Night of the Hunter, Elvis in King Creole, On The Waterfront March 26, 2010

The Hunter . . . The King . . . & A Contender

At The Landmark Loew’s Jersey Theatre
A Not-For-Profit Arts Center in a Historic Movie Palace

54 Journal Square, Jersey City, NJ 07306
Tel: (201) 798-6055 Web: www.loewsjersey.org

As the Loew's Jersey continues to celebrate its 80th Anniversary Year, we present three landmark films of the 1950s back on the Big Screen.

All in 35mm
Friday, March 26 at 8PM
"The Night of the Hunter" Starring Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish. Directed by Charles Laughton. (1955 93mins. B&W)
$6 for adults; $4 for seniors (65+) and children (12 & younger)

Robert Mitchum gives one of his greatest performances as a psychotic, misogynistic and phony preacher who insinuates himself into the family of a man with whom he had been imprisoned in order to find the hoard of cash that man had hidden away. Eventually, all that stands between the brutal Mitchum and the money are the other man’s two young children and the indomitable, scripture-quoting old woman, played magnificently by Lillian Gish, to whom the children turn for help. Gish’s faith, courage and compassion are set in breathtakingly stark contrast against Mitchum’s dark, venal perversity – creating one of the screen’s most memorable and successful parables of good vs. evil. The film is all the more successful because of the naturalistic and affecting performances given by the two child actors, who never play “cute”. Though obviously influenced by the look of German expressionist cinema, cinematographer Stanley Cortez and director Charles Laughton reshaped that style's visual devices for their own purposes, creating a film that resembles a reflected dream of childhood, foreign and troubling yet also very beautiful. Chilling and disquietly compelling, “The Night of the Hunter” was neither a critical nor box office success when released, but is now widely recognized as one of the most remarkable films of its time – a masterful blend of horror and lyricism. It is all the more remarkable given that it was veteran actor Charles Laughton’s first and only directorial effort.

Saturday, March 27 at 6PM
"King Creole" Starring Elvis Presley, Walter Matthau, Carolyn Jones, Dolores Hart. Directed by Michael Curtiz. (1958 115mins. B&W)
$6 for adults; $4 for seniors (65+) and children (12 & younger)

Shown in Paramount Pictures' Vault Print.

If many of the movies Elvis Presley starred in could be considered thinly scripted and perhaps under-produced excuses to showcase his singing talents, “King Creole” is different. Elvis certainly did sing in the film, but those numbers were skillfully worked into the film’s narrative. And Presley also displayed an acting ability that was only hinted at in many of his other films, giving an entertaining and compelling performance as a young man trying to find himself while finding his way between good and bad choices. Presley is a high school drop-out working to help support his unemployed father when he falls in with a gang of teenage toughs. Of course he can sing, and the owner of a struggling nightclub gives him a chance to go straight and perhaps even make it big. But soon he finds himself being pulled into the corrupt world of a local mob boss who runs a successful nightclub and wants Presley to work for him. Presley also has to make a choice between his true love and the good-girl-gone-wrong moll of the mob boss. The film is greatly aided by good performances from Walter Matthau, who plays a very effective heavy as the mob boss, and a pre-“Adams Family” Carolyn Jones as his reluctant moll. Famed director Michael Curtiz gives the story polish and keeps the script moving effectively. “King Creole” unquestionably lacks the gravitas and finesse of “On the Waterfront”, but nevertheless echoes some of its themes in a lighter but still entertaining production. And Elvis’ musical numbers, which include the title song, "Hard Headed Woman," and "Trouble" are anthems of their era. Presley considered “King Creole” to be his best movie. Rarely revived on the big screen.

Saturday, March 27 at 8:30PM
"On the Waterfront" Starring Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Eva Marie Saint, Pat Henning, Martin Balsam. Directed by Elia Kazan. Written by Bud Schulberg. (1954 107mins. B&W)
$6 for adults; $4 for seniors (65+) and children (12 & younger)
Based on a series of articles about corruption on the New York/New Jersey docks, “On the Waterfront” tells the story of Terry Malloy, a washed-up boxer played by Marlon Brando who is caught between the grimy, dangerous reality of his life and his unexpectedly unquiet conscience. Malloy unwittingly helps set-up a fellow dock worker to be rubbed out at the behest of the mob-connected head of the longshoremen’s union, played by Lee J. Cobb. In the brutal world of the docks, everyone knows what really happened to the murdered man, but no one is willing to talk to the police. And yet -- Malloy’s conscience won’t let him simply forget what happened, a situation made all the more difficult for him by the fact he is falling in love with the dead man’s sister, played by Eva Marie Saint, who brings an unfamiliar touch of refinement into his life. Karl Malden as a local priest is another beacon of decency in his life. Pulling at Malloy from the other direction is the college-educated older brother whom he looks up to -- a lawyer, played by Rod Steiger, who works for the corrupt union boss. A pivotal confrontation between Brando and Steiger is one of the most famous scenes ever filmed. The middle ground to which Malloy desperately tries to hold is steadily eroded away as he struggles with himself over conflicted feelings of loyalty, fear, decency, self-interest, love, failure and an awakened sense of self-worth – and he is driven relentlessly toward having to choose between keeping quiet or “ratting out” the union boss. That “On the Waterfront” is one of the most powerful narratives ever filmed is due in no small part to the uncanny sense of truth it projects from first frame to last. And this, in turn, is largely due to the remarkable performances of its cast – from Marlon Brando’s extraordinary creation of Malloy, to the smallest nuances of the supporting players. That the movie was famously filmed on location on the real waterfront in Hoboken, N.J. greatly adds to this aura of truth by imparting an authenticity and immediacy that has never been equaled in another major motion picture: the gritty, violent and strangely claustrophobic world it depicted was no set, but life itself. Leonard Bernstein's score, which anticipated elements of “West Side Story”, imparts a very subtle operatic quality to the otherwise hyper-realistic film. The film is an extraordinary mix of coarse and refined elements -- harsh realism and elegant art fused into a coherent and compelling whole. “On the Waterfront” won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director for Elia Kazan, Best Adapted Screenplay for Budd Schulberg, Best Actor for Brando, Best Supporting Actress for Saint, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, and Best Editing. Fifty-six years later, it remains an extraordinary cinematic accomplishment. Don’t miss this chance to see it back on the big screen.
(Film descriptions compiled from various sources.)

- - - Combo discounts for multiple screenings are available. - - -

The Loew's Is Easy To Get To: The Loew's Jersey Theatre, at 54 Journal Square, Jersey City, NJ, is directly across JFK Boulevard from the JSQ PATH Center with trains to and from Lower and Midtown Manhattan and Newark's Penn Station, and is minutes from the NJ Turnpike, Rts 3 and 1&9 and the Holland & Lincoln Tunnels. We're easy to reach by car or mass transit from throughout the Metro Region.
Discount of-street parking is available in Square Ramp Garage adjoining the Loew's at the foot of Magnolia Avenue off of Tonnele Avenue, behind the Loew's. Patrons must validate their parking ticket before leaving the Theatre.
What’s Special About Seeing A Move At The Loew’s? The Landmark Loew’s Jersey Theatre is one of America’s grandest surviving Movie Palaces. We show movies the way they were meant to be seen: in a grandly ornate setting – on our BIG 50 ft wide screen! The Loew’s runs reel-to-reel, not platter, projection, which often allows us to screen an archival or studio vault print that is the best available copy of a movie title.
The Loew’s is managed by Friends of the Loew’s, Inc. as a non-profit. Multi-discipline performing arts center.
Classic Film Weekends are presented by Friends of the Loew’s, Inc.