Whether it’s espionage or romantic lust, movie characters lead us to identify with the effort to hide something. This 8-week series highlights both dramatic & comedic films, exploring issues from national security to gender insecurity.
Each movie is introduced by Mark Ethan Toporek, who also leads a post-screening discussion. He is a member of the Actors’ Studio, who has appeared in films including The Secret Lives of Dentists, The Confession, and Lesser Prophets. He has been presenting the Film Series at the Queens Museum since 1998, and at the 92Y since 2003.
Today’s Film:
Apr 12: Five Fingers (1952), directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 108 min. A WWII spy thriller based on true events, with James Mason as a valet involved in the selling of British secrets to the Germans. Also starring Danielle Darrieux and Michael Rennie.
Complete 2017 Spring Season:
Mar 22: Far From Heaven (2002), directed by Todd Haynes, 120 minutes), directed by Todd Haynes, 120 min. Julianne Moore stars as a 1950’s Connecticut suburban housewife facing a marital crisis and mounting racial tensions. With Dennis Quaid and Dennis Haysbert.
Mar 29: Victim (1961), directed by Basil Dearden, 90 min. Considered daring at the time of its release, this intriguing drama presents Dirk Bogarde as a prominent lawyer risking his reputation trying to confront a group of blackmailers.
Apr 5: The Imitation Game (2014), directed by Morten Tyldum, 114 min. Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Alan Turing, the real-life hero who kept a personal secret while racing to break the Nazi code during WWII. Co-stars Keira Knightly and Matthew Goode.
Apr 12: Five Fingers (1952), directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 108 min. A WWII spy thriller based on true events, with James Mason as a valet involved in the selling of British secrets to the Germans. Also starring Danielle Darrieux and Michael Rennie.
Apr 19: Notorious (1945), directed by Alfred Hitchcock, 101 min. Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant mix romance and espionage when she is recruited into the American intelligence service to spy on a local group of German exiles under suspicion. Also starring Claude Rains.
No film screening on Apr 26
May 3: Indiscreet (1958), directed by Stanley Donen, 100 min. In this sophisticated comedy, Ingrid Bergman portrays a renowned London based actress who is romanced by a suave American financier, played by Cary Grant.
May 10: To be or Not To be (1942), directed by Ernst Lubitsch, 99 min. In this black comedy, Jack Benny has the role of a lifetime as the leader of a Polish theater troupe who becomes involved in espionage during WWII. Also starring Carole Lombard and Robert Stack.
May 17: Some Like it Hot (1959), directed by Billy Wilder, 120 min. Classic comedy with Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis who witness a mob hit, then elude their pursuers disguised as women in an all-girl band–including Marilyn Monroe in a memorable comic performance.
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