The Films of Vincente Minnelli

A Little Magic: The Films of Vincente Minnelli

Over the course of a 30 year career, Vincente Minnelli (1903-1986) made 37 films. Our 9 film retrospective covers it all, from the musicals (Cabin in the Sky, Meet Me in St. Louis, The Pirate, The Band Wagon) to the melodramas (The Bad and the Beautiful, The Cobweb, Some Came Running, Home from the Hill), by way of one biopic (Lust for Life). Minnelli is known for his distinctive visual style: his assured and innovative use of color, his fluid camerawork and his extraordinary attention to detail. The master of mise-en-scène flourished within the confines of the studio system at MGM, where he made 34 films (13 for the Freed Unit). His visual flair only grew as he took on the challenges of color and widescreen in the 1950s. In short, regardless of the genre, Minnelli's films always sparkle with what he often called, "a little magic." Special thanks to Pat Doyen (George Eastman House), May Haduong (AFA), Mary Warnick (Swank), Marilee Womack (Warner Brothers), and Andrew Youdell (BFI).

Friday, September 4, 7:30 p.m.

Meet Me in St. Louis

USA, 1944, 35mm, color, 113 min.

Directed by Vincente Minnelli

With Judy Garland, Lucille Bremer, Margaret O'Brien

Minnelli easily captures the spirit of Sally Benson's nostalgic memoirs in this sumptuous Technicolor adaptation, which seamlessly integrates musical numbers into the fabric of the Smith family's life over four seasons in 1903. A proposed move from St. Louis to New York City demonstrates just how fragile their (and wartime America's) domestic happiness actually is. Produced by Arthur Freed and starring Judy Garland, Minnelli's first color film was also MGM's biggest hit that year. Academy Film Archive print!

Friday, September 11, 7:30 p.m.

Cabin in the Sky

USA, 1943, 35mm, b/w, 96 min.

Directed by Vincente Minnelli

With Ethel Waters, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Lena Horne

Minnelli's first (credited) film showcases some of Hollywood's most legendary African-American talents, including Ethel Waters, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Lena Horne, Duke Ellington, and Louis Armstrong. Saintly Petunia (Waters) takes "a chance on love" when she battles mantrap Sweet Georgia Brown (Horne) for the soul of Little Joe Jackson (Rochester). Cabin in the Sky was the second all-black musical after Vidor's Hallelujah (1929) and only the fourth all-black film by a major studio since the coming of sound. Warner Brothers print.

Saturday, September 19, 7:30 p.m.

The Pirate

USA, 1948, 35mm, color, 102 min.

Directed by Vincente Minnelli

With Gene Kelly, Judy Garland, Walter Slezak

Minnelli described this overlooked 1948 musical as: "highly colored, as theatrical as possible, flamboyant, swirling, and larger than life." Cole Porter's songs heighten the over-the-top Fairbanks/Flynn-style swashbuckling. Gene Kelly stars as the daredevil pirate "Mack the Black" cavorting over, under, and through the lush set (built from the ground up) and clowning around with the fabulous Nicholas Brothers. Judy Garland as Manuela yearns for the unbridled brigand. BFI print.

Saturday, September 26, 7:30 p.m.

The Bad and the Beautiful

USA, 1952, 35mm, b/w, 118 min.

Directed by Vincente Minnelli

With Kirk Douglas, Lana Turner, Dick Powell

Shadows are lurking everywhere in this melancholy black-and-white melodrama. One of the greatest entries in the long, cynical tradition of Hollywood films about Hollywood, The Bad and the Beautiful uses a Kane-like structure to tell the age-old story of personal sacrifice, greed, and compromised artistic vision. Starring Kirk Douglas as the megalomaniac Hollywood producer and Lana Turner as the beautiful alcoholic actress. Academy Film Archive print!

Friday, October 2, 7:30 p.m.

The Band Wagon

USA, 1953, 35mm, color, 112 min.

Directed by Vincente Minnelli

With Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Jack Buchanan

In this backstage musical, aging star Tony Hunter (a radiant Astaire) aims for a Broadway comeback. Unfortunately, his "brilliant" director wants to do a modernist adaptation of Faust, and he just can't seem to get along with his haughty, ballerina co-star (Charisse)—at least not, that is, until they find themselves "dancing in the dark." Faust falls through, but Tony saves the show by suggesting a knockout musical—all in Minnelli's entirely artificial, expressionistic universe of radiant color and exquisite sets. Now that's entertainment! Warner Brothers print.

Friday, October 16, 7:30 p.m.

Lust For Life

USA, 1956, 35mm, color, 122 min.

Directed by Vincente Minnelli

With Kirk Douglas, Anthony Quinn, James Donald

Based on Irving Stone's biographical novel, Lust for Life is one of Minnelli's most personal films—a culmination of his most abiding themes, including the psychological use of color and the isolation of the creative individual. Shot on location across Europe from Belgium to Provence, the film's elaborate color compositions were planned like a musical score. The resulting portrait exudes the insatiable passion of brilliant but tortured artist Vincent Van Gogh (a striking Kirk Douglas). Warner Brothers print.

Friday, November 13, 7:30 p.m.

The Cobweb

USA, 1955, 35mm, color, 124 min.

Directed by Vincente Minnelli

With Richard Widmark, Lauren Bacall, Gloria Graham

Minnelli's first film to combine color and CinemaScope is a star-packed ensemble piece based on William Gibson's popular novel. Charles Boyer and Richard Widmark play rival doctors who battle for control over a posh private hospital—especially its drapes. Co-stars Gloria Graham, Lauren Bacall, John Kerr, and Lilian Gish also shine in this network narrative, which explores the neuroses of prosperous postwar America. BFI print.

Saturday, November 14, 7:30 p.m.

Some Came Running

USA, 1958, 35mm, color, 124 min.

Directed by Vincente Minnelli

With Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Shirley MacLaine

Minnelli's stylized melodrama Some Came Running (based on James Jones's bitter critique of postwar America) stars Frank Sinatra as Dave Hirsh, a cynical writer and disillusioned WWII veteran who returns to his Illinois hometown. Shooting on location, Minnelli explored new color codes to suit the dull pretensions of a small town. The film's climactic carnival sequence demonstrates the director's unerring command of the widescreen frame when he turns an actual Midwestern town into a CinemaScope hallucination. BFI print.

Friday, December 4, 7:30 p.m.

Home From the Hill

USA, 1960, 35mm, color, 149 min.

Directed by Vincente Minnelli

With Robert Mitchum, Eleanor Parker, George Peppard

Minnelli followed Some Came Running with another Scope masterpiece, the full-blown melodrama Home from the Hill. While many other 1950s directors complained about shooting in the wider aspect ratio, Minnelli flourished in the new medium. Virtuoso camera movement, costuming and décor illuminate and critique the overbearing and philandering Texas Ranger Hunnicutt (Robert Mitchum's strongest performance in years), as he struggles with his wife and two sons, legitimate and illegitimate. George Eastman House print!