Glorious Black & W-I-D-E At Loew’s Jersey - April 1&2

posted by Ross Melnick on March 18, 2005 at 8:18 am

JERSEY CITY, NJ — The following email was sent by the Friends of the Loew’s:

“Back in the 1950s when television was new, one of the ways the movie studios tried to compete was to change the size and shape of the movie image. But in addition to widening the aspect ratio the moviemakers made much greater use of color. This seemed a natural combination that truly helped set the movies apart from what was then the small, drab monotone television screen: glorious hues combined with panoramic views.

But a select number of widescreen movies were made in black and white. The effect of sharp contrast and subtle differences in grey scale writ across an enormously wide screen is one of the most distinct, if relatively rare, experiences in cinema. On April 1 and 2, the Landmark Loew’s Jersey Theatre will present three of the best of these movies made in glorious black and W-I-D-E.

Friday, April 1
8 PM
Manhattan

Starring Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Michael Murphy, Mariel Hemingway, Meryl Streep;
Directed by Woody Allen. (1979 – 96 mins. – Rated R)

Woody Allen’s Manhattan is a visual triumph as an ode to New York, capturing the City at its most iconic, framing its landmarks with lavish care and setting its pace to George Gershwin’s melodies. The film is also one of Allen’s most satisfying, a poignant exploration of love, guilt and everything in between that continued the obsession with romance and neurotic relationships that Allen had shown in his earlier films, but in a darker vein. Manhattan is a triumphant synthesis of old-fashioned style and modern sensibility, set new standards for the urban comedy and put Allen in the upper echelon of director/screenwriters.

Saturday, April 2
7 PM
Jailhouse Rock

Starring Elvis Presley, Judy Tyler and Mickey Shaughnessy. (1957 – 96 mins.)

Jailhouse Rock was one of the few vehicles which really caught Elvis' raw, sexual energy and let his natural charm shine through on film. Elvis didn’t get many chances to play a character with a dark side or a bad attitude (especially after his hitch in the Army), but Jailhouse Rock finds him playing an ex-con and rock singer who lets success go to his head before learning the value of true friendship. Elvis reveled in the character’s cocky swagger and seen-it-all cool, and the film’s cynical portrait of the inner workings of the music business also seemed to agree with him. The production number for the title song is one of the few times Presley’s live-wire magnetism made its way through the studio’s choreography. Jailhouse Rock is a perfect balance of song and story from beginning to end, and is essential viewing for anyone interested in The King’s legacy. (Screened In A New Print)

Saturday, April 2
9:25 PM
The Haunting (Original Version)

Starring Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson, Russ Tamblyn, Lois Maxwell; Directed by Robert Wise. (1963 – 113 mins.)

Between his two over-the-top, splashy musical successes (West Side Story in 1961 and The Sound of Music in 1965), director Robert Wise found time to make this brooding, low-key hocker, based on the novel The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, that is one of the most highly regarded haunted house films ever produced. The Haunting weaves the dark tale of a questionably sane young woman and a sinister house which holds a terrifying past. With a seemingly unstoppable supernatural force lurking in every shadow, the probability of anyone escaping the evil clutches of the cursed mansion seems increasingly remote. But ultimately, the film is less about the group’s battle against poltergeists than about the inner struggle between the virginal Eleanor Lance (Julie Harris) and her conflicting desires. (Screened In A New Print)

Admission for each screening is $6 for Adults; $4 for Seniors and Children aged 12 and under.

Combo ticket of $10 Adult / $6 Senior & Child for 2 screenings; $15 / $10 for a super combo of all 3 screenings — get a FREE popcorn with the purchase of each super combo ticket."

Theaters in this post

• Loew's Jersey Theatre