The Official Blog of Laemmle Theatres.

blog.laemmle.com

The official blog of Laemmle Theatres

You are here: Home / Repertory Cinema

Q&A with DIE HARD Co-Stars Bonnie Bedelia and Reginald VelJohnson and Screenwriter Steven E. de Souza

by

Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Series present a 30th anniversary screening of one of the most popular modern action movies, DIE HARD, which made a movie star of Bruce Willis and set the template for many subsequent thrillers set in a confined space on a single day or night. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards, and in 2007, Entertainment Weekly named it the best action film of all time. In 2017 it was selected for inclusion in the National Film Registry.

Details:

Tuesday, March 6, at 7:30 PM at the Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre
Q&A with Co-Stars Bonnie Bedelia and Reginald VelJohnson
Plus, Screenwriter Steven E. de Souza
Format: DCP
Click here for tickets

Willis plays New York policeman John McClane, who travels to Los Angeles on Christmas Eve to try to reconcile with his estranged wife, who has taken a top job with the Nakatomi Corporation in a sleek new office building (actually the brand new Fox Plaza building in Century City). But he walks into a terrorist attack and has to use both brains and brawn to foil a gang of European thugs. John McTiernan directed the script by Steven E. de Souza and Jeb Stuart.

Acclaimed British theater actor Alan Rickman made his feature film debut as the leader of the terrorists, Hans Gruber, ranked as one of the greatest villains of all time by the American Film Institute. The excellent, eclectic supporting cast includes Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson, DeVoreaux White, James Shigeta, Alexander Godunov, Hart Bochner, and William Atherton. Leonard Maltin called the picture a “dynamite action yarn.” The movie was a box office smash and spawned four sequels.

Oscar-winning director Brad Bird recently paid tribute to the film: “Hands down, the original DIE HARD is one of the greatest action movies ever made—it’s relentlessly inventive, engaging and funny at the same time.”

Bonnie Bedelia, who plays Holly McClane, started her film career with memorable roles in They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? and Lovers and Other Strangers. She also co-starred in The Big Fix, Violets Are Blue, Presumed Innocent, DIE HARD 2, Sordid Lives, and earned rave reviews for her starring role in Heart Like a Wheel. She has appeared in many acclaimed TV movies and in the popular series The Division and Parenthood.

Reginald VelJohnson, who plays Sgt. Al Powell, the policeman who comes to McClane’s aid, also reprised his role in DIE HARD 2. He appeared in many other films and TV series but is probably best remembered for his starring role in the long-running TV sitcom, Family Matters.

Screenwriter Steven E. de Souza also wrote 48 Hrs, The Running Man with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ricochet with Denzel Washington, Beverly Hills Cop III, and Judge Dredd.

Double Feature: THE WAY WE WERE and SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE on February 13th in NoHo, Pasadena, and West LA

by

Twofer Tuesdays return just in time for Valentine’s Day. Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Series present a double feature of two all-time romantic favorites, THE WAY WE WERE and SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE.

Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford demonstrate matchless chemistry in THE WAY WE WERE, which received six Oscar nominations in 1973, including a nod for Streisand as Best Actress. The picture won two Oscars, for Marvin Hamlisch’s memorable score and Best Song, written by Hamlisch, Marilyn and Alan Bergman.

Streisand plays a college radical who falls in love with the apolitical campus jock, who also happens to be a gifted writer. The film follows their tumultuous romance over two decades from the 1930s to the 1950s and reaches its climax in the era of the Hollywood blacklist, which destroyed families and careers. Arthur Laurents (West Side Story, Gypsy, The Turning Point) provided the screenplay, and Sydney Pollack, a master of movie romance, directed. The supporting cast includes Bradford Dillman, Viveca Lindfors, Patrick O’Neal, and Lois Chiles.

Pauline Kael wrote of the film, “It’s hit entertainment, and maybe even memorable entertainment…The movie is about two people who are wrong for each other, and Streisand and Redford are an ideal match to play this mismatch.” The finale, in which the lovers meet several years after their divorce and contemplate what might have been, has had audiences weeping for decades.

SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE from 1993 also boasts a tearjerking finale that packs a wallop. In the Oscar-nominated screenplay by director Nora Ephron, David S. Ward, and Jeff Arch, geography is the main obstacle keeping the star-crossed lovers apart. Tom Hanks plays an architect from Seattle who is still grieving over his dead wife. His son (Ross Malinger) decides that he needs to find a new mate and helps to orchestrate a radio confessional that attracts the attention of Meg Ryan, a journalist living in Baltimore.

Ephron, a celebrated journalist, novelist, and screenwriter, came into her own as a director when this rom-com became a surprise summertime smash. Ryan, who had starred in Ephron’s screenplay for When Harry Met Sally, demonstrated perfect rapport with Hanks, and they reteamed in Ephron’s You’ve Got Mail five years later. Rosie O’Donnell, Bill Pullman, Rob Reiner (the director of When Harry Met Sally), Rita Wilson, and Gaby Hoffmann as Malinger’s pint-sized co-conspirator contribute delicious cameos. Despite all the prodding and plotting, the potential lovers keep missing each other until a meeting atop the Empire State Building offers them a last chance at connection.

The New York Times’ Vincent Canby wrote, “Not since Love Story has there been a movie that so shrewdly and predictably manipulated the emotions for such entertaining effect.” The rousing soundtrack, which included a series of romantic standards performed by unexpected singers (including two numbers by Jimmy Durante), rose to the top of the pop charts and contributed to the movie’s success.

The double feature screens Tuesday, February 13th at our North Hollywood, Pasadena, and West LA venues.

Click here to purchase tickets for the 5pm screening of SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE with admission the the 7:10pm THE WAY WERE included.

Click here to purchase tickets for the 7:10pm THE WAY WE WERE with admission to 9:30pm SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE included.

Format: Both films on DCP

THE GREAT ESCAPE 55th Anniversary Screening Saturday, February 10 at the Ahrya Fine Arts in Beverly Hills

by

Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Series present a 55th anniversary screening of one of the best loved adventure movies of all time, John Sturges’ all-star production of THE GREAT ESCAPE.

Adapted from a nonfiction book by Paul Brickhill, the film told the mainly true story of the successful escape from one of the Nazis’ top-security POW camps during World War II. The screenplay was written by James Clavell (King Rat, To Sir, With Love, Shogun) and W. R. Burnett (High Sierra, This Gun For Hire, The Asphalt Jungle).

In reality the prisoners were almost all British, but the producers decided to add some American characters to beef up the film’s box-office potential. This decision was shrewd since it allowed for the casting of up-and-coming American actors Steve McQueen (who became a superstar largely as a result of this film), James Garner, James Coburn, and Charles Bronson. They were joined by British actors Richard Attenborough, Donald Pleasence, James Donald, and David McCallum. Because of his love of motorcycles, McQueen asked that a spectacular motorcycle jump be added to the escape sequence, and it became one of the iconic scenes in the film, even though it never really happened.

Released in the summer of 1963, the film emerged as one of the year’s biggest box-office hits, and most reviews were ecstatic. Time magazine wrote, “Producer-director John Sturges has created classic cinema of action… The Great Escape is simply great escapism.” Leonard Maltin called it “Rip-roaring excitement with marvelous international cast.” Sturges was known for his direction of other action classics, including Bad Day at Black Rock and The Magnificent Seven, the latter of which also featured McQueen. Oscar winning cinematographer Daniel Fapp shot on location in Germany, and Elmer Bernstein provided the memorable score. Ferris Webster was nominated for an Academy Award for his taut editing.

The film’s reputation has not dimmed over the years. In 2001 Esquire magazine called The Great Escape “the greatest boys’ movie of all time.” Writing in the Los Angeles Times to celebrate the film’s 40th anniversary in 2003, Michael Sragow declared, “It is an escape, and it is great: It renders vividly and fully an experience that encompasses a panorama of emotions—fear, audacity, loyalty, panic, giddiness, intransigence, and fortitude.”

THE GREAT ESCAPE screens Saturday, February 10th at 7:30pm at the Ahrya Fine Arts in Beverly Hills. Click here for tickets.

Format: DCP

TCM Big Screen Classics Series Starts January 14th in Encino, Claremont, Pasadena, and Beverly Hills

by

Six decades of Hollywood hits come to select Laemmle Theatres in Encino, Claremont, Pasadena, and Beverly Hills as Fathom Events and Turner Classic Movies present stars like Humphrey Bogart, Bing Crosby, James Dean, Tom Hanks, Katharine Hepburn, Kim Novak, James Stewart, Gloria Swanson, John Travolta, Gene Wilder, Bruce Willis, Natalie Wood – and dozens more – in the yearlong “TCM Big Screen Classics” series.

“TCM Big Screen Classics” series will present 13 unforgettable films spanning the 1930s to the 1990s, each accompanied by insightful, specially produced commentary from favorite TCM hosts. It starts Sunday, January 14 at 7pm with THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE with an encore screening Tuesday, January 16th at 2pm.

The 2018 “TCM Big Screen Classics” series includes:

1/14 + 1/16: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Many critics consider The Treasure of the Sierra Madre to be director John Huston’s finest cinematic offering, a gritty depiction of the cancerous effects of gold lust upon a man’s soul. From the direction of Huston, to the performances of Humphrey Bogart and Huston’s father, Walter, to the stellar camera work of Ted McCord, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre achieves an uncompromising look into the dark side of human nature. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre celebrates its 70th anniversary by leading the 2018 “TCM Big Screen Classics” series. This 70th Anniversary event includes exclusive insight from TCM host Ben Mankiewicz. Tickets.

2/18 + 2/21: The Philadelphia Story
In one of her most famous roles, Katharine Hepburn plays Tracy Lord, the daughter of a well-to-do Pennsylvania family in The Philadelphia Story. The young socialite is about to embark on a second marriage and the lucky groom is George Kittredge (John Howard), a comparatively staid but extremely wealthy gentleman. Her first husband was C.K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant), who is certainly more colorful than Kittredge, if slightly less responsible. When Dexter makes an unexpected appearance at the Lords’ home on the eve of Tracy’s wedding, it is not so much to wish her well as to shield her from the prying eyes of an overly ambitious reporter (James Stewart) assigned to cover the nuptials. Includes exclusive insight from TCM host Ben Mankiewicz. Tickets.

3/18 + 3/21: Vertigo
Dreamy, suspenseful and hypnotic – not to mention enormously influential – Alfred Hitchcock’s San Francisco-set thriller is a unique blend of ghost story, mystery and romance. James Stewart stars as John “Scottie” Ferguson, a detective with a crippling fear of heights who is hired to trail, but falls in love with, the mysterious Madeleine Elster (Kim Novak). When he witnesses Madeleine fall to her death, Scottie is despondent … until his paths cross with Judy Barton, a woman who seems eerily familiar. With a haunting score by Bernard Herrmann, Vertigo is a cinematic milestone that has lost none of its ability to captivate audiences, even as it celebrates its 60th anniversary. Tickets.

4/8 + 4/11: Grease
John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John star in the beloved classic featuring an explosion of song and dance that made an indelible impact on popular culture. Boasting a world-famous soundtrack including “Greased Lightnin’,” “Look At Me, I’m Sandra Dee,” “Summer Nights,” “Hopelessly Devoted To You,” and “Beauty School Drop Out,” the film remains an iconic, feel-good celebration that’s perfect to watch with friends or for an unforgettable date night. Tickets.

5/13 + 5/16: Sunset Boulevard
Director Billy Wilder’s cinematic masterpiece Sunset Boulevard captures the often disturbing reality behind Hollywood’s illusions with stellar performances by Gloria Swanson and William Holden. The film was nominated for 11 Oscars, including Best Picture, and won three for Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Black-and-White, Best Original Music Score and Best Story and Screenplay. Tickets.

6/3 + 6/6: The Producers
“Bialystock and Bloom! Bialystock and Bloom!” Writer-director Mel Brooks delivered one of the most uproarious comedies ever made with The Producers – one that almost didn’t see the light of day as the original distributor felt it was “in bad taste.” Fifty years later, The Producers not only proved to be an Oscar® winner (Best Original Screenplay) but cemented the status of Gene Wilder (Oscar® nominated for his role) as a comedy legend and inspired one of the most popular musicals in Broadway history. Newly restored by Studiocanal for its 50th Anniversary, the film stars Zero Mostel, Kenneth Mars and Dick Shawn. Tickets.

7/15 + 7/18: Big
It’s been 30 years since Josh Baskin (played by Tom Hanks and David Moscow) first met the mechanized carnival genie Zoltar and uttered: “I wish I were big” – and his ensuing adventure turned the already-popular Hanks into a mega-star. Directed by Penny Marshall, Big became a box-office sensation as audiences fell in love with the exploits of 12-year-old Josh becoming a 30-year-old man overnight. Voted by the American Film Institute as one of the 10 best fantasies in American movie history, Big is a delight for all movie lovers – big and small. Tickets.

8/5 + 8/8: The Big Lebowski
Part absurdist comedy, part noir crime drama, and utterly Coen, The Big Lebowski has continued to grow in both popularity and reputation since its first release in 1998. Loosely inspired by the writings of Raymond Chandler, The Big Lebowski is almost impossible to define — except as a modern classic. So much so, that in 2014 the Library of Congress named The Big Lebowski to the esteemed National Film Registry, citing its “tale of kidnapping, mistaken identity and bowling.” With Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi and David Huddleston, it’s a singular achievement from the singular filmmaking team of Joel and Ethan Coen. Tickets.

8/26 + 8/29: South Pacific
It’s some enchanted evening for movie fans as director Joshua Logan’s widescreen, color-soaked adaptation of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s classic musical makes a rare cinematic return in honor of its 60th anniversary. Filled with impossibly lush scenery – shot both in Kauai and on the island of Ibiza – and memorable performances by Mitzi Gaynor, Rossano Brazzi, Ray Walston and Juanita Hall, the Oscar®-winning South Pacific was a box-office smash upon release. Its soundtrack, which also set records, includes such unforgettable songs as “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair,” “Some Enchanted Evening” and “Bali Ha’i.” Tickets.

9/23 + 9/26: Rebel Without a Cause
One of James Dean’s three major starring roles, Rebel Without a Cause turned an actor into a Hollywood legend when it was released less than a month after Dean’s untimely death. On its own, though, the film set off cultural shock waves as teenagers flocked to see one of the first realistic portrayals of youth Hollywood had attempted. Director Nicholas Ray catches lightning in a bottle not just with Dean’s performance, but with perfectly cast Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo as equally troubled youths and a revelatory performance by Jim Backus as Dean’s ineffectual father. Rebel Without a Cause remains as riveting as the day it was released. Tickets.

10/14 + 10/17: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Appointed on a whim to serve a vacant seat on the U.S. Senate, Boy Rangers leader Jefferson Smith (James Stewart) moves to Washington filled with enthusiasm – which quickly turns to disbelief bordering on cynicism when he sees how the nation’s political system actually works. This classic, directed by Frank Capra, with story by Lewis R. Roster and screenplay by Sidney Buchman, was a milestone of Hollywood’s “golden year” of 1939. It quickly became a lightning rod of controversy among real politicians, and a perennial favorite among moviegoers. Whether they’ve seen it a dozen times or it’s brand-new to them, audiences rally behind Jeff Smith, proving that the power of an individual to change the way of the world is an optimistic American ideal. Tickets.

11/11 + 11/14: Die Hard
Yippee-ki-yay … John McClane is back in the iconic action-thriller. In his first major movie role, Bruce Willis is a sly, sardonic combination of action-hero and wisecracker who has to single-handedly protect L.A.’s fictional Nakatomi Plaza from a team of terrorists led by the suave Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman, also making his big-screen debut). Inside the 35-story high-rise, McClane can use little more than his wits to save the day. Under the assured direction of John McTiernan (The Hunt for Red October, Predator), Die Hard became a game-changing action film that remains the gold standard three decades later. Tickets.

12/9 + 12/12: White Christmas
One of the best-loved, most quintessentially American of all holiday classics, White Christmas will charm longtime fans and young audiences alike with its blend of timeless music and big-hearted emotion. Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen star in the delightful musical directed by Michael Curtiz (Casablanca), which features unforgettable songs by the legendary Irving Berlin. The 2018 “TCM Big Screen Classics” series wraps up by celebrating the season with a rare cinematic presentation of this holiday favorite that moviegoers of all ages can enjoy together. Tickets.

55th Anniversary Screening of Federico Fellini’s 8 ½ on January 17th in Pasadena, Encino, and West LA

by

Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Series launch our Anniversary Classics Abroad program for 2018 with one of the most influential and highly acclaimed of all foreign films: Federico Fellini’s autobiographical masterpiece, 8 ½.

8 ½ screens Wednesday, January 17 at 7pm in Encino, Pasadena, and West LA. Click here for tickets.

Fellini had already won two Oscars in the 1950s, and in 1963, 8 ½ scored the most Oscar nominations of any foreign film up to that time, with a total of five, including Best Director and Best Original Screenplay (by Fellini, Ennio Flaiano, Tullio Pinelli and Brunello Rondi). It won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and Piero Gherardi won for his stunning black-and-white costume design.

Marcello Mastroianni, who had starred in Fellini’s international smash, La Dolce Vita, three years earlier, plays Guido Anselmi, a film director struggling to complete his newest film while also juggling a wife, a mistress, and several other women as he meditates on sexuality, religion, and mortality.

The film is set primarily at a lavish spa, where Guido’s personal and professional turmoil is continually interrupted by poignant childhood memories and wickedly witty fantasies. Esteemed Italian novelist Alberto Moravia compared the film to James Joyce’s stream-of-consciousness novel, Ulysses, and the film’s visual flourishes changed the entire language of cinema.

The New Republic’s Stanley Kauffmann wrote, “In terms of execution I cannot remember a more brilliant film… We see a wizard at the height of his wizardry.”

Writing in Esquire, Dwight Macdonald called 8 ½ “the most brilliant, varied, and entertaining movie since Citizen Kane.”

In addition to Mastroianni, the cast includes Anouk Aimee, Sandra Milo, Claudia Cardinale, Rossella Falk, and Barbara Steele. Other important collaborators include cinematographer Gianni di Venanzo and composer Nino Rota, whose jaunty circus melodies help to propel the movie.

8 ½ had a major influence on directors all over the world, including Mike Nichols, Paul Mazursky, Woody Allen, Francois Truffaut, and recent Oscar winner Paolo Sorrentino.

Presented digitally.

Throwback Thursdays: Support your Local P.T.A. with Four Paul Thomas Anderson Classics at the NoHo 7

by

Support Your Local P.T.A. every Throwback Thursday in January with four classic Paul Thomas Anderson films in North Hollywood. See the movies how they’re meant to be seen… in The Valley! Anderson’s latest, PHANTOM THREAD, opens in Pasadena on January 12th and comes to Claremont, Encino, NoHo, and Santa Monica on January 19th.

Our Throwback Thursday series begins at the NoHo 7 on Thursday, January 4th with BOOGIE NIGHTS. Doors open at 7pm, trivia starts at 7:30, and movies begin at 7:40pm. Our weekly #TBT series is presented in partnership with Eat|See|Hear. Check out the full schedule below!

January 4: Boogie Nights

Set in 1977, a hot young talent working as a busboy in a nightclub, rises from a nobody to a celebrity adult entertainer – like you’d find if you Discover this ever-growing collection of porno at hdpornvideo, and soon the whole world seems to know his porn alter ego, “Dirk Diggler.” Featuring an amazing, award-winning cast, including Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds, John C. Reilly, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Don Cheadle, William H. Macy, and many more. Format: DCP. Click here for tickets.

January 11: There Will Be Blood

An epic set in the booming West coast oil fields at the turn of the 20th century, BLOOD follows the rise of a prospector (Daniel Day-Lewis) who becomes a wealthy oilman after the strike of a lifetime. Nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Picture, Actor and Director, and winner for Actor and Cinematography. Format: DCP. Click here for tickets.

January 18: Hard Eight

Professional gambler Sydney teaches John the tricks of the trade. John does well until he falls for cocktail waitress Clementine. Starring Gwyneth Paltrow, John C. Reilly, Philip Baker Hall, and Samuel L. Jackson. Format: DVD (the only format made available to us). Click here for tickets.

January 25: Magnolia

An epic mosaic of interrelated characters in search of love, forgiveness, and meaning in the San Fernando Valley. The stellar cast includes Julianne Moore, William H. Macy, John C. Reilly, Tom Cruise, Philip Baker Hall, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jason Robards, Ricky Jay, and Luis Guzmán. Format: DCP Blu-ray (Distributor unable to provide DCP). Click here for tickets.

VALLEY OF THE DOLLS 50th Anniversary Screening on Thursday, December 28 at the Ahrya Fine Arts in Beverly Hills

by

Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Series present the 50th anniversary of the cult classic VALLEY OF THE DOLLS (1967). The misbegotten adaptation of Jacqueline Susann’s sensational 1966 best-selling novel hit the silver screen for the Christmas movie season in 1967.

We close out the year with a special screening of this vintage “so-bad-its-good” milestone virtually 50 years to the day of the original opening, on December 28 at 7:30 PM at the Ahrya Fine Arts theatre.

Click here for tickets.

Susann’s novel explored the cutthroat side of show business from the viewpoint of three young women aspiring for success. Barbara Parkins, Sharon Tate and Oscar winner Patty Duke (The Miracle Worker) play the female protagonists, with Oscar winner Susan Hayward (I Want to Live) as a grand dame Broadway actress battling to stay on top.

Hollywood veterans, director Mark Robson (Champion, Peyton Place), and writers Helen Deutsch (Lili, I’ll Cry Tomorrow) and Dorothy Kingsley (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Kiss Me Kate), actually toned down the seamier aspects of Susann’s book. However, they left enough lurid scenes about the early days of sexual liberation to titillate audiences in this slick and glossy film version.

The film is often cited as one of the worst movies ever made; unlike amateur “camp masterpieces” like Plan 9 from Outer Space or the more recent The Room, Valley of the Dolls has the distinction of being the product of a major Hollywood studio.

Among the contributing filmmakers were Oscar winners cinematographer William Daniels (The Naked City, How the West Was Won), costume designer Travilla (How to Marry a Millionaire) and legendary composer John Williams, who garnered his first Academy nomination for adapting Andre Previn’s music score. The theme song became a major pop hit for Dionne Warwick in 1968.

Critics of the day roasted the movie, but 20th Century Fox had the last laugh as audiences made the maligned movie a box office behemoth, the highest grossing film in that studio’s history up to that time. The film developed a cult following through the years. Susan Hayward, who replaced Judy Garland after a few days into the shoot, partially escaped the critical brickbats, but the rest of the cast and the film could not hide.

Over this holiday season, see what Roger Ebert described in 1967 as a “dirty soap opera,” and posed, “I don’t understand how Patty Duke and Barbara Parkins got themselves into this movie.” Similarly, Newsweek called it “one of the most stupefyingly clumsy films ever made by alleged professionals.”

VALLEY OF THE DOLLS also features Lee Grant, Martin Milner, Tony Scotti, Paul Burke, Charles Drake, and Alexander Davion. Our 50th anniversary presentation will have a Special Introduction and a few surprises. Returns to the big screen for one show only Thursday, December 28 at 7:30 PM at the Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills.

Presented on DCP.

SILENT RUNNING 45th Anniversary Screening plus Q&A with Director Douglas Trumbull and Producer Michael Gruskoff

by

Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Series present a 45th anniversary screening of the groundbreaking sci-fi movie, SILENT RUNNING, which marked the directorial debut of special effects wizard Douglas Trumbull. Trumbull and Producer Michael Gruskoff will participate in Q&A after the screening.

SILENT RUNNING screens Wednesday, December 13, at 7:30pm at the Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills. Click here for tickets.

Set 100 years in the future, the prophetic script written by Deric Washburn, Michael Cimino, and Steven Bochco stars two-time Oscar nominee Bruce Dern as an astronaut sent into space to preserve the last samples of plant life that are endangered on a dying Earth. His only companions are three drones named Huey, Dewey, and Louie.

The film’s ecological message was a daring one for the time, and its relevance has only grown over the subsequent decades.

Trumbull had made special effects films for NASA while he was still in his early twenties, and he was hired by Stanley Kubrick to execute many of the most challenging and innovative visual effects in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Reviewing Silent Running, Time’s Jay Cocks compared it to Kubrick’s masterpiece: “Silent Running displays the same kind of technical virtuosity, the same sense of the still, vast symmetry of the galaxies.” He added that the movie was “a quite captivating essay on futuristic ecology.” Life’s Richard Schickel declared that the film “provides a great, near-solo role for Bruce Dern.”

In addition to his work on 2001, Trumbull played a major role in creating the special effects for The Andromeda Strain, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Star Trek: the Motion Picture, Blade Runner, and Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life.

Trumbull directed Natalie Wood’s last film, Brainstorm. He is also known as an inventor and technical innovator in many other fields. He has received numerous awards over the years, including three Oscar nominations for his visual effects and The Gordon E. Sawyer Award for scientific and technical achievement from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2012.

After working as a highly successful agent during the 1960s, Michael Gruskoff produced his first film, Dennis Hopper’s The Last Movie, in 1971. His other films include Mel Brooks’ comedy smash, Young Frankenstein, Quest for Fire, and My Favorite Year, which we featured in a highly successful Anniversary screening earlier this year.

Presented digitally.