Citibank Returns To Join HBO in Presenting Free Outdoor Film Series June 20 - August 22
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NEW YORK, June 17 - From the excitement of romance in the "THE WAY WE WERE" to the suspense of the Great White in "JAWS," New Yorkers are in for a treat at this year's HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival, presented with Citibank, in association with the Bryant Park Restoration Corporation.
Continuing the popular tradition of presenting "stars under the stars," the free outdoor festival will return for the 13th season with screenings each Monday evening at sunset, beginning June 20 and running through August 22. This year's opening night film will be the romantic classic, "The WAY WE WERE," starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford. Directed by the legendary Sidney Pollack, the 1973 classic will have the crowds singing the Oscar-winning song "Memories ... " in the park. The festival will end with a thrill when the 1975 favorite "JAWS" is projected on the big screen, celebrating the film's 30th anniversary.
"HBO is proud to announce a terrific lineup this year, and we are sure that the opening and closing night films will be particular favorites," said Chris Albrecht, Chairman and CEO, Home Box Office, "There's still no better place for New Yorkers to be on Monday nights in the summer than Bryant Park."
The films will be projected in 35mm onto a screen 20 feet high by 48 feet wide. Bryant Park is located at 42nd Street and the Avenue of the Americas. Food and refreshments will be available at Bryant Park concession stands, which will remain open throughout the evening. Each presentation will show on Monday evenings starting at sunset. Rain dates will be Tuesdays.
For rain date information, call the HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival hotline at (212) 512-5700. For film series information, visit the festival's website at http://www.aolcityguide.com/newyork/hbobryantparkfilm presented by AOL(R) CityGuide or go to AOL(R) Keyword: Bryant Park Film Festival.
2005 HBO/BRYANT PARK FILM FESTIVAL
June 20 -- THE WAY WE WERE (Sony/Columbia) Opposites can and do attract. Radical political activist Barbra Streisand meets the guy of her dreams, Robert Redford, in this Grade A Hollywood romance. Some serious melodrama (McCarthy era blacklisting) is discernible amidst the gloss, but it's mostly about star power, star power, star power. Marvin Hamlisch's score and the title tune won Oscars. "Memories..." (1973) 118 Min. Panavision
June 27 -- THE FLY (Fox) Sure, it's a tad campy, but this sci-fi landmark also manages to be sad, even poignant, in its depiction of the fragile human condition. When a scientist's experiments go awry, he finds himself taking on the characteristics of a common housefly. Fortunately, his sympathetic wife (though none too thrilled to be married to an insect) refrains from reaching for the swatter or the Raid. (1958) 94 Min. CinemaScope
July 4 -- WHITE HEAT (Warner Bros.) James Cagney is white hot (especially in his prison meltdown scene) as Cody Jarrett, tough guy/mama's boy. The Oedipal overtones are anything but subtle in this bold gangster classic that is undisputedly "top of the world." Director Raoul Walsh orchestrates an explosive climax for the Oscar-nominated story reportedly inspired by real- life Ma Barker and one her ever loving sons. (1949) 114 Min.
July 11 -- THE GAY DIVORCEE (Warner Bros.) The legendary dancing duo of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers work s its magic in a sleek art deco setting. Highlights include lavish production numbers of "The Continental" and "Night And Day" (music courtesy of Cole Porter). The usually straitlaced Edward Everett Horton gets to cut loose with Betty Grable in the more modest "Let's Knock Knees." (1934) 107 Min.
July 18 -- TOUCH OF EVIL (Universal) Moody, film noir masterpiece paints a nightmare landscape of police corruption, deception and murder. Charlton Heston is a beleaguered Mexican narcotics cop working on a border town case, Janet Leigh his jittery new bride. Inspired turns from Orson Welles (who also directed with a touch of brilliance), Marlene Dietrich, Akim Tamiroff and Dennis Weaver. (1958) 108 Min.
July 25 -- SUSPICION (Warner Bros.) Dashing playboy Cary Grant sweeps rich wallflower Joan Fontaine off her feet. Does he marry her for the money? Will death do them part? Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense, is working in a subtle mode this time. Watch how he can make even a harmless glass of milk take on sinister overtones. Fontaine scored a Best Actress Oscar for her effort as the lady with suspicions. (1941) 99 Min.
Aug. 1 -- THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (Warner Bros.) John Huston's direction of this corrosive tale of gold lust in the Mexican mountains won an Oscar. Ditto his screenplay. Yet another award went to the director's father, Walter, for his performance as a crusty old prospector. Humphrey Bogart is a fellow treasure hunter. The drama achieves Shakespearean dimension in conveying the tragic effect of greed on ordinary mortals. (1948) 124 Min.
Aug. 8 -- THE ODD COUPLE (Paramount) Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau (before they were grumpy old men) are the mismatched roomies in this endearingly funny adaptation of Neil Simon's stage hit. After his wife walks out, Felix (the fussy one) moves in with friend Oscar (the slobby one). The one-liners are priceless, as is the master class in comic timing from a couple of laugh-getting geniuses. (1968) 105 Min. Panavision
Aug. 15 -- WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINA WOOLF? (Warner Bros.) You're invited to George and Martha's for an evening of bitterness, backbiting and booze. Let the games begin! Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton are explosive as the bickering couple acting out scenes from a miserable marriage. Sandy Dennis and George Segal co-star in Mike Nichols' perceptive take on Edward Albee's prize-winning play. (1966) 131 Min.
Aug. 22 -- JAWS (Universal) Who's afraid of the big bad shark? We all are! Based on Peter Benchley's bestseller about an underwater predator stalking a New England beach resort. Incredibly successful terror ride has that definitive Spielberg touch. Robert Shaw, Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss are the heroic fishermen who may wish they had a bigger boat. John Williams' score is legend. 30th anniversary celebration. (1975) 124 Min. Panavision
Source: HBO