Dudley House Classic Movies 2007-2008

“There is really no such things as an “old” movie – just wonderful pictures you may not have discovered yet.” -- Peter Bogdanovich

On the big-screen TV in the Graduate Student Lounge – all welcome! Contact Susan Zawalich (zawalich@fas.harvard.edu) for more information.

Shakespeare Retold (BBC). Friday, April 25 in the Graduate Student Lounge

Celebrate Shakespeare's birthday (April 23) with us by watching one or both of these imaginative "retellings" of the plot of two of Shakespeare's most famous plays...

At 6 p.m. Much Ado About Nothing. Set in the present day, Beatrice and Benedick are rival news anchors, Hero is the weather girl, and Claudio the sports reporter. See how the great comedy/romance plays out in this interesting setting. There will be lines from the play and situations that you will recognize...but these are new screenplays, so come and enjoy the fun.

At 8 p.m. Macbeth. In this reimagining of the plot Macbeth is a master chef, Lady Macbeth is the hostess in the upscale restaurant owned by Duncan (who is a famous cooking star on TV). The witches are transformed into garbage men...a really chilling and effective new look at this classic tale of ambition, resentment, and guilt. Starring James McAvoy (from ATONEMENT) as the conflicted Scottish chef.

Fred Astaire Birthday Festival: Around the World with Fred Astaire (May 9)

Our annual day and night celebration of Fred Astaire’s 109th Birthday (he was born May 10, 1899) will be held on Friday, May 9. This year we celebrate the inventiveness, energy, and originality of the Astaire persona in several films where his character travels by plane, boat, and automobile to some wonderful places. Journey with us in the afternoon to South America….join up with the Flying Tigers just back from China, off for a brief respite in New York…then on to Paris for the evening…. Come in anytime during the day or evening to participate in the joy which this great American entertainer has brought to the world. Films will be shown and refreshments served in the Graduate Student Lounge. Additional special treats will be shown between films. All welcome.

12 noon. Introduction to Fred Astaire and lunch

12:30 p.m. Flying Down to Rio (1933, 89 min.) Fred’s second film appearance and the first movie he made with Ginger Rogers. A fun and slightly crazy early film musical with Delores Del Rio and Gene Raymond as the stars…but once Fred and Ginger danced “The Carioca” movies were never the same!

2:00 p.m. You Were Never Lovelier (1942, 97 min.) Fred’s second film with the gorgeous Rita Hayworth is set in Argentina. Music written by Jerome Kern. Xavier Cugat and his band add energy to the festivities.

Birthday cake, coffee, and tea will be served after the film.

4:15 p.m. The Sky’s the Limit (1943, 89 min.) A World War II classic, much beloved by Astaire fans. Fred is a member of “The Flying Tigers,” a group of fliers who have a few days leave in New York before returning to the war. He meets Joan Leslie and Robert Benchley in the city and tries to sort out his life in the meantime. The most famous number is the amazing “One For My Baby and One More For the Road.”

Dinner break

6:15 Roberta (1935, 106 min.) Irresistible Fred and Ginger film set in Paris. Fred and Ginger are old friends who have lost touch…they reconnect in Paris where Fred’s pal inherits a dress shop. Starring Irene Dunne and Randolph Scott and featuring an amazing array of 1930s fashions…and a rather amusing French lesson. The film contains several of Fred and Ginger’s greatest dance numbers. Music by Jerome Kern.

8 p.m. Funny Face (1957, 103 min.) More Paris fashions, this time modeled by the enchanting Audrey Hepburn. Music by the Gershwins. Beautiful color, charming dance numbers, and many scenes shot on location in Paris make this a special treat for our final film in this year’s festival.

Past Movies

September 28 – Noble Outlaws Meet Nasty Nobles in Fun-Filled Forests

6 p.m.    The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938).  The ultimate swashbuckling classic, filmed in glorious Technicolor, starring Errol Flynn as Robin, Olivia De Havilland as Marian, Basil Rathbone as Sir Guy, and Claude Rains as the even more dastardly Prince John…you’ll never have a better time at the movies.  102 min.

8 p.m.  The Court Jester (1955).  An affectionate send-up of swashbuckling classics.  Danny Kaye is the reluctant jester…until he is hypnotized and becomes the epitome of panache. Several fun musical numbers and a lot of tongue twisting dialogue (“The pellet with the poison’s in the chalice from the palace…the flagon with the dragon has the brew that is true!”  etc.)  101 min.

October 12 – Kermit and Miss Piggy Meet Beauty and the Beast

6 p.m.   We’ll start with a couple choice episodes of The Muppet Show with Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, and Special Guest Stars

7 p.m. Beauty and the Beast (1991).  Disney’s animated musical version of the beloved fairy tale.

Be Our Guest.

October 26 – Witty and Wonderful: Cary Grant Romances

6 p.m. The Awful Truth (1937).  Cary Grant and Irene Dunne are a beautifully-matched couple on their way to a divorce….will they come to their senses before it’s too late?  And who will get custody of their adorable dog?  A wonderfully-written, delightfully-acted comedy.  91 min.

7:45 p.m.  Holiday (1938).  One of four movies Grant made with Katharine Hepburn. In this one he’s engaged to her sister.  Will he discover his real soul mate in time to sail off with her into the sunrise?  Amusing character actors add to the delight of this classic film. 95 min.

November 16 – Pre-War, Post-War: Classics of European Cinema

6 p.m. The Rules of the Game (La Règle du jeu) (1939).  Jean Renoir’s famous film depicts The Human Comedy at a French chateau on the eve of the cataclysmic destruction of World War II. In French with English subtitles.  106 min.

8 p.m.  The Third Man (1949). Filmed on location in bombed-out Vienna, this classic of British cinema deals with the struggles of a civilization trying to put itself back together after the devastations of war.  Orson Welles gives an unforgettable performance as an amoral American working the black market.  A zither, a ferris wheel, the sewers….you’ll never forget this film. 104 min.

Friday, December 7 , 6 p.m.  Annual Holiday Classic: The Sound of Music

Crisp apple strudel, Julie Andrews, Captain von Trapp, nuns, nazis, alps, a scheming baroness…and all those children! Irresistible for so many of us…we can’t help it.  Great fun for everyone!

Friday, January 11, 6 p.m. Lawrence of Arabia (1962). 227 min

The famous epic film about T. E. Lawrence and the Arabian campaign in World War I. Directed by David Lean, starring Peter O'Toole, this is a visually spectacular film and intriguing character study of a conflicted British soldier…a tool of British colonialism?….a willing partner in deception?….a friend of Arabia?…and what does it all mean? A particularly relevant film considering current problems in Iraq and the Mid East and a rousing, great movie. (227 min.)

Wednesday, January 16, Silent Classics: Cinema Europe and Metropolis

6 p.m. Cinema Europe: Documentary about European Silent Film. 60 min.
7 p.m. Metropolis (1926). 124 min.

The great German silent science fiction classic. One of the most influential films of all times. We'll watch the newly-restored version.

Fabulous Fellows Film Festival

Come join us all through February as the Fellows present some of their favorite movies! All movies will be shown in the Graduate Student Lounge.

Zoolander (2001), Fri. Feb. 1 at 8 p.m. (Mary Ruth Windham)
In the twilight of his career, male supermodel DerekZoolander is brainwashed to kill the prime minister of Malaysia.After crackerjack reporter Matilda discovers the plot, she and Derekteam up with Derek's arch rival Hansel to uncover the ugliness behindthe beautiful business.  89 min.

The Battle of Algiers (1966), Tues. Feb. 5 at 8 p.m. (Rita Banerjee)
One of the most influential political films in history, Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers (La bataille d’Alger) vividly recreates a key year in the tumultuous Algerian struggle for independence from the occupying French in the 1950s. As violence escalates on both sides, children shoot soldiers at point-blank range, women plant bombs in cafés, and French soldiers resort to torture to break the will of the insurgents. Shot in the streets of Algiers in documentary style, the film is a case study in modern warfare, with its terrorist attacks and the brutal techniques used to combat them.  The film continues to have relevance today. 121 min.

In the Mood for Love (2001), Thurs. Feb. 7 at 6 p.m. (Michael Kagan)
The film is set in Hong Kong, 1962. Chow Mo-Wan is a newspaper editor who moves into a new building with his wife. At approximately the same time, Su Li-zhen, a beautiful secretary and her executive husband also move in to the crowded building. With their spouses often away, Chow and Li-zhen spend most of their time together as friends. Soon, they are shocked to discover that their spouses are having an affair. Hurt and angry, they find comfort in their growing friendship. 98 min.

Twelve Angry Men (1957), Thurs. Feb. 7 at 8 p.m. (Will Yuen)
The defense and the prosecution have rested and the jury is filing into the jury room to decide if a young Spanish-American is guilty or innocent of murdering his father. What begins as an open and shut case of murder soon becomes a mini-drama of each of the juror’s prejudices and preconceptions about the trial, the accused, and each other. 96 min.

Underground (1995), Fri. Feb. 8 at 8 p.m. (Cinthya Torres)
Director: Emir Kusturica. The story starts from an underground manufacture of weapons of Belgrade, during the WWII, and evolves into fairly surreal situations. Theblack marketeer who smuggles the weapons to partisans forgets to mention to theworkers that the war is over, and they keep producing. Fifty years later theybecome suspicious, and break out of their underground "shelter" --- only toconvince themselves that the guy was right: the war is still going on. 167 min.

This is Spinal Tap (1984), Mon. Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. (Michael Barrett)
The first film from director Rob Reiner is the quintessential mockumentary: Spinal Tap, a heavy metal band whose best days are behind them, are on tour in the US to promote their latest release, "Smell the Glove," and documentarian Marty DiBergi is there to capture the sights, sounds, and smells of a real rock-and-roll band.  From big hair and cricket bats to spontaneous human combustion, this movie has it all!  82 min.

Apocalypse Now (1979), Wed. Feb. 13 at 8 p.m. (Chris Hayward)
Apocalypse Now is a 1979 Academy Award, Cannes Palme d'Or, and Golden Globe winning American film set during the Vietnam War. It tells the story of Army Captain Benjamin L. Willard who is sent into the jungle to assassinate United States Army Special Forces Colonel Walter E. Kurtz, who is said to have gone insane. The film has been viewed as a journey into the darkness of the human psyche. The film was directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a script by Coppola, John Milius, and Michael Herr, and was in large part based on Joseph Conrad's novella "Heart of Darkness" (1899), as well as drawing elements from Herr's "Dispatches" (1977), and from Werner Herzog's "Aguirre, the Wrath of God" (1972). The film stars Martin Sheen as Captain Benjamin L. Willard (based on Marlow in Conrad's novella), Marlon Brando as Colonel Kurtz, Dennis Hopper as a photojournalist, and Robert Duvall in an Oscar-nominated turn as the wild Lt. Colonel Bill Kilgore. Running time: 153 minutes. Note: We will view the original 1979 version, not the 2001 "Redux" version.

Amélie (2001),Thurs. Feb. 14 at 7 p.m.(Katie Humphry)
Amélie, an innocent and naive girl in Paris, with her own sense of justice, decides to help those around her and, along the way, discovers love. In French, with English subtitles.  122 min.

I Know Where I’m Going (1945), Fri. Feb. 15 at 6 p.m.(Susan Zawalich)
A sublimely romantic movie, set in Scotland during wartime (WWII). Wendy Hiller plays a decidedly decided young woman, setting off to marry a rich man who is temporarily leasing an island in the Western Isles.  But nature (in the form of weather and a handsome young officer) intervenes.  88 min.

Stormy Weather (1943), Fri. Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. (Susan Zawalich)
This studio musical provides a rare opportunity to enjoy the remarkable talents of some of the great African American entertainers of the 1940s. Performers include the great Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, Lena Horne, the Nicholas Brothers, Cab Calloway, Fats Waller, and Dooley Wilson.  How can you resist a song entitled, “I Lost My Sugar in Salt Lake City”? 78 min.

Perth (2004), Thurs. Feb. 21 at 8 p.m. (Adrian Kwek)
A part-time security guard and taxi driver looking to leave the hypocrisy of the modern world behind finds that peace doesn't come as easily as he suspected in Singapore-born director Djinn's award-winning drama. Harry Lee has grown tired with the slick, status-driven society that dominates his homeland, and has chose to seek out his own personal paradise in the Western Australian city of Perth. But solving ones problems isn't always as easy as simply running away, and when Harry finds his attempt to migrate becoming increasingly complicated, he accepts a job ferrying prostitutes. Upon growing infatuated with one particularly tragic Vietnamese prostitute, Harry is suddenly awakened to the darkness that surrounds him and determines to embark on a dangerous quest to seek redemption as his situation grows increasingly unstable. 106 min.

L’aile ou la cuisse (1976), Fri. Feb. 22 at 6 p.m. (Jean-François Charles)
You liked Ratatouille? Come for more great movies about food. And not just any food! In L'aile ou la Cuisse, you will watch the adventures of Charles Duchemin, a well-known gourmet and publisher of the famous restaurant guide Guide Michelin waging a war against a fast food entrepreneur to save the French art of cooking. This 1976 comedy features two major French personages: Louis de Funès and Coluche. Shown in French only, no subtitled edition is available! 104 min.

Soylent Green (1973), Fri., Feb. 22 at 8 p.m. (Jean-François Charles)      
You will have another look at food in 2022 with a great science fiction movie: Soylent Green, from 1973. Natural food like fruits, vegetables, and meat among others are now extinct. Earth is overpopulated and New York City has 40 million starving, poverty stricken people. The only way they survive is with water rations and eating Soylent. A detective investigates the murder of the president of the Soylent company.  97 min.

The Never-Ending Story (1984), Mon. Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. (Jonathan Schneiderman)
A young boy, tormented by bullies, “escapes” into an ancient story book and becomes involved in adventures in a mythical land.  A German film with English subtitles, directed by Wolfgang Petersen.  94 min.

My Fellow Americans (1996), Tues., Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m. (Rachel Pepper)
Get in the political spirit this February with this comedy about life, liberty and the pursuit of two ex-presidents.  101 min.

Dirty Dancing (1987), Friday, Feb. 29 at 9 p.m. (Di Yin Lu)
As with Grease (1978) and Footloose (1984) before it, Dirty Dancing was a cultural phenomenon that now plays more like camp. That very campiness, though, is part of its biggest charm. And if the dancing in the movie doesn't seem particularly "dirty" by today's standards--or 1987's--it does take place in an era (the early '60s) when it would have. Frances "Baby" Houseman (Jennifer Grey, daughter of ageless hoofer Joel Grey) has been vacationing in the Catskills with her family for many years. Uneventfully. One summer, she falls under the sway (as it were) of dance instructor Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze). Baby is a pampered pup, but Johnny is a man of the world. Baby's father, Jake (Law and Order's Jerry Orbach), can't see the basic decency in greaser Johnny that she can. It should come as no surprise to find that Baby, who can be as immature as her name, learns more about love and life--and dancing--from free-spirited Johnny than traditionalist Jake. 100 min.

An Evening with Bette Davis, Friday, March 7, in the Graduate Student Lounge

Help us celebrate the fact that 2008 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of the great actress (and Massachusetts native!) Bette Davis by joining us at Dudley House in the Graduate Student Lounge this Friday, March 7, for a screening of two of her greatest films

At 6 p.m. Now, Voyager (1942). Bette plays a repressed Boston spinster tyrannied by her formidable mother in a decorous brownstone on Marlborough Street. An iminent nervous breakdown sends her to a doctor who helps her to find her own identity (and so does a shipboard romance with Paul Henreid!) One of the most influential "women's pictures" of the 1940s.

At 8 p.m. All About Eve (1950). Bette plays Margo Channing, a tempestuous stage actress who is anxious about the effect her age might begin to have on her career. One evening an eager young fan (Ann Baxter) appears backstage...all she wants to do is to be of service to her idol....but more complications ensue! A superb cast includes George Sanders as Addison De Witt, the acerbic critic, Thelma Ritter, Celeste Holm, and an impressive cameo appearance by Marilyn Monroe. One of the wittiest backstage stories ever produced, a true classic.

Easter Parade, Monday, March 24, 6 p.m. in the Graduate Student Lounge

Celebrate Easter Monday with us by watching the wonderful classic MGM musical, Easter Parade (1948) starring Judy Garland and Fred Astaire. Set in the New York of 1912, this musical contains so many wonderful numbers. Music by Irving Berlin. Singing, dancing, comedy, romance provided by two of the greatest performers of the twentieth century, Garland and Astaire. A wonderful way to celebrate the arrival of spring.

The Red Shoes (1948). Friday, April 11 at 6 p.m. in the Graduate Student Lounge

This is the technicolor classic film starring some of the greatest ballet artists of the 20th century. Using a famous story by Hans Christian Andersen as a basis, the plot revolves around a talented ballerina who is ultimately forced to choose between her marriage to a young composer and her art as a dancer. Her star vehicle is the ballet "The Red Shoes"... a girl puts on the red shoes and literally dances herself to death. An extremely beautiful and intense film about the difficulties of being an artist in a secular culture.