For Immediate Release: April 30, 2008
Media Contact: Marketing and Communication Department
2008 Modernism Film Series: Media Advisory
Bachelors, Secretaries, and Spies: Mid-century Style in American Film
WHAT
See some of the interesting ways films portray "modern" on the silver screen during this three week film series, Ann Hornaday, Washington Post film critic, and Deborah Sorensen, curatorial associate at the National Building Museum, will introduce each film. In anticipation of the series, Sorensen asked Hornaday some questions about the treatment of mid-century style in film, including:
DS: Are the films chosen for this series 'typical' in their representation of 1950s America?
AH: "The Moon is Blue" was in many ways a typical sex comedy of the 1950s in terms of structure and the ideas it communicated. But it was also an example of a burgeoning independent film movement of the era, which acted outside the studio system. Thus it contains such words as "virgin" and "mistress," which a studio would have cut and which brought the movie within the sights of local and state censor boards.
Similarly, "The Best of Everything" is certainly typical, being both a wide-screen extravaganza (wide-screen technology being one way Hollywood was trying to compete with television) and the kind of soap opera for which the Fifties is famous (think "Peyton Place" and the melodramas of Douglas Sirk).
WHEN
Wednesday, February 6 / 6:30 – 8:30 pm: The Moon is Blue
Directed by Otto Preminger (1953, NR, 99 min.)
This urbane comedy defied Hollywood's Production Code (all the way to the Supreme Court) and set a new bar for frank discussions of adult sexuality.
Starring William Holden, David Niven, and Maggie McNamara
This film will be shown in VHS format
Wednesday, February 13 / 6:30 – 8:30 pm: The Best of Everything
Directed by Jean Negulesco (1959, NR, 121min.)
Joan Crawford tears up the secretary pool in this melodrama about working girls in the big city. Set in the newly completed Seagram Building (Mies van der Rohe, 1954–58).
Starring Joan Crawford, Hope Lange, Suzy Parker, and Robert Evans
This film will be shown in DVD format
Wednesday, February 20 / 6:30 – 8:30 pm: In Like Flint
Directed by Gordon Douglas (1967, NR, 114 min.)
Ultimate spy spoof fantasies, the Flint films are extravaganzas of over-the-top Sixties style.
Starring James Coburn and Lee J. Cobb
This film will be shown in DVD format
Each film is $5 Museum members and students; $10 public. Special Rate for NBM Members: $10 for all 3 films! Prepaid registration is required. Walk-in registration based on availability.
BACKGROUND
The National Building Museum is America’s leading cultural institution dedicated to advancing the quality of the built environment by educating people about its impact on their lives. Through its exhibitions, educational programs, online content, and publications, the Museum has become a vital forum for the exchange of ideas and information about the world we build for ourselves. Public inquiries: 202.272.2448 or visit www.nbm.org. Connect with us on Twitter: @BuildingMuseum and Facebook.
