ClassicsJohn Ford won the Best Director Oscar® and Jane Darwell won for Best Actress in this masterful film adaptation of John Steinbeck’s novel that was nominated for seven Academy Awards® in all, including Best Picture. Henry Fonda stars as Tom Joad, the father of a migrant family of farmers who leave the Oklahoma dust bowl for the promised land of California, only to face new and daunting challenges.
ClassicsMartin Scorsese Presents Republic Rediscovered—over 20 rarely seen films from the storied Republic Pictures library, restored and remastered by Paramount and personally curated by Martin Scorsese. The Quiet Man is an essential, Oscar winning John Ford film featuring John Wayne as a retired boxer who makes a pilgrimage to his home village in Ireland. He meets his match in a spirited young woman, only to find himself confronted by her belligerent brother and the town’s strict customs. In 2002, the film made AFI’s list of one hundred greatest love stories.
ClassicsSteven Spielberg directs this riotous farce depicting the hysteria of a cross section of Los Angeles citizens following the bombing of Pear Harbor. The film is loosely based on a true event in which a Japanese submarine surfaced off the California coast, setting off a brief wave of panic.
ClassicsOne of the most notorious J-Horror films ever made, Takashi Miike's 'Audition' exploded onto the festival circuit at the turn of the 21st century to a chorus of awards and praise. The film catapulted Miike to the international scene and paved the way for such other genre delights as 'Ichii the Killer' and '13 Assassins'. When recent widower Shigeharu Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi, 'American Yakuza') is advised by his son to find a new wife, he seeks the advice of a colleague having been out of the dating scene for many years. The two men decide to take advantage of their position working at a film company to stage an audition to find the perfect partner. Interviewing a series of women, Shigeharu soon becomes enchanted by Asami (Eihi Shiina), a quiet, 24-year-old woman, who is immediately responsive to his charms. However, even
ClassicsFollowing 24 characters through 5 days in the country music capital, Robert Altman's 1975 epic presents a complexly textured portrayal (and critique) of American obsessions with celebrity and power. Among the various stars, aspirants, hangers-on, observers, and media folk are politically ambitious country icon and his fragile star protegée, a self-absorbed rock star who woos a lonely married gospel singer, a talentless waitress painfully humiliated at her first singing gig, a runaway wife with dreams of stardom, and a campaign guru who is trying to organize a concert rally for an unseen presidential candidate. Featuring the award winning song, “I’m Easy,” Nashville is regarded one of the greatest American films ever made.
ClassicsCary Grant plays John Robie, reformed jewel thief who was once known as The Cat, in this suspenseful Alfred Hitchcock classic thriller. Robie is suspected of a new rash of gem thefts in the luxury hotels of the French Riviera, and he must set out to clear himself. Meeting pampered heiress Frances (Grace Kelly), he sees a chance to bait the mysterious thief with her mother's (Jessie Royce Landis) fabulous jewels. His plan backfires, however, but Frances, who believes him guilty, proves her love by helping him escape. In a spine-tingling climax, the real criminal is exposed.
ClassicsIn 1970, John Wayne earned an Academy Award for his larger-than-life performance as the drunken, uncouth and totally fearless one-eyed U.S. Marshall, Rooster Cogburn. The cantankerous Rooster is hired by a headstrong young girl (Kim Darby) to find the man who murdered her father and fled with the family savings. When Cogburn's employer insists on accompanying the old gunfighter, sparks fly. And the situation goes from troubled to disastrous when the inexperienced Texas Ranger (Glen Campbell) joins the party. Laughter and tears punctuate the wild action in this extraordinary Western which features performances by Robert Duvall and Strother Martin.
ClassicsCary Grant stars in one of his funniest roles as a boozy beachcomber sitting out WWII in peace - until the Allies recruit him to be a lookout on the South Pacific isle. During an enemy attack, he answers a distress call and discovers a beautiful French schoolmarm (Leslie Caron) and her seven girl students. And so begins a hilarious battle of the sexes between a messy American, a prim Mademoiselle, and seven mischievous little girls. Who will win is anybody's guess, but you can be sure that Father Goose delivers plenty of romantic fun and adventure along the way.
ClassicsFor sheer pageantry and spectacle, few motion pictures can claim to equal the splendor of Cecil B. DeMille’s 1956 remake of his epic “The Ten Commandments”. Filmed in Egypt and the Sinai with one of the biggest sets ever constructed for a motion picture, this version tells the story of the life of Moses (Charlton Heston), once favoured in the Pharaoh’s (Yul Brynner) household, who turned his back on a privileged life to lead his people to freedom. With a rare on-screen introduction by Cecil B. DeMille himself.
ClassicsA battle of gigantic proportions is looming in the neon underground of New York City. The armies of the night number 100,000; they outnumber the police 5 to 1; and tonight they're after the Warriors—a street gang blamed unfairly for a rival gang leader's death. This contemporary action-adventure story takes place at night, underground, in the sub-culture of gang warfare that rages from Coney Island to Manhattan to the Bronx. Members of the Warriors fight for their lives, seek to survive in the urban jungle and learn the meaning of loyalty. This intense and stylized film is a dazzling achievement for cinematographer Andrew Laszlo.
ClassicsFame isn’t forever—just ask Norma Desmond. Once a Hollywood legend, now a forgotten relic. When struggling screenwriter Joe Gillis stumbles into her decaying mansion, he becomes trapped in her web of obsession and delusion. What starts as an opportunity soon spirals into something far more dangerous. Dark and twisted, Sunset Boulevard is a haunting look at Hollywood’s cycle—where youth is currency, talent fleeting, and the spotlight always fades. Are you ready for your close-up?
ClassicsAbsolute power corrupts in 'Caligula: The Ultimate Cut', an extensive reconstruction of the notorious 1980 spectacle. Shadowed by the murder of his family, Caligula (Malcolm McDowell) eliminates his devious adoptive grandfather (Peter O’Toole) and seizes control of the Roman Empire alongside his wife Caesonia (Helen Mirren) before descending into a spiral of depravity, destruction, and madness.
ClassicsAlain Delon was at his most impossibly beautiful when Purple Noon (Plein soleil) was released and made him an instant star. This ripe, colorful adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s vicious novel The Talented Mr. Ripley, directed by the versatile René Clément, stars Delon as Tom Ripley, a duplicitous American charmer in Rome on a mission to bring his privileged, devil-may-care acquaintance Philippe Greenleaf (Maurice Ronet) back to the United States; what initially seems to be a carefree tale of friendship soon morphs into a thrilling saga of seduction, identity theft, and murder. Featuring gorgeous on-location photography in coastal Italy, Purple Noon is crafted with a light touch that allows it to be suspenseful and erotic at once, while giving Delon the role of a lifetime.
ClassicsIn 1949, an American writer of westerns, Holly Martins, arrives in post-war Vienna to visit his old friend Harry Lime. On arrival, he learns that his friend has been killed in a street accident, and when he meets Calloway, chief of the British Military Police in Vienna, he is informed that Lime was in fact a black marketer wanted by the police. He decides to prove Harry's innocence, but is Harry really dead?
ClassicsIn Sydney Pollack's critically acclaimed suspense-thriller, Robert Redford (SPY GAME) stars as CIA Agent Joe Turner. Code name: Condor. When his entire office is massacred, Turner goes on the run from his enemies…and his so-called allies. After reporting the murders to his superiors, the organization wants to bring Condor in – but somebody is trying to take him out. In his frantic hunt for answers, and in a desperate run for his life, Turner abducts photographer Kathy Hale) Faye Dunaway, THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR), eventually seducing her into helping him. Every twist leads Condor to the end of his nerves…and will take you to the edge of your seat. With nowhere to turn and no one to trust, Turner realizes his most dangerous enemy may be closer than he ever feared. And as he zeroes in on the truth, he discovers ther
ClassicsBefore FAME, PINK FLOYD: THE WALL, THE COMMITMENTS, and EVITA, acclaimed director Alan Parker redefined the movie musical with his first feature length film. Set in 1929 New York City, BUGSY MALONE captures a flashy world of would-be hoodlums, showgirls, and dreamers—all portrayed by child actors. As Tallulah, the sassy girlfriend of the owner of Fat Sam's Grand Slam Speakeasy, future superstar Jodie Foster leads a talented cast. Parker’s sharp script, combined with the music and lyrics of Paul Williams (PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE) makes for an irresistible satire that’s truly one-of-a-kind.
ClassicsBased on the all-time favorite novel by Anna Sewell, Black Beauty is a lyrical tale of the friendship and understanding between a young boy and his colt. Joe Evans (Mark Lester) and Black Beauty are parted and before their reunion, Beauty passes from owner to owner as a race horse, circus performer, military steed in India, and a worker for a coal merchant. Black Beauty is a passionate argument for the humane treatment of animals, as well as outstanding family entertainment.
ClassicsThe U.S.S. Sea Tiger is on it's last legs until the submarine captain and his ingenious (if slightly unethical) supply officer scavenge the parts and supplies needed to get their dry-dock sub back into WWII action. However, a bevy of beautiful nurses comes aboard, causing hijinks in the hot pink sub. The inimitable pairing of Grant and Curtis, as the irascible captain and his sleazy subordinate, make the film a true classic.
ClassicsTwo worthy Academy Award® nominees from 1950's Sunset Boulevard – actor William Holden and director Billy Wilder – reteamed three years later for the gripping World War II drama, Stalag 17. The result was another Best Director nomination for Wilder (his fourth), and the elusive Best Actor Oscar® for Holden. Holden portrays the jaded, scheming Sergeant J.J. Sefton, a prisoner at the notorious German prison camp, who spends his days dreaming up rackets and trading with the Germans for special privileges. But when two prisoners are killed in an escape attempt, it becomes obvious that there is a spy among the prisoners. Is it Sefton? Famed producer/director Otto Preminger tackles a rare acting role as the camp's commandant; actor Robert Strauss won a Supporting Actor nomination for his role as "Animal."
ClassicsSet against the stifling conformity of pre-World War I English society, E.M. Forster’s Maurice is a story of coming to terms with one’s sexuality and identity in the face of disapproval and misunderstanding.
ClassicsHumphrey Bogart plays one of his rare comedy roles in this jaunty excursion about three convicts - Joseph (Bogart), Albert (Aldo Ray) and Jules (Peter Ustinov) - who are plotting their escape from Devil's Island. Fate intervenes when they hide out with kindly, but inept Felix (Leo G. Carroll) and his family. Felix manages a store for his arrogant cousin Andre (Basil Rathbone), who makes the fatal mistake of stealing Albert's pet, a poisonous snake. After resolving Felix's problems, the convicts return to prison, convinced that the world is much too wicked. Based on the play by Albert Husson.
ClassicsBeginning before the Nativity and extending though the Crucifixion and Resurrection, "Jesus of Nazareth" brings to life all the majesty and sweeping drama of the life of Jesus (portrayed here by Robert Powell) as told in the Gospels. A star-studded cast featuring Michael York, Sir Laurence Olivier, James Earl Jones, Anne Bancroft, Olivia Hussey, Rod Steiger and Anthony Quinn, adds depth and humanity to the roles of the saints, sinners and ordinary people who walked in the footsteps of the Lord. The film provides the setting and background for the birth, childhood, baptism, teaching, and many miracles of the Messiah, culminating in the Divine Resurrection. Directed by Oscar(R) nominee Franco Zeffirelli ("Romeo&Juliet", "The Champ", "Jane Eyre", "Endless Love") and acclaimed by critics and religious leaders worldwide, "J
ClassicsJo Stockton can only get to Paris to meet with the beatnik founder of "empathicalism" (a idea that implores you to "put yourself into others shoes" in order to 'empathize' with them) if she agrees to model a line of ultra-chic fashions for photographer Dick Avery. Paris provides the backdrop for this blend of Gershwin music and Givenchy fashion.
ClassicsAcclaimed director George Stevens’ legendary rendition of the quintessential Western myth earned six Academy Award® nominations, and made Shane one of the classics of the American cinema. The story brings Alan Ladd, a drifter and retired gunfighter, to the assistance of a homestead family terrorized by a wealthy cattleman and his hired gun (Jack Palance). In fighting the last decisive battle, Shane sees the end of his own way of life. Mysterious, moody and atmospheric, the film is enhanced by the intense performances of its splendid cast.
ClassicsMaori couple Jake and Beth Heke are deeply in love, but Jake's alcoholic-fueled rage turns into domestic violence that threatens to tear their family apart. As their home life grows increasingly dangerous, Beth must do all she can to protect their three children. Set against the backdrop of traditional tribal culture, this classic and contoversial 90's indie sleeper hit put New Zealand on the cinema map.
ClassicsA riveting psychological thriller that investigates the nature of truth and the meaning of justice, Rashomon is widely considered one of the greatest films ever made. Four people give different accounts of a man’s murder and the rape of his wife, which director Akira Kurosawa presents with striking imagery and an ingenious use of flashbacks. This eloquent masterwork and international sensation revolutionized film language and introduced Japanese cinema—and a commanding new star by the name of Toshiro Mifune—to the Western world.
ClassicsSuperstar Barbra Streisand headlines this magical musical directed by Vincente Minnelli, adapted from the Alan Jay Lerner Broadway show. Chain-smoking kooky Daisy consults psychiatrist Chabot to help her stop smoking, only to discover she has amazing ESP powers. While under hypnosis, she reveals her former life as Melinda, an 1840 English coquette. What follows is a comedy/drama/fantasy love triangle unlike any other.
ClassicsYongho (Sul Kyung-gu) stares down an oncoming train as twenty years of his life flash before his eyes. Proceeding to move backward in time, Lee’ Chang-dong's acclaimed second directorial feature rewinds the protagonist's loss of humanity - from his fraught, self-hating middle age through his callow teens. The moments in between these events, as seen through the lens of Yongho’s oppressive struggles, mirror South Korea’s traumatic political history during the late 20th century. An official selection of the Directors' Fortnight selection in Cannes and winner of the Special Prize of the Jury at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Peppermint Candy "is a powerful work of Korean New Wave cinema that elegizes a generation of marginalized people with “quiet, heartbreaking power” (The New York Times).
ClassicsThe loons are back again on Golden Pond and so are Norman Thayer (Academy Award® winner Henry Fonda), a retired professor, and Ethel (Academy Award® winner Katharine Hepburn) who have had a summer cottage there since early in their marriage. This summer their daughter Chelsea (Academy Award® winner Jane Fonda) -- whom they haven't seen for years -- feels she must be there for Norman's birthday. She and her fiance are on their way to Europe the next day but will be back in a couple of weeks to pick up the fiance's son. When she returns Chelsea is married and her stepson has the relationship with her father that she always wanted. Will father and daughter be able to communicate at last?
ClassicsHatari! is Swahili for "danger"—and also the word for action, adventure and broad comedy in this two-fisted Howard Hawks effort. John Wayne stars as the head of a daring Tanganyka-based group which captures wild animals on behalf of the world's zoos. Hardy Kruger, Gérard Blain and Red Buttons are members of Wayne's men-only contingent, all of whom are reduced to jello when the curvaceous Elsa Martinelli enters the scene. In tried and true Howard Hawks fashion, Martinelli quickly becomes "one of the guys," though Wayne apparently can't say two words to her without sparking an argument. The second half of this amazingly long film concerns the care and maintenance of a baby elephant; the barely credible finale is devoted to a comic pachyderm stampede down an urban African street, ending literally at the foot of Martine
ClassicsThe year is 1936. Orphaned Addie Loggins (Tatum O'Neal, in her film debut) is left in the care of unethical traveling Bible salesman Moses Pray (Ryan O'Neal, Tatum's dad), who may or may not be her father. En route to Addie's relatives, Moses learns that the 9-year-old is quite a handful: she smokes, cusses, and is almost as devious and manipulative as he is. They join forces as swindlers, working together so well that Addie is averse to breaking up the team — which is one reason that she sabotages the romance between Moses and good-time gal Trixie Delight (Madeline Kahn). Later, while attempting to square a $200 debt that Addie claims he owes her, Moses runs afoul of of a bootlegger (John Hillerman) and is nearly beaten to death by the criminal's twin-brother sheriff. Painfully pulling himself together, Moses gets A
ClassicsScreen favorite Meryl Streep received an Academy Award® for her portrayal of Sophie Zawistowska in this penetrating drama set in post-World War II Brooklyn. Kevin Kline plays her all-consuming lover, Nathan. The story revolves around Sophie's struggle as a Polish-Catholic immigrant in the United States who had survived a Nazi concentration camp. The lovers' drama unfolds through the observations of a friend and would-be writer, Stingo (Peter MacNicol). As the trio grows closer, Stingo uncovers the hidden truths that they each harbor, resulting in “a fine, absorbing, wonderfully acted, heartbreaking movie” (Roger Ebert).
ClassicsIn the tradition of grand animated classics, Disney's 11th animated masterpiece, THE ADVENTURES OF ICHABOD AND MR. TOAD, presents two unforgettable children's classics. Through award-winning (Golden Globe, Best Cinematography, 1950) Disney animation wizardry, THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS and THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW come together in one fabulous adventure -- in its original theatrical format. Hang on for a wild motorcar ride with J. Thaddeus Toad as he drives his friends Mole, Rat and Angus MacBadger into a worried frenzy! Then meet the spindly Ichabod Crane, who dreams of sweeping beautiful Katrina Van Tassel off her feet, despite opposition from town bully Brom Bones, who also has his eye on Katrina. The comic rivalry introduces Ichabod to the legend of the Headless Horseman, resulting in a heart-thumping climax! Wonde
ClassicsJulie Andrews made a bid to change her squeaky clean image with this elaborately mounted WWI musical. Lili Smith (Andrews) is a popular British music hall singer who is regarded as a femme fatale and has been known to throw a bit of striptease into her act. However, Lili has a secret: she's actually a German spy, and the uncle she dotes upon is really Von Ruger (Jeremy Kemp), a fellow espionage agent and her contact for the Huns. In hopes of gaining valuable information, Lili begins using her feminine wiles on Maj. William Larrabee (Rock Hudson), a top American pilot. However, Lili soon discovers that she's falling in love with Larrabee and can't find the courage to betray him; Larrabee discovers Lili's secret, but he refuses to turn her in.
ClassicsDean Martin (Al Crowthers) and Jerry Lewis (Melvin Jones) join the Navy in this entertaining comedy that features some of their best routines. Watch closely for a brief appearance by James Dean. Based on the play SAILOR BEWARE by Kenyon Nicholson and Charles Robinson.
ClassicsAviation and sports come together in Strategic Air Command.This 1955 American film is starring James Stewart and June Allyson, and is directed by Anthony Mann. Robert "Dutch" Holland (James Stewart) is a professional baseball player with the St. Louis Cardinals. As a former B-29 bomber pilot during World War II, he is also an officer on inactive status in the United States Air Force Reserve. During spring training in St. Petersburg, Florida, he is recalled to active duty for 21 months.
ClassicsIn a small village in the remote English countryside, several young maidens have been found dead and their beautiful faces horribly aged almost beyond recognition. Suspecting a supernatural evil at work, the local doctor calls on Army friend and famed vampire hunter Captain Kronos, an expert swordsman formerly of the Kings Imperial Guard. Aided by his expert assistant Professor Grost, the two quickly confirm the gruesome murders are the work of a unique type of vampire, one who drains its victims not of their blood, but of their youth! After forging a lethal new sword from a old graveyard cross, the vampire hunters set out to put an end to Evils reign of terror in this Hammer Films horror classic.
ClassicsMartin Scorsese Presents REPUBLIC REDISCOVERED—over 20 rarely seen films from the storied Republic Pictures library, restored and remastered by Paramount and personally curated by Martin Scorsese. In Johnny Guitar a gambling house operator seeks control of a town as an archrival sets out to force her out of town. The timely arrival of Johnny Guitar thwarts the dark plans, but does not prevent a showdown between the women. The Library of Congress selected this cult classic for preservation in the National Film Registry. From acclaimed director Nicholas Ray (Rebel Without A Cause).
ClassicsIn Cecil B. DeMille’s Academy Award®-winning film, we step behind the scenes of the circus…in all its majesty and mystery. Charlton Heston stars as Brad Braden, the diehard circus manager who lives and breathes to keep the show rolling. With the Big Top about to hit rock bottom, Braden hires The Great Sebastian (Cornel Wilde), a daring trapeze legend, to revitalize the circus. His arrival sparks the rivalry and admiration of Holly (Betty Hutton), Braden’s girlfriend and trapeze star. After a death-defying battle to regain her place in the center ring, Holly soon finds herself torn between the love of workaholic Brad and the brazen Sebastian. Add to the mix a flirtatious elephant trainer, racketeers and a lovable clown (James Stewart) with a secret past, and every character becomes a tough act to follow.
ClassicsSet in a richly exaggerated 17th-century England, Peter Greenaway’s sumptuous and sensuously charged brainteaser catapulted him to the forefront of international art cinema. Adorned with intricate wordplay, extravagant costumes and opulent photography, Greenaway’s first narrative feature weaves a labyrinthine mystery around the maxim “draw what you see, not what you know.” An aristocratic wife (Janet Suzman) commissions a young, cocksure draughtsman (Anthony Higgins) to sketch her husband’s property while he is away—in exchange for a fee, room and board, and one sexual favor for each of the twelve drawings. As the draughtsman becomes more entrenched in the devious schemings in this seemingly idyllic country home, curious details emerge in his drawings that may reveal a murder. Bolstered by a majestic score
ClassicsDirected by Sergio Leone, this epic Western re-established the genre, and still stands as one of the greatest, artistic films of all time. Henry Fonda stars as Frank, a ruthless murderous psychopath who feels no remorse, even after annihilating Mrs. McBain’s (Claudia Cardinale) entire family. Charles Bronson plays The Man, a harmonica wielding loner who will never forget how his brother was savagely tortured. The Man joins forces with Cheyenne (Jason Robards), the man wrongfully accused of murdering Mrs. McBain’s family, to put an end once and for all to Frank’s reign of terror.
ClassicsFresh out of prison, Hong Jong-du (Sul Kyung-gu) finds an unlikely soulmate in Gong-ju (Moon So-ri), the daughter of the victim of the hit-and-run accident for which he went to jail. Wheelchair-bound and suffering from severe cerebral palsy, Gong-ju is kept cloistered in a cheap apartment by her brother, whose only concern is the government assistance she receives. Over a series of clandestine meetings, the two begin an improbable relationship that defies the judgment and cruelty of the world around them. Winner of the Silver Lion for Best Director and Best Young Actress at the Venice Film Festival, Lee Chang-dong's "Oasis" is a “brave film” that “shows two people who find any relationship almost impossible, and yet find a way to make theirs work” (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times).
ClassicsCelebrate the 50th anniversary of the intergalactic cult classic starring Jane Fonda! Barbarella is an interstellar space-traveler who crash lands on the planet Lythion in the year 40,000. Encountering trouble everywhere she goes, Barbarella uses every asset and every man at her disposal, to complete her mission to seek out and stop the evil Durand Durand. Whether she is wrestling with Black Guards, the evil Queen, or the angel Pygar (John Phillip Law) she just can't seem to avoid losing at least a part of her skin-tight space suit!
ClassicsDuring World War I, Scottish soldier Private Plumpick is sent on a mission to a village in the French countryside to disarm a bomb set by the retreating German army. Plumpick encounters a strange town occupied by the former residents of the local psychiatric hospital who escaped after the villagers deserted. Assuming roles like Bishop, Duke, barber, and circus ringmaster, they warmly accept the visitor as their King of Hearts. With his reconnaissance and bomb-defusing mission looming, Plumpick starts to prefer the acceptance of the insane locals over the insanity of the war raging outside. Since its debut, King of Hearts has become a worldwide cult favorite and stands out as one of de Broca’s most memorable films.
ClassicsA pregnant wanderer is involved in a train crash and assumes a dead girl's identity. When a man who discovers her true identity blackmails her, she decides to kill him. Based on a novel by William Irish.
ClassicsSt. Francis of Assisi was an extraordinarily complex and difficult figure whose effect on his contemporary society was electrifying. Even today, many people are moved by his visionary message of universal toleration. Twelfth-century Italy had an exceptionally grim and regimented society, but the barefoot monk from Assisi undoubtedly had the courage that comes from deep faith and was able to transcend the oppressiveness of the time. In this Italian/British-produced film, director Franco Zeffirelli attempts to bring his vision of this great man to the screen. The contemporary (1970s) example of the hippie movement contributed a great deal to the style in which the story is told. The musical score, using ancient Italian melodies, was arranged by Donovan. The film is visually beautiful in a way which tends to minimize the
ClassicsAn impending collision with a runaway star signals the destruction of Earth. The government refuses to listen to scientists, but private industrialists finance the building of a spaceship, which will carry a limited number of people to another planet to begin a new civilization. As doomsday approaches, they race against time and the panic of those who will be left behind. The potential pulverizing impact of the collision, the massive tidal waves and devastating earthquakes, and the final cosmic smashup make a chilling panorama of disaster. The balance between human and planetary drama is excellently maintained as the movie builds to its fascinating, unforgettable climax.
ClassicsA confident oil baron and a determined cowboy are rivals for Oklahoma land and oil rights, and for the love of a pretty schoolteacher. The cowboy acts on behalf of the Indians, on whose land the oil is discovered. Based on the story "War of the Wildcats."
ClassicsBarbara Stanwyck stars as bedridden hypochondriac Leona Stevenson, who while trying to make a call from her bedroom telephone gets her wires crossed and inadvertently overhears two men plotting a murder. Anxiously, Leona wades through telephone-company bureaucracy to trace the call, never catching on — until it's too late — that the murder being planned is hers. A series of flashbacks details the disintegrating marriage between the wealthy Leona and her weakling husband Henry (Burt Lancaster), and Henry's subsequent disastrous get-rich-quick schemes involving chemist Waldo Evans (Harold Vermilyea) and a surly gangster (William Conrad). It would have been a near-sacrilege to alter the radio play's ironic ending, which fortunately remains intact on film. Sorry Wrong Number was first heard on radio's Suspense series i
ClassicsWar and Peace is a commendable attempt to boil down Tolstoy's long, difficult novel into 208 minutes' screen time. In recreating the the social and personal upheavals attending Napoleon's 1812 invasion of Russia, $6 million was shelled out by coproducers Carlo Ponti, Dino de Laurentiis and Paramount Pictures. Some of the panoramic battle sequences are so expertly handled by second-unit director Mario Soldati that they appear to be Technicolor-and-Vistavision newsreel footage of the actual events. Still, the film falters dramatically, principally because of a lumpy script and King Vidor's surprisingly lustreless direction. In addition, the casting is wildly consistent: for example, while Audrey Hepburn is flawless as Natasha, Henry Fonda is far too "Yankeefied" as the introspective Pierre. Proving too long and unwieldy
ClassicsAfter decades in prison, stagecoach robber Bill Miner (Richard Farnsworth, The Straight Story, Tom Horn) emerges in 1901 a free man without a place in 20th-century society. Times have changed, but in the face of all these changes, neither his good-humored patience nor his joy of life has abandoned him. With the vigor of a teenager, Miner sees a screening of one of the first films, The Great Train Robbery, and is inspired to once again do what he does best. Filmed with the beautiful Pacific Northwest as a backdrop, The Grey Fox is a rare and touching yarn exploring and unravelling a greatly likeable and unlikely hero. Beautifully shot by Frank Tidy (The Duellists) and wonderfully directed by Phillip Borsos (The Mean Season), The Grey Fox is a richly satisfying film experience considered by most as one of the greatest Ca
ClassicsBrimming with magical realism, sensuality, and humor, the final film by revered filmmaker Shohei Imamura is "an enlightening, even liberating, experience" (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times) that tells the story of Yosuke Sasano, an unemployed salaryman who arrives in a remote fishing village following a rumor of hidden treasure. Instead, he meets Saeko Aizawa, a charming and unusual woman with a unique problem: a well of warm water inside her longing for release. Saeko faces both shame and adoration for her condition, which the local anglers believe feeds the river and its fish. Intrigued and enamored, Yosuke decides to take up a new life as a fisherman. Through their passionate affair, Imamura paints a picture of longing, fantasy, and the search for true happiness in the most unexpected of places that's both "nonchalant
ClassicsIn this hilarious, heart-warming and thought-provoking show, internationally renowned actress Miriam Margolyes reflects on the family influences which have shaped her hugely successful career and her love of literary giants including William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens and Oscar Wilde. In this captivating performance, also featuring acclaimed pianist John Martin, Miriam inhabits over 20 characters with a dazzling variety of the accents for which she is renowned. From Lady Bracknell and Miss Prism, to Romeo and Juliet’s Nurse and Juliet herself, Miriam also encores her Australian and international triumph of "Gertrude Stein and a Companion". The best of Charles Dickens features in a showcase of wit, power and pathos.
ClassicsFollowing a reckless encounter with her mother’s boyfriend, teenage Heidi is forced to flee home and restart her life, finding refuge at a motel in the icy ski town of Jindabyne. There, she lands a job at a petrol station, befriends her warm co-worker Bianca, and meets Joe, a young man grappling with his own emotional baggage. As Heidi and Joe pursue a shaky relationship and search for normalcy against a bleak winter backdrop, they must confront their vices, feelings of isolation, and need for love and belonging. Cate Shortland’s stunning feature debut is a “frank and visceral film that at the same time exudes an unexpected innocence” (Los Angeles Times). Featuring early performances from Abbie Cornish and Sam Worthington, Somersault sheds light on the complexity of growing up and the quiet ache of loneliness.
ClassicsFrank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Janet Leigh and Angela Lansbury star in this political suspense classic about the drug-hypnosis-induced behavior that transforms a U.S. Army hero into a human time bomb.
ClassicsShohei Sugiyama (Koji Yakusho) seems to have it all - a high-paying job as an accountant, a beautiful home, a caring wife and a doting daughter he loves dearly. However, he feels something is missing in his life. One day while commuting on the train he spots a beautiful woman staring wistfully out a window and eventually decides to find her. His search leads him head-first into the world of competitive ballroom dancing. An “infinitely touching"" (The Washington Post) modern classic from director Masayuki Suo, "Shall We Dance?" is a feel-good romantic comedy that "will sweep you off your feet" (The Austin Chronicle). A box-office sensation in North America upon its initial release (which led to a Hollywood remake with Richard Gere), Film Movement Classics presents "Shall We Dance?" in a new restoration of the original
ClassicsThe original take-off cult classic from the highly successful team of David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker (Airplane, The Naked Gun), this“uproariously funny [film]” (TV Guide) launched a thousand laughs and serves as a precursor to the raunch-fests of the ‘80s and the blockbuster success of the Farrelly Brothers films. Directed by the legendary John Landis (Animal House, The Blues Brothers), The Kentucky Fried Movie features alewd, loosely connected collection of skits that spoof blaxploitation films, news shows, porno movies, TV commercials, kung fu flicks and more! Including well-known stars such as Bill Bixby, Donald Sutherland, Tony Dow, George Lazenby and Henry Gibson, this one-of-a-kind film features over 22 gut-bustingly hilarious segments including: "Cleopatra Schwartz", "The Wonderful World Of Se
ClassicsWilliam Holden portrays a screenwriter with a script deadline in three days. When he asks secretary Audrey Hepburn to help concoct ideas, she acts out a potpourri of preposterous plots. Beautifully shot on location in Paris by famed cinematographer Claude Renoir.
ClassicsJerry Lewis directed, co-wrote and starred in this riotously funny movie that set a new standard for screen comedy and inspired the hit remake. Lewis plays a timid, nearsighted chemistry teacher who discovers a magical potion that can transform him into a suave and handsome Romeo. The Jekyll and Hyde game works well enough until the concoction starts to wear off at the most embarrassing times, and the professor begins to suffer hilarious symptoms of his personality split. Co-starring Stella Stevens.
ClassicsWalking Tall is a 1973 American action semi-biopic film of Sheriff Buford Pusser, a former professional wrestler-turned-lawman in McNairy County, Tennessee. It starred Joe Don Baker as Pusser. Tennessee sheriff Buford Pusser almost single-handedly cleaned up his small town of crime and corruption, but at a personal cost of his family life and nearly his own life.
ClassicsStanley’s a bellboy at the popular Fountainbleau Hotel in Miami Beach, quietly performing his duties with the occasional blunder. Then one day, a big star of the screen resembling the bumbling bellboy, arrives at the hotel. In this comedy classic (the directorial debut of Jerry Lewis) not a single word of dialogue is spoken by the main character until the very end of the film, paying a brilliant tribute to the silent clowns of early cinema.
ClassicsThe son of a steamboat captain, Buster falls in love with the daughter of a rival steamboat owner. When a cyclone rages, Buster proves himself a hero by rescuing his love and her father from a watery grave.
ClassicsYou have the freedom to be yourself, your true self, here and now, and nothing can stand in your way. Jonathan Livingston Seagull's words, from the best-selling novel by Richard Bach, bring into sharp focus the intense and extraordinary determination of Jonathan, who envisions another world - one of love, understanding, achievement, hope and individuality. An evocative musical score by Neil Diamond is paramount to the film's mood.
ClassicsWhen her father, Captain Crewe, is called to duty in Africa, young Sara (Shirley Temple) is sent to stay in the care of an exclusive school for girls. Sara finds that she is quite happy in her new surroundings; she's living a life of wealth and privilege. However, her good fortune takes a turn for the worse when her father turns up missing in action. Now strapped with looming tuition, room and board payments, Sara finds herself scrubbing floors and cleaning fireplaces to work off her debt - being dubbed the Little Princess by her former friends. Finally deciding to not let it get her down, the new "little princess" refuses to give up hope and sets off on mission to discover her lost father's whereabouts.
ClassicsThis frantic comedy finds Raymond (Jerry Lewis) working in a department store. Mr. Tuttle (John McGiver) is the watchful owner, whose outspoken wife Phoebe (Agnes Moorehead) makes no secret about her feelings that Raymond is an incompetent boob. Barbara (Jill St. John) is the pretty elevator operator, and unknown to Raymond, the boss' daughter. Quimby (Ray Walston) is the floor manager who has more of an eye for the ladies than his job at the store. Raymond proceeds to wreck every department in the store, earning new positions with each mishap. Two of the many sight gags are when Raymond is sent to paint the top of a flagpole and a hilarious vacuum cleaner demonstration that naturally goes awry.
ClassicsKind-hearted Mija (Yun Jung-hee) is tasked with raising her troubled teenage grandson, Jong-wook, while her daughter works in far-off Busan. In denial that her abilities as a caregiver are threatened by the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, Mija begins to study poetry writing at the local cultural center. At first she finds inspiration in the beauty of the natural world, but then, when Jong-wook is mired in a shocking scandal, Mija taps into newfound depths of disappointment and pain. Winner of the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury and Best Screenplay at Cannes, Lee Chang-dong's "Poetry" is a “tour de force” that presents an “extraordinary vision of human empathy” (The New York Times).
ClassicsWhen Alex enters the lives of the musical Tuttle family, each of the three daughters falls for him. He is charming, good looking and personable. Laurie and Alex seem made for each other and become engaged. When Barney comes into the picture to help Alex with some musical arrangements matters become complicated. He is seen as a challenge by Laurie, who can't believe anyone could be as cynical, and she is more than a match for his gloomy outlook on life.
ClassicsMore than 40 years before RuPaul's Drag Race, this ground-breaking documentary about the 1967 Miss All-American Camp Beauty Pageant introduced audiences to the world of competitive drag. The film takes us backstage to kiki with the contestants as they rehearse, throw shade, and transform into their drag personas in the lead-up to the big event. Organized by LGBTQ icon and activist Flawless Sabrina, the competition boasted a star-studded panel of judges including Andy Warhol, Larry Rivers, and Terry Southern.. But perhaps most memorable is an epic diatribe calling out the pageant's bias delivered by Crystal LaBeija, who would go on to form the influential House of LaBeija, heavily featured in Paris Is Burning (1990). A vibrant piece of queer history, The Queen can now be seen in full resplendence thanks to a new restora
ClassicsJack Nicholson returns as private eye Jake Gittes in this atmospheric Chinatown follow-up that's hit upon "the elusive sequel formula for somehow enhancing a great original" (Mike Clark, USA Today). Much has changed since we last saw Jake. The war has come and gone; 1948 Los Angeles teems with optimism and fast bucks. But there's one thing Jake knows hasn't changed: "Nine times out of ten, if you follow the money you will get to the truth." And that's the trail he follows when a routine case of marital hanky panky explodes into a murder that's tied to a grab for oil--and to Jake's own past.
ClassicsA cave collapse in New Mexico traps a man, and all eyes turn toward the tragedy... including those of Charles "Chuck" Tatum (Kirk Douglas), a washed-up newspaper reporter who sees the incident as a ticket back to his former days at the top of the journalism heap. As the media circus begins to swirl around the trapped man's plight, Tatum takes command of the situation, embellishing the unfolding drama and prolonging the rescue effort … while feeding stories to the nation's reporters clamoring to cover the event. Celebrated director Billy Wilder (SUNSET BOULEVARD)mixes gritty cynicism with a superb cast in this powerful, fascinating study of the dark side of the human soul.
ClassicsIt is 1943 and the tiny remote Hebrideanisland of Todday is plunged into the depths of despair. Everyone is affected. Spirits are at zero - for Todday is without whisky. Then a ship founders on the rocks, and the islanders guide the crew to safety. The ship's captain and mate reveal that they had on board a cargo of 50,000 cases of whisky bound for America. Held up for a day because it is the Sabbath, the islanders eventually succeed in removing a considerable amount of the cargo and the dawn breaks with a rosy glow on a brighter, happier island. But the whisky does not last forever... Inspired by a true story
ClassicsA cornerstone of the horror film, F. W. Murnau’s Nosferatu: A Symphiny of Horror is resurrected in an HD edition mastered from the acclaimed 35mm restoration by the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung. Backed by an orchestral performance of Hans Erdmann’s 1922 score, this edition offers unprecedented visual clarity and historical faithfulness to the original release version. An unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Nosferatu remains to many viewers the most unsettling vampire film ever made, and its bald, spidery vampire, personified by the diabolical Max Schreck, continues to spawn imitations in the realm of contemporary cinema.
ClassicsThe year was 1960. A payola scandal shocks the music world. Movie fans are introduced to glorious Smell-O-Vision. The 50-star flag is adopted. And in G.I. Blues, Elvis adopts an on-screen persona he knows well in real life – a singin' G.I. in West Germany. Eager to open a stateside nightclub after his hitch in khakis, he takes part in a wager to raise the dough he needs. The bet: he can melt the iceberg heart of a willowy dancer (Juliet Prowse). But all bets may be off when real love intervenes...
ClassicsThree Stooges fans rejoice! These beautifully restored and extremely rare routines are in color for the very first time. Extreme Rarities is sure to please both casual and hardcore fans alike.
ClassicsJoin legends of comedy for this spectacular Bob Hope variety hour featuring special guests Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz! Hope puts it to Desi, "If I were married to Lucy, she wouldn't be getting away with all that nonsense you put up with." This soon leads to a Baba-Loo-singing Hope married to the fiery redhead. Ethel stops in, seeming thrilled to find that she's now married to a younger, handsome - albeit difficult to understand - husband Fred, now played by Desi Arnaz. Lucy's standard antics ensue and, by the end, we just may see a beaten-down Hope eating his earlier words.
ClassicsLucy is at her old tricks again in this lost special from 1959, starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz and Milton Berle. Starstruck Lucy finds herself overly-involved in the anniversary plans of Mr. and Mrs. Milton Berle - leading to Lucy shopping with Milton as he selects a diamond ring for his wife. All goes well until Lucy gets the ring stuck on her finger and she and Milton find themselves trying to outwit a pair of ruthless jewelry thieves. The laughs are many in this “lost” gem, featuring three of television’s biggest names in comedy history!
ClassicsSanta Claus goes on a covert mission to rescue hostages with the aid of a fairy princess and a couple of automatic weapon toting child soldiers. Kris Kringle nearly gets devoured by an alligator. Simon, our hero, nearly gets devoured by the ogre, in this great Christmas classic!
ClassicsEach summer, Edward J Kelty, a Manhattan banquet photographer active from the 1920's through the 1940's, would load his enormous camera into a small truck and follow the circus, first up and down the East Coast and eventually throughout the United States. His extraordinary photographs captured the spirit and atmosphere of the big top, and with a "poof" of flash powder preserved mesmerizing images of the horse wranglers, acrobats, ticket-takers, candy butchers, teeterboard tumblers and sideshow exotics that populated the colorful world of the traveling circuses. Kelty was the Cecil B. DeMille of circus photographers, at times assembling as many as one thousand circus performers for spectacular group shots. Particularly popular were his annual "Congress of Freaks" photographs, which gathered together the Ringling Brother
ClassicsJerry Lewis, plays a third-rate USO magician named Gilbert Woolley, working the Far East circuit with his pet rabbit Harry. Nearly fired for accidentally humiliating haughty movie star Marie McDonald, Gilbert's career is salvaged by kindly Japanese aristocrat Sessue Hayakawa; it seems that Gilbert is the only person who is able to make Sessue's lonely, orphaned nephew Robert Hirano laugh. An international incident nearly develops when hero-worshipping Hirano tries to follow Gilbert back to the US, whereupon the poor prestidigitator is accused of being a kidnaper. Like most of the Jerry Lewis/Frank Tashlin collaborations, The Geisha Boy is highlighted by several eye-popping sight-gag sequences. The best bits include a ballpark scene featuring several members of the 1958 Los Angeles Dodgers (notably Gil Hodges) and a sle
ClassicsAs nervy as it is hilarious, this screwball masterpiece from Ernst Lubitsch stars Jack Benny and, in her final screen appearance, Carole Lombard as husband-and-wife thespians in Nazi-occupied Warsaw who become caught up in a dangerous spy plot. To Be or Not to Be is a Hollywood film of the boldest black humor, which went into production right before the U.S. entered World War II. Lubitsch manages to brilliantly balance political satire, romance, slapstick, and wartime suspense in a comic high-wire act that has never been equaled.
ClassicsOne man claimed the land. Two men claimed the woman who lived there. Elizabeth Taylor, Peter Finch, and Dana Andrews star in this action-packed drama set in Ceylon. Taylor plays a newlywed who accompanies Finch to his sprawling tea plantation called Elephant Walk...and falls for overseer Andrews. But this love triangle is soon dwarfed by other events. A cholera epidemic breaks out, drought blights the land and herds of thirst-maddened elephants devastate the plantation in a thundering stampede. This famed sequence is a triumph of moviemaking. The palatial "bungalow" is reduced to rubble as onrushing elephants pound across polished floors, rip walls from their foundations and knock over kerosene drums to ignite a terrifying inferno. You have to see it to believe it!
ClassicsCohen Film Collection introduces this Buster Keaton classic. Set during the Civil War and based on a true incident, the film is also an authentic-looking period piece that brings the scope and realism of Matthew Brady-like images to brilliant life. Keaton portrays engineer Johnnie Gray, rejected by the Confederate Army and thought a coward by his girlfriend (Marion Mack). When a band of Union soldiers penetrate Confederate lines to steal his locomotive, Johnnie Gray sets off in pursuit. Seven of the film’s eight reels are devoted to the chase, featuring hilarious comedy and amazing stunts performed by Keaton himself.
ClassicsIn 1920, one brilliant movie jolted the postwar masses and catapulted the movement known as German Expressionism into film history. That movie was The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, a plunge into the mind of insanity that severs all ties with the rational world. Director Robert Wiene and a visionary team of designers crafted a nightmare realm in which light, shadow and substance are abstracted, a world in which a demented doctor and a carnival sleepwalker perpetrate a series of ghastly murders in a small community. This authoritative edition of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a 4K restoration scanned from the (mostly) preserved camera negative at the German Federal Film Archive.
ClassicsHud Bannon (Paul Newman) is a young Texas rancher who lives with his cattleman father Homer (Melvyn Douglas) and his hero-worshipping nephew Lon (Brandon DeWilde). Hud is an amoral, cold-hearted creature; his father, who holds Hud responsible for the death of his other son, tries to imbue Lon with a sense of decency and responsibility to others, but Lon is devoted to Hud and isn't inclined to listen.
ClassicsThe bride wore terror! Something is definitely amiss with the menfolk in this classic 1950s sci-fi thriller. A distraught Marge Farrell (Gloria Talbott, "We're No Angels") is growing increasingly alarmed over the changes in her new husband Bill (Tom Tryon, "The Cardinal"), who's been acting strangely ever since their wedding night. And for good reason: Bill -- and most of the other men in their small town -- have been taken over by sinister aliens who have arrived on planet Earth to marry human women with the hope of reviving their dying race. Marge has stumbled onto their terrifying plan, and must now convince someone -- anyone -- to believe her ... before the aliens completely inhabit the bodies of the entire male population. Look out!
ClassicsMartin Scorsese Presents REPUBLIC REDISCOVERED—over 20 rarely seen films from the storied Republic Pictures library, restored and remastered by Paramount and personally curated by Martin Scorsese. In Moonrise locals shun the son of a murderer. Only one person defends him, but she happens to be the girlfriend of his chief tormentor. After a confrontation, he kills his bully in self-defense but becomes tormented that he may be following in his father's footsteps.
ClassicsArthur Winant (Don DeFore), a stranger in Chicago, commits suicide after losing $5,000, which did not belong to him, in a crooked card game. The group of gamblers, of which Danny Haley (Charlton Heston) is a member, worries about the dangers of cashing the $5,000 cashier’s check, but this is the least of their worries when one of the group (Ed Begley) is found hanged, and Police Captain Garvey (Dean Jagger) starts an investigation. Then it becomes known that Arthur had a mentally deranged brother, Sidney (Mike Mazurki) who is out to get the gamblers who fleeced Arthur.
ClassicsBased on the acclaimed first novel by Richard Price (The Night Of), Philip Kaufman's The Wanderers follows the exploits of the eponymous Italian-American gang in the Bronx in 1963, just before the country underwent profound change. Part comedy and part drama, the film is an evocative and thrilling look back at a more innocent time. The cult classic features a jukebox full of golden oldies and a young cast of up and comers including Ken Wahl (Wiseguy), Karen Allen (Raiders of the Lost Ark), and Linda Manz (Days of Heaven)! Cinematography by Michael Chapman (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull). Co-starring John Friedrich, Toni Kalem, Alan Rosenberg, Jim Youngs, Tony Ganios, Dolph Sweet, Michael Wright, Val Avery, Olympia Dukakis and Erland van Lidth de Jeude. New 2K restoration!
ClassicsSomething evil has taken possession of the small town of Santa Mira, California. Hysterical people accuse their loved ones of being emotionless impostors; of not being themselves. At first, Dr. Miles Bennell (Kevin McCarthy) tries to convince them they're wrong…but they’re not. Plant-like extraterrestrials have invaded Earth, replicating the villagers in giant seed "pods" and taking possession of their souls while they sleep. Soon the entire town is overwhelmed by the inhuman horror, but it won't stop there. In a terrifying race for his life, Dr. Bennell escapes to warn the world of the deadly invasion of the pod people! Remade in both 1978 and 1997, this chilling combination of extraterrestrial terror and anti-conformity paranoia is considered one of the great cult classics of the genre.
