The Toronto Film Society, one of Canada’s oldest film appreciation groups, returns to the Carlton Cinema in September for our 66th season of the Monday Night Film Buffs series and the Sunday Matinee series. Each programme features 7 double-bill screenings for a total of 28 films to be screened between September 30, 2013 and April 6, 2013.
All films in the will be presented at the Carlton Cinema, 20 Carlton Street. Each Monday Night Film Buffs screening begins at 7 pm. Each Sunday Matinee Film Buffs screening begins at 2 pm. There were bill be a 10 minute intermission between each film in a double bill. A complete list of films with specific screening dates are below.
They have also announced new lower membership fees and a new student discount for one screening trial memberships. Their popular “Pick 7” option also returns, allowing members to mix-and-match Monday and Sunday screenings. Membership and fee details are:
· $75 to the complete Monday Night Film Buff Series
· $75 to the complete Sunday Matinee Film Buff Series
· $75 “Pick 7” – Choose any 7 screenings from Monday or Sunday
· $15 per screening for a “Trial Membership”
· $10 per screening with a valid student ID
** For more information, contact Toronto Film Society at (416) 970-6011 or email tofilmsociety@gmail.com.**
The Sunday Matinee Film Buffs Series
Sunday October 6
The Desperadoes (1943), 87 Min
Dir. Charles Vidor w/ Randolph Scott, Glenn Ford, Clair Trevor
Top-notch cast I this colourful tale of reformed bandit Ford helping marshal Scott clean up a typically rowdy town. Columbia Pictures’ first Technicolor feature film.
Campbell’s Kingdom (1957), 100 Min.
Dir. Ralph Thomas w/ Dirk Bogarde, Stanley Baker, Michael Craig
Beautiful scenery meets Canadian Rockies adventure as landowner Bogarde struggles against the locals pushing to build a hydro-electric dam on his inherited property. Can he find oil in “Campbell’s Kingdom” in time to stop them?
Sunday November 10
Appointment with Venus (1951), 87 Min.
Dir. Ralph Thomas w/ David Niven, Glynis Johns, George Coulouris
War and comedy unexpectedly collide in this drama when a group of WWII soldiers realize they can’t stop a Nazi invasion of the Channel Islands, but they can save a prize cow. Later retitled Island Rescue.
Carlton Browne of the FO (1959), 88 Min.
Dirs. Roy Boulting, Jeffrey Dell w/ Roy Boulting, Jeffrey Dell
This comedy plays up lighter side of post WWII British Imperialism when Cadogan de Vere Carlton-Browne is send to re-establish friendly relations with a small Pacific island. Includes another fine performance from Peter Sellers.
Sunday December 8
Hooray for Love (1935), 72 Min.
Dir. Walter Lang w/ Ann Sothern, Gene Raymond, Bill Robinson
An entertaining little musical and aspiring show-biz impressario Raymond pitching woo with singer Sothern. Pert Kelton sneaks in a few laughs as an inept soprano.
Lady Be Good (1941), 111 Min.
Dir. Norman Z. McLeod w/ Eleanor Powell, Ann Sothern, Robert Young
A lively musical about married songwriters Sothern and Young, with an extra dose of Powell, Lionel Barrymore, and Red Skelton for good measure. Not one of the “big name” MGM musicals, but a delight from start to finish.
Sunday January 19
The Unfaithful (1947), 109 Min.
Dir. Vincent Sherman w/ Ann Sheridan, Lew Ayres, Zachary Scott
This quasi-noir remake of The Letter features Sheridan as a woman who gets herself caught up in a murder plot when her husband is out of town. One of Sheridan’s final Warner films before she bought out her contract.
Please Murder Me (1956), 78 Min.
Dir. Peter Godfrey w/ Angela Lansbury, Raymond Burr, Dick Foran
The energetic performances of Lansbury and Burr elevate this otherwise predictable tale of a lawyer wracked with guilt after getting a guilty murderess an acquittal.
Sunday February 9
Peter Ibbetson (1935), 89 Min.
Dir. Henry Hathaway w/ Gary Cooper, Ann Harding, John Halliday
Lovely fantasy-romance story about childhood sweethearts who are separated but drawn together again – and for eternity. It’s a moving tale and features stunning photography by Charles Lang.
I’ll Never Forget You (1951), 90 Min.
Dir. Roy Ward Baker w/ Tyrone Power, Ann Blyth, Michael Rennie
In this remake of Berkeley Square, American in London Power is transported to the 18th century where in falls in love with Blyth. Notably, the film opens in black and white then switches to color.
Sunday March 9
Night Flight (1933), 85 Min.
Dir. Clarence Brown w/ John Barrymore, Helen Hayes, Clark Gable
Due to legal wrangles between author Antoine de Saint Exupéry and MGM, Night Flight was out of circulation from 1942 to 2011. With two Barrymores and Gable and Hayes, this taut little drama about a ruthless airline owner who runs his business with a complete disregard for safety is a must see.
Cloak and Dagger (1946), 106 Min.
Dir. Fritz Lang w/ Gary Cooper, Robert Alda, Lilli Palmer
While not among either Fritz Lang’s or Gary Cooper’s best films, this is still a slick spy film that tracks the post WWII Allies as they try to figure out just how much the Axis powers know about building nuclear weapons.
Sunday April 6
Captain Carey USA (1950), 83 Min.
Dir. Mitchell Leisen w/ Alan Ladd, Wanda Hendrix, Francis Lederer
This tight war drama features ex-military officer Ladd returning to Italy to uncover an informer who cost lives of villagers. Filmed under the title O.S.S. The theme song, “Mona Lisa” won the Academy Award for Best Song and later reappeared in Hitchcock’s Rear Window.
The Rack (1956), 100 Min.
Dir. Arnold Laven w/ Paul Newman, Wendell Corey, Walter Pidgeon
Decorated Korean War hero inexplicably collaborates with the enemy while interred in prison camp and faces court-martial. Young Newman is convincing as a brain-washed POW in this slick Rod Serling penned war drama.
Monday Night Film Buff Series
Monday September 30
Guilty Hands (1931), 71 Min.
Dir. W.S. Van Dyke w/ Lionel Barrymore, Kay Francis, Madge Evans
Can a man commit murder and get away with it? A top notch whodunit with inventive camara work, a great script, and a twisty plot, plus a not-to-missed lively performance from Barrymore.
In This Our Life (1942), 97 Min.
Dir. John Huston w/ Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, George Brent
Neat little drama of the neurotic family variety, with a histrionic husband-stealing Davis ruining sister de Havilland’s life – and her own. Don’t blink and miss Walter Huston’s cameo as a bartender.
Monday November 4
All Through the Night (1941), 107 Min.
Dir. Vincent Sherman w/ Humphrey Bogart, Conrad Veidt, Kaaren Verne
An improbably crime-comedy hybrid about a group of bumbling, Runyonesque hoodlums who turn patriotic after stumbling on a Nazi spy ring, featuring Bogart in a off-type but entertaining role.
The Big Steal (1949), 71 Min.
Dir. Don Siegel w/ Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, William Bendix
A sharp thriller concerning Mitchum, framed for a payroll heist, in one long chase through Mexico. The pace never lets up in this highly enjoyable comedy melodrama.
Monday December 2
Too Many Husbands (1940), 84 Min.
Dir. Wesley Ruggles w/ Jean Arthur, Fred MacMurray, Melvyn Douglas
Arthur marries Douglas only to find out that dead husband number one MacMurray is alive and well. Based on a W. Somerset Maugham play, this comedy was later remade a Three for the Show.
A Girl, A Guy, and a Gob (1941), 91 Min.
Dir. Richard Wallace w/ George Murphy, Lucille Ball, Edmond O’Brien
The girl: a zany stenographer Ball. The guy: shy lawyer O’Brien. The gob: happy go lucky Murphy. This love-triangle comedy features plenty of slapstick and wackiness. Not surprising considering it was produced by Harold Lloyd!
Monday January 13
Appointment in Honduras (1953), 75 Min.
Dir. Jacques Tourneur w/ Glenn Ford, Ann Sheridan, Zachary Scott
The Tourneur directed jungle adventure features an idealistic Ford on a crusade to save a Latin American country. He finds unexpected help from his villainous companions.
Simba (1955), 99 Min.
Dir. Brian Desmond Hurst w/ Dirk Bogarde, Donald Sinden, Virginia McKenna
The stellar ensemble cast really makes this sometimes grisly historical drama about a young man who arrives in Kenya to find out his brother has been slain by Mau Maus. Based on the historical Mau-Mau rebellion in Kenya in the early 1950s.
Monday February 3
Sing Baby Sing (1936), 87 Min.
Dir. Sidney Lanfield w/ Alice Faye, Adolphe Menjou, Gregory Ratoff
A musical comedy about nightclub singer Faye and her ambitious agent Ratoff. The Ritz Brothers amp up the laughs in their feature film debut.
Higher and Higher (1943), 90 Min.
Dir. Tim Whelan w/ Michèle Morgan, Jack Haley, Frank Sinatra
In this overlooked musical, servants pass off one of their own as an heiress in hopes of winning her a wealthy husband. Features Frank Sinatra singing Rogers and Hart tunes.
Monday March 3
The Tall Target (1951), 78 Min.
Dir. Anthony Mann w/ Dick Powell, Paula Raymond, Adolphe Menjou
Quirky crime drama with detective Powell pursuing a tip that Abraham Lincoln with be assassinated. In a neat historical coincidence, Powell’s character happens to be named John Kennedy.
Raw Deal (1948), 79 Min.
Dir. Anthony Mann w/ Dennis O’Keefe, Claire Trevor, Marsha Hunt
A hard-boiled crime drama featuring O’Keefe escaping from jail and exacting revenge on slime ball lawyer Burr who framed him. But is remarkable but convincing as the heavy.
Monday March 31
Nobody Lives Forever (1946), 100 Min.
Dir. Jean Negulesco w/ John Garfield, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Walter Brennan
It’s the oldest story in the world – con man tries to fleece a young widow and ends up falling for her for real. Despite the familiarity, Negulesco’s direction and Garfield’s performance make this an enjoyable crime flick.
Cause for Alarm! (1951), 74 Min.
Dir. Tay Garnett w/ Loretta Young, Barry Sullivan, Bruce Cowling
A taut and effective thriller with an admirable performance from Young as the panic-stricken wife of psychotic invalid Sullivan. The tension builds to the breaking point – but watch out for the plot twist!
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