Jean-Paul Belmondo, Ernest Borgnine, Eli Wallach, and More To Appear At TCM Classic Film Festival
More news of special guests to appear at the first ever TCM Classic Film Festival, which takes place in April. Some great films have been added to the lineup as well. You can read all about it in the press release below and you can also find more information about the festival on the official website.
[Press Release – Released by TCM]
French superstar Jean-Paul Belmondo, Oscar-winning actor Ernest Borgnine, award-winning director Stanley Donen, actor-producer Darryl Hickman and popular character actor Eli Wallach are among the latest special guests slated to appear at the TCM Classic Film Festival in April. Also appearing will be two members of the Frank Capra family, Tom Capra and Frank Capra III. They join an extensive roster of special guests scheduled to appear at the festival, including Mel Brooks, Tony Curtis, Luise Rainer, Jerry Lewis, Jon Voight, Martin Landau, Buck Henry, Peter Bogdanovich, Norman Lloyd, Susan Kohner Weitz and Juanita Moore.
Belmondo will be on-hand for the North American premiere of a newly restored print of Jean-Luc Godard’s New-Wave classic Breathless (1960), which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2010. Earlier this year, Belmondo received the Los Angeles Film Critics’ Career Achievement Award.
Borgnine, who at age 93 remains incredibly fit and robust, will introduce the North American premiere of a newly restored print of the unique western Jubal (1956). His appearance, combined with centenarian Luise Rainer’s appearance for a screening of The Good Earth (1937), gives the TCM Classic Film Festival the honor of welcoming the oldest living Best Actor and Best Actress Oscar winners.
Donen will introduce Singin’ in the Rain (1952), the acclaimed musical he co-directed with Gene Kelly. The legendary director earned a special Academy Award for his outstanding career.
Hickman, who began his career as a child actor, will help introduce the Gene Tierney melodrama Leave Her to Heaven (1945). Hickman’s long career in film and television includes more than 100 roles before he turned the age of 21.
Wallach will introduce the Sergio Leone western The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). At age 94, Wallach continues to be a strong presence on the screen, this year appearing in Roman Polanski’s critically acclaimed thriller The Ghost Writer.
Tom Capra, director Frank Capra’s son, and Frank Capra III, the director’s grandson and Tom’s nephew, will introduce a newly restored print of the early Capra drama Dirigible (1931).
The TCM Classic Film Festival will also feature a world-premiere midnight screening of a restored print of The Day of the Triffids (1963).
The following are the latest highlights announced for the TCM Classic Film Festival:
Breathless (1960) – 50th anniversary screening and North American premiere of newly restored print introduced by Jean-Paul Belmondo
French star Jean-Paul Belmondo will introduce the North American premiere of a newly restored print of this seminal French New Wave drama. Belmondo plays a hood on the lam with a young American woman (Jean Seberg). Adapted by Godard from a story by Francois Truffaut, this groundbreaking character study offers candid looks at Parisian life and a romantic anti-hero. Often imitated, but never duplicated, this film had a tremendous impact by opening the door to a looser form of storytelling. In 2010, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association gave Belmondo a career achievement award.
Jubal (1956) – North American premiere of restored print introduced by Ernest Borgnine
Ernest Borgnine will introduce this intriguing western by Delmer Daves. The film puts the story of Shakespeare’s Othello in the saddle. Borgnine stars as a rancher who seeks marriage advice from a cowhand (Glenn Ford), only to be led into a jealous rage through the schemes of a villain (Rod Steiger). Extraordinary scenery and an intense, intelligent script highlight this underrated drama. The new 35mm digitally corrected negative for this film reproduces the original Cinemascope aspect ratio for the first time since the movie’s initial release. The original stereo soundtrack has also been restored.
Singin’ in the Rain (1952) – Introduced by Stanley Donen
Stanley Donen will introduce this sparkling film that has been called Hollywood’s greatest musical ever. He directed the film with Gene Kelly, who plays a silent film star making the transition to sound. Unfortunately, the star’s frequent leading lady, played hilariously by Jean Hagen, has a grating voice that could cause their latest film to flop. In steps Debbie Reynolds, a young chorus girl who is forced to dub her voice for Hagen’s. Donald O’Connor also stars in this wonderful musical comedy that features songs from the Arthur Freed/Nacio Herb Brown catalogue.
Leave Her to Heaven (1945) – Introduced by Darryl Hickman
Darryl Hickman, who was only 14 when this movie was made, will introduce the film and engage in a Q&A session following the screening. The romantic melodrama stars Gene Tierney as a woman who seems to love men to death. Cornel Wilde, Jeanne Crain and Vincent Price co-star. Leon Shamroy’s breathtaking color cinematography earned an Oscar.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) – Introduced by Eli Wallach
Longtime character actor Eli Wallach, who at the age of 94 can currently be seen in Roman Polanski’s The Ghost Writer (2010), comes to the TCM Classic Film Festival to introduce this exciting spaghetti western. Sergio Leone’s third film in his Dollars trilogy (following 1964’s Fistful of Dollars and 1966’s For a Few Dollars More) features Clint Eastwood, Van Cleef and Wallach as three gunmen hunting for a Confederate government treasure chest. Contributing to the film’s tremendous success is composer Ennio Morricone’s theme, one of the most recognizable in movie history.
Dirigible (1931) – Newly restored print introduced by Tom Capra and Frank Capra III
Tom Capra, director Frank Capra’s son, and Frank Capra III, the director’s grandson and Tom’s nephew, will introduce this early Capra drama. Jack Holt, Ralph Graves and Fay Wray star in the story of experimental dirigibles being used in the Antarctic. Elmer Dyer provided the outstanding aerial photography, which includes a fighter plane docking mid-air with a dirigible.
The Day of the Triffids (1963) – World-premiere midnight screening of restored print
Howard Keel and Janette Scott star in this adaptation of a novel by John Wyndham (Village of the Damned). It tells the story of a blinding meteor shower followed by an attack by mutant plants. Shortly after this film was released, the original negative was damaged in an accident. In order to restore it, restoration expert Michael Hyatt (My Fair Lady, Spartacus, Vertigo) decided his team would work directly on the negative rather than a digital copy. Following five years of work, including the pain-staking removal of more than 20,000 specks of dirt and extensive color retiming, this Cinemascope film has emerged more beautiful and vibrant than ever.
About the TCM Classic Film Festival
The first-ever TCM Classic Film Festival will take place April 22-25, 2010, in the heart of Hollywood. The network is inviting fans from around the country to join this new festival and share their passion for great movies. This landmark celebration of the history of Hollywood and its movies will be presented in a way that only TCM can, with more than 50 screenings, major events, celebrity appearances, panel discussions and more. The four-day festival will also provide movie fans a rare opportunity to experience some of cinema’s greatest works as they were meant to be seen – on the big screen.
The festival will involve several venues in a central area of Hollywood, including screenings at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and the Egyptian Theatre. The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, which has a longstanding role in movie history and was the site of the first Oscar ceremony, will be the official hotel for the festival as well as a key venue for festival passholders.
Among the panels and events slated for the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel are a book signing and display of original art by Tony Curtis; a special screening of Joan Crawford’s home movies, hosted by her grandson, Casey LaLonde; a presentation by special effects artist Douglas Trumbull; and numerous scheduled conversations with festival guests. The hotel will also feature several panel discussions, including Casting Secrets: The Knack of Finding the Right Actor; A Remake to Remember: Hollywood’s Love Affair with Updating Movie Classics; The Greatest Movies Ever Sold: Classic Movie Marketing Campaigns; Location Location Location; Film Continuity: When Details Count; and TCM: Meet the People Behind the Network.
The central gathering point for the TCM Classic Film Festival community will be Club TCM. This area, which is open exclusively to festival passholders, will be abuzz with activity during the entire festival, providing fans with unique, once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Club TCM will be headquartered in the Blossom Room of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. This lavish room is steeped in Hollywood history as the site of the original Academy Awards banquet.
