By Michelle Moskowitz
Sentinel Correspondent
“Here’s looking at you, kid.”
Who can forget the indelible words delivered by Humphrey Bogart from 1942’s Oscar-winning drama “Casablanca”?
It appears that Greenwich has quite a devoted group of classic film buffs and continues to garner new ones every year.
For almost 30 years, The Greenwich Classic Film series has been presenting classic movies at the Bow Tie movie theater on Railroad Avenue to more than 500 members from Greenwich and its neighboring communities.
The program consists of 12 classic films and lectures per year (six in the fall and six in the spring) and are held on Monday nights at 7 p.m., approximately twice per month.
The upcoming season premieres on Mon., Sept. 26, and will showcase “The Seven Year Itch,” directed by Billy Wilder, starring Marilyn Monroe and Tom Ewell (1955).
This season’s film roster also includes hits such as Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds,” (1963) starring Rod Taylor and Tippi Hedren, and Billy Wilder’s “The Apartment” (1960) starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine.
Each film is presented with a brief introduction by a film historian, writer, or critic. After audience members view the film, the featured guest speaker offers an hour-long oration on the film’s rich history and presents insights about the actors, the director, and any cultural or societal impact of the film.
They also conduct a Q&A at the end of each lecture.
Notable speakers have included Victoria Wilson, author and vice-president, senior editor at Knopf Publishing; Nick Schager, film critic and writer for Slant Magazine, Time-Out New York and The Village Voice, and Brian Siebeter, an author and a writer for The New York Times.
The founder of the Greenwich Classic Film series, Adele Green, who had worked in the arts for years, felt inspired to create a local, classic film “experience” after encountering a screening of Charlie’s Chaplin’s “City Lights,” which was accompanied by a live orchestra in New York City.
“I have always felt that the arts provided a world that was valuable, interesting and important,” said Green.
“I just felt no one should go through life without seeing a Chaplin film (or many other great films). And there is nothing like seeing these great movies on the big screen.”
Films presented in the series include all genres from comedies, tragedies, westerns, film noir, romances and science fiction from the 1930’s through the 1970’s.
Green said the membership profile consists of “like-minded film enthusiasts,” but truly encompasses a wide range of ages, drawing both men and women alike.
But Green concluded that she does have an abundance of women who designate the Greenwich Classic Film series as their go-to “girl’s night out,” which many of her members have done for the past 10 years.
Each series costs $140 plus a $12 handling charge.
Visit greenwichclassicfilmseries.com for more information or to register today.
