Steve Railsback, October 8, 2009
Steve Railsback will appear in person for a double feature of THE STUNT MAN and ED GEIN at the Aero Theatre on Sunday, October 25. For details click here.
What's new at the American Cinematheque's Egyptian & Aero Theatres

All 5 Girls in the Band, Marilyn Monroe's band in SOME LIKE IT HOT will come down to the Egyptian tonight to reminisce about making the film with Monroe, Curtis and Lemmon. Still a favorite, the film celebrates its 50th anniversary this year and to commemorate it, Curtis penned a tell-all volume with the help of Mark Vieria. Vieria will sign books and tell some stories along with a screening of this timeless classic about the days when Jazz was HOT and Men were sometimes Girls, but it all worked out in the end.
Thursday, October 8 – 8:00 PM COMEDY
50th Anniversary! SOME LIKE IT HOT, 1959, MGM Repertory, 119 min. Dir. Billy Wilder. Musicians Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon take it on the lam from the Chicago mob, cross-dressing to blend in with an all-girl band and creating a situation where luscious Marilyn Monroe doesn’t know if she’s falling for a playboy (Curtis) or a playgirl. Hosted by Mark Vieria who wrote The Making of "Some Like It Hot" with Tony Curtis. Viera will relate some previously untold behind-the-scenes stories from the book. Book siging at 7 PM in the lobby. Discussion following with the girls from Sugar Kane's (Marilyn Monroe) band including Marian Collier (Olga, the clarinet player) and Marie Foley, Sandra Warner, Joan Layne and Tracy Ross.
Tickets are available in advance on www.fandango or at the Egyptian Theatre box office prior to the show. The booksigning will start at 7PM.
View this event on the Cinematheque website.
Gabriel Byrne ("In Treatment") will join us IN PERSON for the opening night of the Irish Film Festival at the Aero on Thursday. He will speak following a documentary about him - GABRIEL BYRNE: STORIES FROM HOME - so you can hear from the on...screen Byrne and the in person Byrne and then compare and contrast. Byrne's doc is on a double feature with PEACEFIRE and a short that sounds pretty cool - there is NOTHING better than tongue in cheek claymation in our book!
The allure of the South Seas comes to Hollywood this weekend with a Tiki themed weekend which will sprinkle the enchantment of the Islands in the Egyptian Theatre Courtyard. In addition to the previously announced Tiki movies and Luau featuring a Polynesian Dinner, Musical Entertainment from King Kukulele and His Friki Tikis, Ukele Davey, the Polynesian Paradise Dancers, Vendors of Tiki-ana and miscellaneous exotica - we have more special guests - and for those who missed the fabulous Scopitone program last weekend, these Technicolor (slightly risque) 60s music videos are back with Tiki themed versions:
Agnès Varda, one of the founding members of the French New Wave will appear In Person at the Aero Theatre with a Sneak Preview of her latest film, plus a mini-retrospective of highlights of her long career as a filmmaker (including a 'Los Angeles' night featuring work from Varda's stay in LA in the 1960s. All this takes place at the Aero Theatre from June 24 - July 1. Learn more & see a film schedule.A gifted and outspoken feminist and one of the most acclaimed directors anywhere in the world, Agnès Varda could be considered the prototype of today’s independent filmmaker. Varda is a survivor, a stubborn and patient observer of her time and her people, like the pop singer in CLÉO FROM 5 TO 7, the lovers in LE BONHEUR (HAPPINESS) or the drifter in VAGABOND. "I have fought so much since I started … for something that comes from emotion, from visual emotion, sound emotion, feeling, and finding a shape for that," Varda has said.
Varda directed her first feature, LA POINTE COURTE, in 1954, with no formal training in filmmaking. The movie has often been identified as the film that started the Fre
nch New Wave ("and a famous flop," as Varda has wryly noted). Along with Alain Resnais and Chris Marker, she made up the so-called "Left Bank Group" of the early 1960s, distinct from other New Wave directors for their interest in both documentary and fiction and their passion for both political and social filmmaking. Her marriage to Jacques Demy (1931-1990) made her one-half of the most beloved filmmaking couple of their day, and her tribute to Demy, JACQUOT DE NANTES, is one of her finest films.
In 1962, Varda directed the legendary CLÉO FROM 5 TO 7, a French New Wave classic about two hours in the life of a pop singer. The film’s sense of profound realism crossed with lyrical visual poetry pointed the way toward much of Varda’s later work, which would alternate between acclaimed documentaries and romantic but naturalistic fiction features. Capable of crafting both gritty cinematic time capsules and expressionistic mood pieces like LES CREATURES, the breadth of Varda’s talent is nearly as astonishing as its depth. For more than 50 years, she has continued to experiment and innovate, creating one of the first digital video masterpieces (THE GLEANERS AND I) as well as timely portraits of cities from L.A. (LIONS LOVE) to Paris. She has worked in nearly every form of filmmaking that exists, from shorts to documentaries to a delightful celebration of film history (ONE HUNDRED AND ONE NIGHTS), and has mastered them all.
As if that weren’t enough, Varda also helmed one of the greatest French films of the 1980s, VAGABOND, and published a highly acclaimed autobiography. Recent years have seen no slowing down of her output and no lessening of her talent: Her latest film, THE BEACHES OF AGNÈS, won the Cesar (the French equivalent of the Academy Award) for best documentary. Varda has been quoted as saying that she wants "to illuminate women’s lives—not only their hardships, although they’re important, but also the light, the transparency, the pleasure of being a woman." While Varda has certainly accomplished this, the range of her work is more expansive than perhaps even she knows—it is not enough to label her a feminist filmmaker, or a New Wave filmmaker, or a political filmmaker. She is simply one of the greatest living directors in any country, working in any language, in any form.
Agnes Varda's official website.
Senses of Cinema Article on Agnes Varda
See a Trailer for Beaches of Agnes
The Cinematheque is proud to present a sneak preview of THE BEACHES OF AGNÈS along with a series of Varda’s masterpieces, with the director herself live and in-person.