TCM Classic Film Festival To Celebrate 100th Anniversary Of Paramount Pictures

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) has unveiled additional programming and events for the 2012 edition of the TCM Classic Film Festival, including a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Paramount Pictures. Robert Evans, longtime producer and former head of production for Paramount, is set to take part in the tribute, which will focus on the studio’s 1970s renaissance. In addition, the TCM Classic Film Festival is slated to include a look at The Noir Style, a tribute to legendary costume designer Travis Banton, a look at art deco in the movies, a collection of early cinematic rarities and much more.

TCM’s own Robert Osborne will once again serve as official host for the four-day, star-studded event, which will take pace Thursday, April 12 – Sunday, April 15, 2012, in Hollywood. Passes are on sale now through the official festival website: http://www.tcm.com/festival.

The Paramount Renaissance

The TCM Classic Film Festival will mark the 100th Anniversary of Paramount Pictures with screenings of five films from the studio’s remarkable years under the leadership of Robert Evans. Beginning with Love Story (1970), one of several movies that saved Paramount from bankruptcy, Evans churned out one critically acclaimed hit after another, quickly leading Paramount to become the most successful studio in Hollywood. Robert Evans will participate in this retrospective look back at The Paramount Renaissance.

Love Story (1970)

Ryan O’Neal and Ali MacGraw star in this simple yet effective tear-jerker based on the best-selling novel by Erich Segal. Ray Milland also stars under the direction of Arthur Hiller, with a memorable, Oscar®-winning score by Francis Lai.

The Godfather Part II (1974)

Francis Ford Coppola defied the odds by making a sequel that remains widely considered to be superior to the original. Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton and Robert DeNiro star in the six-time Oscar-winning saga.

Chinatown (1974)

Roman Polanski brought film noir into the 1970s with this mystery about murder, adultery and water rights. Jack Nicholson (who later directed the sequel, The Two Jakes), Faye Dunaway and John Huston bring Robert Towne’s tough-talking script to life, while Jerry Goldsmith provides a wonderfully evocative score.

Marathon Man (1976)

John Schlesinger’s gripping thriller tells the story of a graduate student unwittingly caught in the middle of a plot by a Nazi war criminal. Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Olivier and Roy Scheider star. William Goldman adapted the script from his own novel.

Black Sunday (1977)

John Frankenheimer directed this taut thriller about a terrorist out to blow up the Super Bowl and the Israeli agent determined to stop him. Robert Shaw, Bruce Dern, Marthe Keller and Fritz Weaver star.

Style in the Movies – The Noir Style

Presented by Eddie Muller, founder of the Film Noir Foundation, this collection explores the unique style of film noir, known for its often-shadowy black-and-white photography and stylistic set design.

Gun Crazy (1950)

Long before Bonnie and Clyde rattled moviegoers came this ruthless tale of a gun-toting husband-and-wife team. Peggy Cummins and John Dall star, with a script by blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo (credited to Millard Kaufman).

Cry Danger (1951) – Restoration by the UCLA Film & Television Archive, in cooperation with Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros., and funded by the Film Noir Foundation

Shot in only 22 days by former child star Robert Parrish, this gripping film noir stars Dick Powell and Rhonda Fleming in the story of a man trying to clear his name after being sentenced for a crime he didn’t commit.

Style in the Movies – Deco Design

The TCM Classic Film Festival will feature several films bathed in the art deco style that was popularized throughout the world and especially onscreen in the 1920s and 1930s. In addition to previously announced screening of Swing Time (1936), the lineup will include a new print of the flapper silent Our Dancing Daughters (1928).

Our Dancing Daughters (1928) – New print

Considered one of the best Jazz Age silent films, this melodrama stars Joan Crawford as a flapper who loses her beau to another woman. Johnny Mack Brown and Anita Page co-star in the film, which includes a synchronized score and occasional off-screen dialogue.

Style in the Movies – The Legendary Costumes of Travis Banton

One of the most important costume designers of classic Hollywood, Travis Banton was the man who taught Edith Head and dressed the likes of Mae West, Claudette Colbert, Carole Lombard and a host of other glamorous Paramount stars. The festival lineup will include a new restoration of the screwball classic Nothing Sacred (1937).

Nothing Sacred (1937) – Recent restoration

Carole Lombard and Fredric March star in this terrific screwball comedy about a hotshot reporter who tries to exploit the “imminent” death of a Vermont girl. William Wellman directed from Ben Hecht’s hilariously cynical script.

Additional Events & Screenings

Girl Shy (1924) – Featuring a live performance of a new score composed and conducted by Robert Israel

Harold Lloyd’s delightful comedy gets a brand new score from Robert Israel, who will be on hand to conduct the orchestra. Lloyd plays a tailor’s apprentice who has trouble with women, which causes problems when he falls for a rich socialite played by Jobyna Ralston.

Rarities and Shorts – Presented by Serge Bromberg

Serge Bromberg’s Lobster Films has been behind many significant restorations and rediscoveries, including the restored A Trip to the Moon (1902), presented with much fanfare at the 2011 edition of the Cannes Film Festival. At the 2012 TCM Classic Film Festival, Bromberg will share a special presentation of rarities and rarely seen shorts from the earliest days of film.

Previously Announced…

As previously announced, the 2012 edition of the TCM Classic Film Festival will open with the world premiere of a new 40th anniversary restoration of Bob Fosse’s Cabaret (1972). Other films lined up include an 85th anniversary restoration of Wings (1927), the world premiere of a new restoration of the Oscar-winning All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), the world premiere of an 80th anniversary restoration of Call Her Savage (1932), a 70th anniversary restoration of Casablanca (1942), the world premiere of a 60th anniversary restoration of Singin’ in the Rain (1952) and a new print of the comedy-drama The Women (1939). Additional screenings, events and talent appearances for the 2012 TCM Classic Film Festival will be announced over the coming months.

About the 2012 TCM Classic Film Festival

Taking place Thursday, April 12 – Sunday, April 15, 2012, in Hollywood, the third-annual TCM Classic Film Festival is produced by TCM and sponsored by Vanity Fair, host of the exclusive, opening-night party. Since launching in spring 2010, the TCM Classic Film Festival has quickly established itself as a destination event for film lovers, drawing more than 25,000 attendees from around the country and around the globe in 2011.

The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, which has a longstanding role in movie history and was the site of the first Oscars® ceremony, will serve as the official hotel for the festival, as well as home to Club TCM, a central gathering point for passholders. Screenings and events will be held at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, Chinese 6 Theatres, the Egyptian Theatre and The Music Box Theatre.