(Vincent Sherman, US 1959, 136 min.)

In another of his quintessential outsider portrayals, Paul Newman is young attorney Anthony Lawrence, who, having grown up poor, now places money above all else as he tries to climb the social ladder in the City of Brotherly Love. His ambition is put to the test, however, when he decides to defend an old war buddy (Robert Vaughn in an Oscar®-nominated performance) accused of murder.

(Gregory La Cava, US 1926, 67 min.)

W.C. Fields plays an inventor with an idea for a shatterproof windshield and a penchant for—what else?—booze. Fields may have been best-known for his cynical twang and gin-soaked wisecracks, but he was also an expert pantomime: His Vaudeville-honed stage skills made him a silent-screen natural, and this delightful farce from director Gregory La Cava (My Man Godfrey, Stage Door) shows Fields at his pre-sound-era best. Preserved by the Library of Congress. Preceded by Fields in THE POOLSHARK (Edwin Middleton, US 1915, 15 min.). Live piano by Philip C. Carli.

(Sidney Lumet, US 1967, 107 min.)

In London, a weary, middle-aged intelligence agent (James Mason in one of his quintessential performances) struggles to save his marriage to a younger woman (Harriet Andersson) while investigating the death of one of his colleagues. John le Carré’s novel Call for the Dead provides the source material for American director Lumet’s underseen gem, one of the most atmospheric and sobering of all big screen spy dramas. The supporting cast includes Lynn Redgrave, Maximilian Schell, Harry Andrews, and the marvelous Simone Signoret.

(Jessica Hausner, Austria/France/Germany 2009, 99 min., French/subtitles)

Sylvie Testud, one of world cinema’s finest contemporary actresses, stars as Christine, a young woman in a wheelchair who makes a pilgrimage to Lourdes with thousands of others searching for, and receiving, what would appear to be a miraculous cure. Writer/director Hausner, a protégé of Michael Haneke, focuses less on religious faith and more on the personal responsibility of those confronted with the actual miracle: Christine, her nurses, her fellow pilgrims, and the religious leaders in charge. Thought-provoking and rigorously directed, Lourdes is “an accomplished work which radiates intelligence … Hausner certainly confirms herself here as an original voice.” (Fionnuala Halligan, Screen International)

(Sidney Lumet, US 1967, 107 min.)

In London, a weary, middle-aged intelligence agent (James Mason in one of his quintessential performances) struggles to save his marriage to a younger woman (Harriet Andersson) while investigating the death of one of his colleagues. John le Carré’s novel Call for the Dead provides the source material for American director Lumet’s underseen gem, one of the most atmospheric and sobering of all big screen spy dramas. The supporting cast includes Lynn Redgrave, Maximilian Schell, Harry Andrews, and the marvelous Simone Signoret.