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Dead Filmmakers Society 2010

May 28, 2010


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MACOMB, IL -- Cinema lovers can enjoy the classics in June and July with Western Illinois University's annual summer film series "The Dead Filmmakers Society 2010," presented by the broadcasting department.

Professor Richard Ness has chosen 10 films from his collection to show free of charge. All screenings begin at 7 p.m. in the University Union Sandburg Theatre and are open to the public.

The series begins June 2 with "Sherlock Holmes in New York (1976). Holmes, played by Roger Moore, investigates a gold heist while renewing his romance with Irene Adler. With Patrick Macnee as Watson and John Huston as Moriarty. Preceded by the half-hour short "Silver Blaze," with Christopher Plummer as Holmes.

Other films include:

June 9 – "Diabolique" (France, 1955): Henri-Georges Clouzot's classic thriller involving murder and mysterious happenings at a boarding school builds to one of the most terrifying climaxes in the history of cinema. In French with English subtitles.

June 16 – "Tender Mercies" (1983): Long before Jeff Bridges' Oscar-winning performance in "Crazy Heart," Robert Duvall earned an Academy Award for his role as a country singer trying to get his life back together. Screenplay by Horton Foote.

June 23 – "Wish You Were Here" (Great Britain, 1987): Emily Lloyd gives an outstanding performance as a teenage girl who challenges the hypocritical attitudes of her dreary seaside town in post-war Britain. Writer/director David Leland based the film on the early experiences of professional madam Cynthia Payne.

June 30 – "A Wall in Jerusalem/"Every Bastard a King (Israel, 1968): First, Richard Burton narrates a documentary presenting a history of 20th century events leading to the formation of modern Israel. Next is a film that received more acclaim for its incorporation of actual footage from the Six-Day War than its disjointed plot about a journalist and a pilot caught up in the events.

July 7 – "Child's Play" (1972): James Mason, Robert Preston and Beau Bridges star in this allegorical study of evil and violence at a Catholic school for boys. Directed by Sidney Lumet.

July 14 – "Rachel, Rachel" (1968): Paul Newman's directorial debut showcases his wife Joanne Woodward as a middle-aged schoolteacher trying to escape her oppressive environment. The film earned Oscar nominations for Woodward and co-star Estelle Parsons, as well as Best Picture and Screenplay.

July 21 – "Red Desert" (Italy, 1964): For his first film in color, director Michelangelo Antonioni repainted landscapes and employed a muted palette to depict the alienation of a young woman (Monica Vitti) in a stifling industrialized world. Also starring Richard Harris. In Italian with English subtitles.

July 28 – "John Goldfarb, Please Come Home" (1965): Not a great film or even a particularly good one, a crazy comedy from Exorcist author William Peter Blatty. With Shirley MacLaine, Peter Ustinov and a who's who of TV character actors of the 1960s (not to mention Teri Garr as a harem girl). Find out why Notre Dame tried to sue to stop this film.

And a special Thursday bonus screening, July 29 – "Exclusive (1937)/"The Roadhouse Murder (1932): B-movie night returns with a double dose of journalism films. First, Fred MacMurray, Frances Farmer, Charlie Ruggles and Lloyd Nolan star in a fast-paced gangster story. Then reporter Eric Linden sets himself up on a murder charge to get a scoop.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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