“Desperately Seeking Susan” co-stars Rosanna Arquette and Madonna.
They don’t make ’em like that anymore.
But they still show ’em.
On Jan. 12, The West Orange Classic Film Festival will return for its 19th year, settling in for seven Sunday afternoons at the Essex Green AMC. It is proudly co-sponsored by The West Orange Arts Council and The West Orange Recreation Department and there is no mystery about what it will feature — seven films of intrigue and suspense, complete with special guests and raffles.
“This unique festival celebrates West Orange’s rich cinematic history, rooted in Thomas Edison’s pioneering contributions to motion picture technology and the iconic Black Maria studio,” said festival founder Ken Mandel, adding that it “offers a rich cinematic heritage for film lovers to celebrate.”
I’ll be there opening day with “Family Plot,” a 1975 comedy thriller and the great Alfred Hitchcock’s swan song. It is definitely lesser-known Hitch, but its mix of droll humor and tricky twists will feel immediately familiar, and the movie’s eclectic cast includes Bruce Dern, William Devane, Karen Black and the terrific Barbara Harris. (There is also, perhaps in a subtle nod to “Psycho,” an audacious, early-in-the-film fake-out, as the story we thought we’d be watching becomes something quite different.)
Alain Delon in “Purple Noon.”
Jan. 19 brings the celeb-studded camp classic “Clue” with festival mainstay John Chasse introducing us to Col. Mustard and Professor Plum (see trailer below), while the following week film scholar Gerard Amsellem hosts “Purple Noon” with the late Alain Delon starring as perhaps the definitive Tom Ripley.
On Feb. 2, real life intrudes with “In the Name of the Father,” with Daniel Day-Lewis in a story of British injustice, chosen by the West Orange St. Patrick Day Parade’s Planning Committee and introduced by Irish studies scholar Alan DeLozier.
Rather than competing with the Super Bowl, the series takes a break the next Sunday, but then returns on Feb. 16 with “Desperately Seeking Susan,” with Richard Barratta, who worked on the film’s production staff, as the special guest. Watch as Jersey housewife Rosanna Arquette dives into the subculture of the ’80s East Village. Marvel at the early-in-her-career and already-going-places Madonna as her guide to Downtown life. Wonder at an era when black rubber bracelets were a fashion trend, and Manhattan studio apartments could be had for $300.
Things will take a ghostly turn the next week with “The House of Dies Drear,” the 1984 adaptation of the Virginia Hamilton novel about a modern family uncovering an old homestead’s Underground Railroad past. The rarely screened TV film features Howard E. Rollins Jr. and Clarence Williams III, and is presented not only as another suspenseful selection but as an acknowledgement of Black History Month. Screenwriter Richard Wesley will be that week’s special guest.
Lou Costello and Bud Abbott in “Who Done It?”
Finally, longtime Classic Film Festival supporter — and classic-comedy expert — Paul Castiglia will wrap up the festival on March 2 with “Who Done It?”, starring Jersey’s own Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. A fun murder-mystery farce, it is also a wonderful time capsule of old-time radio, and of an era when mystery fans dutifully gathered around the family’s massive Philco to find out exactly what it was that the Shadow knew.
Those memories, sadly, are fast retreating. But we can still gather in a movie theater for the joy of watching a film together, and delighting in some timeless entertainment. I’ve been a part of this home-grown, fan-run festival forever, and it has been a thrill to see films like “Laura,” “Chinatown” and “The Adventures of Robin Hood” with fellow film buffs — and, especially, with younger film fans encountering them for the first time.
Every appearance has been a delight, but this month’s gig will be a bittersweet one as — talk about burying the lede! — my wife and I are set to move in a few weeks to a circa-1900 home in Connecticut. (Apparently, repeated viewings of “Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House” taught me nothing.) So no more local appearances for me. But I will still be appearing here at NJArts.net, thank heavens, and still writing regularly about movies in general, and New Jersey filmmakers whenever possible.
It has been lovely meeting so many of you in person over the last (my gosh) 27 years. If you are in town on Jan. 12, please come to the screening and say hi.
Tickets for individual films in the West Orange Classic Film Festival are $15 and available through Eventbrite.com.
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