| MONTGOMERY CLIFT: 2-Week, 16-Film Festival of Hollywood Classics | June 3-16 at Film Forum |
| Includes A PLACE IN THE SUN, RED RIVER, TERMINAL STATION, FREUD, THE MISFITS, FROM HERE TO ETERNITY, THE HEIRESS, THE SEARCH, I CONFESS, documentary MAKING MONTGOMERY CLIFT, and more A PLACE IN THE SUN Followed by a conversation with George Stevens Jr. On Friday, June 3 at 6:30 MAKING MONTGOMERY CLIFT Q&As with filmmakers Robert Clift and Hillary Demmon On Saturday, June 4 at 6:10 and Monday, June 6 at 6:00 |
| MONTGOMERY CLIFT, a 2-week, 16-film festival celebrating the iconic actor, a four-time Oscar nominee who forged an independent path in 1940s and ‘50s Hollywood, and redefined masculinity in post-war America, will run at Film Forum from Friday, June 3 through Thursday, June 16. The series includes all of Clift’s major movies, including George Stevens’ A PLACE IN THE SUN, Howard Hawks’ RED RIVER, Hitchcock’s I CONFESS, John Huston’s FREUD, and his debut in Fred Zinnemann’s rarely-screened THE SEARCH. The series also includes a rare screening of the uncut version of Vittorio De Sica’s TERMINAL STATION screening in a 35mm print imported from Italy (the American version, titled INDISCRETION OF AN AMERICAN WIFE, was cut down to one hour) and MAKING MONTGOMERY CLIFT, the feature documentary by Monty’s nephew, Robert Clift, and Hillary Demmon which dispels long-held myths about the actor. Edward Montgomery Clift (1920–1965), a student at the Actors Studio, began his acting career as a teenager, appearing on Broadway in plays and shows by Moss Hart, Cole Porter, Robert Sherwood, Lillian Hellman, Tennessee Williams, and Thornton Wilder. He made his film debut at age 25 Howard Hawks’ classic western RED RIVER (1948), with Clift as the adopted son of John Wayne. The first of his films to be released, though, was Fred Zinnemann’s THE SEARCH (1948), the first Hollywood movie filmed in Europe following the war, which would be the first of Clift’s Oscar nominations. Both critical and commercial successes, he followed with leading roles in William Wyler’s THE HEIRESS (1949) and opposite Elizabeth Taylor in George Stevens’ A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951), which earned Clift his second Oscar nomination and cemented his stardom. After a two-year break, Clift appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s I CONFESS, Vittorio De Sica’s TERMINAL STATION, and Zinnemann’s FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (his third Oscar nomination), all in 1953. Over the next few years, he turned down notable roles in ON THE WATERFRONT, EAST OF EDEN, and others. Extremely careful and selective about the projects he took on, Clift famously refused to sign a long-term studio contract. Following a nearly fatal, disfiguring car accident while filming the Civil War drama RAINTREE COUNTY, Clift’s reliance on alcohol and pharmaceuticals increased to debilitating levels. In the years that followed, both his health and professional reputation declined. Although still capable of delivering admirable performances in such films as THE MISFITS (1961) and JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG (1961, his fourth Oscar nomination), the actor eventually found himself being offered fewer roles until his passing at 45. Says Robert Clift, the actor’s nephew and co-director of MAKING MONTOMGERY CLIFT, “He changed Hollywood on and off-screen, introducing a new acting style, stretching the bounds of conventional masculinity, and refusing to bind his fate to the studio system. Yet his legacy has been overshadowed by sensational, homophobic narratives for almost 50 years.” MAKING MONTGOMERY CLIFT filmmakers Robert Clift and Hillary Demmon will appear for audience Q&As following the 6:10 show on Saturday, June 4 and the 6:00 show on Monday, June 6. The documentary revisits the life and legacy of Montgomery Clift and dispels long-held myths about his life perpetuated in nearly all of his biographies – including his supposed self-loathing surrounding his queerness — using interviews, home movies and thousands of hours of reel-to-reel tapes of obsessively-recorded (by Monty himself) phone conversations with his brother Brooks. George Stevens Jr., who worked as a production assistant on his father’s A PLACE IN THE SUN, will introduce two screenings of the film. Following the 6:30 screening on Friday, June 3, author and film historian Foster Hirsch will moderate a conversation with Mr. Stevens. Following the event, Mr. Stevens will sign copies of his new book, My Place in the Sun: Life in the Golden Age of Hollywood and Washington (University Press of Kentucky), available at our concession. George Stevens, Jr. grew up in Hollywood and worked on many of his father’s great classics, including A PLACE IN THE SUN, SHANE (1953), GIANT (1956) and THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK (1959). He began to forge his unique career when legendary broadcaster Edward R. Murrow recruited him to elevate the Motion Picture Service at the United States Information Agency during the JFK administration. Stevens’ trailblazing efforts initiated what has been called the “golden era” of USIA filmmaking and a call to respect motion pictures as art. His appointment as founding director of the American Film Institute in 1967 placed him at the forefront of culture and politics, safeguarding thousands of endangered films and training a new generation of filmmakers. With support from the Robert Jolin Osborne Fund for American Classic Cinema of the 1930s, ‘40s, and ‘50s and the R.G. Rifkind Foundation Endowment for Queer Cinema |
| “The true originator of the rebellious twentieth-century antihero was not Brando or Dean, but Montgomery Clift… His strong presence lingered even off-camera.” – Marcello Mastroianni “I thought he was the most gorgeous thing in the world and easily one of the best actors.” – Elizabeth Taylor |
| Public Screening Schedule: (Additional special events and intros to be announced, go here to buy tickets.) A PLACE IN THE SUN U.S., 1951 Directed by George Stevens Starring Elizabeth Taylor, Montgomery Clift, Shelley Winters DCP. Approx. 122 minutes Friday, June 3 at 12:30, 6:30* *Introduced by George Stevens, Jr. and followed by a conversation with George Stevens, Jr., moderated by Foster Hirsch. Sunday, June 5 at 4:30* *Introduced by George Stevens, Jr. Wednesday, June 8 at 4:15 Friday, June 10 at 3:00, 8:25 Thursday, June 16 at 8:10 |
| RED RIVER U.S.,1948 Directed and produced by Howard Hawks Starring John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, John Ireland, Joanne Dru, Walter Brennan DCP. Approx. 133 min. Friday, June 3 at 3:00 Saturday, June 4 at 3:00, 8:40 Monday, June 6 at 12:40, 8:30 |
| MAKING MONTGOMERY CLIFT U.S., 2018 Directed by Robert Anderson Clift & Hillary Demmon DCP. Approx. 88 min. Saturday, June 4 at 6:10* Monday, June 6 at 6:00* *Q&A with filmmakers following the screening. |
| FROM HERE TO ETERNITY U.S., 1953 Directed by Fred Zinnemann Starring Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr, Montgomery Clift, Frank Sinatra, Donna Reed DCP. Approx. 118 min. Saturday, June 4 at 12:30 Saturday, June 11 at 12:30, 5:35 Thursday, June 16 at 3:20 |
| THE HEIRESS U.S., 1949, Directed by William Wyler Starring Montgomery Clift, Olivia de Havilland 35mm. Approx. 115 min. Sunday, June 5 at 2:00, 7:30 Friday, June 10 at 12:30, 6:00 |
| THE SEARCH U.S., 1948 Directed by Fred Zinnemann Starring Montgomery Clift, Ivan Jandl, Jarmila Novotná, Aline MacMahon HDCam. Approx. 105 min. Monday, June 6 at 3:35 Thursday, June 9 at 12:30 Sunday, June 12 at 1:10, 7:00 |
| WILD RIVER U.S., 1960 Directed by Elia Kazan Starring Montgomery Clift, Lee Remick, Jo Van Fleet, Albert Salmi DCP. Approx. 110 min. Tuesday, June 7 at 2:40, 8:10 Thursday, June 9 at 5:30 |
| I CONFESS U.S., 1953 Directed by Alfred Hitchcock Starring Montgomery Clift, Anne Baxter, Karl Malden, Dolly Haas 35mm. Approx. 95 min. Tuesday, June 7 at 12:30, 6:00 |
| RAINTREE COUNTY U.S., 1957 Directed by Edward Dmytryk Starring Elizabeth Taylor, Montgomery Clift, Eva Marie Saint 35mm. Approx. 182 min. Wednesday, June 8 at 12:30, 7:00 |
| FREUD U.S., 1962 Directed by John Huston Starring Montgomery Clift, Susannah York, Larry Parks, Susan Kohner 35mm. Approx. 140 min. Thursday, June 9 at 2:45, 7:50 Thursday, June 16 at 12:30 |
| THE MISFITS U.S., 1961 Directed by John Huston Starring Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery Clift, Clark Gable, Eli Wallach DCP. Approx. 125 minutes. Saturday, June 11 at 3:00, 8:10 Tuesday, June 14 at 3:50 Wednesday, June 15 at 5:10 |
| JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG U.S., 1961 Directed by Stanley Kramer Starring Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Maximilian Schell, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, Montgomery Clift 35mm. Approx. 179 min. Sunday, June 12 at 3:30 Monday, June 13 at 3:10 |
| SUDDENLY, LAST SUMMER U.S., 1959 Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz Starring Elizabeth Taylor, Montgomery Clift, Katharine Hepburn Based on the 1958 play by Tennessee Williams DCP. Approx. 114 min. Monday, June 13 at 12:30, 7:00 Wednesday, June 15 at 12:30 |
| THE YOUNG LIONS U.S., 1958 Directed by Edward Dmytryk Starring Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, Dean Martin DCP. Approx. 167 min. Tuesday, June 14 at 12:30, 6:30 |
| LONELYHEARTS U.S., 1958 Directed by Vincent J. Donehue Starring Montgomery Clift, Robert Ryan, Myrna Loy, Dolores Hart, Maureen Stapleton Based on the book by Nathanael West 35mm print courtesy University of Wisconsin. Approx. 100 minutes. Wednesday, June 15 at 3:00, 7:50 |
| TERMINAL STATION U.S./Italy, 1953 Directed and produced by Vittorio De Sica Starring Montgomery Clift, Jennifer Jones, Gino Cervi, Richard Beymer Screenplay co-written by Cesare Zavattini Dialogue by Truman Capote 35mm print courtesy Cineteca di Bologna (imported from Italy). Approx. 89 min. Thursday, June 16 at 6:00 |