July/August 2010 Events
Monday July 5
The Toronto Film Society presents a double bill, starting at 7:30pm: Craig's Wife (1936, 75 min. Directed by Dorothy Arzner, with Rosalind Russell and John Boles). A beautiful woman cannot mask her cold heart and manipulative soul fueling her obsessions for status and possessions. This haunting, breakout role for Russell is the best of the three screen versions from George Kelly's Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Followed by The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1929, 94 min. Directed by Sidney Franklin, with Norma Shearer and Basil Rathbone). The rich, gullible London aristocrat mob is no match for quick-witted jewel thieves prowling around at their society parties. This rare glimpse of the earlier screen version reveals droll pick-up lines within playwright Frederick Londsdale's delightful comedy of manners. Nominated for an Oscar. Visit here for more information.
Monday July 12
The Toronto Film Society presents a double bill, starting at 7:30pm: We're Not Dressing (1934, 74 min. Directed by Norman Taurog, with Bing Crosby and Carole Lombard). Oh, what a lovely shipwreck we will have. Stranded on a desert island, sailor Bing uses his cooking and crooning skills to woo a hoity-toity socialite. Throw in an admirable supporting cast including Ethel Merman, Ray Milland and the irrepressible Burns & Allen (as scientists no less) and it's smooth sailing. Revamped from J.M. Barrie's play, The Admirable Crichton. Followed by Twentieth Century (1934, 74 min. Directed by Howard Hawks, with John Barrymore and Carole Lombard). A megalomaniac Broadway producer pulls out all the stops to try to get his discovery back under his control when he runs into her on the Twentieth Century Limited. This seminal screwball comedy set the bar high for all that follows. Barrymore spews "brimstone and honey" as the utterly mad, obnoxious and thoroughly delightful Jaffe, and Lombard emerges as the most beautiful, wackiest comedienne on film. Visit here for more information.
July 14-17
The 2nd annual Toronto Youth Shorts Film Festival takes place, showcasing of some of the best cinema this city has to offer made by young adults. Visit here for more information.
Monday July 19
The Toronto Film Society presents a double bill, starting at 7:30pm: Dream Girl (1948, 85 min. Directed by Mitchell Leisen, with Betty Hutton and MacDonald Carey). A daydreaming female Walter Mitty meets her match in a tough sports writer who wants her to live her own life. Beautifully adapted for the screen from Elmer Rice's equally delightful play. Followed by My Sister Eileen (1942, 96 min. Directed by Alexander Hall, with Rosalind Russell and Brian Aherne). When two small-town sisters try to take New York by storm, they leave havoc in their wake. A sparkling comedy with a guaranteed priceless ending fully deserves its Oscar nomination. Visit here for more information.
Monday July 26
The Toronto Film Society presents a double bill, starting at 7:30pm: Kiss Me Again (1931, 75 min. Directed by William A. Seiter, with Bernice Clair and Edward Everett Horton). From Victor Herbert's hit 1905 Broadway musical Mlle. Modest, this early talkie retains all of the original's charm. This little-seen gem reveals a fine singing voice from a very young Walter Pidgeon. Followed by Bitter Sweet (1940, 94 min. Directed by W.S. Van Dyke, with Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy). Don't miss this rare screening of one of the best MacDonald/Eddy pairings. Lavishly staged with all the glamour of Noel Coward's songs and nominated for two Oscars. Visit here for more information.
Thursday July 29
The Canada Eurasia Russia Business Association presents a networking and fundraising event to support flood victims in Yakutia. A silent auction and wine and cheese reception starts at 6pm, with a screening of One War at 7pm. Visit here for registration and more information.
Monday August 9
The Toronto Film Society presents a double bill, starting at 7:30pm: Separate Tables (1958, 99 min. Directed by Delbert Mann, with Rita Hayworth and David Niven). An impressive character study of the inner lives of the residents of an off-season seaside hotel when they are forced to examine their feelings following a scandalous revelation. Reworked from Terence Rattigan's pair of short plays, it garnered seven Oscar nominations, including wins for best actor for Niven and best supporting actor for Wendy Hiller. Followed by That Uncertain Feeling (1941, 84 min. Directed by Ernst Lubitsch, with Merle Oberon and Melvyn Douglas). The "Lubitsch Touch" is all over this hilarious tale of a shaky marriage and a wife's infatuation with a temperamental musician. Victor Sardou's whimsical play became an Oscar-nominated film. Visit here for more information.
Monday August 16
The Toronto Film Society presents a double bill, starting at 7:30pm: Private Lives (1931, 84 min. Directed by Sidney Franklin, with Norma Shearer and Robert Montgomery). They can't live with each other and they can't live apart. Razor-sharp dialogue dishes up slices of sophisticated wit in a romantic comedy of manners that is easily Noel Coward's funniest play. Followed by The Four Poster (1952, 103 min. Directed by Irving Reis, with Rex Harrison and Lilli Palmer). A fine screen comedy from another hit Broadway play by Jan De Hartog revolves around the relationship a married couple has with their four-poster bed. Enough said. Nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe. Visit here for more information.
Thursday August 19
CINSSU and Warner Bros. present a special advance screening of Going the Distance at 7pm. For more information visit www.cinssu.ca or "Cinema Studies Student Union" on facebook.
Monday August 23
The Toronto Film Society presents a double bill, starting at 7:30pm: One Touch of Venus (1948, 81 min. Directed by William A. Seiter, with Ava Gardner and Robert Walker). A statue of Venus in a department store window suddenly comes to life causing a whirlwind of romances and misunderstandings in her wake. This Broadway musical comedy was an audience hit and retains the lovely Kurt Weill and Ogden Nash score. Followed by Androcles and the Lion (1952, 98 min. Directed by Chester Erskine, with Jean Simmons and Victor Mature). The wit and drollery of George Bernard Shaw's wordsmithing shines through in this stimulating combination of physical comedy and epigrammatic discourse. Visit here for more information.