Summer Classics at the Paramount

by Lani

This is my summer film guide to what's playing at a theater near me, specifically the Paramount Theater, Austin's only movie palace. This year the Summer Classics Film Series has stretched the definition of "classic," expanding the schedule to include everything from an obscure Mexican silent film (El Tren Fantasma) to a movie which left theaters only a few months ago (The Coen brothers' True Grit).
The series kicks-off this Friday, May 20, with a special screening of Casablanca hosted by filmmaker, historian, and ascot enthusiast Peter Bogdonovich. As a young director, Bogdonovich befriended many stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood, so that later he could do funny impressions of them (this may not be the only reason). On this evening, I expect we'll hear his Bogie impression along with colorful tales of Hollywood, and after Casablanca Bogdonovich will also screen a surprise Bogie film of his own choosing. Bogdonovich's own films will get the spotlight in another special screening hosted by Sam Beam, better known to music fans as Iron & Wine. On July 27, Beam will show Paper Moon and on the following night he'll screen Last Picture Show.
I'm also looking forward to several restored prints starting with three Charlie Chaplin films June 9-12: City Lights, The Gold Rush, and Modern Times. And July 2-3 is "Burt Lancaster weekend" featuring a restored print of The Leopard, a lush Italian epic directed by Luchino Visconti and co-starring two of the most beautiful stars to ever appear onscreen, Claudia Cardinale and Alain Delon.
Visconti isn't the only foreign director featured this summer; in fact, a surprising number of foreign films have been included in this summer's series. From France alone there's the ingenious comedy of Jacques Tati in Playtime (August 11-14), two films from the Nouvelle Vague - Truffaut's Soft Skin and Godard's Vivre Sa Vie (August 20-21), and crime dramas from Jean-Pierre Melville and Robert Bresson. But it's not all arthouse fare. Sci-Fi week, July 5-8, includes the monster movie classic Them! and the original, uncut version of Godzilla.
Texas summers can be brutally hot, but the Paramount keeps moviegoers cool with an obscene level of air conditioning. I am only slightly embarrassed to say that I have worn a Snuggie in the Paramount before, and I think I may need it again this year. Cat People (1942), showing August 4-5, is sure to bring the temperature down a few more degrees and I'll need something to hide under during the other scary movies playing that week: The Shining, The Haunting, and Kuroneko - a ghost tale from Japan.
But this overview has only scratched the surface. There will also be several double features spotlighting classic film favorites like Audrey Hepburn, Jack Lemmon, Grace Kelly, and Paul Newman. We'll even have a "Patrick Swayze Christmas (in July)" with a Roadhouse/Red Dawn double feature, July 16-17. If you will be in Austin this summer, check out the full film schedule online and I'll see you at the movies!