"The Band Wagon" Is Back...and Better Than Ever!

Cyd Charisse and Fred Astaire in
"The Girl Hunt Ballet"
from Vincente Minnelli's musical The Band Wagon

It's been called "the greatest of movie musicals" and now The Band Wagon is returning to the big screen.  Join Vincente Minnelli biographer Mark Griffin as he introduces a special 60th anniversary screening of Minnelli's acclaimed masterpiece at the Museum of Modern Art Film Center (11 W. 53 St., between Fifth and Sixth Avenues) on September 5th at 8pm.  Originally released in the summer of 1953,The Band Wagon stars Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse and Nanette Fabray. The film features such timeless tunes as "That's Entertainment," "By Myself" and "Dancing in the Dark" and boasts an Oscar-nominated screenplay by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Widely considered one of MGM's finest achievements, The Band Wagon is capped with the sly and stylish private eye spoof, "The Girl Hunt Ballet."  In later years, director Minnelli would single out The Band Wagon as a personal favorite, telling an interviewer, "We all pitched in and it all came together wonderfully."  The critics concurred.  In reviewing a reissue of the film, Pauline Kael conceded, "There have been few screen musicals as good as this one."   For further information on this event, please visit www.moma.org. 

Fred Astaire, Nanette Fabray and Jack Buchanan performing
"Triplets" in The Band Wagon
(1953) directed by Vincente Minnelli

Coming Attractions...The Best of Bergman

Ingrid Bergman and Anthony Quinn in The Visit

Coming in 2014...Mark Griffin will introduce three films featuring the incandescent Ingrid Bergman, including her rarely screened 1964 drama The Visit, co-starring Anthony Quinn (who also co-produced the film).  Winner of three Academy Awards, Ingrid Bergman (1915-1982) captivated audiences with her unforgettable performances in Intermezzo, Casablanca, Gaslight and Notorious.  During her long and celebrated career, the actress worked with many great directors including Michael Curtiz, Alfred Hitchcock, George Cukor and Vincente Minnelli.  In The Visit, Bergman plays an extraordinarily wealthy woman who returns to her poverty-stricken hometown hellbent on revenge.  Directed by Bernhard Wicki, The Visit was out of circulation for many years but it has now become the "in" film among Bergman buffs.  The forthcoming screenings will include special guests and take place at your favorite Boston-based revival house.  Stay tuned for further details on this exciting three part tribute.  

Ingrid Bergman and her pet panther in The Visit

      

ALA Honors new Vincente Minnelli Biography

The American Library Association has honored Mark Griffin's new book A Hundred or More Hidden Things: The Life and Films of Vincente Minnelli as part of its 2011 Over the Rainbow Book List as an outstanding biography.

Check out the list at this link.

Griffin, Mark. A Hundred or More Hidden Things: The Life and Films of Vincente Minnelli. 2010. 346p. Da Capo Press, $15.95. (978-0-7867-2099-6).

Check out the book jacket for Mark Griffin's new Vincente Minnelli biography

Click on image to enlarge and read back jacket.



“Finally, the definitive biography of Vincente Minnelli. A Hundred or More Hidden Things is much more than an analysis of the director’s work. It is a full-bodied portrait of a most fascinating and complex artist.” ~ Robert Hofler, author of Party Animals and The Man Who Invented Rock Hudson

Pre-order: A Hundred or More Hidden Things: The Life and Films of Vincente Minnelli

Follow this link to pre-order Mark Griffin's new book A Hundred or More Hidden Things: The Life and Films of Vincente Minnelli.

“[A] sharp, forthright, swiftly paced critical biography….Deftly drawing connections between the director’s life and his films, Griffin maintains a difficult balance: he is a fervent but objective critic.” ~ Foster Hirsch, author of Otto Preminger: The Man Who Would Be King

Author Appearance: March 3

WHAT: Mark Griffin will be at The Museum of Modern Art to introduce the screening of Vincente Minnelli's acclaimed adaptation of Madame Bovary. Mark is the author of A Hundred or More Hidden Things: The Life and Films of Vincente Minnelli. Published by Da Capo Press -- Coming March 1.

WHEN: Wednesday, March 3
5:00pm -- Booksigning
6:00pm -- Film Screening

WHERE:
The Museum of Modern Art
The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 1
11 West 53rd St.
New York, NY

WHY:
Madame Bovary. 1949. USA. Directed by Vincente Minnelli. Screenplay by Robert Ardrey. With Jennifer Jones, James Mason, Van Heflin, Louis Jourdan. Flaubert’s tale of a woman who sacrifices everything for love was filmed earlier by Jean Renoir and later by Claude Chabrol. 115 min.

FMI:
Tickets for film are available at the Museum lobby information desk and at the film desk. More information at this link.

New from Da Capo Press - Coming March 1!