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TCM Classic Film Festival Thursday, April 22 – April 25

By April MacIntyre Mar 16, 2010, 4:26 GMT

Robert Osborne - New York City, NY, USA © Sylvain Gaboury / PR Photos

The TCM Classic Film Festival is set for April.

Fans of classic film who can’t make it to Hollywood for the first-ever TCM Classic Film Festival will have an opportunity to enjoy their own version at home. 

Thursday, April 22 – Sunday, April 25, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will showcase four nights of movies on-air, covering themes similar to those featured in the festival’s lineup. 

TCM will present nights dedicated to movies restored by the Film Foundation, films showcasing visual effects by Douglas Trumbull, movies featured in the book Vanity Fair’s Tales of Hollywood and films that celebrate the history of Hollywood.

Throughout the four days, TCM host Robert Osborne and weekend daytime host Ben Mankiewicz will provide their usual film introductions, but they will do so from the TCM Classic Festival in Hollywood, incorporating interviews with festival guests.

“We wish everyone who watches and enjoys TCM could join us in Hollywood for the TCM Classic Film Festival,” says Osborne.  “For those who aren’t able to, TCM's on-air daily recaps from the festival will be the next best thing, a chance for everyone at home to still share in much of the activity and excitement going on at the festival at the same time it's happening in Hollywood.”

Below is a complete schedule of TCM’s on-air presentations celebrating the TCM Classic Film Festival.  While not all of these movies will be presented at the festival in Hollywood, they reflect the themes being highlighted at the festival.

Thursday, April 22 – 20 Years of the Film Foundation

At the TCM Classic Film Festival, several featured films will celebrate the work of the Film Foundation.  Founded in 1990 by Martin Scorsese and a distinguished group of fellow filmmakers, the Film Foundation is dedicated to protecting motion pictures and the rights of the artists who create them, educating the public about the importance of film preservation and raising the necessary funds to save the endangered cinematic treasures.  All times are Eastern.

8 p.m.        The Red Shoes (1948) – From the UCLA Film Archive – Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s colorful fairy tale tells the story of a young ballerina in love with two men.  Moira Shearer, Anton Walbrook and Marius Goring star.

10:30 p.m.  Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) – From the Academy Film Archive – Sergio Leone’s epic western stars Claudia Cardinale as a widow trying to fulfill her dead husband’s dream of building a train station and town along a newly constructed railroad.  Henry Fonda, as one of the most brutal movie villains of all time, is the hired gun determined to stop her.  Charles Bronson is the “Man with a Harmonica” out to exact revenge against Fonda for the death of his family.  Jason Robards co-stars.  Ennio Morricone composed the memorable score.

1:30 a.m.    The River (1951) – From the Academy Film Archive – This beautiful film by Jean Renoir, based on a novel by Rumer Godden, tells the story of a group of English children growing up in Bengal.  Patricia Walters, Nora Swinburne and Arthur Shields star.

3:30 a.m.    Bonjour Tristesse (1958) – From the Museum of Modern Art Archive – Otto Preminger directed this lush melodrama about a teenager determined to break up her father’s romance with a mistress.  Deborah Kerr, David Niven and Jean Seberg star.  Based on a book by Francoise Sagan, this film was shot on location in the French Riviera.  Kerr’s costumes are by Givenchy.

Friday, April 23 – The Amazing Worlds of Douglas Trumbull

Academy Award®-winning visual effects artist and filmmaker Douglas Trumbull will be in attendance at the TCM Classic Film Festival for special presentation of 2001: A Space Odyssey.  On-air, TCM will celebrate his eye-popping work with a sci-fi double-feature.

8 p.m.        2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) – Stanley Kubrick’s lyrical examination of humanity’s place in the universe is based on a short story by Arthur C. Clarke.  Keir Dullea stars as one of a team of astronauts sent into space to investigate the latest appearance of a giant black monolith.  Trumbull’s mesmerizing, Oscar®-winning visual effects broke new ground for model work that would become the standard until the advent of digital effects.

11 p.m.      Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) – Steven Spielberg’s first alien-visitation film stars Richard Dreyfuss as an everyman who leaves home and family to pursue a cryptic image implanted in his brain during a UFO sighting.  Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban and Francois Truffaut co-star.  Trumbull’s effects recall the wonder and beauty of his work in 2001: A Space Odyssey, while also pushing his craft to new heights.

Saturday, April 24 – Vanity Fair’s Tales of Hollywood

Inspired by the book Vanity Fair’s Tales of Hollywood, which features fascinating behind-the-scenes stories from some of Hollywood’s greatest films, the TCM Classic Film Festival is partnering with Vanity Fair to present a special collection of movies and panel discussions featuring writers from the magazine and people associated with the films.  The book, published by Penguin Books, was edited by Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter.

8 p.m.        The Graduate (1967) – Presented as part of TCM’s The Essentials showcase, co-hosted by Robert Osborne and Alec Baldwin, this adult comedy stars Dustin Hoffman as a recent college graduate seduced by an older woman (Anne Bancroft) and dating her daughter (Katherine Ross).  Mike Nichols’ brisk direction, Buck Henry and Calder Willingham’s script and Simon and Garfunkel’s score are just a few of the highlights in this generation-defining film.

10 p.m.      The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) – After shaking Hollywood to its core with his groundbreaking Citizen Kane, Orson Welles adapted Booth Tarkington’s novel about a family seemingly stuck in time.  Unfortunately, the studio took the film out of his hands, recutting and reshooting much of it, but Welles’ genius is still apparent.  Joseph Cotten, Dolores Costello, Anne Baxter and Agnes Moorehead, giving one of the best performances of the era, star.

Midnight     Reds (1981) – Warren Beatty won an Oscar for directing this epic look at American journalists John Reed and Louise Bryant’s involvement in communism.  Innovatively told using documentary-like interviews throughout, this film also earned Academy Awards for Maureen Stapleton, as Emma Goldman, and cinematographer Vittorio Storaro.

3:30 a.m.    Rebel Without a Cause (1955) – James Dean took youthful alienation to a new level with this seminal film about a teenager struggling to fit in.  Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo co-star as his closest friends.  Nicholas Ray directed the film, establishing a style that would become cliché for teen films for decades to come.

Sunday, April 25 – Hollywood on Hollywood

One of the festival’s themes will be exploring how Hollywood depicts itself on the silver screen, with everything from knee-slapping farce to bitingly sarcastic satire to heart-wrenching drama.  TCM will present three such classics on-air.

8 p.m.        Singin’ in the Rain (1952) – Acclaimed by many as the greatest film musical ever made, this hilarious comedy directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen depicts Hollywood’s transition from silents to sound.  Kelly stars as Hollywood’s top star, while Debbie Reynolds plays a chorus girl forced to provide the voice for sonically challenged Jean Hagen.  Donald O’Connor co-stars.

10 p.m.      Sunset Blvd. (1950) – Billy Wilder turned his cynical wit against Hollywood in this comedy-drama about a faded silent film star and the man she hires to help her make a comeback.  Gloria Swanson is perfect as Norma Desmond, while William Holden plays her screenwriting gigolo and Erich von Stroheim her devoted butler.

Midnight     Souls for Sale (1923) – This rarely seen silent gem is one of the earliest movies to depict a young girl coming to Hollywood to pursue dreams of stardom.  Eleanor Boardman stars in this film, which provides an outstanding showcase for cinematographer John J. Mescall, who would later become a consultant on trick photography.

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. 

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.   

The TCM Classic Film Festival is being produced by TCM.  Serving as festival consultants are Bill and Stella Pence, who are well-known in industry circles as co-founders of the Telluride Film Festival.  www.tcm.com/festival.