(John Cromwell, US 1936, 98 min., 35mm)

In the first sound-era screen version of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s popular novel for young readers, an American boy named Cedric (Freddie Bartholomew) is discovered to be the heir to a British fortune. He is accepted as a Lord and sent to live with the cold and unsentimental Earl of Dorincourt (C. Aubrey Smith), whom Cedric attempts to win over. Mickey Rooney co-stars in this classy and entertaining David O. Selznick production, but the real star is Charles Rosher’s (Sunrise) black-and-white cinematography, showcased here in an original nitrate print. Members admitted free.

A note about nitrate film:

Discontinued around the mid-20th Century due to its highly flammable nature, nitrate film stock - the combination of a silver nitrate base and orthochromatic or panchromatic emulsion – provided a shimmering, luminous motion picture experience for moviegoers during the entire first half of movie history. One of only a handful of venues in the world that is still safely equipped to show 35mm nitrate prints, the Dryden Theatre is occasionally able to re-introduce audiences to this special kind of cinema magic with classic films from our vaults or other leading archives. Because no nitrate film stock is being produced today, these rare screenings of vintage prints may represent your only opportunity to experience this distinctive aesthetic visual pleasure.