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Aug. 4--Laurence Olivier's "Hamlet"--with a dyed-blond Olivier acting up a quiet storm as the Melancholy Dane, while also producing and directing--is one of the great Shakespearean films. It's as impressive for the near-flawless performances of its deep cast of British film and theatrical stars (including Jean Simmons as Ophelia, Eileen Herlie as Gertrude and John Gielgud as the voice of Hamlet's father's ghost) as it is for its director's surprisingly rich and baroque visual style.
The movie, scored by William Walton, is set in a somberly scenic castle whose shadowy corridors and rooms are prowled by Desmond Dickinson's camera as if it were being set loose in some '40s film noir mansion. Olivier, at the peak of his dual movie-idol, stage-titan power, plays Hamlet as a procrastinator ("a man who could not make up his mind"); that Freudian bent also affects the soliloquies, which are done as voice-over interior monologues. "Hamlet," which won multiple Oscars, including best picture and best actor (Olivier), excites us still for both its theatrical power and cinematic flair.
'Hamlet' (star)(star)(star)(star) (U.K.; Laurence Olivier, 1948). 9 p.m. Wed., Block Cinema, Northwestern University, 40 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston, 847-491-4000. (In case of rain, film will be screened in the Norris Center.)
Other special film screenings; - indicates material from past Wilmington reviews.
LaSalle Bank Cinema
4901 W. Irving Park Rd.
312-904-9442
'Cover Girl' (star)(star)(star) (U.S.; Charles Vidor, 1944). One of the top '40s musical numbers--Gene Kelly's double image "Alter Ego Ballet,' choreographed by Kelly and Stanley Donen--highlights this lively color musical, with supreme pinup Rita Hayworth, Phil Silvers and Eve Arden. 8 p.m. Sat.
Music Box Theatre
3733 N. Southport Ave.
773-871-6604
www.musicboxtheatre.com
- 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom' (star)(star)(star) (U.S.; Steven Spielberg, 1984). The first sequel to "Raiders of the Lost Ark" tops its predecessor in thrills, action and wild spectacle, but also, unhappily, in xenophobia and sexual and racial stereotyping. With Harrison Ford and Kate Capshaw (now Mrs. Spielberg). Midnight Fri.-Sat.
Doc Films
University of Chicago
Ida Noyes Hall
212 E. 59th St.
773-702-8575
docfilms.uchicago.edu
-'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari' (star)(star)(star)1/2 (Germany; Robert Wiene, 1919). A restored version of the German expressionist classic about an asylum flashback, a traveling carnival and somnambulist, mysterious murders and a classic twist ending. Through the '40s, this was often cited as the greatest film of all time. Its reputation has slipped, but it still can mesmerize. With Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt. 7, 9 p.m. Fri.
- 'Footlight Parade' (star)(star)(star)(star) (U.S.; Lloyd Bacon/Busby Berkeley, 1933). Berkeley's finest hour comes in this absolutely flabbergasting musical, with James Cagney as a fast-talking, tough-guy choreographer who directs, for a string of Broadway movie theaters, a series of pre-show dance numbers that blow your socks off. With Joan Blondell, Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler. 7, 9:15 p.m. Sat.
Outdoor Film Festival
Butler Field, Grant Park
312-744-3315
cityofchicago.org/specialevents
- 'American Graffiti' (star)(star)(star)(star) (U.S.; George Lucas, 1973). The last night of summer, 1962. Four ex-high school buddies (Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat and Charles Martin Smith), cruise the nighttime California streets and, without realizing it, witness the end of an era. Their various adventures and romances are underscored by the ironic voice of deejay Wolfman Jack as he spins the music of Chuck Berry, the Beach Boys and Bill Haley and the Comets. Ingeniously structured and rousingly entertaining. 8:32 p.m. Tue.
Gene Siskel Film Center
164 N. State St.
312-846-2800
www.siskelfilmcenter.org
- 'The Seventh Continent' (star)(star)(star)1/2 (Austria; Michael Haneke, 1989) Haneke's numbing portrayal of the crackup of a superficially well-ordered, impeccable, middle-class Austrian family. (In German, with English subtitles.) 3 p.m. Sat.; 6 p.m. Tue.
mwilmington@tribune.com
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