UCLA FESTIVAL OF PRESERVATION
THE BIG BROADCAST
2015 marked the 50th anniversary of the UCLA Film and Television Archive, one of the world’s leaders in the efforts to preserve our motion picture heritage. To celebrate, UCLA has arranged a tour of 35mm prints (and one DCP) of the best titles from the most recent edition of their annual Festival of Preservation. The selection includes ten features and three short movies including silent-era classics, big-budget studio efforts, poverty row classics, and one truly revelatory American independent feature (J.L. Anderson’s Spring Night, Summer Night). 35mm prints and DCP courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive. Preservation funding provided by the Film Foundation, American Film Institute/National Endowment for the Arts Film Preservation Grants Program, the Franco-American Cultural Fund, Louis B. Mayer Foundation, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the Carl David Memorial Fund for Film Preservation, the Museum of Modern Art, the Packard Humanities Institute, Universal Pictures, Mary Pickford Foundation, Dudley Heer, Frank Buxton, Cynthia Sears, Hugh Hefner, and Mark Cantor.
- Sat., Feb. 6 | 2:00 PM4070 Vilas Hall
Out of options, an unwed mother turns her newborn over to her wealthy sister, with the promise to leave them be. But as the years wear on, she is unable to keep her distance, and begins stalking her child. Working with one of his biggest budgets (it was billed as PRC’s “first million dollar production”), Poverty Row auteur Ulmer fashions a shimmering and uniquely compassionate melodrama. “Decades ahead of its time… simply a beautiful piece of filmmaking, elegantly stylized and tenderly performed” (Chicago Reader). 35mm print courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive. Preservation funding provided by the Film Foundation and the Franco-American Cultural Fund. (MK)
- Sat., Feb. 6 | 3:45 PM4070 Vilas Hall
An apparent miracle turns a Jesuit seminary into a destination for the religious masses, while stirring conflict among its resident priests. Boyer stars as a skeptical lawyer-priest whose investigation of the phenomenon tests the boundaries dividing faith and belief. This stark, black-and-white independent production is a fascinating stylistic anomaly for a director known for lush studio melodramas, demonstrating that Sirk can conjure supreme emotion in any register. 35mm print courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive. Preservation funding provided by the Louis B. Mayer Foundation and the Carl David Memorial Fund for Film Preservation. (MK)
- Sat., Feb. 6 | 7:00 PM4070 Vilas Hall
Evil Dr. Crespi seizes his opportunity when the husband of the woman he covets lands on his operating table. Filmed at Biograph Studios in the Bronx, this loose adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Premature Burial features minimalist sets, minimal sound, and a singular performance by von Stroheim. Clocking in at just over an hour, the film somehow manages to maintain a hypnotic, somnambulant pace and atmosphere worthy of David Lynch. 35mm print courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive. Preservation funding provided by the Packard Humanities Institute. (BR)
- Sat., Feb. 6 | 8:15 PM4070 Vilas Hall
A vulture with a bloodcurdling shriek, and Lugosi sports a widow’s peak. Bellamy in lingerie that’s extremely pre-code, and a West Indies island in lost souls mode. There are undead working at a sugar mill, and secret potions with the power to kill. Atmospheric with borrowed sets (on an 11 day shoot, you get what you get). 35mm print courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive. Preservation funding provided by the Packard Humanities Institute. (BR)
- Sat., Feb. 13 | 3:00 PM4070 Vilas Hall
Menjou is a middle-aged playboy who gets conned into marrying a much-younger dumb blonde (Marsh) by her scheming sister (a very funny Gombell). Exhausted by his new spouse, the one-time bachelor sets out to find a new, younger male plaything for his soon-to-be ex-wife. This pre-code gem from Fox mixes witty dialogue with hilarious bursts of physical comedy. 35mm prints courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive. Preservation funding provided by the Packard Humanities Institute.
- Sat., Feb. 13 | 4:15 PM4070 Vilas Hall
Combining the all-star revue format with a classic backstage musical plot, The Big Broadcast stars Crosby as cavalier radio singer named, of all things, Bing Crosby. The crooner must rally to save the station from financial ruin and sort out the romantic pairings. Along for the ride is a cavalcade of contemporary radio stars, including Burns and Allen, Cab Calloway, Kate Smith, the Mills Brothers, and the Boswell Sisters. Under the deft hand of director Frank Tuttle, Big Broadcast was a hit, sparking a four-film series. The feature will be preceded by the 1929 short Me and the Boys (9 min.). 35mm prints courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive. Preservation funding provided by the Packard Humanities Institute and Universal Pictures and Dudley Heer, Frank Buxton, Cynthia Sears, Hugh Hefner, and Mark Cantor. (AM)
- Sat., Feb. 13 | 7:00 PM4070 Vilas Hall
In a rare adult role that’s a great showcase for her talents, Pickford plays a department store employee who falls for the new stockroom boy (Pickford’s real-life husband-to-be Rogers). She helps him move ahead without knowing he’s the son of the wealthy store owner...and engaged to someone else! Preceded by D.W. Griffith’s The Son’s Return (1909, DCP, 11 min.) and Thomas Ince’s A Manly Man (1911, 35mm, 10 min.). Live piano by David Drazin. 35mm prints and DCP courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive. Preservation funding provided by the Mary Pickford Foundation, Packard Humanities Institute and The Film Foundation, American Film Institute/National Endowment for the Arts Film Preservation Grants Program and the Museum of Modern Art.
- Fri., Feb. 19 | 7:00 PM4070 Vilas Hall
In the early days of the Korean War, Lt. Benson (Ryan) must lead his platoon through sniper-heavy territory while dealing with a sergeant (Ray) who refuses to acknowledge Benson’s command. Celebrated for his masterful 50s westerns and 40s noir thrillers, director Mann here tries his hand at the war picture. The resulting film displays a riveting use of violence balanced with a disillusioned attitude towards war. After the screening, a discussion with J.R. Jones, film critic for the Chicago Reader and author of The Lives of Robert Ryan. 35mm print courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive. Preservation funding provided by the Packard Humanities Institute.
- Sat., Feb. 20 | 7:00 PM4070 Vilas Hall
Carl and Jessica, two young members of an extended family (who may not be related), rebel against their small and small-minded community through an illicit love affair. Shot in southeastern Ohio in shimmering black and white, this genuine cinematic revelation from independent director Anderson (he never made another feature) is reason for movie lovers to celebrate. It’s a key film in “an unknown and completely accidental—but surprisingly coherent—body of American neo-realism” (Ross Lipman, Senior Archival Preservationist, UCLA Film & Television Archive). Don’t miss it! 35mm print courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive. Preservation funding provided by the Packard Humanities Institute.
- Sat., Feb. 27 | 7:00 PM4070 Vilas Hall
Ford’s much acclaimed adaptation of four one-act Eugene O’Neill focuses on the fears and joys of a group of merchant seamen, including the tender-hearted Swede (Wayne, in one of his finest performances). “One of the finest of all the movies that deal with life at sea, and one of the most successful attempts to put Eugene O’Neill on film” (Pauline Kael). 35mm print courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive. Preservation funding provided by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and the Film Foundation.