Ronald Colman, centenarian Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Madeleine Carroll, and Mary Astor (in the Ruritanian classic The Prisoner of Zenda); Fairbanks again, with Irene Dunne and Lucille Ball (in the not-so-classic comedy Joy of Living); Bette Davis, Monty Woolley and Ann Sheridan (in the comedy classic The Man Who Came to Dinner); John Gilbert and Renée Adorée (in the anti-war classic The Big Parade); Humphrey Bogart, Joan Bennett, and Peter Ustinov (in the demi-classic allegorical comedy We're No Angels); Woody Allen and Diane Keaton (in the middle-age-crisis classic Manhattan); James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, and Gloria Grahame (in the horror classic It's a Wonderful Life); Ingmar Bergman's Oscar-winning classic Fanny and Alexander; and, inevitably, several Walt Disney classic shorts are the December film series offerings at the Library of Congress Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation in Culpeper, Va.
Well, what's not to recommend?
I haven't watched We're No Angels (1955), yet, but with Humphrey Bogart (not one of my favorites, but he did improve with age), Peter Ustinov, and, especially Joan Bennett in the cast, it's a must-see. Michael Curtiz, who helped to solidify Bogart's star persona in Casablanca, directed from a screenplay by Ranald MacDougall (adapted from Albert Husson's play).
Of the ones I've seen, I'd recommend them all.
King Vidor's The Big Parade (1925), the biggest domestic box-office hit of the silent era, remains an impressive anti-war drama, with John Gilbert in top form as a doughboy who fights and loves during World War I. Renée Adorée's farewell moment is as heartrending today as it was more than eight decades ago.
Manhattan (1979) — along with Annie Hall, Crimes and Misdemeanors, and Bullets Over Broadway — is one of my favorite Woody Allen films. It's funny, witty, touching, disturbing. And, courtesy of this year's Honorary Oscar winner Gordon Willis, Manhattan never looked better, whether in black in white or in color. Screenplay by Allen and Marshall Brickman.
John Cromwell's The Prisoner of Zenda (1937) is one of the best mythical kingdom movies. Perhaps this David O. Selznick production is the best ever. For starters, it's better than Rex Ingram's 1922 version, which, though enjoyable, is a little too stately for its own good. As a plus, the cast in the 1937 version is flawless: Ronald Colman, Madeleine Carroll, Mary Astor, and, surprisingly, Douglas Fairbanks Jr (above; Fairbanks would have turned 100 next Dec. 9) as the villain Rupert of Hentzau.
Joy of Living (1938) isn't exactly a great example of the screwball genre, but with Irene Dunne in the cast it becomes irresistible, while The Man Who Came to Dinner (1941) worked better for me onstage than on film. That said, Ann Sheridan and Reginald Gardiner are both excellent in supporting roles. (Bette Davis is merely the straight woman.)
Fanny and Alexander (1982) is one of Bergman's most gripping psychological dramas, one that should be screened in a double bill with the even more disturbing It's a Wonderful Life (1946), which, in my view, is one of the most frightening movies ever made. What with angels, bankers, small-town families, Christmas trees, fake snow — and I still haven't gotten over that little girl playing the piano off-key near the end. I had the worst Daliesque nightmares for weeks. Watch (or rewatch) that one at your own risk.
Short subjects will be presented before select programs. Titles are subject to change without notice. All Packard Campus programs are free and open to the public. For reservation information, call (540) 827-1079 extension 79994 or (202) 707-9994 during business hours, beginning one week before any given screening. For further information on the theater and film series, visit www.loc.gov/avconservation/theater/.
The Library of Congress Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation is a state-of-the-art facility where the nation’s library acquires, preserves and provides access to the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of films, television programs, radio broadcasts and sound recordings.
Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution. It seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs and exhibitions. Many of the Library’s rich resources can be accessed through its website at www.loc.gov and via interactive exhibitions on a personalized website at myLOC.gov.
The Packard Campus Theater will be closed on Christmas weekend.
Photos: Library of Congress Packard Campus
