April 3, 2010

Get Hitched in Minneapolis this April

On the heels of a successful retrospective of Ray Harryhausen films, Take-Up Productions presents its second annual Alfred Hitchcock series: "Alfred Hitchcock: Across the Decades". Last April's series ("First, You Need a Crime") was a massive success; I only made it to To Catch a Thief at the Riverview, where I had to sit front row, right side, with a capacity crowd of 700 bursting the theater at the seams.

Expect the same this year with five new Hitchcock films at the Riverview and five more at the beloved Trylon microcinema, which holds, you should remember, only 50 people. You'd be foolish to show up at the Trylon day-of-show to get in (they've been sold out this first weekend), so buy your tickets now. You could get away with not buying in advance for the Riverview shows, but if so, arrive no later than 7:00 PM to get decent seats.

Here's the lineup with a few highlighted trailers:

Fri/Sat/Sun, Apr 2 - 4 (The Trylon) 
Shadow of a Doubt (1943) "As wealthy widows keep disappearing, Joseph Cotten’s lovable Uncle Charlie visits niece Teresa Wright’s “Young Charlie” in her very average middle American town. But when he starts whistling “The Merry Widow Waltz” . . . Often claimed as Hitchcock’s own favorite and perhaps his ultimate evocation of evil nestling among the pleasantly mundane." (TICKETS)
 
Mon, Apr 05 7:30 PM (The Riverview) 
Psycho (1960) "“Mother’s not quite herself today.” After trysting with married lover John Gavin, Janet Leigh embezzles 40 grand and heads South of the Border, but stops for a rest at taxidermy buff Anthony Perkins’ Bates Motel, where guests check in, but... Hitchcock’s legendary blackly comic shocker vaulted its title into the non-Freudian mainstream and turned comfy shower stalls into places of terror — aided by Bernard Herrmann’s shrieking all-strings score." (TICKETS) 

Here's a cool amateur trailer (that gives away way too much):

Fri/Sat, Apr 9  & 10 5:00 7:00 9:00 PM (The Trylon)  
The Lady Vanishes (1938) "“Lady? What Lady?” mutter the bewildered passengers of a trans-continental train after Dame May Whitty disappears during Margaret Lockwood’s trip back from a Balkans vacation — but at least fellow passenger Michael Redgrave believes her." (TICKETS)

Mon, Apr 12 7:30 PM (The Riverview) 
Notorious (1946) "Reluctant spy Ingrid Bergman complains “He wants to marry me” to lover/FBI contact Cary Grant, after Nazi fellow traveler Claude Rains falls a little too hard for her undercover activities. Painful sexual politics underscore the high tension set pieces of suspense." (TICKETS) 


Fri/Sat, Apr 16 & 17 7:00 8:50 PM (The Trylon) 
Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941) "Alfred Hitchcock's screwball comedy? Believe it. Not to be confused with the Brangelina vehicle of a few years' back, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" stars Carole Lombard and Robert Montgomery as one of the most cantankerous couples in Hollywood history. The film opens with the Smiths finishing three whole days of lovemaking and argument—and spirals downhill from there." (TICKETS)

Mon, Apr 19 7:30 PM (The Riverview) 
Marnie (1964) "What’s wealthy publisher Sean Connery to do when he finds employee Tippi Hedren is a compulsive klepto? Why, marry her, of course. But the real surprises start on the wedding night." (TICKETS)


Fri/Sat, Apr 23 & 24 7:00 8:45 PM (The Trylon)
The 39 Steps (1935) "“What are the 39 Steps?” When a mysterious femme fatale falls murdered across Robert Donat’s bed, it’s time to head for the hills of Scotland, with cops, spies, and seemingly everybody else on the train hot on his trail — and those blasted handcuffs as an extra handicap! (But not so bad when it’s Madeleine Carroll you’re cuffed to.) The thriller that put Hitchcock on the international map and the prototype for all of his innocent-man-on-the-run movies." (TICKETS)

Mon, Apr 26 7:30 PM (The Riverview) 
Lifeboat (1944) "Grand Hotel in miniature, as after a sinking at sea, spoiled journalist Tallulah Bankhead, left-wing seaman John Hodiak, right-wing mogul Henry Hull, et al. — plus mysterious Walter Slezak — find themselves in the title conveyance, with Hitchcock’s camera never moving outside the boat. From an original script by John Steinbeck, with the director’s most challenging cameo." (TICKETS) 

Fri/Sat, Apr 30 & May 1 7:00 9:00 PM (The Trylon) 
The Trouble With Harry (1955) "The trouble with Harry is that he's dead, and everyone seems to have a different idea of what needs to be done with his body..."(TICKETS)


Mon, May 03 7:30 PM (The Riverview) 
The Birds (1963) “The Birds is Coming!” Bratty playgirl "Tippi Hedren, after exchanging barbs with lawyer Rod Taylor in a Frisco pet shop, follows him to Bodega Bay, with a gift of — ulp! — lovebirds... and then nature turns. Hitchcock’s tour de force of terror from the mundane includes a barrage of optical tricks and a completely music-less track of electronic sounds supervised by Bernard Herrmann." (TICKETS)

Coming soon to the Trylon...
May: Before Tokyo: Comedies of Bill Murray


The Trylon microcinema is located at:
3258 Minnehaha Avenue S
Minneapolis, MN 55406
Info Line: 612.424.5468
The Riverview Theater is located at:
3800 42nd Avenue S
Minneapolis, MN 55406

2 comments:

  1. Dan: This is as complete and enthralling as any Hitchcock retrospective at the Film Forum, even if a few key films may be missing. But Hitch had one of the most prolific careers of any major filmmaker, and one fest just doesn't cover the vast territory here. But there are many essentials here, and I enjoyed looking at those trailers. Hope you saw are ar eplanning to see a few of these, more important upcoming plans notwithstanding!

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  2. Yes, Sam, it's a great selection in addition to the five they did last year (none of which repeat). As you know I do have a real hitching plan of my own coming up but I'd be devastated if I didn't make it to at least a couple of these screenings.

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