For the first time, the ANU Film Group is introducing a special series of ‘Retro Revivals’ screenings this semester. Over the course of the programme, we’ll be taking you back in time with select screenings each fortnight celebrating a specific decade in film and the best in cinema from years gone by.
Starting from the 1930s through to the 1990s, the series features such beloved classics as THE WIZARD OF OZ, CASABLANCA, THE SOUND OF MUSIC and more. So whether you’ve seen them countless times, or never before, be sure to make the most of this rare opportunity to see these classics on the big screen in their original 35mm format.
• 1930s: Friday 2 August @ 8 PM: THE WIZARD OF OZ followed by KING KONG (1933)
Go back 80 years in time to the 1930s to the start of Hollywood's Golden Age for two of the most influential and iconic films ever made!
In 1939’s THE WIZARD OF OZ, a young girl by the name of Dorothy (Judy Garland) is swept away to the magical land of Oz and embarks on a quest to find a wizard to help her return home.
Then, in 1933’s KING KONG, a film crew goes to a tropical island for an exotic location shoot and discovers a gigantic beast who falls for their female star.
• 1940s: Friday 16 August @ 8 PM: CASABLANCA followed by CITIZEN KANE
Two films widely regarded among the greatest films ever made make up our 1940s double feature. Need we say more?
In 1942’s CASABLANCA, an American expatriate (Humphrey Bogart) finds himself torn between love and virtue when he unexpectedly encounters an old flame.
Then, in 1941’s CITIZEN KANE, a group of reporters try to decipher the meaning behind the last word spoken by a mysterious newspaper tycoon prior to his death.
• 1950s: Saturday 31 August @ **7 PM**: BEN-HUR
Films don’t get much more epic than our 1950s feature, BEN-HUR, which was the first film to win a record-breaking 11 Oscars, including Best Picture, in 1959.
Starring Charlton Heston, the film follows a Jewish prince who seeks revenge after being betrayed by a childhood friend and sent into slavery.
• 1960s: Saturday 14 September @ **7 PM**: THE SOUND OF MUSIC
Head back to the singing 60s with THE SOUND OF MUSIC!
In the beloved, Best-Picture-winning musical, a young woman (Julie Andrews) leaves an Austrian convent to become a governess to the seven children of a widower (Christopher Plummer), bringing a sense of fun to their unhappy lives.
• 1970s: Friday 27 September @ 8 PM: MEAN STREETS followed by ENTER THE DRAGON
Our gritty 1970s double feature showcases the exciting beginning and the unfortunate end of two cinematic legends, Martin Scorsese and Bruce Lee.
One of Scorsese’s first films to establish his signature style, 1973’s MEAN STREETS also features the director’s first collaboration with Robert DeNiro, in this tale of a small-time gangster who struggles to survive on the streets of New York.
Then, in 1973’s ENTER THE DRAGON, Bruce Lee plays a martial artist who is tasked with spying on a reclusive crime lord during a tournament. The film was Lee’s final completed film prior to his death that same year.
• 1980s: Friday 11 October @ 8 PM: BEETLEJUICE followed by POLTERGEIST
Our ectoplasmic 80s night features haunted houses of two very different kinds in the lead up to Halloween!
In 1988’s BEETLEJUICE, a recently deceased young couple hire a devious "bio-exorcist" named Beetlejuice to scare away the new owners of their former house, in Tim Burton’s second feature film.
Then, in 1982’s POLTERGEIST, a family finds their Californian home invaded by malevolent ghosts that abduct the family's youngest daughter.
• 1990s: Friday 25 October @ 8 PM: BAD BOYS followed by BOYZ N THE HOOD
Our Retro Revivals series ends with the style-over-substance, excess-filled 1990s!
Michael Bay unleashes his signature directorial style upon the world with 1995’s BAD BOYS, starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence as two best friends and narcotic detectives investigating a case of stolen heroin.
Then, in 1991’s BOYZ N THE HOOD, three friends growing up in inner-city Los Angeles find themselves taking very different approaches to the difficulties they face, in this critically-acclaimed film from director John Singleton.