A masterpiece of structural cinema, J.J. Murphy’s Print Generation consists of a single minute of 16mm footage (sixty one-second shots) that has been printed and re-printed 50 times.  Each step further degrades the images, akin to photocopying a photocopy.  The film begins with the final generation—at which point the images have been reduced to little more than shuddering constellations of film grain—and advances generation by generation. The images become clearer at each pass, until finally achieving full, crystalline resolution at the midpoint.  Then, with a sense of heartbreaking inevitability, the generations recede, and the images deteriorate back into illegibility.  An exceedingly rare kind of avant-garde film that manages to be at once formally visionary and profoundly moving, Print Generation will be preceded by another landmark of structural cinema, Michael Snow’s Wavelength (1967). Professor of Film at UW Madison, J.J. Murphy will be on hand for a post-screening discussion. (MK)  A newly restored 16mm print of Print Generation screened, courtesy of the Academy Film Archive.

Director Howard's throwback to the classic newspaper picture updates the fast-paced dramatics and comedy of movies like Five Star Final (1931) and His Girl Friday (1940) to a modern-day tabloid in NYC. In a 24-hour period, New York Sun Assistant Managing Editor Henry Hackett (Keaton) tries to get to the bottom of a double murder case, all while trying to re-negotiate his position and keep his pregnant wife (Marisa Tomei) happy. The sterling supporting cast includes Close and Duvall as the paper's chief editors, and Randy Quaid as a dogged reporter. The fun, classically-structured screenplay is by David Koepp, working in collaboration with his brother, Stephen. David Koepp will participate in a post-screening discussion. "The Paper gets a lot of things right about working on a newspaper, and one of them is how it screws up your personal life." (Roger Ebert).

In one of her few film appearances, Broadway musical legend Merman reprises her stage role as Sally Adams, a socialite appointed as United States Ambassador to the fictional country of Lichtenburg. Music and mirth – and a bit of political satire – ensue as Sally charms Lichtenberg General Cosmo Constantine (Sanders), and facilitates the romance between her press attaché Kenneth (O’Connor) and the Princess Maria (Vera-Ellen). A charming and underappreciated musical, Fox’s adaptation of Call Me Madam contains a Tony-winning score by Irving Berlin; delightful choreography, including an amusing drunken dance with balloons expertly performed by O’Connor; and, of course, Merman at her brassy, campy best. (AM)

In demented variation on Of Mice and Men’s George and Lennie, Allen and Oates play Duke and Boots, two pent-up drifters who stalk an Insurance salesman’s wife (Manx) in the Hollywood Hills.  This thrilling piece of psychosexual noir from Orson Welles protegee Stevens was thought lost for decades and only recently rediscovered! A newly restored 35mm print from the UCLA Film & Television Archive will be screened.

The Beatles' first film follows the group over the course of one day as they deal with the pressures of touring, flee from their screaming fans, and perform their most beloved early songs like the title tune, "Can't Buy Me Love,"  and "I Should Have Known Better”. With Lester's inventive direction and the Fab Four's charm, it is no wonder that this classic is widely regarded as the best rock-'n'-roll movie ever made. A new 4K digital restoration will be screened.

While investigating a headline-making kidnapping, a popular and feared columnist and radio host (Ayres, channelling Walter Winchell) follows a trail that leads him from drug dealers to the mafia and ultimately to the White House! "A wildly entertaining pre-Code expose on the greasy relationship between politicians, organized crime, and the burgeoning American media" (Eddie Mueller)