FILM APPRECIATION: UNFORGETTABLE WOMEN
FILM APPRECIATION: UNFORGETTABLE WOMEN
Our next series is Unforgettable Women, featuring stellar performances across four decades from Barbara Stanwyck, Gene Tierney, Rita Hayworth, Judy Holiday, Julie Christie, and Julie Waters.
September 6 – Ball of Fire (Released 1/1/1941) directed by Howard Hawks, 111 minutes. Barbara Stanwyck plays Sugarpuss O’Shea who lights up the lives of a group of professors living a quiet life trying to complete an encyclopedia. Sugarpuss is then tapped for her knowledge and mastery of modern slang. Stanwyck garnered her second of four Oscar nominations, Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett wrote the script, and Gene Krupa appears with his band to perform in a memorable nightclub scene.
September 27 – Leave Her to Heaven (Released 12/20/1945) directed by John M Stahl, 110 minutes. “Leave her to heaven and to those thorns that in her bosom lodge to prick and sting her.” Hamlet, Act I, Scene 5. Gene Tierney received her only Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Ellen Berent in this technicolor film noir. She gives a chilling performance and is supported by Cornel Wilde, Jeanne Crain, and Vincent Price.
October 4 – Gilda (Released 4/25/1946) directed by Charles Vidor, 110 minutes. A wandering gambler, Johnny Farrell, finds work managing a casino in Buenos Aires, but can’t escape his past when his boss marries Gilda, Johnny’s old flame. Rita Hayworth stars as one of the most memorable Femme Fatales in cinema history. Glen Ford and George Macready are the other points of this bizzare love triangle that features postwar Nazis, exotic locations, and a complicated narrative.
October 11 – Born Yesterday (Released 12/25/1950) directed by George Cukor, 102 minutes. A garbage tycoon hires a reporter to teach his ex-showgirl mistress proper etiquette to fit in with Washington DC society as he becomes a lobbyist. Judy Holliday won the Oscar for Best Actress against heavy competition from Bette Davis as Margo Channing and Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond. She costars with two Best Actor Oscar winners: Broderick Crawford 1949 for All the King’s Men and William Holden 1953 for Stalag 17.
October 18 – Petulia (Released 6/10/1968) directed by Richard Lester, 105 minutes. A recently divorced surgeon has an affair with a beautiful socialite in psychedelic San Francisco. This rarely screened gem of a movie is a time capsule of the 1960’s. It’s a modern love story and has a nonlinear format with flash forwards and flashbacks. The outstanding cast, George C. Scott, Shirley Knight, Richard Chamberlain, and Joseph Cotten surround the delicate and gorgeous Julie Christie. To complete the 60’s atmosphere there are onscreen appearances by the Grateful Dead and Big Brother and the Holding Company featuring Janis Joplin.
October 25 – Educating Rita (Released 9/21/1983) directed by Lewis Gilbert, 112 minutes. Julie Waters is a married hairdresser who attends an Open University course in literature to better herself. Michael Caine is a jaded, alcoholic professor assigned as her tutor. Each have a positive impact on each other’s lives through their genuine connection. Both lead actors won BAFTAs and numerous other accolades for their performances.
Film Appreciation is an ongoing class open to everyone with a love for movies. We examine and discuss in a relaxed atmosphere all aspects of film and filmmaking from how movies are made to each film’s unique place in movie history.
Our class is a dedicated, easy going group of film lovers who have respectful discussions. We talk about what makes a movie great and why some last for decades and others are lost in obscurity. Think of it as a book of the month club for movies.
The class is led by Luke MacCloskey an actor with a degree in Film Studies from the University of North Texas who has experience working on stage and screen all around the country. Please call him at 646-705-4807 or email him at lukedad@gmail.com if you have any questions about Film Appreciation.
