Classic film aficionados in Queens have something to cheer about.
The Museum of the Moving Image (MMI) has partnered with Queens Theatre in the Park (QTIP) to present a series of classic films in the theatre’s 464-seat main auditorium.
“Moving Image Masterpieces” will be shown at 7:30 p.m. on six Thursday evenings, October 1 through November 19, bringing international classics to borough audiences at the former New York State Pavilion in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.
This is the first dedicated film program to be presented by Queens Theatre in the Park, according to MMI Director Rochelle Slovin.
Enduring masterpieces by six great directors – Orson Welles, Fritz Lang, Jean Renoir, Yasujiro Ozu, Federico Fellini, and Stanley Kubrick – will be shown.
Since the museum, located at 35th Avenue and 37th Street in Astoria, has been undergoing a major renovation, there has been no venue in northern Queens for lovers of classic film.
“We will not let that deter us from providing audiences with [an] outstanding film series,” Slovin said. “Moving Image is delighted to be able to work with Queens Theatre in the Park to offer a wonderful program to the city’s moviegoers this fall.”
The inaugural series of “half a dozen of the greatest, must-see films of all time” was programmed by David Schwartz, MMI Chief Curator, who will introduce each screening.
“Our theatre has been eager to host a film series for a number of years, but did not want to proceed without curatorial expertise,” said Jeffrey Rosenstock, QTIP Executive Director.
The series opens on October 1 with Orson Wells’ 1941 debut film, “Citizen Kane,” a groundbreaking masterpiece frequently rated as the best film of all time.
Next is Fritz Lang’s 1927 “Metropolis,” reputedly inspired by a trip to New York City, pioneered the sci-fi genre.
For years, the film, with its techno-erotic undertones, was shown in highly-edited prints in the United States. This recently-restored version is the definitive edition of Lang’s silent masterpiece, according to MMI.
“Rules of the Game” is a 1939 masterpiece by Jean Renoir, perhaps the greatest of French directors and the son of impressionist painter Auguste Renoir.
On November 5, “Tokyo Story” (1953) by Yasujiro Ozu explores family tensions and the clash between modernity and tradition as an older couple leaves their rural village to visit their married children in postwar Tokyo.
“Fellini” became a household name in the U.S. when Federico Fellini’s 1963 film “8 ½” followed “Boccaccio 70” (1962) and his 1960 language-changer, “La Dolce Vita.” It inspired numerous “movies about movies,” including the upcoming film “9.”
The series will conclude on November 19 with what is arguably Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece, the 1968 film “2001: A Space Odyssey.”
Based on a novel by Arthur C. Clarke, it begins and ends wordlessly, leaving the viewer to interpret its hints of Cold-War satire, darkly comic warning against dehumanization and perspective on humanity’s accomplishments.
The series follows-up MMI’s recently-concluded series of outdoor showings of select foreign films at Socrates Sculpture Park.
Tickets are $10 per film, $8 for a multi-show discount, as well as a special introductory offer of a $30 film series pass for all six films.
For more information about the Museum of the Moving Image’s “Masterpieces Series” at Queens Theatre in the Park, call 718-760-0064 or visit www.queenstheatre.org.
