What makes for a great year in movies? Will this year stand out for NYC movie lovers because of its Oscar winners, blockbuster hits, and new indie breakouts? How about timeless treasures that may have slipped under your radar, but speak across the decades? Like when your first-watch of a canonical film somehow happens, say, fifty years after it was first released in theaters? This spring, we’re giving you the chance to see fifteen of 1974’s best films at the Paris, Manhattan’s last single screen movie palace, in honor of their 50th anniversary.
What happened in 1974? Well, the Rumble in the Jungle, Nixon’s resignation and Stephen King’s first novel may have been important events for some, but here at the Paris, we remember 1974 as a great year at the movies. From March 22-28, the Paris is proud to present Milestone Movies: The Anniversary Collection - 1974, a 15-film selection of classics to revisit, or discover for the first time, with nine 35mm prints, including two archival prints, as well as the NYC premiere of the DCP restoration of Foxy Brown.
From career high points like The Conversation, by Francis Ford Coppola & Walter Murch, Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles and Roman Polanski’s Chinatown, to films that marked early career breakthroughs for titans of storytelling and style, like the debut features from Terrence Malick (Badlands) and Abbas Kiarostami (The Traveler), and John Waters (Female Trouble), Milestone Movies both reflects the state of mid-1970s cinema and looks ahead to future achievements by young filmmakers.
Other highlights include two rarely screened archival 35mm prints: Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (new print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive) and John Cassavetes’ A Woman Under the Influence (35mm restored print courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive, with restoration funding provided by The Film Foundation and GUCCI).
Many American and European auteurs made career-defining work in 1974, like Alan J. Pakula (The Parallax View), Robert Altman (California Split), Federico Fellini (Amarcord) and Luis Buñuel, whose The Phantom of Liberty premiered at the Paris Theater back in 1974 and now returns, fifty years later.
From the recently rescued and restored Solomon King (Sal Watts) to the NYC premiere of the new DCP restoration of Jack Hill’s Foxy Brown, featuring Pam Grier, and the iconic, gritty NYC portrait, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (Joseph Sargent), we’re thrilled to showcase this cinematic time capsule.
Want to make an even deeper-dive into 1974 cinema, check out the companion collection on Netflix now, including other classics from a half-century ago.
And coming to the Paris this summer: Milestone Movies: The Anniversary Edition - 1984
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Just added! Seven new special guests to introduce select screenings
Introducing the 6:30 pm show of Chinatown on March 22 will be noted entertainment journalist Jordan Hoffman (freelance critic and member of the New York Film Critics Circle).
Introducing the 11:15 am show of The Conversation on March 23 will be journalist and filmmaker Laura Poitras, whose works often deal with the intersection of technology, privacy and the creative spirit. Over the years, her documentary journalism has been recognized with an Academy Award, the George Polk Award, the Pulitzer Prize, and the Peabody Award. Several lucky patrons, selected at random at the show, will receive an exclusive mini-poster, personally signed by Francis Ford Coppola!
Introducing the 2:00 pm show of The Traveler on March 23 will be filmmaker and author Godfrey Cheshire, co-founder of the Iranian Film Festival New York and author of In the Times of Kiarostami: Writings on Iranian Cinema.
Introducing the 9:25 pm show of Female Trouble on March 23 will be John Early, comedian (Now More Than Ever) and actor (The Afterparty, the upcoming Stress Positions.) John once asked his Search Party co-star, John Waters, for help adopting a baby.
Introducing the 1:35 pm show of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three on March 24 will be Bruce Goldstein, Repertory Artistic Director at Film Forum.
Introducing the 6:55 pm show of A Woman Under the Influence on March 26 will be Columbia University Film Professor Annette Insdorf. Ms. Insdorf is the moderator of the popular "Reel Pieces" series at Manhattan's 92Y, where she has interviewed over 300 film celebrities.
Introducing the 7:00 pm show of Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore on March 28 will be Stephanie Zacharek, film critic at TIME. Ms. Zacharek is the recipient of a Newswoman's Club of New York Award, and was a 2015 Pulitzer Prize finalist.