TCM Classic Film Festival
2024 TCM Classic Film Festival Is A Wrap
Once again, it was time for our favorite film festival, the Turner Classic Movies Film Festival, and as usual, the Stars were shining brightly!
Movie lovers from around the globe descended upon Hollywood for the 15th edition of the festival, which took place Thursday, April 18 – Sunday, April 21. Over four packed days and nights, fans were treated to a lineup of great movies, appearances by legendary stars and filmmakers, fascinating presentations and panel discussions.
There were quite a few big-name notables, both on the red carpet and introducing some of our favorite classic films.
Thursday’s opening night gala was a stunner, with the 30th anniversary screening of Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (1994). Many of the iconic film’s stars walked the red carpet for a reunion that included John Travolta, Samuel Jackson, Uma Thurman, and Harvey Keitel.
This set the tone for what was to come, with some very impressive guests that also attended the festival.
Friday night saw none other than Steven Spielberg introduce, with a discussion with TCM host Ben Mankiewicz, his classic sci-fi Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). This being only his 3rd film, Spielberg said he was surprised the studio gave him the money to make it, even after the success of his mega-hit Jaws (1975). He told of much wrangling with the studio as a young director, for a bigger budget and creative control. One of these negotiations included a compromise, where the studio agreed to give the director more money (over budget) to complete scenes he thought were important to the film – in return for Spielberg agreeing to add a scene at the end that he hated, but the studio insisted upon. Ironically, Spielberg got the last laugh, showing us his “director’s cut” of the film WITHOUT that scene (in case you are wondering, it was a totally unnecessary scene at the end, where protagonist Roy Neary is shown on the alien spacecraft.)
Spielberg also told a story that directly points to his genius as a director. When attempting to get 3-year-old Carey Guffy (Barry) to emote facial expressions of wonderment and awe when he first sees the spacecrafts approaching his farm, Spielberg climbed up on a ladder in the young actors sight-line and said, “roll camera…” As Guffy watched intently, Spielberg held an ornately wrapped present, complete with ribbons and bows and fancy paper, and proceeded to slowly unwrap the gift, one ribbon and bow at a time, finally revealing a toy truck, to the young boy’s sheer and utter delight.
Another surprising tidbit that Spielberg shared was that not only was Richard Dreyfuss working on Jaws and Close Encounters at the same time, but he wasn’t the only actor considered for the part of Roy Neary. Some of those approached at the time were James Caan, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, and Gene Hackman. Also of note, famous French director Francois Truffaut (Lacombe) was cast after Spielberg passed on a young Gerard Depardieu, and on a hopeful whim, sent the script to Truffaut’s assistant.
What a different movie it might have been with such different casting!
On Saturday, WeAreMovieGeeks.com took in 2 screenings.
The first was the classic British rom-com, Four Weddings and A Funeral (1994), starring Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell, Kristin Scott Thomas, and John Hannah. This decidedly “lovely little indie-film” ended up not only making Hugh Grant a huge star, but is also one of the highest grossing British films of all time.
Director Mike Newell was in attendance to introduce the film. One of the experiences he spoke most highly of was working with Hugh Grant. Despite the star’s fumbling, sort of aloof persona, he would not be content until his scenes and dialogue were perfect, no matter how many times he was asked to do it. He was an absolute stickler when it came to getting it just right. The 30-year-old movie holds up surprisingly well, and for anyone who enjoys a good, fun comedy, it’s worth a watch!
Saturday evening saw the absolute sweetest reunion between stars Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, for the 30th anniversary screening of The Shawshank Redemption (1994).
The sold-out crowd in attendance (938 seats at TCL’s IMAX theater) delightfully gave the pair a well-deserved standing ovation as they made their way onto the stage. They seemed genuinely charmed by the audience’s reaction. The two friends reminisced about being on location in Ohio, which stood in for Maine, where the story takes place. To their surprise, some of the filming locations in Ohio have become tourist attractions, thanks to the film.
One of the things that both Freeman and Robbins attribute to the success of the film is the genuine friendship that the characters Red (Freeman) and Andy Dufresne (Robbins) have for each other.
The absolute highlight of the interview was when both actors were asked, what was the favorite performance of the other. Morgan Freeman thought for a minute before saying “Mystic River” for Tim Robbins. Robbins, on the other hand, took less than a split second to say “The Electric Company” (yes, the PBS classic children’s show) and the crowd went completely nuts. The thunderous applause and whistles lasted a few minutes and it left 86 year old Morgan Freeman speechless. Suffice to say, his old friend Robbins knew what he was doing. Another great movie that holds up all these years later and one not to be missed if you haven’t seen it.
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