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An Ongoing Series at The Egyptian and Aero Theatres!

HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY, 1941, 20^th Century Fox, 118 min. Only one of many masterpieces he created in the 1940’s, director John Ford’s beautiful, heartbreaking account of the plight of a Welsh coal-mining family circa turn-of-the-last century won five Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Donald Crisp as the stern but loving patriarch), Best Art Direction (Richard Day, Nathan Juran, Thomas Little) and Best Cinematography (Arthur C. Miller). Seen through the eyes of Crisp’s young son, Roddy McDowall, we watch as his older brothers (John Loder, Patric Knowles, et.al.) are split apart by economic hard times as well as labor strife, and his older sister, Maureen O’Hara foregoes the mutual love she shares with poor minister Walter Pidgeon to join in a rich, but loveless marriage. One of the truly great saga motion pictures of the 20^th century, a work that seems to encapsulate all the truths, joys and sorrows of the whole world in one film. With sterling support from Sara Algood, Barry Fitzgerald, Rhys Williams, Anna Lee and Arthur Shields. Discussion following about the work of seven time (out of twenty nominations) Academy Award winner, production designer Richard Day, possibly the greatest of the early independent art directors in Hollywood. He began his forty year, trend-setting career in the silent era as Erich Von Stroheim’s designer in 1919 and went on to design A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951), ON THE WATERFRONT (1954) and TORA! TORA! TORA! (1970), to name but a few of his famous credits.

DOCTOR ZHIVAGO, 1965, Warner Bros., 193 min. Dir. David Lean. "If this man were my father, I should want to know," says General Yevgraf Zhivago (Alec Guinness) to his wary niece (Rita Tushingham) – and the story that he narrates, of decadent Tsarists, anguished revolutionaries, two beautiful women in love with the same man, a nation and a people in upheaval, and above all, the poet and physician (Omar Sharif) who witnesses and remembers it all – is one of the most lyrical and visually breathtaking stories in the history of film. From the bloodstained march through the Moscow streets, to the snowbound train ride through the Ural Mountains, to the haunted ice palace at Varykino, this is the essence of pure cinema. Brilliantly scripted by Robert Bolt (from Boris Pasternak’s novel), and photographed by Freddie Young (who replaced Nicolas Roeg soon into shooting). Co-starring Julie Christie, Geraldine Chaplin, Rod Steiger, Tom Courtenay, Ralph Richardson and Siobhan McKenna, with sublime music by Maurice Jarre.

MY COUSIN RACHEL, 1952, 20^th Century Fox, 98 min. Dir. Henry Koster. Richard Burton made his American screen debut in this standout adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s gothic mystery. Olivia de Havilland keeps Burton (and us) guessing until the very end as to whether or not she killed her husband, Burton’s older cousin and guardian, for his wealth, or whether she is a victim of circumstance genuinely concerned for Burton’s welfare. The interiors and exteriors of the house on the cliffs, as well as the other sets in general, all serve to create a genuinely delirious, dark romanticism that perfectly embodies this early 19^th century saga. Art director John DeCuir was Oscar-nominated for his work here (along with colleagues, Lyle R. Wheeler and Walter M. Scott). The film received three other Academy Award nominations, including Burton for Best Supporting Actor. Discussion following the screening on the work of Academy Award-winning art director John DeCuir.

Saturday, July 21 – 2:00 PM

Art Directors Guild Film Society Presents Ray Harryhausen In-Person Matinee:

FIRST MEN IN THE MOON, 1964, Sony Repertory, 103 min. In director Nathan Juran’s extremely entertaining adaptation of H.G. Wells’ novel, turn-of-the-century British inventor Lionel Jeffries enlists Edward Judd and fiancée Martha Hyer in his scheme to reach the moon using anti-gravity paint. Once the trio hits the lunar landscape, they’re captured by a weird subterranean insect race, the Selenites, and we’re treated to some of Ray Harryhausen’s most enjoyable special effects. An infectious blend of Victorian sci-fi, sweet humor and high adventure. Preceded by a film reel and clip show. Discussion following with visual effects artist and producer Ray Harryhausen. A co-presentation with The Art Directors Guild.

Sunday, July 29 – 5:30 PM

Art Directors Guild Hall of Fame Screening – A Salute to Production Designer William Cameron Menzies!

William Cameron Menzies (1896-1957), the first art director to gain the title of production designer as a result of his Academy-Award-winning work on GONE WITH THE WIND (1939), was an independent art director working under non-exclusive short-term contracts. This allowed him to move from studio to studio. As an independent he was able to experiment with his artistic visions, making him one of the best art directors of his time. Menzies befriended famed art director Anton Grot, who taught Menzies his techniques of forced perspective and continuity sketching, which were very useful throughout both their careers. They eventually worked together on THE THIEF OF BAGHDAD (1924), where, in a change of roles, Grot was an assistant to Menzies, a dominant force among art directors from silent films until the 1950’s. He was given an honorary Academy Award for his work on GONE WITH THE WIND, won Oscars for THE DOVE (1927) and THE TEMPEST (1928) and received nominations for his work on THE AWAKENING (1928) [the very first Academy Award for Art Direction], ALIBI (1929), and BULLDOG DRUMMOND (1929). Menzies was inducted into the ADG Hall of Fame in 2005.

FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS, 1943, Universal, 168 min. A stunningly beautiful version of Ernest Hemingway’s classic about idealistic lone-wolf fighter, Robert Jordan (Gary Cooper) joining up to fight the fascist loyalists during the Spanish Civil War. The novel had been very controversial as it pitted socialists against fascists (who were equally evil to many in conservative Hollywood), so director Sam Wood and screenwriter Dudley Nichols had to heavily de-fang the political thrust of the saga. The film still works beautifully and features a heart-stopping performance by co-star Ingrid Bergman as Maria, one of the mountain rebels who falls in love with the American expatriate. Her final scene with Cooper is perhaps one of the most poignant, realistically romantic (yet still delirious!) climaxes ever in a Hollywood picture. With a strong supporting cast that includes Katina Paxinou (who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress), Akim Tamiroff, Arturo de Cordova. Besides winner Paxinou, the film was nominated for eight other Oscars including Best Director, Best Actor and Best Art Direction (Hans Dreier, Haldane Douglas, Bertram C. Granger). Convincing California locations, the Sierra Nevada Mountains amongst them, stand in convincingly for the rocky, imposing Spanish terrain. Discussion following about the work of William Cameron Menzies.