Join us for this three-day event that surveys a variety of titles - from cult classics to Hollywood staples - and celebrates watching films on film. Funding from the Vesta Fund.

Schedule of Events:

April 12, 2024

6:30: Rififi
Considered the finest heist caper ever put to screen. RIFIFI tells the story of a jewel thief recently freed from prison. Things get complicated after he finds his ex-flame canoodling with a local gangster who hired him for a quick job, which turns into a full-scale heist. Upon its release, Jules Dassin's crime thriller became a smash hit worldwide, earning him the Award for Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival. In French with English subtitles
Director: Jules Dassin
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10:05: Evil Dead II
Several years after unleashing one of the most ferocious horror films ever put to screen, director Sam Raimi expanded upon his breakout indie horror flick with this genre-smashing sequel. Trapped in a secluded cabin in the woods, our hero Ash – played by cult icon Bruce Campbell – must survive a night of demonic attacks after awakening the Book of the Dead. EVIL DEAD II is often called “the greatest horror film ever made.” The film’s gonzo use of creative practical effects and camera tricks expertly blends slapstick humor with bone-chilling scares.
Director: Sam Raimi
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April 13, 2024

10:00 AM: The Adventures of Prince Achmed
German animator Lotte Reiniger crafted one of the first feature-length animated films with her adaptation of “One Thousand and One Nights,” using cutouts, silhouettes, and color tinting. In the film, Prince Achmed finds himself sent to an enchanted island, where he encounters many friends, including a princess, a good witch, and Aladdin, as well as foes led by an evil sorcerer. Almost a century after its release, this enchanting silent film still stands as one of the great classics of animation.
Director: Lotte Reiniger, Carl Koch
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12:25: Three on a Match
In this pre-Code melodrama, three childhood friends lead radically different lives. One is a convict-turned-showgirl, one is a sensible secretary, and the other is unhappily married. Ann Dvorak gives an excellent performance as a fallen woman who spirals into a life of crime and drags her toddler with her. The film also features pre-Code sensations Joan Blondell and Bette Davis alongside a baby-faced Humphrey Bogart.
Director: Mervyn LeRoy
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2:30: The Naked City
Director Jules Dassin's police procedural follows a detective and his lieutenant attempting to piece together the murder of a beautiful young model. As the mystery deepens, details of the victim’s past paint a more sordid and complex story. Shot entirely on location in New York across 107 separate locations. Dassin brilliantly blends Italian neorealism with American crime fiction in this masterful noir.
Director Jules Dassin
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7:15: The Wizard of Oz
Whether you are experiencing it for the first time or the 100th time, THE WIZARD OF OZ is a captivating technicolor fairy tale that demands a viewing on the big screen. After being whisked away by a tornado, Dorothy awakes in the colorful and magical Land of Oz. Desperate to return home, she embarks on a journey to petition a mysterious Wizard for help, while meeting special friends along the way. Based on the novel by L. Frank Baum, the dazzling special effects, set design, and unforgettable performances, including Judy Garland in her most iconic role, make this a cherished masterpiece adored by audiences for 85 years.
After decades of being remastered and recolored for television viewing, home video release, and theatrical re-release, the original hues from the remarkable three-strip color process have slowly become oversaturated. With each new rendering, the color gets further away from the softer tones originally intended by director Victor Flemming and Technicolor consultant Henri Jaffa. We will be showing an IB Technicolor print struck in 1955 donated to the Library of Congress by local film preservationist Lou DiCrescenzo. The colors in this print will be closer to those in the original release, helping us to connect with what audiences viewed in 1939 for a more authentic experience.
Director: Victor Fleming, King Vidor
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10:05: The Love Witch
Recent widow and occult practitioner Elaine is casting her love spells in all the wrong directions, with deadly results. When a handsome policeman begins to investigate her failed experiments, true love blooms. Multi-talented filmmaker Anna Biller is a true auteur, serving as the writer, director, editor, producer, production designer, costume designer, and composer for this critically acclaimed satanic sex comedy.
Released on 35MM four years after the industry transitioned to digital projection, this ode to late '60s occultism has the Technicolor-inspired palette to match. The print was struck from the original camera negative without a digital intermediate, so it retains the superior resolution that photochemical film is capable of without being degraded by digital processing.
Director Anna Bille
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April 14, 2024

11:00 AM: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
This iconic MGM musical amazed moviegoers in 1954 with its innovative choreography, playful dialogue, and striking Ansco Color. When a frontiersman brings his new wife home, she is shocked to find they will be living with the groom’s six full-grown, boorish brothers. Unwilling to be coerced into servanthood, she provides etiquette lessons to the brood before sending them into town “a courtin’” for brides of their own. Featuring eight barn-raising songs with lyrics penned by Johnny Mercer.
Director Stanley Donen
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1:45: Ball of Fire
Hollywood legends Billy Wilder and Howard Hawks worked to adapt SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARVES into this delightful screwball comedy set in 1940s Manhattan. Barbara Stanwyck plays a showgirl on the run who takes refuge with a group of erudite bachelors, who recognize that her street smarts and jive talk fill a gap in their compendium of human knowledge. Modern linguists will respect Gary Cooper’s scholarly fight for descriptive rather than prescriptive grammar. Everyone else will appreciate Stanwyck’s stylish outfits and slangy witticisms, and S.Z. Sakall’s valiant defense of her honor.
Director: Howard Hawks
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4:30: Films That Time Forgot
Remembering Film Historian and Preservationist Lou DiCrescenzo
We will close out our fourth 35mm Film Festival with a special tribute to the late Lou DiCrescenzo, the local historian and film preservationist who inspired our annual celebration of 35mm film. DiCrescenzo was a national treasure. As a private collector, Lou donated hundreds of prints to the American Film Institute and the Library of Congress, many of which were thought to be lost to time. From the delightful flapper comedy BARE KNEES to Disney's restoration of FANTASIA, there are many films that we can only see today because Lou saved them.
We will present a collection of short films, trailers, and snipes from the Lou DiCrescenzo collection, donated to The Ambler Theater in 2008. Lou's protégé Jesse Crooks will introduce the films. The screening will be followed by an opportunity for friends to share stories and memories of Lou DiCrescenzo, who passed away in January of this year.
Director Various
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Date: April 12-14, 2024

Location:
Ambler Theater, 108 East Butler Avenue
Ambler, PA 19002

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