The Cinema Lounge
On Monday, July 31, 2023 [NOTE later date] at 8:00pm [NOTE: New regular time] please join the Cinema Lounge, the DC Film Society's monthly film discussion group. We will be online again.
TOPIC: Indiana Jones
Forty-two years ago, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas joined forces to bring audiences Raiders of the Lost Ark. They drew on the Saturday morning serials of their youth in this story of a globe-trotting archeologist fighting the Nazis for the Ark of the Covenant. Spielberg staged thrilling, spectacular action scenes that outdid James Bond, while using groundbreaking, practical special effects. The film took the Ark seriously but not itself, keeping the attitude fun and not skimping on humor.
Indiana Jones offered a new type of action hero. He was smart, wisecracking, tough, and resilient, but also human and relatable. Jones made mistakes and could be too cocky for his own good sometimes. The role made Harrison Ford a superstar, while the movies have influenced screen action and adventure ever since.
The franchise had had its highs and lows but remains a cultural touchstone. With the release of the fifth and (supposedly) final film, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, we'll discuss what drew audiences to Indy, and whether the new film measures up.
Please RSVP to atspector@hotmail.com and you'll get the Zoom link 1-2 days before the discussion.
The Cinema Lounge, a film discussion group, meets the third Monday of every month (unless otherwise noted) at 8:00pm at Teaism in Penn Quarter, 400 8th St., NW in Washington, DC (closest Metro stop is Archives, also near Metro Center and Gallery Place). NOTE: We will meet in the downstairs area. WE ARE MEETING ONLINE THIS MONTH. You do not need to be a member of the Washington DC Film Society to attend. Cinema Lounge is moderated by Adam Spector, author of the DC Film Society's Adam's Rib column.
The Nitrate Picture Show
By Linda Keenan, DC Film Society Member
I attended the 7th Nitrate Picture Show at the George Eastman Museum’s Dryden Theatre, June 1-4. While in Rochester, I also visited three historic movie theatres (two of them still operating, one just a façade). Of course, the Eastman Museum itself was fascinating. One of the exhibits focuses on the 1923 release of the Ciné-Kodak camera and 16mm motion picture film.
The Eastman Museum sold 380 passes to the Nitrate Picture Show. Two of the screenings were sold out, and most of the others had many single-ticket buyers. At the first screening, I wondered why a long queue was forming so early. Once I entered the 500-seat 1951 Dryden Theatre, I understood: the floor of the theatre has very little slope to it, and if you’re a shorter person and want to sit on the main level, you want to snag a seat to minimize the chance that a large person in front of you will block your view. This became especially important with foreign-language nitrates when the “soft subtitles” were being projected onto a board below the screen. The theatre also sports a balcony, and interestingly enough, the ceiling is short enough at the rear of the balcony that you can look through the windows into the projection booth, where you can see the three, count them three, projectionists at work.
Left: Crowd queuing outside the Dryden Theatre. Right: George Williams, Nitrate Film Vault Manager introduces LoC's print of Force of Evil
The film program was not announced until the first day of the festival, and the title of the last screening session, described as Blind Date with Nitrate, wasn’t announced until that afternoon. Each film was introduced either by an Eastman Museum archivist or a representative of the archive that provided the film.
The Dryden Theatre is one of only a handful in the U.S. set up to project nitrate film, so the event drew a far-flung audience. The people I came across were from the northeast, Canada and the Midwest. I met film professors, retired film professors, history teachers, film preservationists, film fans like me, and a lot of students from Eastman’s Selznick School of Film Preservation, and other schools.
Staff members and students at the Selznick School set up tables where you could examine nitrate film under a magnifying glass, and talk to them about the projects they were working on. There were two “Keepers of the Frame” lectures, one by Camille Blot-Wellens, an independent film historian and archivist, about projection in the early years of cinema (there was a lot of talk about perforations!). The other presentation was delivered by her husband Jon Wengström, Senior Curator of the Swedish Film Archive. After giving a history of his archive’s interactions with Eastman House in the 1950s, he spoke about the future of cinema screenings. He reported that only nine percent of the Swedish Film Archive’s holdings are accessible in digital format, and that maintaining the digital holdings requires constant work to maintain their accessibility.
Because today’s film studios produce their own digital products, often forgoing theatrical screenings and going direct to streaming, Wengström expects that R&D on digital projection will diminish and digital projection standards will fragment, making digital projection more difficult. Therefore, at some point, analog projection may become the only communal film-watching experience available. Wengström said that given that scenario, maybe archives should invest more in their analog holdings than digitization, particularly because it’s very difficult to obtain prints from the studios. Regarding the look of analog vs. digital, he asserted that no scanner can produce an image that looks as good as a new film positive struck from a good negative.
Interestingly enough, in June the British Film Institute hosted its first Film on Film Festival, to test the waters of analog film’s popularity in Britain.
As for the Nitrate Picture Show’s screenings, they included Technicolor trailers and screen tests, noncommercial shorts, a narrative short created by Westinghouse based on its exhibit at the 1939 New York World’s Fair and two Disney animations, Flowers and Trees (1932) and The Band Concert (1935). The most poignant short for me was Oidhche Sheanchais [A Night of Storytelling] (1935), the first Irish language film, made by Robert Flaherty in conjunction with his pseudo-documentary Man of Aran (1934). Poignant because in the 1980s on a trip to the Aran Islands, I met the female star of both films, Maggie Dirrane. Mrs. Dirrane, 84 years old at the time, invited me in for tea, and I spent a memorable hour listening to her stories of Robert Flaherty and making Man of Aran.
For a full list and description of features, you can review the 2023 Nitrate Picture Show catalog, but I’ll mention a few of my favorite screenings. Black Narcissus (1947) looked great in a Technicolor nitrate print. Seeing The Wizard of Oz (1939) in a 1945 British print in which the Technicolor Oz portion looked as it did to the early audiences (as opposed to digitized versions that applied the post-1940s more saturated color grading) was a special experience. Three films I hadn’t seen before that impressed me were the unusual Fritz Lang drama You and Me (1938), the delightful René Clair comedy Le Silence Est D'Or, and Max Ophüls’ sad love triangle tale Liebelei (1933).
If you are interested in both the art and the science of film history, I recommend the Nitrate Picture Show.
We Need to Hear From YOU
We are always looking for film-related material for the Storyboard. Our enthusiastic and well-traveled members have written about their trips to the Cannes Film Festival, Karlovy Vary Film Festival, London Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival, Austin Film Festival, Edinburgh Film Festival, the Berlin Film Festival, the Palm Springs Film Festival, the Reykjavik Film Festival, the Munich Film Festivl, the Locarno Film Festival, The Nitrate Picture Show, and the Chicago Critics Film Festival. We also heard about what it's like being an extra in the movies. Have you gone to an interesting film festival? Have a favorite place to see movies that we aren't covering in the Calendar of Events? Seen a movie that blew you away? Read a film-related book? Gone to a film seminar? Interviewed a director? Taken notes at a Q&A? Read an article about something that didn't make our local news media? Send your contributions to Storyboard and share your stories with the membership. And we sincerely thank all our contributors for this issue of Storyboard.
Calendar of Events
FILMS
American Film Institute Silver Theater
For the "Stage and Screen" series is Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars (1979).
"Warner Bros. Centennial" Part 1 (April 28-July 13) continues in July with a 35mm Jean Negulesco double feature Humoresque and Nobody Lives Forever (1946); The Breaking Point (1950); The Hard Way (1943) in 35mm; Johnny Belinda (1948); Meet John Doe (1941) in 35mm; Pursued (1947); Strangers on a Train (1951); The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948); The Unfaithful (1947); and White Heat (1949).
"Warner Bros. Centennial" Part 2 (July 14-September 2) includes A Streetcar Named Desire (1951); Splendor in the Grass (1961); The Searchers (1956); Rebel Without a Cause (1955); A Face in the Crowd (1957); Days of Wine and Roses (1963); Auntie Mame (1958); My Fair Lady (1964); Dial M for Murder (1954); Rio Bravo (1959); Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966); Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962); Klute (1971); the director's cut of The Wild Bunch (1969); Deliverance (1972); Cool Hand Luke (1967); Bullitt (1968); and What's Up Doc? (1972). More in August and September.
"Magnificent Obsessions: The Films on Douglas Sirk" (April 28-July 12). Titles in July are Has Anybody Seen My Gal (1952); Interlude (1957); The Tarnished Angels (1958); and A Time to Love and a Time to Die (1958).
"Recent Restorations" (April 28-July 13). Titles in July are Come and See (1985); The Cranes Are Flying (1957); The Draughtsman's Contract (1982); Ramayana: and The Legend of Prince Rama (1952).
"Agnes Varda Retrospective" (April 29-July 13) Titles in July are The Beaches of Agnes (2008); Faces Places (2017); The Gleaners and I (2001); and Varda by Agnes (2019).
"Special Engagements" for July include The Accidental Getaway Driver, followed by Q&A, which is the closing night film for the DCAPAFF film festival, see below.
"The Films of Park Chan-wook" (June 9-July 13) Titles in July are Decision to Leave (2021); The Handmaiden (2016); Stoker (2013); and Joint Security Area (2000).
"Sight and Sound: The Top 10" (July 16-September 20) is a series of the top ten films from BFI's Sight and Sound Magazine Critics' Poll. July films are Singin' in the Rain (1952); Man with a Movie Camera (1929); and Mulholland Drive (2001). More in August and September.
"Looney Tunes" (July 15-September 3) is back by popular demand. Warner Bros. classic Looney Tunes cartoons featuring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester, Tweety and more. Three programs are showing in July and are grouped as follows: "Toon Debuts;" "Looney Tunes A-Team (most popular characters);" and "A Bob Clampett Cartoon." More in August and September.
"Jean-Luc Godard Remembered" (July 14-September 10). French New Wave pioneer Jean-Luc Godard (1930-2022) was one of the most influential and groundbreaking filmmakers with more than 100 films to his credit. This tribute series includes several new 4K restorations. Titles in July are Breathless (1960); A Woman Is a Woman (1961) shown in 35mm; The Little Soldier (1963) shown in 35mm; Les Carabiniers (1963); Pierrot Le Fou (1968); Band of Outsiders (1964); and Alphaville (1965). More in August and September.
Freer Gallery of Art
On July 12 at 2:00pm is the cult classic Destroy All Monsters (Ishiro Honda, 1968). Part of the "Japanese Classics" series.
"In Case You Missed It" is a series of four of the most acclaimed and entertaining Asian films from the past year. On July 14 at 7:30pm is Leonor Will Never Die (Martika Ramirez Escobar, 2022), an action movie from the Philippines. On July 16 at 2:00pm is Joyland (Saim Sadiq, 2022) from Pakistan. Followed by a discussion with film critic Sucharita Tyagi. On July 28 at 7:00pm is Plan 75 (Chie Hayakawa, 2022), set in a futuristic Japan. On July 30 at 1:30pm is RRR (S.S. Rajamouli, 2022) from India, an Oscar winner for Best Song. During intermission you cearn the famous dance from Shruthi Mukund of the Indian Dance Educators Association.
National Gallery of Art
The series "Summer of 16mm: Celebrating 100 Years of Film" runs through July and August. On July 1 at 2:00pm is Nationtime (William Greaves, 1972) about the 1972 National Black Political Convention. On July 8 at 2:00pm is Kristina Talking Pictures (Yvonne Rainer, 1976). On July 9 at 2:00pm is Privilege (Yvonne Rainer, 1990). On July 15 at 2:00pm is Part I of the films of Camille Billops and James Hatch: Suzanne (1982); Finding Christa (1991) and A String of Pearls (2002). Part II, introduced by Ayanna Dozier, is on July 16 at 2:00pm: The KKK Boutique Ain't Just Rednecks (1994); Take Your Bags (1998); and Older Women and Love (1987). On July 23 at 2:00pm is Beyond the Bolex (Alyssa Bolsey, 2021), a documentary about Jacques Bolsey and his motion picture camera for the masses. On July 29 at 1:30pm is Walden (Jonas Mekas, 1969), a portrait of the New York avant-garde scene of teh 1960s. On July 30 at 2:00pm is Fragments of Paradise (KD Davison, 2022) about the life and work of Jonas Mekas. The filmmaker will be present for discussion. More in August.
All are in the East Building Auditorium. Registration is required.
National Museum of African American History and Culture
On July 1 at 11:00am is the short documentary Faith in Blackness: An Exploration of AfroLatine Spirituality (Charles Reynoso, 2023), followed by a panel discussion.
Smithsonian American Art Museum
On July 13 at 6:30pm is the documentary Nam June Paik: Moon Is the Oldest TV (Amanda Kim, 2023), about the Korean-American artist known as the "father of video art." A discussion follows.
Washington Jewish Community Center
On July 27 at 7:30pm is A Pocketful of Miracles: A Tale of Two Siblings (Aviva Kempner, 2023), a documentary about the filmmaker's mother and uncle.
French Embassy
"Films on the Green" (outdoor screenings) for July include Leap! (Eric Summer and Eric Warin, 2017), an animated film shown July 7 at 9:00pm. Location: Martin Luther King Memorial, 1964 Independence Avenue SW.
National Archives
On July 1 at 5:00pm is National Treasure (Jon Turteltaub, 2004) starring Nicolas Cage as Benjamin Franklin.
The Avalon
On July 5 at 8:00pm is Eight Mountains (Felix Van Groeningen, 2022), part of the "Programmer's Choice series.
The "Czech Lions" pick for this month is the award-winning film The Word (Beata Parkanová, 2022) on July 12 at 8:00pm.
Other People's Children (Rebecca Zlotowski, 2022) on July 19 at 8:00pm is the "French Cinematheque" film for July.
On July 16 at 10:30am is The Sting (1973), shown as part of the Avalon's year-long Centennial Program "100 Years of Cinema Magic."
Library of Congress
The Mary Pickford Theater shows The Fortune Cookie (Billy Wilder, 1966) on July 20 at 7:00pm. This film launched Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau as a comedy team and the first of eight movies they made together.
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress holds its sixth annual "Summer Movies on the Lawn" this summer, focusing on National Film Registry Selections and with live and recorded music before each film. On July 6 is Iron Man (2008); on July 13 is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971); on July 20 is Shrek (2001); and on July 27 is Groundhog Day (1993). More in August. Music for the evening will begin at 7:00pm followed by the film at sundown (approximately 8:15pm. Location: southeast lawn of the Thomas Jefferson Building, corner of 2nd Street SE and Independence Avenue. No tickets are required.
Wolf Trap
On July 7 at 8:00pm is Gustav Holst's "The Planets" with the National Symphony Orchester; on July 8 at 8:00pm is Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983) with the NSO; on July 15 at 8:00pm is "Music from the Studio Ghibli Films of Hayao Miyazaki" with the NSO; and on July 22 at 8:00pm is Jurassic Park (1993) with NSO.
Landmark's E Street Cinema
"Retro Replay" is a series of classic films shown Tuesdays at 4:00pm and 7:30pm (note that the times may vary). This month's theme is "Summer Blockbusters." On July 11 is Jaws (1975); on July 18 is Ghostbusters (1984) and on July 25 is Top Gun (1986). All are 4K remasters or restorations.
Landmark's E Street Cinema
"Filmmaker Focus" looks at films by Christopher Nolan in anticipation of Oppenheimer. Films are shown on Wednesdays at 7:00pm. On July 5 is Dunkirk (2017); on July 12 is Interstellar (2014); and on July 19 is Tenet (2000), all in 4K DCP.
Kennedy Center
On July 6 at 8:00pm is Polina (Valérie Müller, 2016); on July 7 at 8:30pm is Jaws (1975); on July 14 at 8:30pm is True Grit (2010); on July 21 at 8:30pm is Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009); on July 28 at 8:15pm is The Princess Bride (1987); and on July 30 at 8:30pm is The Iron Giant (1999). All are shown outdoors on the Reach Video Wall around sundown. No reservations needed.
Prologue Theater
Prologue Theater brings a classic movie series as a tie-in to their summer production "Monsters of the American Cinema." On July 21 at 9:30pm is Frankenstein (1931); on July 22 at 12:00pm and 9:30pm is The Mummy (1932); on July 23 at 4:30pm is The Maltese Falcon (1941); on July 28 at 9:30pm is The Bride of Frankenstein (1935); on July 29 at 12:00pm and 9:30pm is The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954); on July 30 at 4:30pm is Singin' in the Rain (1952). More in August.
Old Greenbelt Theater
On July 6 at 1:00pm is Shrek (2001). On July 9 at 11:00am and 8:00pm, July 10 at 8:00pm is July 26 at 8:00pm is Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (D.A. Pennebaker, 1979), celebrating the 50th anniversary (1973) of David Bowie's concert. On July 16 at 7:30pm and July 19 at 7:00pm is Oklahoma (1999) starring Hugh Jackman. On July 20 at 8:00pm is Stand By Me (Rob Reiner, 1986), part of the Cult Classics series. On July 29 at 6:30pm is the 20th Anniversary Tour of The Room (2003).
Angelika Film Center Mosaic
The Harry Potter series continues in July with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) on July 29 at 11:00am.
"Classics in Black and White" features a classic B&W film on the third Monday of each month. On July 17 at 4:00pm and 7:00pm is Double Indemnity (1944) starring Barbara Stanwyck and Edward G. Robinson.
For the "Angelika Classic" series is Jaws (1975) on July 3 at 7:00pm
The "Studio Ghibli Summer Festival" (June 14-Aug 31) shows films on Wednesdays at 7:00pm with English subtitles and Thursdays at 1:00pm dubbed in English. On July 5 at 7:00pm and July 6 at 1:00pm is Spirited Away (2001). On July 12 at 7:00pm and July 13 at 1:00pm is Ponyo (2008). On July 19 at 7:00pm and July 20 at 1:00pm is My Neighbor Totoro (1988). On July 26 at 7:00pm is When Marnie Was There (2014). More in August.
FILM FESTIVALS
