this week in lectures, signings, panel discussions, workshops, and Q&As

THE WARRIORS CONEY ISLAND REUNION

You can come out and play with the Warriors as many of the actors return to Coney Island for a special reunion on September 13

THE WARRIORS (Walter Hill, 1979)
Surf Pavilion
3029 Stillwell Ave., Coney Island
Sunday, September 13, $20-$25, 10:00 am
surfpavilion.com
www.warriorsmovie.co.uk

In the classic cult film The Warriors, a Coney Island gang has to return home after a disastrous gathering in the Bronx. On September 13, many of the actors from the film will be returning to Coney as well for a special reunion screening taking place at Surf Pavilion on Stillwell Ave., including Michael Beck (Swan), Dorsey Wright (Cleon), David Harris (Cochise), Bryan Tyler (Snow), Thomas G. Waites (Fox), Terry Michos (Vermin), Deborah Van Valkenburgh (Mercy), Jery Hewitt (Furies leader Muson), Apache Ramos (of the Orphans), and others. The film opens at a huge gang meeting in the Bronx (actually shot in Riverside Park), where the Warriors are wrongly accused of having killed Cyrus (Roger Hill), an outspoken leader trying to band all the warring factions together to form one huge force that can take over New York City borough by borough. The Warriors then must make it back to their home turf, Coney Island, with every gang in New York lying in wait for them to pass through their territory. This iconic New York City gang movie is based on Sol Yurick’s novel, which in turn is loosely based on Xenophon’s Anabasis, which told of the ancient Greeks’ retreat from Persia. Beck stars as Swan, who becomes the de-facto leader of the Warriors after Cleon gets taken down early. Battling Swan for control is Ajax (James Remar) and tough-talking Mercy. Serving as a Greek chorus is Lynne (Law & Order) Thigpen as a radio DJ, and, yes, that young woman out too late in Central Park is eventual Oscar winner Mercedes Ruehl.

Among the cartoony gangs of New York who try to stop the Warriors are the roller-skating Punks, the pathetic Orphans, the militaristic Gramercy Riffs, the all-girl Lizzies, the ragtag Rogues, and the inimitable Baseball Furies. Another main character is New York City itself, especially the subway system. Presented by the LSRR Tour and the Village Voice, the special conclave will include autograph signings, meet-and-greets, a cosplay contest, and live performances by the Gotham City Mashers and Sick of It All. If you can’t come out and play-ee-ay on September 13, The Warriors is also having its annual Coney Island Film Festival screening on September 19 at Sideshows by the Seashore ($10, 10:30 pm).

RIZZOLI BOOKSTORE INAUGURAL EVENT: A SPECIAL CONVERSATION BETWEEN MANOLO BLAHNIK AND ANDRÉ LEON TALLEY

Inaugural event at brand-new Rizzoli Bookstore will feature Manolo Blahnik and André Leon Talley (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Who: Manolo Blahnik and André Leon Talley
What: Book signing and talk
Where: Rizzoli Bookstore, 1133 Broadway at 26th St., 212-759-2424
When: Friday, September 11, free, 5:30
Why: When we stopped by the beautiful, brand-new Rizzoli Bookstore on Broadway this past weekend — the company was forced out of its majestic Fifth-Seventh St. digs last spring after nearly thirty years — there was still a lot of construction going on in the back room, where they will be holding their events. So they have their work cut out for them to get it ready for the inaugural book signing and talk in the new space, taking place this Friday with legendary shoe designer Manolo Blahnik. The Canary Islands native will be discussing his life and career, as depicted in the massive book Manolo Blahnik‬: Fleeting Gestures and Obsessions (Rizzoli, September 8, $150), which includes contributions from Pedro Almodóvar, Mary Beard, Sofia Coppola, Michael Roberts, and André Leon Talley; Talley will host the conversation with Blahnik.

NEW YORK OYSTER WEEK: OYSTER SHELLEBRATION AND MORE

Tasty bivalve mollusks will be on special menus and at special events all over the city during New York Oyster Week

Multiple venues
September 10-27
www.oysterweek.com

Oysters have been an important part of New York City culture practically from the beginning, and not just because of how delicious and extravagant they are. “There used to be enough oysters in New York Harbor to process all the water there, which is one of the reasons environmentalists want them back,” Mark Kurlansky wrote in his celebrated 2006 book The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell. “And perhaps this is also why oysters taste like eating the sea.” You can swallow the slimy bivalve mollusks while learning more about them at the Oyster Shellebration, taking place September 12 ($100, 5:00 – 8:00) in the newest section of Brooklyn Bridge Park at Adams and John Sts. Sponsored by the park conservancy and One John Street, the event will feature tastings of East Coast oysters, clam chowder, shrimp rolls, canapés, beer, Champagne, wine, and more, with Oyster Concierge Julie Qiu, Master Mermmelier Kevin Joseph, and Chef Rob McCue as well as experts from the Billion Oyster Project and the Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries. Be prepared to discover that oysters aren’t just good, they’re good for all of us, for many reasons. Oyster Shellebration is part of New York Oyster Week, in which more than a dozen participating eateries will be preparing special menus highlighting oysters; the festivities kick off with the second annual Brooklyn Oyster Riot, being held September 10 at the Brooklyn Brewery ($95-$125) and featuring East and West Coast oysters served by oyster farmers, who will also share stories and answer questions. Also on the festival menu are the Shuckeasy on September 17, the Big Gay Oyster Brunch on September 20, and Oystoberfest and the Stone Street Oyster Festival on September 26.

WORD, ROCK, AND SWORD V: A FESTIVAL EXPLORATION OF WOMEN’S LIVES

Toshi Reagon (l.) and friends will come together for fifth annual festival

Toshi Reagon, Nona Hendryx, and friends will come together for fifth annual festival exploring women’s lives

Multiple venues
September 13-20, free – $25
www.wordrocksword.com

“Word, Rock & Sword” might describe itself as “a festival exploration of women’s lives,” but it also makes clear that “All are welcome” to these eight days of live music, panel discussions, film screenings, yoga, workshops, and other special events, many of which are free and require advance registration because of very limited space. The festival was started by singer-songwriter and activist Toshi Reagon, who explained in a statement, “We struggle in a political climate that still tolerates and actively encourages systemic discrimination against women — from the workplace to the doctor’s office. We witness congressional attacks on funding for Planned Parenthood; the harassment and murder of abortion providers; the denial of access to affordable health care; the constant vulnerability of women and girls to violence and sexual abuse; the daily struggle of women to hold families together in our ailing economy. We will come together to share our gifts and focus our intentions for the twenty-first century.” The fifth annual festival begins September 13 with an Opening Service in a private home with song, poetry, art, storytelling, and silent meditation and continues with such other programs as the discussion “Beyond the Hashtag: Using Art and Technology to Combat the Criminalization of Our Communities,” presented by the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice and the Ford Foundation; “Babies!” with Amy Matthews, which examines the learning experiences of newborns and toddlers; the multisensory anatomy lesson “Sound, Movement, and Mapping Our Bodies” with Matthews and Lydia Mann; Imani Uzuri’s healing creative-expression workshop “Water from the Well”; and “A Musical Celebration of Women’s Lives Year 5” ($20-$25), a concert at (le) poisson rouge with Nona Hendryx, Joan as Police Woman, Martha Redbone, Tamar-kali, SassyBlack, Gina Breedlove, and many more, produced and directed by Reagon and hosted by Karen Williams.

ROBERT RYAN — AN ACTOR’S ACTOR: THE NAKED SPUR

Robert Ryan, Janet Leigh, and Millard Mitchell have a lot of physical and psychological ground to cover in Anthony Mann’s THE NAKED SPUR

THE NAKED SPUR (Albert Mann, 1953)
Anthology Film Archives
32 Second Ave. at Second St.
Saturday, September 5, 4:30, Monday, September 7, 9:00, and Wednesday, September 9, 7:00
Series runs September 4-10
212-505-5181
anthologyfilmarchives.org

Shortly after the Civil War, bounty hunter Howard Kemp (James Stewart) is determined to bring in wanted murderer Ben Vandergroat (Robert Ryan) and claim the reward. Joined by grizzled old prospector Jesse Tate (Millard Mitchell) and dishonorably discharged Union lieutenant Roy Anderson (Ralph Meeker), Kemp gets his man, along with Ben’s companion, the young Lina Patch (Janet Leigh), the daughter of Ben’s dead best friend. They tie up Ben’s hands, put him on a burro, and head out on the long, arduous trail to turn him over to the federal marshals. But the smug, wisecracking outlaw has other plans, continually planting various seeds to try to set Howard, Roy, and Jesse against one another. Directed by Anthony Mann (Winchester ’73, The Man from Laramie) and shot in the Rocky Mountains, The Naked Spur is not just another Western; it is a multilayered exploration of lust and greed, love and sexuality, with Lina at the center of it all. When Ben needs his sore back rubbed, he asks her, “Can you do me?” Roy thinks he can do anything he wants with any woman. And Howard can’t get over a part of his past, suffering from nightmares that haunt him. Unfortunately, the complex story is dragged down by overly conventional music — “Beautiful Dreamer”? Really? — and some ridiculously staged, hard-to-believe action scenes, but it’s still worth saddling up your horse and going along for the ride. The Naked Spur is screening September 5, 7, and 9 as part of the Anthology Film Archives series “Robert Ryan: An Actor’s Actor,” which continues with such other Ryan flicks as Daniel Mann’s About Mrs. Leslie, Nicholas Ray’s On Dangerous Ground, John Sturges’s Bad Day at Black Rock, Fred Zinnemann’s An Act of Violence, and Mann’s God’s Little Acre. Select screenings will be followed by a discussion with Cheyney Ryan, Robert’s son, and professor J. R. Jones, the author of the new book The Lives of Robert Ryan. A Dartmouth grad who was born in Chicago, Ryan was an outspoken civil rights activist who made more than fifty films during his thirty-plus-year career, which ended when he died of lung cancer in 1973 at the age of sixty-four.

SENSE OF AN ENDING

A journalist (Joshua David Robinson) seeks the truth about a horrific massacre from Sister Justina (Heather Alicia Simms) in SENSE OF AN ENDING (photo by Carol Rosegg)

59E59 Theaters
59 East 59th St. between Madison & Park Aves.
Through September 6, $18
www.59e59.org

Ken Urban paints a searing, intimate portrait of the Rwandan genocide and the concept of forgiveness in the gripping and powerful Sense of an Ending. It’s Easter weekend in 1999, and two Hutu nuns, the younger Sister Alice (Dana Marie Ingraham) and the older Sister Justina (Heather Alicia Simms), sit in a Kigali prison waiting to be tried in a Belgian court for crimes against humanity. Attempting to resurrect his career after a plagiarism scandal, New York Times journalist Charles (Joshua David Robinson) arrives to do a story on the nuns, initially determined to prove their innocence, unable to believe that the two religious women could have taken part in a horrific massacre at their church. But as Charles speaks with the nuns, a Rwandan Patriotic Front corporal named Paul (Hubert Point-Du Jour), and Dusabi (Danyon Davis), a bitter Tutsi who claims to have survived the brutal, cold-blooded murders, he learns more than he bargained for. “There isn’t a famine, war zone, atrocity I haven’t seen,” Charles tells Paul, who responds, “You’ve never seen anything like what’s behind this door,” referring to the entrance of the church, which hovers over the play like a doorway to hell.

An RPF corporal (Hubert Point-Du Jour) watches over two nuns and a journalist in play about Rwandan genocide (photo by Carol Rosegg)

Winner of the L. Arnold Weissberger Playwriting Award for Best New American Play, Sense of an Ending takes place in a tiny black-box theater where the audience sits in two rows on three sides of the stage, which contains three benches. Scene changes are indicated by small shifts in sound and lighting, although some of the sound effects are hard to make out; at one point, background noise sounded like it could have been coming from one of the other theaters at 59E59. Director Adam Fitzgerald (Methtacular!, Urban’s The Awake) maintains a tense, threatening undercurrent throughout the play’s ninety minutes, although Urban (The Happy Sad, The Correspondent) ties it all up a little too neatly in the end. The acting is uniformly strong, led by a particularly moving performance by Point-Du Jour (A Beautiful Day in November on the Banks of the Greatest of the Great Lakes, The Model Apartment) as Paul, a straightforward Tutsi soldier who shows unexpected depth. At its heart, Sense of an Ending, which debuted at London’s Theatre503 in May with a different director and cast, is about truth, forgiveness, and faith, reminiscent of Nicholas Wright’s A Human Being Died That Night, which ran at BAM this past spring and examined the case of South African mass murderer Eugene de Kock. “All I want is the truth,” Charles says to Dusabi, who replies, “You have come to the wrong place, my friend, if you are looking for truth.” Sense of an Ending continues through September 6; the September 3 show will be followed by the talk-back “Moving Forward: Rwanda and Its Citizens, Post-Genocide” with Jesse Hawkes, executive director of Global Youth Connect, and Rwandan genocide survivor and human rights activist Jacqueline Murekatete.

INGRID BERGMAN: A CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION

Ingrid Bergman makes sure everything is just right in her final film, AUTUMN SONATA

MoMA Film, Museum of Modern Art
11 West 53rd St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
August 29 – September 10
Tickets: $12, in person only, may be applied to museum admission within thirty days, same-day screenings free with museum admission, available at Film and Media Desk beginning at 9:30 am
212-708-9400
www.moma.org

MoMA kicks off its two-week Ingrid Bergman retrospective on August 29, the hundredth anniversary of the birth of one of cinema’s most genuine movie stars, by showing her most famous work, Casablanca, along with her theatrical grand finale, Ingmar Bergman’s Autumn Sonata, introduced by two of her children, Pia Lindström and Isabella Rossellini. As it turned out, she died on her birthday at the age of sixty-seven, so it’s also the thirty-third anniversary of her death in 1982 from breast cancer. The fourteen-film survey, several of which were specially chosen by Lindström, Isabella Rossellini, and Ingrid’s other daughter, Ingrid Rossellini, includes such other classic favorites as Gaslight, Notorious, Intermezzo, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and The Bells of St. Mary’s as well as such lesser-known fare as Fear, Paris Does Strange Things, Stromboli, and the short comedy We, the Women: Ingrid Bergman. Each of the three daughters will be back at MoMA individually to introduce select screenings August 30-31 and September 1 and 8-9.