| Low Rider: The Super-Charged Cinema of
Steve McQueen
This
is an Egyptian Theatre Exclusive!
"In my own mind, I’m not sure that acting is something for a grown man to
be doing." - Steve McQueen
From his escape-artist anti-heroes in PAPILLON and THE GREAT ESCAPE to
his hardboiled loners in THE CINCINNATI KID and JUNIOR BONNER, to his speed
demon cop in BULLITT, actor Steve McQueen (1930 – 1980) blazed across the screen with
the same intensity and competitive spirit he brought to his off-screen passion for racing.
One of the most popular and acclaimed actors of his generation, McQueen is arguably even
more popular now, emerging as a kind of archetype for the ideal Hollywood male star:
defiantly independent (but nursing a wounded soul), always close to the boiling point, a
man of few words and much action. In other words, the King of Cool.
Please join us for a retrospective of Steve McQueen’s most exciting films,
including screenings of THE SAND PEBBLES and the 50th anniversary of THE
MAGNIFICENT SEVEN.
Official Steve McQueen Website
Thursday, June 17 – 7:30 PM
Double Feature: 50th Anniversary! THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, 1960, MGM Repertory, 128
min. This excellent Americanized version of Akira Kurosawa’s classic THE SEVEN
SAMURAI, helmed by noted action auteur John Sturges and starring charismatic Steve
McQueen, Yul Brynner, Charles Bronson and many others, follows seven hired gunmen as they
safeguard a Mexican farm village from a marauding bandit chieftain (Eli Wallach). With an
instantly memorable Elmer Bernstein score that inspired everything from future westerns to
cigarette commercials (!) for decades to come. Trailer | Buy Tickets
JUNIOR BONNER, 1972, ABC (Disney), 100 min. Dir. Sam
Peckinpah. Steve McQueen is Junior Bonner, a restless rodeo star trying to deal with his
drifter-con man dad (Robert Preston) and outspoken, responsible mom (Ida Lupino), as well
as girlfriend Barbara Leigh – when he’s not getting his head busted on bucking
broncs. A sometimes funny, sometimes melancholy meditation on Americans who’ve
forsaken the 9-to-5 strait–jacket to thrive in a much more rugged lifestyle. With Ben
Johnson and Joe Don Baker. Clip
Friday, June 18 – 7:30 PM
Sharp Digital Presentation: THE SAND PEBBLES, 1966, 20th Century Fox, 182
min. Dir. Robert Wise. When engineer Jake Holman (Steve McQueen) is brought aboard the
gunboat U.S.S. San Pablo on the Yangtze River, he uncovers a hotbed of racial tension and
dangerous working conditions. As local hostility toward the gunboat's presence increases,
the vessel recklessly forges ahead on its mission to rescue missionaries in peril upriver.
With Candace Bergen and Richard Attenborough. Buy Tickets
Saturday, June 19 – 7:30 PM
Rare IB Tech Screening! PAPILLON, 1973, Warner Bros., 150 min. McQueen gives one of his
greatest performances in the true story of French convict Henri "Papillon"
Charriere and his confinement on the hellish penal colony of French Guiana. Brilliantly
directed by Franklin J. Schaffner (PLANET OF THE APES, PATTON), with terrific support from
Dustin Hoffman as McQueen’s myopic buddy Louis Dega. Screenplay by Dalton Trumbo and
Lorenzo Semple, Jr., adapted from Charriere’s autobiography. Trailer | Buy Tickets
Sunday, June 20 – 7:30 PM
Father’s Day Celebration! THE GREAT ESCAPE, 1963, MGM Repertory, 172 min. Dir. John
Sturges. Superlative WWII drama chronicling the real-life, large-scale prison camp escape
of Allied POWs in Germany, featuring Steve McQueen in his (literally) breakout role as
Captain Virgil Hilts, "The Cooler King." Nail-biting suspense and exhilarating
action are punctuated with just the right amount of raucous humor, aided by composer Elmer
Bernstein’s rousing score. Trailer
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