Dudley House Classic Movies 2006-2007

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

There will be several different film series offered at Dudley this year. Our classic film series this term begins with one of the greatest films ever made (by common acclaim)…followed by a series of family-friendly classics and other surprises. We look forward to sharing our favorite films with you at Dudley House. Contact Susan Zawalich (zawalich@fas.harvard.edu). If you are interested in the Documentary Film series shown on Tuesdays, check out the Arts Fellows site or contact Jie Li (jieli@fas.harvard.edu).

Films on Friday evenings on the big-screen TV in the Graduate Student Lounge:

September 22 –Who Was Charles Foster Kane? Does Anyone Know?
6 p.m. Citizen Kane (1941), Orson Welles' masterpiece, is a stunning exploration of the life of an American tycoon (modeled on William Randolph Hearst, among others). If you have never managed to see this famous film or if you would like to revisit it with a congenial group, here's your chance! You'll be murmuring “Rosebud!” when you leave, that's guaranteed. (120 min.)

September 29 – Family Classics Celebrate True Love
6 p.m. Lady and the Tramp (1955). An elegant cocker spaniel meets a scruffy mutt from the wrong side of the tracks…true love ensues. A truly charming Walt Disney animated classic. (80 min.)

7:30 p.m. The Princess Bride (1987). Inconceivable! As You Wish! My name is Inigo Montoya…yes, all the classic lines, a visit to the fire swamp, screaming eels, dastardly villains, and (sigh) Dread Pirate Roberts and Buttercup…what a great movie! (98 min.)

October 13 – An American Classic Western
6 p.m. The Searchers (1956). John Ford directed this famous movie, one of several films he made with John Wayne, the iconic Western hero. Wayne gives an astounding performance as a bitter Civil War soldier who loses his family in an Indian raid… his niece survives but is captured by Indians…he spends the next 10 years searching for her and his own identity. One of the most beautifully filmed of all Western classics and a movie that was extremely important to 70s filmmakers (Scorcese, Spielberg, et. al.) Controversial and powerful. (120 min.)

October 27 – Sci-Fi Classics of the 1950s
6 p.m. The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957). A strange cloud of radiation has a very strange effect on an unfortunate American…he gets smaller and smaller … but other things get bigger and bigger…it does wonders for his perspective. A really great film (81 min.)

7:30 p.m. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). Klaatu birada nicto. A strange visitor from another planet arrives in our nation's capital…accompanied by a menacing robot and an important message for humanity. Robert Wise directed (earlier he had edited Citizen Kane , later he directed The Sound of Music …quite a range!) (92 min.)

November 3 – New Wave French Classics, directed by François Truffaut
6 p.m. Shoot the Piano Player ( Tirez sur le pianiste ) (1960). Charles Aznavour stars in Truffaut's second film, a study of an alienated musician with a gangster family and a lot of personal complications. A genre-bending classic, much beloved by Truffaut fans (92 min)

8 p.m. Jules and Jim (1962). The notorious ménage a trois film classic… two life-long friends fall in love with the same intriguing woman. How will it all end? Jeanne Moreau became an international star with this movie. (100 min.)

December 8 – 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!