<\/p>\n
Our movie and media Calendar appears every Friday\/Saturday on <\/em>C-U Blogfidential<\/span><\/strong> and caters to the downstate region anchored by Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, USA.<\/em><\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n MILESTONES | Happy Birthday to You!<\/strong><\/p>\n 12\/21: Max Libman (founder\/host, CU International Film Festival, Urbana, IL) \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said<\/strong><\/p>\n As you may have realized by now, dearest detectives, we\u2019re on a run of consecutive Reports<\/strong> in which cultural preservation and the cinema doings of the C-U are the paramount topic. Last week<\/a><\/span>, we talked about how Chicago Filmmakers<\/strong> will honor the legacy of the former Champaign<\/strong> short subject distributor, Picture Start<\/strong>, and by direct proxy its founder, University of Illinois<\/strong> alumnus Ron Epple<\/strong>. Two weeks ago<\/a><\/span>, we revealed that Saturn\u2019s Core Audio & Video<\/strong> is releasing on a well-stocked Blu-ray edition the twenty-five-year-old local indie DOGS IN QUICKSAND<\/strong>, unavailable to see for many years. Shortly, we\u2019ll talk for the first time about yet another<\/em> surprise revival that is indirectly tied to our area\u2019s picture show history, but we\u2019d like to first take a look at goings-on in the entertainment world that will be helpful for context.<\/p>\n It’s fitting that we broach the subject of \u201cpreservation\u201d in today\u2019s Calendar<\/strong>, given the impending wide release on Christmas Day<\/strong> of Robert Eggers<\/strong>\u2019 stylish horror show, NOSFERATU<\/strong>, and the silent-era milestone that inspired it. After premiering in Berlin<\/strong> in March 1922, F. W. Murnau<\/strong>\u2019s NOSFERATU: A SYMPHONY OF HORROR<\/strong> and its producer, Prana-Film<\/strong>, were pursued by Bram Stoker<\/strong>\u2019s widow Florence<\/strong>, who wanted to have all prints of the movie destroyed and profits turned over due to it being an unauthorized adaptation of her husband\u2019s signature novel, Dracula<\/span><\/strong>. Although she won her case in the German courts, Prana declared bankruptcy and random prints made it out to the world anyway, depriving Stoker of a decisive victory. Today, Kino Lorber<\/strong> offers an official restoration<\/a><\/span> from the Murnau Foundation<\/strong> and \u201cEbertfest<\/strong>\u201d treated us to its creepy glory<\/a><\/span> as part of an Alloy Orchestra<\/strong> performance in 2001.<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n Believe it or not, that<\/em> turn of events \u2013 NOSFERATU<\/strong> was released in the United States<\/strong> in 1929 or possibly earlier, according to one of numerous posts on the topic at Silent-ology<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/span>, which probably contributed to its survival long before the advent of budget VHS tapes \u2013 might not<\/em> be the most dramatic one we discuss! Yet, can you imagine in this singular instance if a film, no matter how slight or significant its effect on the movie-goers of its time, had disappeared for good and not been viewed or appraised in Germany<\/strong> or across the globe by successive generations? What would the horror film, or vampire cinema, or \u201cgoth\u201d culture look like in 2024 without its influence? The \u201cbutterfly effect\u201d of its absence might be staggering.<\/p>\n As for the current crop of amazing film-rescue stories, let\u2019s start with the program ENDURANCE<\/strong> from the award-winning team of Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin<\/strong>, and Natalie Hewit<\/strong><\/a><\/span>. It premiered on the National Geographic<\/strong> channel on Friday, November 1<\/strong>, and follows a team of modern treasure hunters who brave the Antarctic<\/strong> in the hopes of finding the sunken remains of the Endurance<\/span><\/strong>, inadvertently piloted to its polar death by Sir Ernest Shackleton<\/strong> and his men in 1914. The piece gives us an astoundingly clear look at how those early 20th century explorers weathered such harsh conditions after their craft got mired in the ice and capsized before their eyes, thanks in large part to the plates and footage shot on site by the Endurance<\/span>\u2019s photographer, Frank Hurley<\/strong>, who dove into icy waters to save his reels from the wreckage<\/a><\/span>. ENDURANCE<\/strong> includes compelling snippets of material that are excerpted from Hurley\u2019s own documentary, SOUTH<\/strong>, which was recently restored by the British Film Institute<\/strong> and re-released intact by Kino Lorber and Milestone Film & Video<\/strong><\/a><\/span> in 2022, the year Endurance<\/span> was finally found.<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n The avid fan base of Turner Classic Movies<\/strong> seemed to be intrigued and shocked on the socials when the network announced it was broadcasting the documentary<\/a><\/span> by Michael Lurie<\/strong> and Eric Friedler<\/strong>, FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT<\/strong>, in prime time this past Tuesday, December 17<\/strong>. It is a long-gestating account of what Jerry Lewis<\/strong> and his crew went through to make THE DAY THE CLOWN CRIED<\/strong>, a tale of a man played by Lewis who is forced to perform as a clown for children held in a concentration camp during World War Two<\/strong>, which apparently uses little- or never-seen stills and behind-the-scenes footage from the production<\/a><\/span>. Theories have compounded over the last half-century as to why CLOWN<\/strong> was ultimately shelved by Lewis; the Library of Congress<\/strong> has possession of the only known print and will allegedly make it available to view later in 2025 per the late entertainer\u2019s instructions. We won\u2019t expect an official release of it, well, ever<\/em>, but we\u2019re sure many others had the same gut feeling about Orson Welles\u2019 THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND<\/strong>, the Aretha Franklin<\/strong> performance film AMAZING GRACE<\/strong>, and various key titles that were formerly in limbo.<\/p>\n Independent cinema is not exempt from the elements shuffle. Last month, Kevin Smith<\/strong> posted a short compilation of outtakes from CLERKS<\/strong> on YouTube<\/strong> and revealed he had almost an hour\u2019s worth of footage that no one had actually viewed<\/a><\/span> since the View Askew<\/strong> crew filmed their seminal 1994 slacker comedy in New Jersey<\/strong>. On October 27<\/strong><\/a><\/span>, the Chicago International Film Festival<\/strong> premiered a restoration of the little-seen and innovative 1999 love story COMPENSATION<\/strong>, an evocation of African-American relationships and disability that was set and shot in Chicago<\/strong> by the filmmaker Zeinabu irene Davis<\/strong>, which is now represented by Janus Films<\/strong>, on tap for the Criterion Collection<\/strong> treatment<\/a><\/span> in mid-2025, and selected for inclusion in the National Film Registry<\/strong><\/a><\/span> by the Library of Congress earlier this week. And in September, Matthew Harrison<\/strong>\u2019s RHYTHM THIEF<\/strong> received a premiere of its 4K DCP at Los Angeles\u2019 2220 Arts + Archives<\/strong><\/a><\/span>, the start of a new lease for the 1995 New York City<\/strong> drama as it also arrives on Blu-ray this month courtesy of Kino Lorber<\/a><\/span> and after a one-year delay; the Sundance<\/strong> award-winner had been stuck on dated DVD and only been given limited availability online for half its lifetime before now.<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n These black-and-white, low-cost gems are just three of the many thousands of movies and their related ephemera<\/em> that need to be treated with care and respect if they\u2019re going to survive in a viewable condition for our future generations. By someone. At some point. With a reasonable budget and resources. And a potential for an audience, when all is said and done, to justify the effort. It\u2019s not simple, quick, or cheap. At a certain point, it might not even be up to just the big studios or prominent producers or boutique labels or knowledgeable archives or cinema societies or non-profit specialty groups to take care of the flicks. They can\u2019t do it all and have every right to pick and choose what comes first, second, or one hundredth in line. It should be to no one\u2019s surprise at this point if fandom or the grassroots step up to help preserve our culture. And they have.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n IMAGERY DU C-U | Picturing Our Scene on the Screen<\/strong><\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n \u201cEureka! We\u2019ve found it!\u201d is not an exclamation we normally blurt out in our doings at the service of the Champaign-Urbana<\/strong> film culture. Most of the subjects and activity we share with you on CUBlog<\/span><\/strong> date from modern times and are common knowledge in the circles du C-U that we run with. As long-time readers know, our coverage will occasionally reflect the discovery by Ye Ed<\/strong> of knowledge and artifacts related to the movies, movie-going, and movie-making in our communities. To him, they are as good as gold. Such was the case when he learned a few years ago, while skimming the Daily Illini<\/span><\/strong> archives at the Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections<\/strong><\/a><\/span>, about the vaudeville novelty \u201cMaking Movies<\/strong>\u201d that took place on the stage of the Orpheum Theatre<\/strong> and the campus of the University of Illinois<\/strong> in 1919. It had a very<\/em> clever hook<\/a><\/span> \u2013 patrons and citizens took part in the making of a one-reel dramedy, LOVE\u2019S YOUNG DREAM<\/strong>.<\/p>\n We have yet to learn that our DREAM<\/strong> is still alive. The print is most likely long gone.<\/p>\n A much rarer development is when someone outside<\/em> of Champaign, Urbana, and the cities beyond reaches out with a find that relates directly or peripherally to our movie history. This happened over the summer when Chris Clawson<\/strong>, historian and media producer at the Historical Society of Greenfield, Massachusetts<\/strong><\/a><\/span>, wrote to us about \u201cMaking Movies\u201d due to his own research in regards to their own movie history. He zeroed in on the names of its promoters, Joseph Maddern<\/strong> and Tom Ward<\/strong>, in our CUBlog<\/span><\/strong> articles because the former had brought the same act to Greenfield a few years later.<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n As with the Orpheum production of LOVE\u2019S YOUNG DREAM<\/strong>, the creation of the Greenfield edition followed a three-part template: one, the producers filmed scenes from a stock script in the booking venue and the surrounding city with local people, places, and businesses; two, they also<\/em> filmed the audiences who are invited to fill the venue and watch the scenes being staged for camera on<\/em> the stage as a demonstration of how films were made; and three, they had the film processed and edited together as quickly as possible and premiered the completed reel at the venue to draw back the locals, who would be amazed to see themselves, friends, and neighbors act out the silent vignette on the big screen. In Greenfield, the former Victoria Theatre<\/strong> wowed the crowd with their own DREAM<\/strong> in June of 1924.<\/p>\n It turned out that Mr. Clawson and Carol Aleman<\/strong>, president of the Greenfield historical society, were putting the finishing touches on a video presentation that would re-introduce their community to DREAM<\/strong> a la Victoria and mark the 100th anniversary of its occurrence. In the effort to shore up the narration and factoids to be used in the video, Clawson found us and your humble editor went through the talking points with him to help out as best he could. However, there was an even bigger<\/em> surprise for us that can finally be shared. This is a case of living vicariously through the fruits of others\u2019 labors\u2026<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n Aleman and Clawson hosted their video premiere on Friday, October 11<\/strong>, at the Garden Cinema<\/strong> of Greenfield<\/strong><\/a><\/span> to a showing of more than 100 spectators. Special to their presentation was that it included the digitized, restored, and intact<\/em> LOVE\u2019S YOUNG DREAM<\/strong> from 1924! How\u2019s that<\/em> for a very clever hook?<\/p>\n Generously, the Historical Society has uploaded the complete presentation to Vimeo<\/strong> for easy viewing<\/a><\/span>. A well-made and informative segment tells how Clawson and Aleman located the reel, researched the story behind it, identified some of the individuals who participated in it, and subsequently prepared the film to be appreciated today, which included the use of computer applications to add a music score made up of vintage cues that were first used in the silent film era. Bracketing the segment is DREAM<\/strong>, complete with new color tints and its original (and awkward) dialog cards, and a vintage news reel that was produced by Path\u00e9 News<\/strong> and depicts the fun and games of the first Greenfield Winter Carnival<\/strong> in 1923.<\/p>\n Kudos to Clawson, Aleman, and others who helped bring the project to life. We can learn a few lessons from the ways in which they embraced local heritage, however offbeat it might have looked at first glance, and created something enticing with it. We also are fortunate to be able to enjoy from afar the closest approximation to LOVE\u2019S YOUNG DREAM<\/strong> that we might get as it would have been viewed by our relatives and predecessors at the Orpheum in 1919. Let\u2019s take the big cosmic hint and look closely at our archives, collections, attics, trunks, and basements for the treasures. We<\/em> are the grassroots who can ensure that Champaign-Urbana\u2019s history and artistry on film will be preserved as film history. Eureka!<\/em><\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area<\/strong><\/p>\n @ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL<\/strong> @ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL<\/strong> @ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL<\/strong> Events featuring locally produced movies are marked with an asterisk (*). Additional \u201cNow Playing\u201d and \u201cComing Soon\u201d listings appear after the jump!<\/em><\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n <\/p>\n NOW PLAYING | The Cities Beyond<\/strong><\/p>\n @ The Avon Theater, Decatur, IL<\/strong> @ Clintonia Eagle Theater, Clinton, IL<\/strong> @ Crescent Cinemas, Pontiac, IL<\/strong> @ The Fischer Theatre, Danville, IL<\/strong> @ Marcus Bloomington Cinema + IMAX, Bloomington, IL<\/strong> @ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL<\/strong> @ The Onarga Theatre, Onarga, IL<\/strong> @ The Princess Theatre, Leroy, IL<\/strong> @ VIP Lincoln Grand 6, Lincoln, IL<\/strong> \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n NOW PLAYING | Midwest<\/strong><\/p>\n For detailed and curated listings of Chicago-area film presentations and related events, please visit the fine folks at<\/em> Cine-File<\/strong> and subscribe to their definitive \u201cCine-List\u201d weekly blast<\/a><\/span>. And for northern Illinois industry news, be sure to read<\/em> Reel Chicago<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/span> and<\/em> Screen Magazine<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n COMING SOON | Area-wide Events<\/strong><\/p>\n 2\/15\/25<\/strong>
\n12\/21: Linda McElroy (volunteer, Route 66 Film Festival, Springfield, IL)
\n12\/25: Shea Kelly (producer\/host, FILMWAR!<\/span> YouTube channel, A Thousand Yard Stare Productions, Decatur, IL)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\nHOMESTEAD (faith film), MUFASA: THE LION KING, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3, GLADIATOR II, HER STORY (in Mandarin with English sub), KRAVEN THE HUNTER, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM (animation), MOANA 2 (animation), RED ONE, WICKED (12\/20 on), A COMPLETE UNKNOWN, THE FIRE INSIDE (12\/24 on), BABYGIRL, BABY JOHN (in Hindi with English sub), NOSFERATU (12\/25 on)<\/p>\n
\nHOMESTEAD (faith film), MUFASA: THE LION KING, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3, THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER* (faith film), GLADIATOR II, KRAVEN THE HUNTER, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM (animation), MOANA 2 (animation), THE ORDER*, RED ONE, WICKED (12\/20 on), The Royal Ballet: The Nutcracker<\/span> (12\/22, 3 p.m., 12\/23, 7 p.m.; recorded), IT\u2019S A WONDERFUL LIFE (12\/22, 3 & 7 p.m.; 12\/24, 12, 3 & 7 p.m.), A COMPLETE UNKNOWN, THE FIRE INSIDE (12\/24 on), BABYGIRL, NOSFERATU (12\/25 on) *single screenings daily<\/p>\n
\nNo movies this week!<\/p>\n
\nMUFASA: THE LION KING, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3, MOANA 2 (animation) (12\/19-12\/23)<\/p>\n
\nMUFASA: THE LION KING, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3, KRAVEN THE HUNTER, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM (animation) (12\/20 on)<\/p>\n
\nMUFASA: THE LION KING, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 (12\/20 on)<\/p>\n
\nA CHRISTMAS STORY (12\/20, 7 p.m.), ELF (12\/21, 12 p.m.)<\/p>\n
\nBACHHALA MALLI (in Telugu with English sub), HOMESTEAD* (faith film), MUFASA: THE LION KING, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3, THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER* (faith film), GLADIATOR II, KRAVEN THE HUNTER, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM (animation), MOANA 2 (animation), RED ONE, VIDUTHALAI PART 2 (in Tamil with English sub), WICKED (12\/20 on), A COMPLETE UNKNOWN, THE FIRE INSIDE (12\/24 on), NOSFERATU (12\/25 on) *single screenings daily<\/p>\n
\nIT\u2019S A WONDERFUL LIFE (12\/20-12\/21, 12\/23-12\/24), KRAMPUS (12\/20), THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL (12\/21), WHITE CHRISTMAS (12\/21-12\/24), DIE HARD (12\/21), HOME ALONE (12\/22), NATIONAL LAMPOON\u2019S CHRISTMAS VACATION (12\/22, 12\/24), ELF (12\/23)<\/p>\n
\nMUFASA: THE LION KING (12\/20-12\/22)<\/p>\n
\nWICKED (12\/20-12\/22)<\/p>\n
\nMUFASA: THE LION KING, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3, KRAVEN THE HUNTER, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM (animation), MOANA 2 (animation), WICKED (12\/20 on), THE GRINCH (animation) (12\/20-12\/22, 10 a.m.)<\/p>\n