this week in film and television

THE COMPLETE HITCHCOCK: STRANGERS ON A TRAIN

Opposites attract in strange ways in Alfred Hitchcock’s STRANGERS ON A TRAIN

STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (Alfred Hitchcock, 1951)
Film Forum
209 West Houston St.
Friday, February 28, 1:00, 3:15, 5:25, 7:40, 9:55
The Complete Hitchcock: February 21 – March 27
The Hitchcock 9: February 21 – May 4
212-727-8110
www.filmforum.org

Film Forum’s “The Complete Hitchcock” continues with one of Alfred Hitchcock’s most multilayered, complex tales, the 1951 psychological double-murder thriller Strangers on a Train. Shortly after introducing himself to amateur tennis star Guy Haines (Farley Granger) on a train, mama’s boy Bruno Anthony (an appropriately creepy Robert Walker) concocts a supposedly foolproof plan in which Bruno will kill Guy’s unfaithful wife, Miriam (Laura Elliott), so Guy can marry his socialite girlfriend, Anne Morton (Ruth Roman), one of the daughters of a U.S. senator (Leo G. Carroll). In return, Guy will kill Bruno’s father (Jonathan Hale). Bruno believes he has devised the perfect crisscross murder, with neither man having a clear motive and nothing for the cops to find to link them together. While Bruno is serious, Guy thinks he’s just a loon (Walker had in fact been recently released from a psychiatric clinic after suffering a nervous breakdown and died at the age of thirty-two before the film even opened), but after the psychopathic Bruno actually does kill Miriam — photographed in an unforgettable way by cinematographer Robert Burks, shown in a pair of broken eyeglasses — he starts shadowing Guy, insisting he keep his part of the bargain and kill Mr. Anthony, something Guy never intended on doing. Soon the cops are involved, along with a broken alibi, a key, and a critical cigarette lighter, leading to a spectacular conclusion on a merry-go-round.

Reflections in a pair of glasses continues the theme of doubling in Hitchcock classic

Reflections in a pair of glasses continue the theme of doubling in eerie Hitchcock classic

Loosely based on Patricia Highsmith’s debut novel and featuring an early screenplay written by Raymond Chandler (whose name was kept in the credits for marquee value despite Hitchcock’s famous — and literal — trashing of his contribution), Strangers on a Train is a powerful, tense mystery built around the idea of the double; from the opening scene of two pairs of shoes — immediately equating, and differentiating between, the two protagonists, as if they were two parts of the same person — to Hitchcock’s appearance carrying a double bass, to Anne’s younger sister, Babs (Patricia Hitchcock, Alfred’s daughter), wearing the same glasses as Miriam, to Bruno’s declaration, upon ordering two double scotches and relating them to tennis, “The only kind of doubles I play,” the film is filled with mirroring or directly opposing elements. As with Hitchcock’s Rope, which also starred Granger, Strangers on a Train also has a clear homosexual subtext; in real life Walker was straight while Granger was bisexual. Shot in a dark black-and-white that adds to the chilling effects, Strangers on a Train is one of Hitchcock’s best, a fully realized, frightening film that ends in a big way. “The Complete Hitchcock” runs through March 27 and includes all of the Master of Suspense’s feature narratives; the series also encompasses “The Hitchcock 9,” which continues through May 4 and consists of all nine of Hitch’s surviving silents, each one accompanied by Steve Sterner on piano. In addition, the Paley Center will be hosting “The Complete Hitchcock: Television” on March 29-30 and April 5-6, consisting of all episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents that the master directed, as well as documentaries, interviews, and other bonuses.

REMASTERED AND RESTORED — TREASURES OF FRENCH CINEMA: THE COLOR OF LIES

Jacques Gamblin and Sandrine Bonnaire play a married couple facing a crisis in Claude Chabrol’s THE COLOR OF LIES

CINÉSALON: THE COLOR OF LIES (AU CŒUR DU MENSONGE) (Claude Chabrol, 1999)
French Institute Alliance Française, Florence Gould Hall
55 East 59th St. between Madison & Park Aves.
Tuesday, February 25, $13, 4:00 & 7:30
Series continues Tuesdays through March 18
212-355-6100
www.fiaf.org

“The mask reveals more than the face,” Germain-Roland Desmot (Antoine de Caunes) says in French New Wave auteur Claude Chabrol’s 1999 thriller A Color of Lies, which is actually an investigation into the concept of truth. In seaside Breton, a ten-year-old girl has been found in the woods, raped and murdered. New police inspector Lesage (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) believes the culprit is painter and art teacher René Sterne (Jacques Gamblin), the last person known to see the girl alive, but he is staunchly defended by his caring wife, Vivianne (Sandrine Bonnaire), who is striking up a close friendship with Desmot, a self-obsessed local celebrity who writes books and appears on television shows. When a second death is linked to René, Lesage thinks she’s got her man, but the truth is not so easy to uncover in this ever-more complex mélange. Cowritten by Chabrol (Les Cousins, Les Biches) and Odile Barski and shot in an ominous 1970s atmosphere by Eduardo Serra (The Girl with a Pearl Earring, Blood Diamond) that explodes with bursts of deep blues and reds, The Color of Lies is a dark mystery about love, art, obsession, and truth, centered by Bonnaire’s (Vagabond, Monsieur Hire) radiant performance as a dedicated woman facing a critical moment of doubt. Gamblin (Laissez-passer) is effective as René, a cynical, unpredictable man who walks with a cane; on the surface, it is easy to assume he is guilty of anything anyone accuses him of, but his wife’s love adds sympathy and hope that he is not the murderer. The Color of Lies is filled with tricky plot twists emanating from the trompe-l’oeil painting style employed by René in his work, and by Chabrol throughout the film, creating a false reality, like masks that people wear to try to hide the truth behind them. A digitally remastered version of The Color of Lies is screening February 25 at 4:00 & 7:30 as part of the FIAF CinéSalon series “Remastered & Restored: Treasures of French Cinema”; the later screening was supposed to be presented by costar Gamblin, who had to cancel, so a new presenter will be announced. Both shows will be followed by a wine reception. The three-month festival continues with such other recently restored French films as Claire Denis’s Chocolat (introduced by Mahen Bonetti), Jean-Pierre Melville’s Two Men in Manhattan (introduced by Phillip Lopate), and Henri-Georges Clouzot’s The Truth.

THE COMPLETE HITCHCOCK: TO CATCH A THIEF

Cary Grant and Grace Kelly turn up the glamor quotient in Hitchcock thriller set on the French Riviera

TO CATCH A THIEF (Alfred Hitchcock, 1955)
Film Forum
209 West Houston St.
Sunday, February 23, 3:30, 5:40, 8:00
Monday, February 24, 1:30, 4:00
The Complete Hitchcock: February 21 – March 27
The Hitchcock 9: February 21 – May 4
212-727-8110
www.filmforum.org

Is he or isn’t he? In Alfred Hitchcock’s glamorous thriller set on the French Riviera, Cary Grant stars as John Robie, a famous burglar known as the Cat who has supposedly retired but is suddenly believed to be responsible for a rash of new jewelry thefts. Determined to prove his innocence and catch the real thief, he enlists the help of Lloyd’s of London insurance agent H. H. Hughson (John Williams), who supplies him with a list of women on the Riviera who have expensive baubles ripe for the taking. At the top of the list are the Americans Jessie Stevens (Jessie Royce Landis) and her gorgeous daughter, Francie (a radiant Grace Kelly), who teases Robie, hinting that she might in fact be the Cat — if he isn’t. As Robie avoids the cops and looks to his old friends in the French Resistance for further help, the tension heats up, leading to a climax that takes place on the rooftops of the French Riviera. Grant’s third of four outings with Hitchcock and Kelly’s third and final turn with the suspense master is an exciting “who’s doing it” featuring the dream pairing of two of Hollywood’s most beautiful and talented superstars, filled with just the right amount of comedy and romance in a glorious setting. Look for Alfie to make his appearance early on, causing Grant to do a double take in the back of a bus. To Catch a Thief is screening February 23-24 as part of Film Forum’s “The Complete Hitchcock,” which runs through March 27 and includes all of the Master of Suspense’s feature narratives; the series also encompasses “The Hitchcock 9,” which continues through May 4 and consists of all nine of Hitch’s surviving silents, each one accompanied by Steve Sterner on piano. In addition, the Paley Center will be hosting “The Complete Hitchcock: Television” on March 29-30 and April 5-6, consisting of all episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents that the master directed, as well as documentaries, interviews, and other bonuses.

VICE PRESENTS THE FILM FOUNDATION SCREENING SERIES: THE CONNECTION

Shirley Clarke captures a unique part of New York City life in THE CONNECTION

ONE NITE ONLY: THE CONNECTION (Shirley Clarke, 1962)
Nitehawk Cinema
136 Metropolitan Ave. between Berry St. & Wythe Ave.
Tuesday, February 25, $16, 9:30
718-384-3980
www.nitehawkcinema.com
www.milestonefilms.com

“Now look, you cats may know more about junk, see,” square film director Jim Dunn (William Redfield) says midway through The Connection, “but let me swing with this movie, huh?” Adapted by Jack Gelber from his play and directed and edited by Shirley Clarke, The Connection is a gritty tale of drug addicts awaiting their fix that was banned for obscenity after only two matinee screenings back in October 1962 and now can be seen in a sharp fiftieth-anniversary print beautifully restored by Ross Lipman of the UCLA Film & Television Archive. In a New York City loft, eight men are waiting for their man: Leach (Warren Finnerty), the ringleader who has an oozing scab on his neck; Solly (Jerome Raphael), an intelligent philosopher who speaks poetically about the state of the world; Ernie (Garry Goodrow), a sad-sack complainer who has pawned his horn but still clutches tight to the mouthpiece as if it were a pacifier; Sam (Jim Anderson), a happy dude who tells rambling stories while spinning a hula hoop; and a jazz quartet consisting of real-life musicians Freddie Redd on piano, Jackie McLean on sax, Larry Richie on drums, and Michael Mattos on bass. Dunn and his cameraman, J. J. Burden (Roscoe Lee Browne), are in the apartment filming the men as Dunn tries to up the drama to make it more cinematic as well as more genuine. “Don’t be afraid, man,” Leach tells him. “It’s just your movie. It’s not real.” When Cowboy (Carl Lee) ultimately shows with the stuff, Bible-thumping Sister Salvation (Barbara Winchester) at his side, things take a decidedly more drastic turn.

Mixing elements of the French New Wave with a John Cassavetes sensibility and cinema verité style, Clarke has made an underground indie classic that moves to the beat of an addict’s craving and eventual fix. Shot in a luridly arresting black-and-white by Arthur Ornitz, The Connection is like one long be-bop jazz song, giving plenty of time for each player to take his solo, with standout performances by McLean musically and Raphael verbally. The film-within-a-film narrative allows Clarke to experiment with the mechanics of cinema and challenge the audience; when Dunn talks directly into the camera, he is speaking to Burden, yet he is also breaking the fourth wall, addressing the viewer. Cutting between Burden’s steady camera and Dunn’s handheld one, Clarke adds dizzying swirls that rush past like a speeding subway train. A New York City native, Clarke made such other films as The Cool World and Portrait of Jason and won an Academy Award for her 1963 documentary Robert Frost: A Lover’s Quarrel with the World. This new print of The Connection is part of Milestone Films’ Shirley Clarke Project, which will preserve and restore a quartet of her best work, including the 1985 documentary Ornette: Made in America. The Connection is screening February 25 at 9:30 as part of Nitehawk Cinema’s “One Nite Only” and “VICE Presents: The Film Foundation Screening Series” and will be preceded by a party in the downstairs bar with complimentary Larceny Bourbon drinks. The VICE series continues on March 25 with Orson Welles’s Macbeth and April 29 with Alfred Hitchock’s Shadow of a Doubt.

MAD AS HELL: THE MAKING OF NETWORK

Howard Beale gets mad — and asks the American people to join him — in Sidney Lumet’s NETWORK

SCREENING, DISCUSSION & BOOK SIGNING: NETWORK (Sidney Lumet, 1976)
Museum of the Moving Image
35th Ave. at 36th St., Astoria
Sunday, February 23, $15, 2:00
718-777-6800
www.movingimage.us

“Slowly, the world we’re living in is getting smaller, and all we say is, ‘Please, at least leave us alone in our living rooms. Let me have my toaster and my teevee and my steel-belted radials and I won’t say anything. Just leave us alone.’ Well, I’m not going to leave you alone. I want you to get mad.” So declares Peter Finch as news anchor Howard Beale in Sidney Lumet’s classic 1976 satire, Network. Written by Paddy Chayefsky, the film, about a fictional television network that will apparently do just about anything for ratings, was nominated for ten Oscars and won four — Finch posthumously beat out castmate William Holden (who plays Max Schumacher, an old-time news pro trying desperately to hold on to any shred of dignity left at the company) for Best Actor, Faye Dunaway won Best Actress as ruthless programmer Diana Christensen, Beatrice Straight was named Best Supporting Actress for her six minutes of screen time as Schumacher’s wife, and Chayefsky won for Best Original Screenplay, his insightful script predicting much of what would happen in the media over the next several decades, and it’s still all frighteningly relevant today. On February 23, the Museum of the Moving Image will be showing Network, with cultural critic David Itzkoff on hand to talk about the film and sign copies of his new book, Mad as Hell: The Making of Network and the Fateful Vision of the Angriest Man in Movies (February 18, Times Books, $27). “The problems, plural, with television, as enumerated by Paddy Chayefsky,” Itzkoff writes at the beginning of the book, “included but were not limited to: its crassness, its stupidity, its chasing of fads and its embracing of gimmicks; its reduction of all that was distinctive and worthy of celebration in American culture to the basic food groups of game shows, songs, and dances; its compulsion to force everyone watching it to think the same thing at the same time; and its overall lack of artistic integrity. Also, it paid him too little.” Itzkoff is supposed to be joined by ESPN host and onetime Howard Beale impersonator Keith Olbermann, who has been bedridden with shingles this week and whose home Twitter page features the quote “Sorry. Not my day to run the network.”

OMAR

Three childhood friends plan a terrorist action in Hany Abu-Assad’s Oscar-nominated OMAR

OMAR (Hany Abu-Assad, 2013)
Lincoln Plaza Cinema, 1886 Broadway at 63rd St., 212-757-2280
Angelika Film Center, 18 West Houston St. at Mercer St., 212-995-2570
Opens Friday, February 21
www.adoptfilms.com

Nazareth-born Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad explores friendship, trust, and young love in occupied Palestine in the taut thriller Omar, the second of his films to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, following 2005’s Paradise Now. Lee Strasberg Institute graduate Adam Bakri makes an impactful film debut as the title character, a serious young man who works in a pita-making shop and climbs over the separation wall every day to meet with his childhood friends Tarek (Eyad Hourani) and Amjad (Samer Bisharat), who are planning on taking action as freedom fighters. Omar also secretly sees Tarek’s sister, Nadja (Leem Lubany), but they are worried about what Tarek might do if he finds out about their burgeoning romance. Shortly after the three friends assassinate an Israeli soldier, Omar is captured and tortured as Agent Rami (Waleed F. Zuaiter) tries to get him to divulge the name of the shooter. But Omar refuses to collaborate until Rami gives him no choice, and even then he thinks he can beat the system. Winner of the Special Jury Prize at the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes, Omar is a tense, powerful tale that doesn’t overplay the political battle between Israel and Palestine (although it’s rather unkind to the Israeli police), instead concentrating on how the seemingly impossible situation affects four young people, all portrayed by first-time actors who show much promise, particularly Bakri, who has a compelling physical presence, and sixteen-year-old Lubany, who has a tender face and mesmerizing eyes. Zuaiter, a Palestinian American who has appeared in numerous English-language films and stage productions and is one of Omar’s producers, plays Agent Rami with a mysterious calm reminiscent of Mandy Patinkin’s Saul Berenson on Homeland, a show in which Zuaiter played terrorist Afsai Hamid in one episode. Regardless of where you stand on the Israel-Palestine conflict in the West Bank, it’s difficult not to get caught up in Abu-Assad’s intricate story.

THE COMPLETE HITCHCOCK / THE HITCHCOCK 9: BLACKMAIL

BLACKMAIL (Alfred Hitchcock, 1929)
Film Forum
209 West Houston St.
Friday, February 21, 7:00; Sunday, March 2, 4:10; Thursday, March 6, with Murder!; Friday, March 21, 10:30; Saturday, May 3, 3:30
The Complete Hitchcock: February 21 – March 27
The Hitchcock 9: February 21 – May 4
212-727-8110
www.filmforum.org

Last summer, BAMcinématek presented restored versions of all nine of Alfred Hitchcock’s surviving silent works, and now “The Hitchcock 9” will be shown at Film Forum from February 21 through May 4 in conjunction with the larger series “The Complete Hitchcock,” which includes all of the Master of Suspense’s films, along with a few surprises. Both series begin Friday with the silent version of Blackmail, accompanied by Steve Sterner on the piano. Based on the play by Charles Bennett, Hitchcock’s 1929 thriller is both his last silent picture as well as his first sound film. The transition is evident from the very beginning, eight glorious minutes of a police arrest with incidental music only, highlighted by an unforgettable mirror shot (courtesy of cinematographer Jack E. Cox) as the cops close in on their suspect. After those opening moments, the film switches to a talkie in the nonsilent version, as New Scotland Yard detective Frank Webber (John Longden) gets into a fight with his girlfriend, Alice White (Anny Ondra, later to become the longtime Mrs. Max Schmeling), who goes off on a secret rendezvous with a slick artist named Crewe (Cyril Ritchard). When things go horribly wrong at Crewe’s studio, Frank assures Alice that he will help her, but slimy ex-con Tracy (Donald Calthrop) has other ideas, thinking he can use some inside information to make a small killing. After shooting the picture with sound — including having Ondra’s dialogue spoken off-screen by Joan Barry because Ondra’s Eastern European accent was too thick — Sir Alfred filmed some scenes over again in silence, resulting in two versions of this splendid psychological thriller, both laced with elements of German Expressionism and early film noir as well as flashes of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” and Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment. Look for Hitch as the man on the subway being menaced by a young boy.

Early thriller, shot with and without sound, features classic Hitchcock touches

The silent version is being shown at Film Forum on February 21, March 2, and May 3, while the sound picture will screen March 6 in a double feature with Murder! and by itself on March 21. “The Hitchcock 9” continues through May 4 with The Lodger, The Pleasure Garden, Easy Virtue, Champagne, The Farmer’s Wife, The Ring, Downhill, and The Manxman (all featuring Sterner on piano), while “The Complete Hitchcock” gets off to a rousing start with North by Northwest, To Catch a Thief, and The Wrong Man and such double features as Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Rich and Strange, The 39 Steps and The Lady Vanishes, Secret Agent and Young and Innocent, and The Trouble with Harry and Family Plot. In addition, the Paley Center will be hosting “The Complete Hitchcock: Television” on March 29-30 and April 5-6, consisting of all episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents that the master directed, as well as documentaries, interviews, and other bonuses.