Publication Date: Friday Apr 17, 1998

Cinema paradiso

Warner Bros. is throwing itself a 75-anniversary party and the guest list is mighty impressive: Dustin Hoffman, Errol Flynn, Robert Redford, Joan Crawford, James Cagney, Al Pacino, Whoopie Goldberg, Humphrey Bogart and other cinematic greats. Of course, these stars will be appearing only on the screen, but you're invited, too.

To commemorate its three-quarter century mark, Warner Bros. has released an officially sanctioned film festival package to movie houses across the country. Locally, the "Warner Bros. 75th Anniversary Festival of Classics" begins today, April 17, at the Park Theatre in Menlo Park. The festival continues through Thursday, April 23.

You don't have to be a major film buff to enjoy these Warner Bros. movies. With classics like "Casablanca" and "Dial M for Murder," alongside recent favorites like "Driving Miss Daisy" and "The Fugitive" and accomplished early works like "42nd Street" and "The Jazz Singer," there is clearly something for everyone.

The films will be shown all day long with each day devoted to one specific decade of filmmaking. Today's bill, for example, features "All the President's Men," "Dog Day Afternoon," "Blazing Saddles," "The Exorcist" and "A Clockwork Orange," a quintuplet that more than adequately represents the 1970s. The '80s check in on Saturday with "The Color Purple," "Chariots of Fire," "The Shining," "Full Metal Jacket," and the director's cut of "Blade Runner." (See schedule for complete listing of films, descriptions, dates and times.)

One need only look at the list of films chosen to see how diverse the Warner Bros. catalog has been over the years, establishing strong footholds in many different film genres from westerns ("Unforgiven" and "The Wild Bunch") and comedies ("Blazing Saddles") to horror ("Exorcist") and action flicks ("The Fugitive" and "Bonnie and Clyde") to thrillers ("Dial M For Murder") and dramas ("Casablanca" and "Driving Miss Daisy").

Single feature admissions are available, as well as day passes and--the Big Kahuna--the festival pass, which is good for admission to all 31 films being shown. Just remember to pace yourself on the popcorn.

Friday, April 17 (the '70s)

All the President's Men Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman star in this re-enactment of the exposure of the Watergate conspiracy by reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. Year: 1976. Rated PG. 2 hours, 18 minutes Shows at 2 p.m.

Dog Day Afternoon Al Pacino stars in this Sidney Lumet-directed drama about a gay man who's involved in bank robbing. Year: 1975. Rated R. 2 hours, 10 minutes Shows at 4:45 p.m.

Blazing Saddles Mel Brooks directs this hilarious/crude spoof of westerns. The jokes come with machine gun rapidity, and the stars race around like maniacs. Year: 1974. Rated R. 1 hour, 33 minutes Shows at 7:30 p.m.

The Exorcist The first and best of the three "Exorcist" films. This William Friedkin-directed film was a sensation when it was first released but may have lost some of its punch due to the numerous imitations it spawned. Year: 1973. Rated R. 2 hours, 1 minute Shows at 9:30 p.m.

A Clockwork Orange Clearly not for everyone's taste, this stylized and violent black comedy stars Malcolm McDowell as the number one "malchick," Alex, who leads his "droogs" through "a bit of the old ultraviolence" for a real "horror show." A natural midnight movie. Year: 1971. Rated R. 2 hours, 17 minutes Shows at midnight

Saturday, April 18 (the '80s)

The Color Purple Steven Spielberg scores with this adaptation of Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about the growth to maturity and independence of a mistreated black woman. Walker's story, set between 1909 and 1947 in a small town in Georgia, celebrates the qualities of kindness, compassion and love. Year: 1985. Rated PG-13. 2 hours, 32 minutes Shows at 11 a.m.

Chariots of Fire Made in England, this is a beautifully told and inspiring story of two runners (Ian Charleston and Ben Cross) who competed for England in the 1924 Olympics. Year: 1981. Rated PG. 2 hours, 3 minutes Shows at 2 p.m.

Full Metal Jacket Director Stanley Kubrick and Vietnam seem like a natural combination--and they certainly are in this memorable epic. Year: 1987. Rated R. 2 hours Shows at 4:30 p.m.

Blade Runner (Director's Cut) This Ridley Scott production is a visual smorgasbord. Harrison Ford stars as a futuristic Philip Marlowe trying to find and kill the world's remaining rebel androids in 2019 Los Angeles. Year: 1982. Rated R. 1 hour, 58 minutes Shows at 7:15 p.m.

The Shining A struggling writer (Jack Nicholson) accepts a position as the caretaker of a large summer resort hotel during the winter season. The longer he and his family spend in the hotel, the more Nicholson becomes possessed by it. Year: 1980. Rated R. 2 hours, 26 minutes Shows at 9:45 p.m.

Sunday, April 19 (the '90s)

Driving Miss Daisy Alfred Uhry's stage play is brought to life by director Bruce Beresford and a superb cast. The story concerns the 25-year relationship of the feisty Miss Daisy (Jessica Tandy) and a wise, wily chauffeur, Hoke (Morgan Freeman). Year: 1989. Rated PG. 1 hour, 39 minutes Shows at 11:30 a.m.

The Fugitive Following in the footsteps of David Janssen's 1960s television character, Harrison Ford keeps viewers on the edges of their seats with his performance as Dr. Richard Kimble, an innocent man accused of murdering his wife. Year: 1993. Rated PG-13. 2 hours, 13 minutes Shows at 1:30 p.m.

Unforgiven A former outlaw (Clint Eastwood) promises his wife to change his ways, but, after she dies, he returns to violence in order to bring down a corrupt sheriff (Gene Hackman) in the troubled town of Big Whiskey. Year: 1992. Rated R. 2 hours, 7 minutes Shows at 4:15 p.m.

Goodfellas No punches are pulled in this violent, mesmerizing movie which covers 30 years in the life of a Mafia family. Based on the book by Nicholas Pileggi, it features Ray Liotta as a half-Irish, half-Sicilian kid from Brooklyn who achieves his life's ambition of being a gangster when he is adopted by a local "family" headed by Paul Sorvino. Year: 1990. Rated R. 2 hours, 28 minutes Shows at 7 p.m.

JFK Director Oliver Stone's three-hour plus examination of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy attempts to disprove the contention that Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone killer. Kevin Costner stars. Year: 1991. Rated R. 3 hours, 10 minutes Shows at 10 p.m.

Monday, April 20 (the '30s)

The Jazz Singer Generally considered the first "talkie," this milestone in motion-picture history is really a silent film with a musical score and a few spoken lines. Al Jolson plays the son of an orthodox cantor who wants his son to follow in his footsteps. Jolson, though touched by his father's wishes, wants to be a jazz singer. Year: 1927. Not rated. 1 hour, 47 minutes Shows at 3 p.m.

42nd Street Every understudy's dream is to get a big chance and rise to stardom--and thus the premise of this musical. Year: 1933. Not rated. 1 hour, 38 minutes Shows at 5 p.m.

The Adventures of Robin Hood This classic presents Errol Flynn at his swashbuckling best. Year: 1938. Not rated. 1 hour, 46 minutes Shows at 7 p.m.

The Public Enemy "Public Enemy," with a snarling, unredeemable James Cagney in the title role, is still a highly watchable gangster movie. It's a fast-paced and unpretentious portrait of the rise and fall of a vicious hoodlum. Year: 1931. Not rated. 1 hour, 24 minutes. Shows at 9:15 p.m.

Tuesday, April 21 (the '40s)

Mildred Pierce Bored housewife Joan Crawford parlays waiting tables into a restaurant chain and an infatuation with Zachary Scott. Her spoiled daughter, Ann Blyth, hits on him. Emotion run high and taut as everything unravels in this A-one adaptation of James M. Cain's novel of murder and cheap love. Year: 1945. Not rated. 1 hour, 49 minutes Shows at 2 p.m.

Now, Voyager Bette Davis plays a neurotic, unattractive spinster named Charlotte Vale; an ugly duckling, who, of course, blossoms into a beautiful swan. Year: 1942. Not rated. 1 hour, 57 minutes. Shows at 4:30 p.m.

Casablanca A kiss may be just a kiss and a sigh just a sigh, but there is clearly only one "Casablanca." Year: 1942. Not rated. 1 hour, 42 minutes. Shows at 7 p.m.

The Maltese Falcon John Huston's first effort as an director is an undisputed classic. Humphrey Bogart, as Sam Spade, fights to get hold of a black bird, "the stuff that dreams are made of." Year: 1941. Not rated. 1 hour, 40 minutes. Shows at 9:15 p.m.

Wednesday, April 22 (the '50s)

The Searchers John Ford is without a doubt the most celebrated director of westerns, and "The Searchers" is considered by many to be his masterpiece. The film follows Ethan Edwards (John Wayne), an embittered Indian-hating ex-Confederate soldier as he leads the search for his niece (Natalie Wood), who was kidnapped years earlier by Indians. Year: 1956. Not rated. 1 hour, 59 minutes. Shows at 2 p.m.

Dial M for Murder Alfred Hitchcock imbues this classic thriller with his well-known touches of sustained suspense. Ray Milland is a rather sympathetic villain whose desire to inherit his wife's fortunes leads him to one conclusion: murder. Year: 1954. Not rated. 1 hour, 45 minutes Shows at 4:30 p.m.

A Streetcar Named Desire (restored) Vivian Leigh once again is the Southern belle. Unlike Scarlett O'Hara, however, her Blanche DuBois is no longer young. She is a sexually disturbed woman who lives in the world of illusion. Her world begins to crumble when she moves in with her sister and brutish brother-in-law (Marlon Brando). Year: 1951. Not rated. 2 hours, 2 minutes. Shows at 7 p.m.

Rebel Without a Cause The film that made James Dean a legend. Directed by Nicholas Ray, it is undoubtedly the classic film about juvenile delinquency. Year: 1955. Not rated. 1 hour, 51 minutes Shows at 9:30 p.m.

Thursday, April 23 (the '60s)

Days of Wine and Roses In this saddening film, Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick shatter some misconceptions about middle-class alcoholism. Year: 1962. Not rated. 1 hour, 57 minutes Shows at 2 p.m.

Bullitt Although a bit dated now, this police drama directed by Peter Yates still features one of star Steve McQueen's best screen performances. The San Francisco car-chase sequence is still a corker. Year: 1968. Not rated. 1 hour, 53 minutes Shows at 4:30 p.m.

Bonnie and Clyde This innovative gangster film was one of the first to depict graphic violence, turning the genre inside out, combining comedy, bloodshed, pathos and social commentary with fascinating results. Year: 1967. Not rated. 1 hour, 51 minutes Shows at 7 p.m.

The Wild Bunch (Director's Cut) Director Sam Peckinpah created a whole new approach to violence in this landmark film about men making a last stand. Year: 1969. Rated R. 2 hours, 25 minutes Shows at 9:30 p.m.

Source: "Video Movie Guide 1996" by Mick Martin and Marsha Porter

What: Warner Bros. 75th Anniversary Festival of Classics

When: Friday, April 17, through Thursday, April 23

Where: Park Theatre, 1275 El Camino Real, Menlo Park

How much: Single feature admission is $7.50; day pass is $15; festival pass is $60

Information: Call 32-MOVIE 

Back up to the Table of Contents Page