Dudley House Classic Movies
“There is really no such things as an “old” movie – just wonderful pictures you may not have discovered yet.” -- Peter Bogdanovich
Friday Evenings On the big-screen TV in the Graduate Student Lounge – all welcome! Contact Susan Zawalich (zawalich@fas.harvard.edu) for more information.
Friday, April 17. 6 p.m. Graduate Student Lounge
Easter Parade (1948). Help us enjoy the spring by watching this MGM musical classic starring Judy Garland and Fred Astaire, in their only film together. Wonderful music by Irving Berlin and fabulous numbers make this an absolute delight.
Friday, April 24. 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Graduate Student Lounge
Celebrate Shakespeare's Birthday with us this evening (April 23 is the "official" date) by watching two highly enjoyable "riffs" on The Bard and his plays:
6:30 p.m. *Will Shakespeare meets Dr. Who* in "The Shakespeare Code." Join us to watch this really fun episode of the new Dr. Who sci-fi series. The Doctor and his companion Martha Jones journey back to 1599 to meet the playwright and end up offering him some intriguing inspiration for future works...as well as saving Planet Earth from aliens (disguised as witches!) at the same time. 45 min.
7:30 p.m. *Shakespeare Retold*. This amusing BBC series crafts modern versions of plots of several Shakespeare plays. Tonight we'll watch "The Taming of the Shrew," where a conservative MP weds an impecunious aristocrat and sparks fly.
_Fred Astaire Birthday Festival: Fred and Ginger: 75 Years Together -- Friday, May 8 _
Our annual day and night celebration of Fred Astaire’s Birthday (he was born May 10, 1899 and would be 110 this year!) will be held on Friday, May 8. This year we celebrate the 75th anniversary of one of the greatest partnerships in entertainment history and the greatest dance team to ever appear on the silver screen: Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Come in anytime during the day or evening to participate in the joy which these great American entertainers have 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 light lunch (Fred Spring Water, Ginger Ale, and Ginger Beer will be available)
12:15 p.m. PBS Documentary: *Fred Astaire: Puttin’ on His Top Hat*
Part 1 of this excellent documentary discusses Fred’s important contributions to dance, song, theatre, and film with a special emphasis on his work with Ginger Rogers at RKO in the 1930s. Narrated by Joanne Woodward, with guest commentaries by many luminaries including Rudolph Nureyev. Lots of great film clips…a wonderful hour of introduction.
Dance Numbers from Flying Down to Rio (1933) and Gay Divorcee (1934)
1:45 p.m. *Follow the Fleet* (1936, 110 min.) Fred and Ginger are former dance partners who meet up again while Fred is on shore leave from the Navy and Ginger is working in a low-class joint as a dancer. Marvelous dancing by Fred and Ginger and wonderful music by Irving Berlin. The haunting dance to “Let’s Face the Music and Dance,” was a great favorite during the Great Depression.
Birthday cake, coffee, and tea will be served after the film.
Dance numbers from Roberta (1935) and Carefree (1938)
4:15 p.m. *The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle* (1939, 90 min.). Fred and Ginger play Vernon and Irene Castle, another famous dance team of the early twentieth century. This lovely biopic showcases the wonderful acting skills of both artists and is a loving evocation of a vanished era….both of the Castles and of Fred and Ginger themselves, since this was the last movie they made together in the 1930s (they reunited in one more film, The Barkleys of Broadway, 10 years later, for MGM).
Short Dinner break
6:15 *Top Hat* (1935, 101 min.) The quintessential Fred and Ginger movie. Irving Berlin classics include “Isn’t This a Lovely Day to Be Caught in the Rain,” “Top Hat,” and “Cheek to Cheek.” The dancing, the chemistry, the wonderful supporting players, and the exuberance of the whole film are simply magical.
“They Can’t Take That Away From Me” from Shall We Dance (1937), and The Barkleys of Broadway (1949)
8 p.m. *Swing Time* (1936, 105 min.) For many people this is the greatest of the Fred and Ginger musicals. Music by Jerome Kern, breathtaking dance numbers, and, again, that marvelous chemistry will end our festival on the highest of high notes.
Fabulous Fellows Film Festival at Dudley House 2009
Movies will be shown in the Graduate Student Lounge unless otherwise noted. All welcome.
Letters from Iwo Jima (2006). Mon. Feb. 2 at 8 p.m. (Esra-Gokce Sahin)
Clint Eastwood's film about the WWII Battle of Iwo Jima told from the perspective of the Japanese soldiers. 141 min.
Real Genius (1985), Tues. Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. (Doug McClure)
One of the youngest students ever accepted to Pacific Tech, Mitch Taylor, and his roommate, Chris Knight (Val Kilmer), legendary for his irreverent antics as much as his brilliance, are teamed up on a project to develop a high-powered laser. When they learn that Professor Hathaway (William Atherton) has been lying to them about the true purpose of the project, revenge becomes a moral imperative. 108 min.
Kama Sutra, A Tale of Love (1996), Thurs. Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. (Anouska Bhattacharyya)
Set in 16th Century India , Kama Sutra is the tale of two girls, Maya and Tara, one a lowly servant, the other a noble princess, both raised together as children. Despite their friendship, Maya is constantly reminded of her inferior status. Through her striking beauty and her knowledge of the Kama Sutra, the Indian book of love, Maya exacts her revenge on Tara and seduces her husband on her wedding day. Thus begins a destructive struggle for power where revenge is the goal, but tragedy the outcome. 114 min.
Sentimental British Classics , Fri. Feb. 6 at 6 and 7:45 p.m. (Susan Zawalich)
Brief Encounter (1945), 6 p.m.
In 1940s Britain two ordinary people, married and settled in their lives, meet weekly at a train station….and, improbably, they fall in love. What will happen? This classic black and white bittersweet romance was written by Noel Coward and directed by David Lean. Lots of train smoke, tears, and Rachmaninoff. 86 min.
Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939), 7:45 p.m.
The 1939 British schoolboy classic that won an Oscar for Robert Donat. He plays Arthur Chipping, the shy classics master at an all-boys public school in England . He eventually becomes “an institution” himself … see how it happens. Bring Kleenex. 114 min.
Silent Film at Café Gato Rojo: An Evening of Comedy with Buster Keaton (1920s) Tues, Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. (Jonathan Ruel)
Come enjoy a projection of comedies by the master of silent film while the Gato Rojo is operating as usual. Or just stop by for tea or coffee with some laughs and a great ambiance.
Arrested Development Season 1 (2003), Wed. Feb. 11 at 7 p.m., Thurs. Feb. 12th at 7p.m., Fri. Feb 13th at 6 p.m. (Mary Ruth, Di Yin, Tina Lin, Sahand Hormoz, Jon Fan)
Arrested Development is a TV comedy series about the tales of the
dysfunctional Bluth family. Come and watch Michael Bluth attempt to
straighten his family out in hilarious outcome in this Emmy winning and
critically acclaimed work. We will be showing the complete first season
back to back to back (each evening has ~2hrs worth of material).
The Sting (1973), Fri. Feb. 13 at 8 p.m. (Jonathan Bruno)
Robert Redford and Paul Newman join forces in this inventive and hilarious story of cops and conmen in 1930s Chicago . 129 min.
Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox (2006). Tues. Feb. 17 at 7:30 p.m. (Enoch Lambert)
A human story about a socially responsible company, “Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox” documents the complicated family legacy behind the counterculture's favorite cleaning product — Bronner's son, 68-year-old Ralph, endured over 15 orphanages and foster homes as a child, but, despite difficult memories, is his father's most ardent fan. 88 minDarwin 's Nightmare (2004), Wed. Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. (J. P. Sniadecki)
An important documentary centering on a booming multinational industry of fish and weapons, creating an ungodly globalized alliance on the shores of the world's biggest tropical lake: an army of local fishermen, World Bank agents, homeless children, African ministers, EU-commissioners, Tanzanian prostitutes, and Russian pilots are involved. 107 min.
Persepolis (2007) Thurs. Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. (Laura Tully)
A moving and beautiful animated film based on the graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi. This is the story of the coming-of-age of an outspoken Iranian girl, Marji, who lives through the Shah's defeat in the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and observes the subsequent rule by Islamic fundamentalists become a repressive tyranny of its own. With Marji dangerously refusing to remain silent at this injustice, her parents send her abroad to Vienna to study for a better life. Marji feels displaced and the film follows her through her life as she searches for where she truly belongs. 96 min.
Kung Fu Panda (2008), Fri. Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. (Yanyan Liu)
It's the story about a lazy, irreverent slacker panda, named Po , who is the biggest fan of Kung Fu. Unexpectedly chosen to fulfill an ancient prophecy, Po 's dreams become reality when he joins the world of Kung Fu and studies alongside his idols, the legendary Furious Five -- Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper, and Monkey -- under the leadership of their guru, Master Shifu. Can he turn his dreams of becoming a Kung Fu master into reality? 92 min.
Black Beetle (1982), Mon. Feb. 23 at 8 p.m. (Enoch Lambert)
“Beetle” tells the “true story” of Besouro, a Capoeira master living in 1920s Brazil . The film's title comes from the name Besouro Manganga, which is a large and dark species of maybug. According to legends surrounding the historical figure, Besouro was known to vanish whenever he was faced with an uneven fight. This grew into the myth that Besouro had supernatural powers and could dodge bullets and even turn himself into a beetle to scare his opponents. 100 min.Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986). Tues. Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. (Jonathan Schneiderman)
Ferris is a street-wise kid who knows all the tricks. He decides to take the day off and invites his friend, Cameron Fry, and girlfriend, Sloane Peterson, to join him, while taking Cameron's father's precious Ferrari for transportation. All the while, the principal, Ed Rooney, is determined to prove Ferris is faking his illness and Ferris's agitated sister, Jeanie, also has a goal to catch Ferris off guard. A must see for anyone who misses the 80's. 102 min.
Cape No 7 (Hai Jiao Qi Hao) (2008). Wed. Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. (Peiqiu Chen)
Aga, a band singer, returns to Hengchun with frustration. Tomoko is a Japanese model assigned to organize a local warm-up band for the Japanese super star beach concert. Together with five other ordinary Hengchun residents they form an impossible band. 129 min.
Inside Man (2006), Fri. Feb. 27 at 6 p.m. (Jean-François Charles)
Directed by Spike Lee, starring Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, and Jodie Foster.
It looked like the perfect bank robbery… but you can't judge a crime by its cover. The movie starts like this: "My name is Dalton Russell. Pay strict attention to what I say because I choose my words carefully and I never repeat myself. I've told you my name: that's the Who. The Where could most readily be described as a prison cell." Don't be late! 129 min.
September 19 – Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin: Classic Comics of the Silent Screen
Join us as we enjoy two of the greatest, most brilliant films ever made. The amazing physical dexterity, creativity, and imagination of Keaton and Chaplin have truly never been equaled.
6 p.m. Sherlock, Jr. (1924, 45 min.). One of Buster Keaton's true masterpieces. Our hero is a film projectionist who really wants to be a detective. Falling asleep at the reel, he enters his film world to solve his real world problems. Breathtaking moments abound.
7:15 p.m. City Lights (1931, 87 min.). Charlie Chaplin's classic portrayal of The Tramp making his way through a hostile city in shaky economic times. As relevant today as in 1931, and full of wonderful scenes, physical comedy, and moving revelations.
October 3 – The Muppets Visit Dudley
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. The Muppet Movie (1979, 95 min.). The Muppets journey west to try their luck in Hollywood. A highlight is Kermit's rendition of “The Rainbow Connection.”
Other songs and delightful performances by the Muppet crew make this Jim Henson film a real treat for all ages.
October 17 – Woody Allen: Agent and Chameleon
6 p.m. Broadway Danny Rose (1984, 84 min.) Woody plays a long-time Broadway agent who may have finally found a client to make him a success, after a lifetime of shepherding rather sad acts. A beautifully written and acted study of loyalty, betrayal, and the complications of human relationships…and also very funny.
7:45 p.m. Zelig (1983, 79 min.). Certainly one of the great “mockumentaries” in American cinema, this is the story of Leonard Zelig who had such low self-esteem that he developed an amazing ability to “become” anyone he was with…thus earning the nickname of “The Human Chameleon.” A wonderful study of conformity and redemption and a brilliant piece of filmmaking. With Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, and cameo “documentary” appearances by many famous people of the 1930s.
November 7– Strangers in a Foreign Land
6 p.m. Babette's Feast (1987, 102 min.). This exquisite Danish film tells the story of the impact a French domestic has on the lives of simple people in a small, isolated Danish village in the 19 th century. Based on a story by Isak Dinesen, the film beautifully explores the importance of community, openness to the world, and … food! In Danish with English subtitles.
8 p.m. A Room With a View (1985, 117 min.) This is the Merchant/Ivory film version of the E. M. Forster novel about the coming of age of a young English woman who visits Florence with her very proper chaperone. The film features beautiful cinematography and delightful performances by a wonderful British cast including Helena Bonham-Carter, Maggie Smith, Simon Callow, Judi Dench, and Daniel Day-Lewis (who gives an amazing performance as an upper-class prig…very different from some of his other more flamboyant portrayals).
Holiday Film Evenings:
Friday, November 21 – 6 p.m. Annual 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! (1965, 174 min)
Tuesday, December 16 -- 6 p.m. Love, Actually
Prepare for the holidays ahead by watching this lovely film, following the stories of various couples as they explore the heartbreaks and the possibilities of relationships. A great cast includes Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, and Keira Knightly. (2003, 135 min.)