April 23, 2012 "My Fair Lady", "Shaft" Headline May Film Series

Science fiction and fantasy, comedy, romance, action thrillers, a timeless musical and a Russian epic are among the film offerings at the Library of Congress Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation’s state-of-the-art theater in Culpeper, VA in May. A Saturday matinee of “The 7th Voyage of Sinbad” is the first of three films in the sci-fi genre on the May schedule. “Sinbad,” a showcase for special effects master Ray Harryhausen, was the first film to use the process of Dynamation, a combination of three-dimensional animated figures and live actors.

Later in the month, audiences will be treated to a screening of the George Eastman House restoration of the 1925 silent film “The Lost World,” featuring the work of stop-motion pioneer Willis O'Brien. “The Lost World” joins “Shaft” and “The French Connection” as National Film Registry titles on the May lineup. Other highlights for the month include three recent preservation prints made by the Packard Campus Film Preservation Laboratory—“The Little Giant” starring Edward G. Robinson, the silent comedy “Mantrap” with Clara Bow, and the rarely seen “Chicago Calling” starring Dan Duryea. The theater will be closed May 25 and 26.

Screenings are preceded by an informative slide presentation about the film, with music selected by the Library’s Recorded Sound Section. Short subjects will be presented before select programs. Titles are subject to change without notice.

All Packard Campus programs are free and open to the public, but children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult. For reservation information, call (540) 827-1079 ext. 79994 or (202) 707-9994 during business hours, beginning one week before any given screening. Reservations will be held until 10 minutes before showtime. In case of inclement weather, call the theater reservation line no more than three hours before showtime to confirm cancellations. For further information on the theater and film series, visit www.loc.gov/avconservation/theater/.

The Library of Congress Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation is a state-of-the-art facility funded as a gift to the nation by the Packard Humanities Institute. The Packard Campus is the site where the nation’s library acquires, preserves and provides access to the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of motion pictures, television programs, radio broadcasts and sound recordings (www.loc.gov/avconservation/). The Packard Campus is home to more than 6 million collection items, including nearly 3 million sound recordings. It provides staff support for the Library of Congress National Film Preservation Board, the National Recording Preservation Board, and the national registries for film and recorded sound.

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution. It seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs and exhibitions. Many of the Library’s rich resources can be accessed through its website at www.loc.gov.

Series Schedule

Thursday, May 3, 7:30 p.m.
“The Little Giant” (Warner Bros., 1933)
Edward G. Robinson spoofs his own gangster persona in this comedy, directed by Roy Del Ruth, where he plays a bootlegger who tries to break into high society after Prohibition ends. This preservation print was made by the Packard Campus Film Preservation Laboratory.

Friday, May 4, 7:30 p.m.
“Andrei Roublev” (Mosfilm/Columbia, 1966)
Andrey Tarkovskiy directed this historic epic about the 15th-century Russian icon painter who struggles to reconcile his faith in God and the brutality of his country. The film was produced in Russian with English subtitles.

Saturday, May 5, 2 p.m.
“The 7th Voyage of Sinbad” (Columbia, 1958)
Kerwin Mathews stars as Sinbad who undertakes a quest to an island of monsters to find a cure for a princess (portrayed by Kathryn Grant) who has been shrunken by an evil wizard. Directed by Nathan Juran, this fantasy adventure was named to the National Film Registry in 2008.

Thursday, May 10, 7:30 p.m.
“Donovan’s Brain” (United Artists, 1953)
Based on the sci-fi novel by Curt Siodmak, Lew Ayres stars as a scientist who keeps an unscrupulous tycoon's brain alive and falls under its influence. Directed by Felix Feist, the film also stars former First Lady Nancy Davis.

Friday, May 11, 7:30 p.m.
“My Fair Lady” (Warner Bros., 1964)
Rex Harrison reprised his Broadway role as Henry Higgins, a phonetics instructor who bets that he can pass off a street urchin as a lady. George Cukor directed the film version of the musical, which also stars Audrey Hepburn and Stanley Holloway.

Saturday, May 12, 7:30 p.m.
“Mantrap” (Paramount, 1926)
A vivacious young manicurist, played by “It Girl” Clara Bow, marries a backwoods he-man, but finds herself missing the fast life while flirting with a vacationing divorce lawyer. Victor Fleming directed this silent comedy, which features Ernest Torrence and Percy Marmont. Andrew Simpson will provide live musical accompaniment. The Packard Campus Film Preservation Laboratory made this new preservation print.

Thursday, May 17, 7:30 p.m.
“An Evening of TV Detectives”
“Colombo” (NBC, 1971) “Death Lends a Hand” Peter Falk stars as the friendly, disheveled police detective in this second episode of the long-running movie-length series. Guest stars include Robert Culp and Ray Milland.

“Baretta” (ABC, 1975) “He'll Never See Daylight” Detective Anthony Vincenzo "Tony" Baretta (played by Robert Blake), is an unorthodox plainclothes cop who lives with his Cockatoo Fred in a run-down hotel. In the series premiere, we also meet co-star Tom Ewell as the elderly hotel manager/house detective Billy Truman.

Friday, May 18, 7:30 p.m.
“Shaft” (MGM, 1971)
Credited with launching the crime movie subgenre of “blaxploitation,” this action drama stars Richard Roundtree as private eye John Shaft, who enlists the help of gangsters and African nationals when he is hired by a crime lord to find his kidnapped daughter. Directed by Gordon Parks, “Shaft” was added to the National Film Registry in 2000. The film is R-rated.

Saturday, May 19, 7:30 p.m.
“The French Connection” (20th Century-Fox, 1971)
Known for its innovative car chase through the streets of Brooklyn, this multi-Oscar winner stars Gene Hackman as Popeye Doyle and Roy Scheider as his partner Buddy Russo, who are narcotics cops out to bust a French drug smuggling ring. The film was directed by William Friedkin and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2005. The film is R-rated.

Thursday, May 24, 7:30 p.m.
“The Lost World” (First National Pictures, 1925)
Based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1912 novella and featuring groundbreaking special effects by Willis O'Brien, this silent sci-fi adventure about a group of explorers who go to Venezuela in search of dinosaurs was restored from several severely edited versions by the George Eastman House. Directed by Harry O. Hoyt, the film stars Bessie Love, Lewis Stone, Lloyd Hughes and Wallace Berry. It was named to the National Film Registry in 1998. Andrew Simpson will supply live musical accompaniment.

Thursday, May 31, 7:30 p.m.
“Chicago Calling” (United Artists, 1952)
Dan Duryea stars as an unemployed alcoholic photographer who desperately needs to raise $50 to pay his phone bill so he can get news about his hospitalized daughter. John Reinhardt directed this drama that features Mary Anderson and Gordon Gebert in the cast. The new preservation print was made by the Library of Congress Packard Campus Film Preservation Laboratory.