2009 DOWNTOWN FILM FESTIVAL – L.A. ANNOUNCES
PAUL NEWMAN RETROSPECTIVE
“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “Hud” Will Screen Outdoors
On Evening of Thursday, August 13th at 7+FIG Shopping Center
Program Is Free To The Public!
July 1, 2009 (LOS ANGELES) – Downtown Film Festival-Los Angeles (DFFLA) and arts>Brookfield Properties are pleased to announce a Paul Newman Film Retrospective on the evening of Thursday, August 13th, 2009 starting at 6:00 pm at 7+FIG, located in the heart of Downtown L.A. This special tribute will include free-to-the-public screenings of two of Newman’s most critically acclaimed films, “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “Hud,” as well as special events that will take place throughout the evening.
This celebration is set to honor the life and films of one of Hollywood’s greatest and most memorable actors, Paul Newman, at 7+FIG, located at the corner of 7th and Figueroa Streets. The back-to-back screenings will begin at sunset (approximately 8 pm) at the plaza level, starting with “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” followed immediately by “Hud.”
Cloris Leachman, winner of nine Emmy Awards and an Oscar (Best Supporting Actress, 1972, “The Last Picture Show”), will make an appearance at the screening of “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” in support of her role as Agnes in the film. Leachman is easily recognizable from a long history of past and present media appearances from playing the manipulative landlady Phyllis Lindstrom from The Mary Tyler Moore Show to appearing in Dancing with the Stars in Season 7. Most recently, she participated as the grand marshal in the 2009 New Year’s Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California.
“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969, USA, 110 mins.) follows the two leaders of the Hole in the Wall Gang, Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) and the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford), as they plan and execute successful bank heists. They battle not only the sheriff and his posse but also their own group, and eventually, must travel the world to hide while searching for more fame and money. Directed by George Roy Hill, the movie won several distinctive awards including an Oscar for Best Screenplay and a BAFTA for Best Picture, and went on to become the highest-grossing film of the year.
“Hud” (1963, USA, 112 mins.), directed by Martin Ritt, looks at the life of Hud Bannon (Paul Newman), an arrogant, self-centered cowboy, who does not have a care in the world. His nephew, Lonnie (Brandon De Wilde), lives with Hud and the duo starts to grow closer, much to the chagrin of Hud’s father, Homer (Melvyn Douglas). The film observes the relationships between the family members and the consequences that result from it. It went onto win several awards such as an Oscar for Cinematography and an Oscar nomination for Newman’s performance. In a film career spanning five decades, Newman had many celebrated roles but many critics consider his performance in “Hud” his finest.
Roger Mayer, the festival’s programming director, commented about the importance of these two films to Paul Newman and the Western genre. ” ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ was the apex of Newman as an icon,” he said. “It was a tremendously successful film that rewrote Westerns, embodying what ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ did to gangster films by mixing, at the time, a very modern technique with a classic genre.
“‘Hud’ was unique in that the main character (Newman) was the bad guy,” Mayer continued. “Newman set the tone for the new anti-hero… and really showed that he had range, solidifying him as a powerful hero as well as embodiment of disenfranchised youth. The movie was about the death of the West… defining a new era of encroachment of newer business practices (like) the onset of greed and capitalism….”
Earlier in the evening, beginning at 6 pm, fans will be able to view an indoor screening of another celebrated revisionist Western starring Paul Newman, “The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean” (1972, USA, 120 min.) Directed by John Huston, the film, like “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” follows the career of real-life character Roy Bean, who establishes his own particular brand of law and order and builds a town on the edges of civilization in this farcical take on the Western genre. The film co-stars Victoria Principal, Roddy McDowall, Tab Hunter, Stacey Keach, Michael Sarrazin, Ava Gardner and John Huston. The film will screen at the 7+FIG Art Space on the 2nd level of 7+FIG and is free to the public.
The outdoor film screenings will be preceded by an introduction by a representative from The Hole in the Wall Camp and the Painted Turtle. Newman founded The Hole in the Wall Camp in 1988 to support seriously ill children and give them an empowering experience away from home. Named after the gang from “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” the camp serves approximately 3,000 children year-round and has expanded nation-wide to spawn similar programs such as “The Painted Turtle” with the camp’s services being free of charge.
For more information, visit the festival’s website: www.dffla.com
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About Downtown Film Festival–Los Angeles
Downtown Film Festival-Los Angeles is a nonprofit arts organization established to celebrate the current renaissance of downtown Los Angeles through the medium of motion pictures. The festival is dedicated to showcasing the diversity of the downtown L.A. communities by the presentation of independent films and related arts activities. The festival also pays home to the unique role that downtown L.A. played in the development of American cinema, as evidenced today by the early 20th century movie palaces that continue to grace its avenues and streets.
arts>Brookfield Properties
The 2009 Downtown Film Festival – L.A. is co-presented and produced by arts>Brookfield Properties. Brookfield Properties brings life to its public spaces through an internationally acclaimed visual and performing arts program. Local, national and international artists present a wide variety of art forms in new and unusual spaces that provide cultural experiences for tenants and visitors alike.
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