ART DECO FILM SERIES
2009 Film Series
Films serve as an exceptional primary source for the study and understanding of history. Although the sets, costumes, and lighting of a particular film don't necessarily reflect what was happening in the real world, these design choices tell us much about the attitudes and aesthetics of the artists involved, and convey a sense of how they wanted the world to appear.
Films selected for our 2009 film series are linked in this desire by Hollywood to create a special world, from love in Buenos Aires to foreclosure in Miami Beach. All screenings are free of charge.
Saturday 10 January 2009 at 11:00 am
Down Argentine Way
In this, her first leading role for Fox, Betty Grable became a nationwide sensation (and the famous WWII pinup girl with the million-dollar legs), and paired with co-star Don Ameche and a glorious Technicolor process, Down Argentine Way was a box-office success. The film also includes rousing dance numbers by the Nicholas Brothers, and introduced American audiences to a Brazilian wonder named Carmen Miranda.
Presented as a preview to Art Deco Weekend 2009 (January 16–18), whose theme is Down Argentine Way: Deco • Vino • Tango.
Directed by Irving Cummings, 1940
Running time: 89 minutes
Location: Library
Saturday 14 February 2009 at 11:00 am
Moon Over Miami
Betty Grable and Don Ameche team up again! When an inheritance turns out to be worth a fraction of its initial value after taxes, Kay Latimer (Grable) convinces her sister Barbara (Carole Landis) and her aunt Susan (Charlotte Greenwood) to spend the money on a trip to Miami where Kay hopes to land a millionaire for a husband. Also starring Carole Landis, Robert Cummings, and Jack Haley, songs from this tuneful comedic romp include Kindergarten Conga, Loveliness and Love, and Is that Good?
Directed by Walter Lang, 1941
Running time: 91 minutes
Location: Library
Saturday 14 March 2009 at 11:00 am
A Hole in the Head
Like most of director Frank Capra's films, this film is an observant portrait of the fighting man and his repressive surroundings, but Capra offers a variation of the theme by revealing the obstacles as self-made. Tony Manetta (Frank Sinatra) is a gambler and womanizer, who blows his money at the first opportunity and now faces eviction and loss of his business (an Ocean Drive hotel—known in real life as the Cardozo). Complicating his worries is his young son who lives with him. Despite their troubles, they want to stick together, because they're not only a family, but also a team.
Directed by Frank Capra, 1959
Running time: 120 minutes
Location: Library
Saturday 11 April 2009 at 11:00 am
The Bellboy
Filmed on location at the Fountainebleu Hotel, The Bellboy marks Jerry Lewis’ first film as writer-director-star. Though its gags are variable, the film works on every level. It's both contemporary (love that jazzy MiMo architecture!) and a throwback to two-reel comedies of the late-silent/early-sound era, though it most closely resembles Jacques Tati's M. Hulot's Holiday (1953) in terms of structure and pacing. And, like Tati's features, it keeps dialogue to a minimum, rendering its nearly-silent protagonist more an observer than a force of action.
Directed by Jerry Lewis, 1960
Running time: 72 minutes
Location: Library
