-- EVENT FRI FEB 24 2012 @ 7PM--

On Friday, Fef 24, Cafe Cinema will show a really rare film noir from 1947, REPEAT PERFORMANCE, starring Joan Leslie, Louis Hayward, Tom Conway and Richard Basehart. We thought we would show this classic to help punctuate the connection between film noir and the famous television show from the sixties, THE TWILIGHT ZONE. It turns out that B-movie actors from the golden age of noir filled out the casts of THE TWILIGHT ZONE. Both used the same stylized camera angles to create tension and dispair. The black and white photography used in the Rod Sterling show was almost frame for frame the same as that used in noir films. What makes REPEAT PERFORMANCE so eerily close to THE TWILIGHT ZONE is that unlike other noirs, there is a science fiction and fantasy element to it. Noirs always were always firmly grounded in reality and thus this film is a rarity not only in availability but also in story.

-- EVENT FRI FEB 10 2012 @ 7:30 PM--

On Friday, Feb 10, Cafe Cinema will show a silent era film by D.W. Griffith, WAY DOWN EAST, starring the one and only Lillian Gish. This extremely engaging film concerns a naive country girl, played by Lillian Gish, who is deluded by a womanizer, played by Lowell Sherman, into thinking she's married him, and has a child out of wedlock. The baby dies and Sherman splits. She starts her life over by working as a maid for a squire (Burr McIntosh), whose son (Richard Barthelmess) falls in love with her.

If you are not familiar with the work of either Lillian Gish or Richard Barthelmess, you will be no doubt be overwhelmed by their performances. The story is all about love, betrayal, tolerance, and redemption. The finale stunned 1920 audiences and is now considered one of the most famous in silent film history.

-- EVENT FRI FEB 3 2012 @ 7PM--

On Friday, Feb 3, Cafe Cinema will exhibit the first of the fourteen Sherlock Holmes movies starring Rathbone and Bruce as the detective duo. THE HOUND OF THE BASKER- VILLES is a delightful and atmospheric film and is where the famous line "Murder, my dear Watson." was uttered. Interesting enough, this phrase is never actually uttered by Holmes in any of the sixty Holmes stories written by Conan Doyle.

The world's most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, is a fictional detective written by Scottish author (and physician) Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Holmes spends much of his time with his good friend and assistant Dr. John H. Watson, who lives with the detective. His residence is maintained by his landlady, Mrs. Hudson. What makes Holmes such a compelling detective is his extreme powers of deduction. For Friday's showing, we have the newly restored print.

-- EVENT FRI JAN 27 2012 @ 7PM--

Tonight, Cafe Cinema presents a classic noir, HE WALKED BY NIGHT. It's Richard Basehart's film role and it's a great one. He plays Roy Martin, a clever thief who is also on the far mental fringe. He is a cop killer that outwits the entire police force with the help of his profound understanding of modern technology. Basehart utterly excels as the alienated villian who prowls the streets of LA at night. This is the film the recent NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN was heavily based on. HE WALKED BY NIGHT also as the distinction of being one of the beautifully filmed noirs of all time. Be prepared for a real noir treat.

-- EVENT FRI FEB 10 2012 @ 7PM--

On Friday, Jan 27, Cafe Cinema will show a really rare film noir from 1947, REPEAT PERFORMANCE, starring Joan Leslie, Louis Hayward, Tom Conway and Richard Basehart. We thought we would show this classic to help punctuate the connection between film noir and the famous television show from the sixties, THE TWILIGHT ZONE. It turns out that B-movie actors from the golden age of noir filled out the casts of THE TWILIGHT ZONE. Both used the same stylized camera angles to create tension and dispair. The black and white photography used in the Rod Sterling show was almost frame for frame the same as that used in noir films. What makes REPEAT PERFORMANCE so eerily close to THE TWILIGHT ZONE is that unlike other noirs, there is a science fiction and fantasy element to it. Noirs always were always firmly grounded in reality and thus this film is a rarity not only in availability but also in story.

-- EVENT FRI JAN 21 2012 @ 7PM--

On Friday, Jan 20, Cafe Cinema will present director King Vidor's first talkie and certainly one of his greatest and most pioneering films, HALLELUJAH! It was the first all black film to be produced by a major studio, in this case, MGM. Despite heavy reservations by all in his industry, Vidor was certain that this film would do well at the box office and offered to match MGM financing. It would never have been made otherwise. Besides being brilliantly photographed, this very human story never fails to be highly entertaining and moving. The two leads, Daniel L Haynes and the vivacious temptress, Nina Mae McKinney, give touching performances.

-- EVENT FRI DEC 30 2011 @ 6PM--

NOTICE: This film was originally scheduled for earlier in the month of December. We moved it to December 30.

Over a 100 years ago, filmmaker Herbert Ponting, accompanied Captain Robert F. Scott and his ill-fated expedition to the Antarctic. Ponting was able to capture some of the most striking footage in film history. He photographed magnificent vistas, industrious wildlife and most significantly, documented the living conditions and scientific work of the crew. In 1924, he assembled the footage into this exceptional documentary, complete with toning and tinting. The film was recently restored by the The British Film Institute which recreated the startling color and intricate detail of the original.

In 1910, when Ponting sailed out with the Terra Nova, the purpose of recording the expedition was for scientific and commercial purposes. The strategy was to photograph and film so that Scott would have content for his anticipated lectures when he returned. With the dramatic events of the journey, it became much more. Captain Robert Scott described Herbert Ponting as 'an artist in love with his work'. The result is an awe-inspiring silent that will drop your jaw throughout its entirety. A film for the ages.

-- EVENT FRI DEC 23 --



Capra's highly acclaimed, yet almost never seen drama from the Pre-Hays Code era, will no doubt perplex the viewer on why this film was just recently re-released after 80 years. Its that good. It stars the venerable Walter Huston as a bank executive who makes loans to low income workers. Naturally the bank board of directors goes ballistic for making what amounts to unqualified loans, albeit while the country is in the throes of a deep depression.

The action of a not so honest bank teller magnifies the problem by creating a run on the bank. If this sounds familiar, it should. The concept was later integrated in core part of Frank Capra's classic 14 years later, ITS A WONDERFUL LIFE. Rounding out a stellar cast are Kay Johnson, Pat O'Brien, Constance Cummings. A great film for the holiday season.

-- EVENT FRI DEC 2 2011 @ 7PM--

This week, Cafe Cinema will present the unforgettable Francois Truffaut romantic drama, JULES AND JIM, a homage to bohemian life in France and Germany just prior to the First World War and the Second, all the while immersed in the artistic revolution. The film stars Jeanne Moreau, Oskar Werner, and Henri Serre and is one of the great films of the French New Wave.

The story examines the friendship of two writers, Austrian Jules and French Jim. They live a life of decadence in the years prior to World War I Paris. Their lives change when they both fall in love with the stunning Catherine, a capricious siren and free spirit.

-- EVENT SAT NOV 5 2011 @ 6PM--

Cafe Cinema is proud to present a special this Saturday, November 5. Screen legend Boris Karloff's daughter, Sara, will be our special guest for a FREE showing of the classic, FRANKENSTEIN. In addition to discussing the making of the historic, gothic and horror masterpiece, Sara will bring some interestings effects of her legendary father and show some startling homemade movies. The event will be held at the Caine Learning Center, confirmed and scheduled for Saturday, November 5. Also, Cafe Aroma has been kind enough to put up an exhibit of classic horror film posters, many of which include Boris Karloff. This EVENT is FREE all are invited and the event is at the Caine Learning Center(Click for MAP)

-- EVENT FRI OCT 28 2011 @ 7PM--

In anticipation for Mrs. Karloff's visit, we have chosen one Boris Karloff's greatest films, THE BODY SNATCHER, for our annual Halloween Haunted movie event. This film is the 8th and last time Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi appeared together. The Body Snatcher is based on a fictional Robert Louis Stevenson's short story and takes place in creepy 19th century Scotland. At the time, the use of cadavers was essential in medical research and education but the supply was meager. Grave robbers were particularly useful to the demented institutions thirst for knowledge.

-- EVENT FRI OCT 21 2011 @ 7PM--

This week's film is a rare noir from the early fifties that was shot in Technicolor, NIAGARA. It stars the soon to be famous, Marilyn Monroe. Despite having a starring role, Marilyn was under contract to 20th Century-Fox for smaller character roles and so her salary was incredibly small. Everything else about the movie was anything but small, including the bigger than life setting of Niagara Falls.

Although Marilyn Monroe is remembered primarily for comedies, this taut thriller never lets up and demonstrates with perfection Marilyn's ability to act in a leading role. The film also utilizes the backdrop of the dramatic Niagara Falls scenery with stunning results to create a very claustrophobic and precarious world that envelopes the duplicitous characters.