Turner Classic Movies is highly regarded around these parts for their dedication to providing basic cable subscribers with classic films uncut, commercial-free, with correct aspect ratios, etc. I certainly tout their programming enough in the Film on TV posts. Now they’re taking their love of showing classic films to the next level with the first annual TCM Classic Film Festival, running this weekend, from April 22nd through the 25th. It’s taking over two of the most revered classic Hollywood screens, the Chinese and the Egyptian, as well as the adjacent Mann cinemas and the Roosevelt Hotel for panel discussions and mingling.

The festival opens Thursday night with a gala presentation of a newly restored print of A Star is Born, featuring one of Judy Garland’s great performances, and closes with a restored version of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis on Sunday, both in the opulent Chinese Theatre. In between, everything from well-known beloved classics like Casablanca to unsung discoveries like silent screen star Janet Gaynor’s first talkie, Sunnyside Up. Many of the screenings are being attended by stars and family associated with the films, or accompanied by Q&As with people involved with the films. I’m trying to catch a variety of films, some of which I’ve seen and others which will be new to me. It promises to be quite a collection, and quite a trip down the classic Hollywood timeline.

More detail on the screenings, arranged by series, after the jump. You can see the full schedule here, and weep about how many scheduling conflicts there are. Passes to the festival are still available, and individual tickets will be available before each screening.

Essentials

These are ostensibly the cream of the crop of Hollywood throughout the years; I agree with that assessment on most of them, but there are a few that I’m like, really? Anyway, for anyone who hasn’t delved into classic film, this is a good list to start with, but for anyone who has, it’s a fairly safe and not particularly adventurous set of screenings. Still, I might catch a few just to experience these great films in places like the Chinese and Egyptian.

• The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), with Eli Wallach in attendance
• Carmen Jones (1954)
• Imitation of Life (1959), with Susan Kohner Weitz and Juanita Moroe in attendance
• Saboteur (1942), with Norman Lloyd in attendance
• Casablanca (1942), with Monika Henreid (Paul Henreid’s daughter) in attendance
• Safety Last (1923) and An Eastern Westerner (1920), introduced by Suzanne Lloyd Hayes (Harold Lloyd’s granddaughter)
• A Woman’s Face (1941), presented by Casey LaLonde (Joan Crawford’s grandson) and Illeana Douglas (Melvyn Douglas’s granddaughter)
• 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Q&A with Douglas Trumbull
• The King of Comedy (1982)
• Pillow Talk (1959)
• Top Hat (1935)
• North by Northwest (1959), Q&A with Eva Marie Saint and Martin Landau
• The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), with newly restored audio
• Damn Yankees (1958), introduced by Tab Hunter
• Monkey Business (1952)
• King Kong (1933)

Discoveries

I’m probably most interested in the films labeled “Discoveries,” because these are the ones that aren’t as well known, aren’t as obvious screening choices, and aren’t as likely to be easily available on DVD. Several are new restorations, though, so hopefully DVDs will be available soon for those not already out. I haven’t seen any of these films before, and am hoping to catch four or five of them at least.

• The Day of the Triffids (1962)
• Jubal (1956), Q&A with Ernest Borgnine
• Dirigible (1931), presented by Tom Capra (Frank Capra’s son) and Frank Capra III (Capra’s grandson)
• Sunnyside Up (1929), world premiere of MOMA-restored print
• No Orchids for Miss Blandish (1948)
• The Story of Temple Drake (1933), work-in-progress restoration by MOMA
• The Big Trail (1930)
• Playtime (1967)
• Murder, He Says (1945)

Hollywood on Hollywood

Hollywood has always been interested in itself, turning the camera inward toward the film industry since the early days of cinema. A few of the best of the genre will be screening. I have seen most of these already, but I may not be able to pass up the chance to see Singin’ in the Rain at the Egyptian introduced by director Stanley Donen.

• The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), with Cheryl Crane in attendance
• Singin’ in the Rain (1952), introduced by Stanley Donen
• In a Lonely Place (1950)
• Sunset Blvd (1950), with Nancy Olson in attendance
• The Stunt Man (1980)

Tales of Hollywood

A series based on Vanity Fair’s recent publication Tales of Hollywood, screening several of the films that inspired the book. Yeah, I think this is kind of a lame series, too, but hey. Sponsors make the world go round, and there are some good films in here, even though I think the scheduling is such that I’ll be missing all of these.

• Sweet Smell of Success (1957), with Tony Curtis in person
• Midnight Cowboy (1969), with Jon Voight in person
• The Graduate (1967), with screenwriter Buck Henry in person
• The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), with Peter Bogdanovich in person
• Cleopatra (1963), with Martin Landau in person
• The Producers (1968), with Mel Brooks in person

The Hustons: A Hollywood Dynasty

Anjelica and Danny Huston will be in attendance for three films celebrating the Huston dynasty begun with director John Huston and continuing through his children.

• The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
• Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)
• The Proposition (2005)

The Film Foundation

Featuring brand new restorations funded through The Film Foundation, the leading non-profit organization devoted to film preservation.

• Wild River (1960), introduced by Curtis Hanson
• Leave Her to Heaven (1945), Q&A with Darryl Hickman
• Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951), introduced by continuity supervisor Angela Allen

Special Presentations

A lot of hoop-jumping was required to even attempt to get into the Star is Born screening, so I won’t make it to that, but I’m hoping to get into Metropolis and Breathless. I’m really interested to see the Out of Circulation Cartoons event, too – I’m a huge sucker for classic cartoons in general, and this promises to be full of rare ones, with discussion from someone who knows his stuff when it comes to racial stereotypes in classic film.

• A Star is Born (1954), gala presentation with Robert Osborne
• Metropolis (1926), gala presentation with Robert Osborne
• Breathless (1960), 50th Anniversary with Jean-Paul Belmondo in attendance
• Out of Circulation Cartoons (1931-1944) – a series of cartoons banned from circulation because of negative racial or cultural stereotypes, presented by scholar Donald Bogle
• Fragments – compilation of footage and trailers from lost films, presented by AMPAS and UCLA
• Festival Shorts – program of short subjects, curated and presented by Leonard Maltin
• Moguls and Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood – a sneak peak of this new multi-part documentary about the history of the Hollywood film industry. The full documentary will premiere on TCM in fall 2010.
• Neptune’s Daughter (1949), poolside screening at the Roosevelt Hotel, presented by Esther Williams and Betty Garrett with a pre-show performance by synchronized swimming troupe the Aqualilies.

Other Screenings

Films continue to be slotted into the festival (even now, there are five “TBA” slots on the Sunday calendar), some of them not explicitly associated with any of the series, so I’m just tossing them down here.

• The Good Earth (1937), with Luise Rainer in attendance
• Some Like It Hot (1959), with Tony Curtis in person
• Saturday Night Fever (1977)

Panels

Hour-long panels on various topics dealing with the classic film industry and filmmaking are held in the Roosevelt Hotel. I’ve no doubt some of these will be interesting and informative, but almost all conflict with things I want to see very badly, and I fear that only an hour on most of these topics will not get very in-depth. I might catch the one about remakes, just because that’s a topic that’s particularly interesting to me (and might’ve dovetailed into the thesis on adaptation that I very nearly wrote in grad school).

• Location, Location, Location: When Big Movies Were Shot Far Away from Hollywood
• TCM: Meet the People Behind the Network
• Casting Secrets: Finding the Right Actor for the Right Role
• The Greatest Movies Ever Sold: Classic Movie Marketing Campaigns
• Film Continuity: When Details Count
• A Remake to Remember: Hollywood’s Love Affair With Updating Movie Classics