January 15, 2018 Columbia Pictures Classics and The Tennessee Mafia Jug Band at Packard

In February, the Library of Congress Packard Campus Theater continues its tribute to Columbia Pictures’ centennial year with features released in the 1960s through the1990s. The lineup includes four National Film Registry titles: “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “The Last Picture Show” and “Lawrence of Arabia.” The eight Columbia Pictures to be featured won a combined 19 Academy Awards and earned 43 nominations.

Among the Academy Award winners are Emma Thompson for best adapted screenplay for the 1995 adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility” and Philippe Rousselot for best cinematography for Robert Redford’s 1992 family drama “A River Runs Through It.” John Boorman received the most nominations for a single film on this month’s schedule — best picture, best director and best original screenplay — for his semi-autobiographical World War II comedy-drama, “Hope and Glory.”

Columbia Pictures began as CBC Film Sales Corporation in 1918. Founded by Harry Cohn, his brother Jack Cohn and Joe Brandt, it took on the Columbia Pictures name in 1924. A minor player in Hollywood in the early years, the studio gained prestige in the late 1920s, largely due to a successful association with producer and director Frank Capra, and is now one of the leading film studios in the world.

The largest nitrate film collection held by the Library of Congress is that of Columbia Pictures, consisting of 35,366 reels. The collection was acquired in 1967, when the American Film Institute (AFI) focused attention on film preservation and actively sought motion picture materials in need of preservation. Thousands of titles have come to the Library from AFI as gifts. The majority of them are original nitrate negatives and masters from major studios such as Columbia, RKO and Universal.

The first live performance of the year at the theater will be the five-member country and folk group The Tennessee Mafia Jug Band on Feb. 16. Tickets are required for this free event and can be reserved at https://tennesseemafiajugband.eventbrite.com beginning Jan. 16.

The Packard Campus Theater will be closed Feb. 16-28 for scheduled maintenance upgrades. 

The Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division of the Library of Congress oversees one of the largest collections of motion pictures in the world. Acquired primarily through copyright deposit, exchange, gift and purchase, the collection spans the entire history of the cinema.

Programs are free and open to the public, but children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Seating at the screenings is on a first-come, first-served basis unless otherwise noted. For general Packard Campus Theater information, call (540) 827-1079 ext. 79994 or (202) 707-9994. For further information on the theater and film series, visit loc.gov/avconservation/theater/. In case of inclement weather, call the theater information line no more than three hours before showtime to confirm cancellations.

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 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 (loc.gov/avconservation/). The Packard Campus is home to more than 7 million collection items. It provides staff support for the Library of Congress National Film Preservation Board (loc.gov/film/), the National Recording Preservation Board (loc.gov/rr/record/nrpb/) and the national registries for film and recorded sound.

The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States—and extensive materials from around the world—both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.

Library of Congress Packard Campus Theater Schedule

Thursday, Feb. 1 (7:30 p.m.)
“Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?” (Columbia, 1967)
In this comedy-drama directed by Stanley Kramer, Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy star a married couple whose progressiveness is challenged when their daughter brings home a new fiancé (Sidney Poitier), a physician who happens to be African-American. The plot was novel at the time — anti-miscegenation laws were struck down by the Supreme Court in Loving v. Virginia just six months before the film was released. The film was added to the National Film Registry in 2017.

Friday, Feb. 2 (7:30 p.m.)
“Sense and Sensibility” (Columbia, 1995)
Emma Thompson won a best adapted screenplay Oscar for this highly acclaimed production of Jane Austen's 1811 novel. The story follows the recently widowed Mrs. Dashwood and her three daughters, poor members of a wealthy English family of landed gentry, as they deal with circumstances of sudden destitution. Thompson also stars as Elinor Dashwood, while the supporting cast includes Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman.

Saturday, Feb. 3 (2 p.m.)
“A River Runs Through It” (Columbia, 1992)
Robert Redford directed this coming-of-age drama about the struggle between temperamentally opposed brothers (Brad Pitt and Craig Sheffer). Set between World War I and the early days of the Great Depression, the meditative film focuses on the way the brothers interact through the ritual of fly fishing, a practice handed down to them from their father, a strict Presbyterian minister (Tom Skerritt).

Saturday, Feb. 3 (7:30 p.m.)
“Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (Columbia, 1977)
Steven Spielberg wrote and directed this intelligent science fiction drama about multiple UFO sightings that result in humans’ first contact with extraterrestrial beings. Richard Dreyfuss and Melinda Dillon star as two civilians who make a pilgrimage to a site where the aliens are expected to converge and government specialists hope to communicate with them. “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” was added to the National Film Registry in 2007.

Thursday, Feb. 8 (7:30 p.m.)
“Hope and Glory” (Columbia, 1987)
This British comedy-drama was written, produced and directed by John Boorman, based on his own experiences growing up in the Blitz in London during the Second World War. A warmly nostalgic view of his childhood, it stars Sebastian Rice-Edwards as 10-year-old Billy and Sarah Miles as his mother. The film earned five Oscar nominations including best picture, director and screenplay for Boorman.
                                  
Friday, Feb. 9 (7:30 p.m.)
“The Last Picture Show” (Columbia, 1971, R-rated*)
Based on the best-selling novel by Larry McMurtry, director Peter Bogdanovich and McMurtry adapted the story into a visceral reflection of life in a small West Texas town in the early 1950s. The film boasts a cast of young actors, including Timothy Bottoms, Cybill Shepherd and Jeff Bridges, as well as seasoned veterans including Ben Johnson, Cloris Leachman and Ellen Burstyn. The film was added to the National Film Registry in 1998.  *No one under the age of 17 will be admitted without a parent or guardian.

Saturday, Feb. 10 (2 p.m.)
“The Adventures of Baron Munchausen” (Columbia, 1988)Terry Gilliam directed this extraordinary fantasy-adventure tale about an 18^th-century aristocrat, his talented henchmen and a little girl in their efforts to save a town from defeat by the Turks. Loosely based on the tall tales of a German adventurer first published in 1785, this adaptation stars John Neville as the baron, leading a large cast that includes Eric Idle, Uma Thurman, Sarah Polley and Robin Williams.

Saturday, Feb. 10 (7:30 p.m.)
“Lawrence of Arabia” (Columbia, 1962)
David Lean directed this epic adventure based on the exploits of T. E. Lawrence during World War I organizing and leading the Arab revolt against the Turks.  Peter O'Toole plays Lawrence larger than life, while the supporting cast includes Omar Sharif, Anthony Quinn and Alec Guinness. The film took home a total of seven Oscars, including best picture, best director, best cinematography and one for Maurice Jarre's memorably rousing score. The film was added to the National Film Registry in 1991.

Friday, Feb. 16 (7:30 p.m.)
The Tennessee Mafia Jug Band (Live)
Self-described as “five guys and a scrubboard, with roots like wisdom teeth,” the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band from Goodlettsville, Tennessee, is the most entertaining "blast from the past" since Lester “Roadhog” Moran and the Cadillac Cowboys. They not only know the music, they wear the costumes, tell corny jokes and even do slapstick gags. Tickets are required for this free event and can be reserved at https://tennesseemafiajugband.eventbrite.com beginning Jan. 16.