fall series on ballet and film, we present BOLT. Shostakovich’s second ballet brings together serious and popular music and dance, and includes Komsomol routines, Red Army marches, circus acrobatics, and vaudeville antics. Tickets are $15 general admission and $12 for BMFI members.
a
	OPEN SCREEN MONDAYS Bryn Mawr: First Monday of each month 9:00–11:00 pm Bryn Mawr Film Institute invites area filmmakers to screen their films at our theater. Just bring your film in DVD or VHS format, and we’ll run it on the BIG SCREEN! Admission, as well as praise (or criticism) from your peers, will be offered FREE of charge. This is an exciting forum for Philadelphia area filmmakers. You don’t have to be a filmmaker—come if you just want to see interesting local work.