Please note, two screenings:
August 17, 8:00 p.m.
August 19, 7:00 p.m.
(Charles Chaplin, US 1940, 128 min., 35mm)
In one of the screen’s great lampoons of totalitarianism, Charlie Chaplin plays the twin roles of Adenoid Hynkel, the dictator of Tomania, and a poor Jewish barber who’s mistaken for Hynkel. Released only one year before America entered WWII, this is the first film in which Chaplin ever spoke and he makes the most of it, concluding his comic masterpiece with a heartfelt plea for sanity and world peace. New 35mm print!
(Giuliano Montaldo, Italy/France 1971, 120 min., English and Italian with subtitles, 35mm)
One of the most shameful chapters in American history is captured here in the dramatic retelling of the true saga of two Italian immigrants and anarchists—Bartolomeo Vanzetti (Gian Maria Volontè) and Nicola Sacco (Riccardo Cucciolla)—who were falsely accused, tried, and executed for murder. Composer Ennio Morricone collaborated here with singer Joan Baez, who wrote the lyrics for two songs she performs on the soundtrack. Co-presented by the Rochester Labor Council.
Bring-your-own film event taking place 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; event is free and open to the public
You are invited to celebrate home movies at George Eastman House, during the fifth annual International Home Movie Day Saturday, Aug. 11. International Home Movie Day takes place simultaneously in cities across the country and the world, dedicated to the viewing and preservation of home movies shot on film. At George Eastman House, International Home Movie Day is being celebrated with afternoon screenings of submitted home movies from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Dryden Theatre, complete with popcorn. Simply bring your 16 mm, 8mm, or Super 8 home movies with you to the event.
You may drop off your films beginning at 10 a.m., with films inspected on-site through 3 p.m. (all films will undergo inspection to determine if they are in good physical condition for projection). Participants will be encouraged to provide commentary about their films with the audience. Your home movies might be a lot more interesting than you remember! “We encourage those attending to participate as much they’d like on Home Movie Day by narrating their home movies, bringing a favorite song to accompany a movie, or asking questions following a screening,” said Pat Doyen of the George Eastman House Motion Picture Department, who is this year’s event organizer.
Though video and digital recording now dominate the home-movie market, it is argued that these formats do not have the same quality as the old films you may have in your closet, attic, or basement. Home Movie Day events provide an opportunity for individuals and families to learn more about their own family movies, how to care for films, and how home movies have helped capture 20th century history. International Home Movie Day is coordinated under the auspices of the Center for Home Movies and grew out of the concerns held by film archivists for the fate of all the home movies shot on film during the 20th century. More than 50 cities take part in International Home Movie Day, in the United States, Canada, Italy, England, and Japan.
Here’s what Martin Scorsese has to say about International Home Movie Day:
Saving our film heritage should not be limited only to commercially produced films. Home Movie Day is a celebration of these films and the people who shot them. This is a truly special way of celebrating this often over-looked area of our film history, and I congratulate George Eastman House for supporting this important initiative.
Admission and participation is free but donations will be accepted. For more information please call (585) 271-3361 ext. 240; email event organizer Pat Doyen at pdoyen@geh.org; or visit homemovie.com. For sale at the event will be the DVD “Living Room Cinema: Films from Home Movie Day, Volume 1 (120 min./$25, includes shipping) which features George Eastman’s Kodacolor Party of 1928 — the event where he dramatically introduced color home movies to the world — narrated by Eastman House’s Ed Stratmann, associate curator of motion pictures.
Please note, two screenings:
August 18, 8:00 p.m.
August 19, 5:00 p.m.
(Charles Chaplin, US 1931, 86 min., 35mm)
A Little Tramp (Chaplin) falls in love with a blind flower girl, convinces her that he is a handsome millionaire, and provides her with the funds for a sight-restoring operation. Side-splittingly funny yet deeply poignant, Chaplin’s supreme achievement is routinely selected as one of the ten greatest films of all time. In telling his “comedy romance in pantomine,” its creator audaciously flew in the face of the sound era by not including a single word of spoken dialogue. New 35mm print!
(IL BUONO, IL BRUTTO, IL CATTIVO, Sergio Leone, Italy/Spain, 1967, 180 min., 35mm)
Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach are the title triumvirate—double-crossing rivals united in a Civil War-era odyssey for a treasure in gold. One of the most entertaining adventure movies ever conceived, Leone’s final chapter in his “Dollars” trilogy has been magnificently restored to its original Italian running time. Remastered in stereo, Ennio Morricone’s glorious score sounds more magnificent than ever.
