6:30 pm in the Helen Hayes Gallery
The National Theatre
1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington DC 20004

THE CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON: Academy Award Films and Other Classics

First Come, First Seated FREE ADMISSION  Information: (202) 783-3372
Seating is limited!!  Tickets are Required, and are Distributed one Half-Hour Prior to Performance.

19 JuneSHAKESPEARE IN LOVE

This witty, fast-moving romantic comedy is set in London in 1593, and follows the trials and tribulations of William Shakespeare, a struggling young playwright suffering from writer's block.  Try as he may, he just can't seem to make any headway with his latest work, "Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter."  Even the title doesn't sound quite right...  But then William meets and falls instantly in love with the startlingly beautiful Viola.  Inspired by love, William's creative powers are unleashed as his great love story, "Romeo and Juliet" is brought to life.  Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Judi Dench, Geoffrey Rush and Ben Affleck; Miramax Films; Directed by John Madden, Rated R; 122 minutes; 1998.

26 June LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL

Roberto Benigni's beguiling comedy begins in 1939 when Guido, a simple man of Jewish heritage, falls for a sweet, upper-class schoolteacher.  Five years later, he and his family are herded off to a concentration camp, where our hero is determined to protect his young son both psychologically and physically.  Accustomed to fast-talking his way out of difficult situations, Guido convinces the boy that everything around them is part of a zany game; in order to win you have to obey the uniformed men pretending to be nasty.  Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Giustino Durano, Sergio Bustric; Miramax Films; Directed by Roberto Benigni, Rated PG-13; 122 minutes, 1998.

10 July THE RED VIOLIN

The film traces the history of a legendary instrument across five countries and 300 years, from a workshop in the Italian city of Cremona to an auction of rare violins in modern-day Montreal.  Along the way, the violin affects the lives of a variety of people as it passes from hand to hand and generation to generation, nearly possessing those who play it.  From Cremona in the late 17th century, where the violin maker loses his wife during childbirth, the violin next runs up 100 years later in Vienna, in the hands of a child prodigy.  From here it passes to gypsies, and then, another century later, to master violinist Frederick Pope in Oxford, inspiring jealousy in his poet lover.  We next see the violin in Shanghai during the Cultural Revolution in 1868, where its very existence is threatened, along with those who wish to protect it.  Finally, the violin arrives at the auction house, where American violin expert charles Morritz races against time to discover the true nature of the seemingly haunted instrument. Samuel Jackson, Don McKellar, Carl Czech, Iran Grazioli; Lion's Gate Films; Directed by Francois Girard, Rated R; 131 minutes; 1999.

17 July    THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT

This is the story of three college student filmmakers who venture into Maryland's remote Black Hills to uncover the truth behind a lengthy history of strange disappearances and cult-related murders.  Something went terribly wrong and they were never seen again.  A year later, however, their footage was found -- revealing the horrifying circumstances that marked their final days.  Heather Donahue, Michael Williams, Bob Griffith, Joshua Leonard; Artisan Entertainment; Directed by Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sanchez, Rated R; 88 minutes; 1999.

24 July  THE GOLD RUSH
A Silent Film with Gary Schwartz providing musical accompaniment at the keyboard. Charlie Chaplin's greatest film is a beautiful and sad-eyed comedy about the little tramp trying to cope during the Klondike gold rush of the 1890's.  When he gets stuck with a starving prospector in an isolated cabin, the results are almost fatally funny.  This film contains one of the most memorable comedy scenes of all times: Charlie, in hunger and desperation, cooks and eats his own shoe!  Other highlights include the "dance of the rolls" and the sequence in which the cabin totters on the edge of a cliff. Directed by Charles Chaplin. Black and White; Not Rated, 1925.
 
 

31 July  AN IDEAL HUSBAND
Set in the 19th Century, the story tells of a successful politician with an outwardly perfect marriage whose youthful indiscretions come back to haunt him.  Sir Robert Chiltern is accused of having exploited government secrets for his own gain early in his career.  With this revelation comes the threat of blackmail and the ruin of Sir Robert's career.  A dazzling blend of farce and morality that explores human frailty and social hypocrisy, based on the play by Oscar Wilde. Rupert Everett, Julianna Moore, Jeremy Northam, Cate Blanchett, Minnie Driver; Miramax Films; Directed by Oliver Parker, Rated PG-13; 97 minutes; 1999.

7 Aug  AMISTAD

Based on the true story, the film is the saga of a failed mutiny on board a Spanish slave ship, and the trial that followed.  In the summer of 1839, fifty-three African captives, led by Cinque, broke free and took over the slave ship, Amistad.  Captured off the eastern seaboard after failing in a desperate attempt to sail home, they find themselves strangers in a strange land and at the mercy of the American judicial system.  Fighting for the Africans are abolitionist Theodore Joadson and young lawyer Roger Baldwin.  However, seeking re-election, President Martin Van Buren is willing to sacrifice the Africans to appease the pro-slavery South.  The case takes on historical proportions when former President John Quincy Adams comes out of retirement to take the Africans' cause all the way to the United States Supreme Court in a trial that challenges the very foundation of the American legal system. Morgan Freeman, Nigel Hawthorne, Anthony Hopkins, Djimon Hounsou, Matthew McConaughey, David Paymer, Pete Postlehwaite, Stellan Skarsgard; DreamWorks Pictures; Directed by Steven Spielberg, Rated R; 152 minutes; 1998.
 
 

14 Aug  LITTLE VOICE

Based on the Award-winning London play "The Rise and Fall of Little Voice," Jane Horrocks brings her acclaimed stage role to the screen in the story of a young girl who can only express herself through famous vintage songs.  She doesn't speak, but she can sing in the timeless voices of performers like Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe and Billie Holiday.  For her, singing is a private thing, but her family has bigger plans.  Brenda Blethyn is the girl's outspoken, overbearing mother and Michael Caine is her would-be manager.  Brenda Blethyn, Jane Horrocks, Michael Caine, Jim Broadbent; Miramax Films; Directed by Mark Herman, Rated R; 96 minutes; 1998.
 

Prints from Swank Motion Pictures, Inc.

The National Theatre thanks Charles A. Fazio and Vision Digital Media for the Projections Equipment provided for this series.

Free films are shown at the National Theatre during summer months.  Performances are at 6:30 pm on Monday evenings in the Helen Hayes Gallery, where the national portrait of Miss Hayes is displayed.  Admission is free, on a first-come, first-seated basis. The series was inaugurated in 1985. Program Schedules can be secured by sending a Self-Addressed, Stamped Envelope to "Cinema," National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20004. Recorded program information is available at 202-783-3372.
 

PRODUCER         Donn B. Murphy
COORDINATOR      Natalie Forbes

MC               Todd Clark
HOSTS            Gregory Lee, LaJuan F. Liles

FLYER ART        Faith Moeckel
BOOKING          Brian Fox

GENERAL MGR.     Harry Teter, Jr.
THEATRE MGR.     Carol Hayes
SECURITY         Elizabeth Doherty, Esther King and Bob Lawrence

BARRYMORE TEAM Jon Carrow, Cynthia Evans,
                 Sheryl John, Betty Lanier and Krystal Morris
 

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 Organization, The Combined Federal Campaign and the United Way of the Greater Washington Area.   Your contribution to #8663 helps keep this historical playhouse alive and these free outreach programs operating.  Your support is greatly appreciated.

Home Page: www.nationaltheatre.org

Contact:    dbm@nationaltheatre.org