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Prior to his long tenure as chief film curator at Museum of the Moving Image, David Schwartz learned about the art of film and film programming by spending countless hours in the various repertory theaters, museums, avant-garde showcases, and other independent venues that have long made up the city’s vibrant film culture. These spaces offer an alternative to mainstream movies, and reflect the tastes and vast knowledge of their programmers and the distinct missions of their institutions. They also respond to the interests and passions of their audience members—and in particular those frequent attendees affectionately known as “regulars.”
This series celebrates the ever-changing and always vital world of New York film culture with programs highlighting 16 iconic screening venues—some long gone, some still thriving today. Each theater is represented with programs that give a sense of their unique styles and the preoccupations of such influential programmers as Iris Barry, Amos Vogel, Dan Talbot, Karen Cooper, Bruce Goldstein, Richard Peńa, and Jed Rapfogel. Though each theater presented a wide variety of films, it is also fair to say, for example, that Anthology Film Archives is known for its focus on the international avant-garde; the New Yorker Theater for its mix of forgotten Hollywood films and new releases reflecting the various new waves of the 1960s; the Elgin for its legendary midnight screenings; or the Maysles Film Center for an engaging mix reflecting its self-proclaimed identity as “Harlem’s Living Room.”
“And what better venue could there be for this series,” Schwartz asks, “than MoMA, whose film programs started 90 years ago and set the standard around the world—and, more importantly, in New York City—for the appreciation of film art?”
Please refer to the screening schedule and program notes here.
Guest curated by David Schwartz, independent curator and writer. Organized at MoMA by Dave Kehr, Curator, Department of Film.
Film at MoMA is made possible by CHANEL.
Additional support is provided by the Annual Film Fund. Leadership support for the Annual Film Fund is provided by Debra and Leon D. Black, with major funding from The Contemporary Arts Council of The Museum of Modern Art, The International Council of The Museum of Modern Art, Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder, the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP), and The Young Patrons Council of The Museum of Modern Art.
Images
The New Yorker Theater marquee, May 1960. Courtesy of Toby Talbot
Adieu Philippine. 1962. Directed by Jacques Rozier. Courtesy of Janus Films
La Folie Almayer (Almayer’s Folly). 2011. Directed by Chantal Akerman. Courtesy of Icarus Films
La Commare Secca (The Grim Reaper). 1962. Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. Courtesy of Janus Films
Crooklyn. 1994. Directed by Spike Lee. Courtesy of Photofest
Gabriel Over the White House. 1933. Directed by Gregory La Cava. Courtesy of Photofest
Guelwaar. 1992. Directed by Ousmane Sembene. Courtesy of Janus Films
Pasadena Freeway Stills. 1974. Directed by Gary Beydler. Courtesy of Anthology Film Archives
Kiss Me Deadly. 1955. Directed by Robert Aldrich. Courtesy of Photofest
Numéro Deux. 1975. Directed by Jean-Luc Godard. Courtesy of Gaumont
Permanent Vacation. 1980. Directed by Jim Jarmusch. Courtesy of the filmmaker
Pink Flamingos. 1972. Directed by John Waters. Courtesy of Photofest
La Règle du jeu (The Rules of the Game). 1939. Directed by Jean Renoir. Courtesy of Janus Films
Sans soleil. 1983. Written and directed by Chris Marker. Courtesy of Janus Films
Sullivan’s Travels. 1941. USA. Written and directed by Preston Sturges. Courtesy MoMA Film Stills Archive
The Flower Thief. 1960. Written and directed by Ron Rice. Courtesy of the Film-Maker’s Cooperative
The Queen of Sheba Meets the Atom Man. 1963/81. Directed by Ron Rice. Courtesy of Anthology Film Archives
Taiyō no Hakaba (The Sun’s Burial). 1960. Directed by Nagisa Ōshima. Courtesy of Janus Films.
Taiga. 1992. Written and directed by Ulrike Ottinger. Courtesy of the filmmaker
The Harder They Come. 1972. Directed by Perry Henzell. Courtesy of American Genre Film Archive
Tokyo monogatari (Tokyo Story). 1953. Directed by Yasujirō Ozu. Courtesy of Janus Films
Vampyr. 1932. Directed by Carl Dreyer. Courtesy of Janus Films
Videodrome. 1983. Written and directed by David Cronenberg. Courtesy of Photofest