Wednesday, 4. January 2006, 04:04:23
Repertory Cinema Lives - at the Pioneer!by Joe the General Manager
With the rise of home video, Repertory Cinema became a thing of the past in most American cities. Thankfully, in New York cinemagoers still get the chance to see films from years gone by in actual movie theaters and actually on film! There is nothing better than seeing an old favorite, or something new to the filmgoer, in a 35mm film print. In 2005 at The Pioneer Theater, we were very proud to screen 35mm prints (and some 16 and 8mm as well) of some of the finest films ever made. What follows is a generous helping of the rep titles I was thrilled to have on our schedule and made the time to see myself.
Beginning back in January, there were two indisputable classics of French Cinema, MONSIEUR HULOT’S HOLIDAY (1953) and MON ONCLE (1958), directed by Jacques Tati. The latter, my personal Tati favorite, is a delicious bit of fun with the old world M. Hulot up against his sister’s house of tomorrow complete with motion sensor kitchen cupboards/garage door and a gurgling fish fountain. Incidentally, these screenings coincided with the great winter storm of ’05.
In February, our East Village USA series, presented in conjunction with The New Museum of Contemporary Art’s installation, featured some of the best films from old school New Yorkers circa the 1980s. Curated by the incredible Tessa Hughes-Freeland, an accomplished film artist herself, the works of Nick Zedd, Matthew Harrison, Scott and Beth B, Richard Kern, and Amos Poe, to name a few, were highlighted.
March was another full month with many rep features. There were two Rita Hayworth vehicles, LADY FROM SHANGHAI (1947, dir. Orson Welles) and GILDA (1946, dir. Charles Vidor). Never lovelier, Hayworth shines in glorious black and white and, in the latter, shimmies to “Put the Blame on Mame” like there is no tomorrow. It was wonderful to experience LOLA (1981, dir. Rainer Werner Fassbinder) again. And it was even more wonderful to have the film’s gold digging, hard as nails prostitute Lola, in the person of actress Barbara Sukowa, attend the screening and indulge the audience with a question and answer session. Our Bizarro Mondays program really took off with such tasty treats as the Dr. Seuss penned 5000 FINGERS OF DR. T (1953, dir. Roy Rowland), a hallucinatory “children’s tale” of an effete piano teacher with a penchant for evil and dressing to the nines, and THE HONEYMOON KILLERS (1970, dir. Leonard Kastle) a modern horror masterpiece which depicts real life 1940s “lonely hearts” husband and wife team who bilked old ladies out of their money and then killed them (and sometimes their children as well.) Also featured in March was COWARDS BEND THE KNEE (2003, dir. Guy Maddin), a compilation of the great Canadian director’s peep show shorts that proved to be deliriously spectacular. The delirium continued with SANS SOLEIL (1982, dir. Chris Marker), a cinematic poem by a true visionary of the medium.
In April, New York lost one of its cinematic pioneers, and good friend to The Pioneer Theater as well, Morris Engel. The Pioneer offered a tribute with three films directed by Engel and his collaborator wife, and acclaimed photographer, Ruth Orkin. LITTLE FUGITIVE (1953), LOVERS AND LOLLIPOPS (1956), and WEDDINGS AND BABIES (1958), were influential pre-cursors to various New Wave movements in cinema around the world. The Coney Island of LITTLE FUGITIVE, a place of wonder and excitement, has since faded away but the memories of Engel and his contribution to cinema remain. Among those who cited Engel as an inspiration was another pioneer of American cinema, John Cassavetes, who forged his own unique style of cinema, with films such as HUSBANDS (1970), which was also featured at The Pioneer. Never one to play it safe, Cassavetes populates HUSBANDS with loud, obnoxious, misogynistic men who are often their own worst enemies. Sam Fuller was given tribute with CRIMSON KIMONO (1959), a tale of a stripper’s murder (in a knock out opening scene) and then subsequent search for her killer by two detectives (one Caucasian and one Asian) who both fall for the woman they are trying to protect. Rounding out the month was IN COLD BLOOD (1967), based on Truman Capote’s book and featuring a killer performance by a youthful Robert Blake.
In May, in association with The International Center of Photography, The Pioneer presented three films directed by Larry Clark. The highlight was KIDS (1995), a nightmarish portrait of New York teens preoccupied with drugs and sex. This film introduced Rosario Dawson to moviegoers. A real treat for lovers of the cinema of Nicholas Ray was IN A LONELY PLACE (1950). Humphrey Bogart stars as Dix Steele, a frustrated Hollywood writer who is the prime suspect in a murder case. Gloria Grahame shines as the cool and collected Laurel, who falls in love with Steele and slowly begins to question his innocence. Grahame was married at the time to director Ray, whom she later divorced to marry his son, and her stepson, actor Tony Ray!
In June, HOT BLOOD (1956), another directed by Nicholas Ray and photographed in gorgeous Cinemascope, lit up the Pioneer screen. It featured Jane Russell as a gold digging, singing Gypsy in Los Angeles. Another highlight was the first screen adaptation of the George Bernard Shaw penned classic PYGMALION (1938) - which would be filmed again some thirty years later as the screen musical MY FAIR LADY.
In July, The Pioneer featured a revival of one of the best horror films ever made, CARNIVAL OF SOULS (1962). Former industrial filmmaker Herk Harvey wrote, directed, and co-starred in this low budget gem about a woman (Candace Hilligoss) hovering between this world and the next who is menaced by zombie-like creatures. Also featured in July was one of the worst/best (and funniest!) horror films ever made, A NIGHT TO DISMEMBER (1983). Directed by nudie film queen Doris Wishman, and starring former porn queen turned singer Samantha Fox, the “plot” (almost incomprehensible) concerns one Vickie Kent who is prematurely (?) released from an insane asylum-then the gory slashings begin again!
In August, a number of East Village offerings from years past were presented. An evening with Robert Downey Sr. included a rare screening of GREASER’S PALACE (1972), a Jesus parable set in the late 19th century, where Herod has a serious case of constipation, the holy ghost is a cigar smoking actor under a white sheet with eye-holes and a mouth cutout, and Jesse aka Jesus wants to be a song and dance man. Another rare treat was director Amos (Blank Generation) Poe on hand to present ALPHABET CITY (1984), a portrait of a drug riddled, burned out neighborhood (where The Pioneer now stands) and one of the dealers (Vincent Spano) who plans to leave the business only to find the mob on his tail.
September: DEEP THROAT (1972), the now vintage porn “classic” was presented in a brand spanking new 35mm print. That 70’s trash-chic, among other things, is one of the film’s highlights.
Our month of horror in October included screenings of some real gems of the genre. From the bewitching Barbra Steele in THE GHOST (1963) to the stylized masterworks of Dario Argento (DEEP RED, 1975, and BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE 1969). The all night Vampire Movie Marathon on Halloween weekend began with BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA (1992) and included HABIT (1997) - directed by East Village fixture and friend of the Pioneer Theater Larry Fessenden. Somewhere in the middle of the night, all eyes were transfixed on the beautifully haunting DRACULA: PAGES FROM A VIRGIN’S DIARY (2002) directed by Canadian wonder boy Guy Maddin.
In December, we pulled out all the stops with a week of rep. Beginning on Christmas day with FUNNY GIRL (1968), starring the inimitable Barbra Streisand in the role of a lifetime, the week continued with JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS (1963), Jean Cocteau’s beautiful BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1946), a William Wyler double bill of LITTLE FOXES (1942) and THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946), a Kurosawa double bill of RASHOMON (1950) and SEVEN SAMURAI (1954), an Orson Welles double bill of CONFIDENTIAL REPORT (MR. ARKADIN) (1955), and F FOR FAKE (1974). We ended the year with a bang with a double feature of DR. STRANGELOVE (1964) and ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK (1956). Look for more rep at The Pioneer in 2006!
WIDGETIZE