PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Some moments in movies never leave us: a snappy line of dialogue, a dance in the rain or by the Seine, a timeless love song, a great last line. In a three-part film discussion series featuring film clips and stills, documentary filmmaker and writer Sara Lukinson revisits some of our favorite movies and characters, setting them against the backdrop of their times, the people who dreamed them up, and the America they reflected—or asked us to imagine.
Please Note: Individual sessions are available for individual purchase.
Jan. 6 Casablanca: The Movie, Hollywood, and America in the ’40s
This beloved star-crossed love story, with lines and songs we know by heart, is set against a world at war and the poignancy of desperate refugees. Both the film and Hollywood were home to real-life exiles, many from the film world of Europe. Then after the war, America turned against them both.
Feb. 3 Who Was That Woman? Comedy, Sex, and the Movies
Some Like It Hot and Tootsie, two of Hollywood’s funniest and most inventive comedies, play with the idea of role reversals, with leading men in dresses co-starring with the most beautiful, sexy women of their day. Brilliantly written and directed by Hollywood’s best, these movie masterpieces released 23 years apart remind us that a person can be more than one thing and that “Nobody’s perfect.”
Mar. 3 The Freed Unit: The Great MGM Movie Musicals
Under the direction and encouragement of the musical-loving producer Arthur Freed, his eponymous unit was responsible for creating the most glorious string of musicals in film history during the 1940s and ’50s. Gems like On the Town, Singing in the Rain, An American in Paris, and The Band Wagon lift our spirits, no matter how many times we’ve see them. They’re joyous and exuberant, filled with brilliant dancing, songs we know by heart, and puddles we love to dance in.
Lukinson, a multiple Emmy Award winner, created more than 200 short biographical films for the Kennedy Center Honors. She teaches at NYU and the 92nd Street Y.
3 sessions
PATRON INFORMATION
- If you register multiple individuals, you will be asked to supply individual names and email addresses so they can receive a Zoom link email. Please note that if there is a change in program schedule or a cancellation, we will notify you via email, and it will be your responsibility to notify other registrants in your group.
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