NEW ORLEANS, LA, May 7, 2000 — Continuing the tradition of its annual on-air film festival, AMERICAN MOVIE CLASSICS will honor the work of master director Alfred Hitchcock during its eighth annual film preservation festival from June 16 to June 19, 2000. The centerpiece of the festival is the newly-restored REAR WINDOW, considered the most critically acclaimed of Hitchcock’s oeuvre, and in many ways the film most representative of the director’s great gifts as a filmmaker. In addition to 32 of Hitchcock’s films, AMC will present four documentaries about the master of suspense, and a documentary about film preservation. Acclaimed filmmaker Martin Scorsese will provide personal introductions for THE BIRDS (1963) and MARNIE (1964). Award-winning actress Sharon Stone will provide on-air introductions for some of the films.
AMERICAN MOVIE CLASSICS’ eighth annual film preservation festival, honoring legendary filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock, will air from Friday, June 16 through Monday, June 19. The festival will include thirty-two classic Hitchcock titles, four specials/documentaries on his work, one special about film preservation, and various interstitial segments. AMC’s annual film preservation festival serves to educate viewers about the need to guard the nation’s endangered film heritage while raising funds for the archives whose vital work saves hundreds of films each year. Since its inception in 1993, AMC has raised close to $2 million for The Film Foundation, which funds seven member archives across the country to restore and preserve films.
Alfred Hitchcock remains one of the most enigmatic, respected, and written-about directors in the history of film. During his career, he made over sixty films and worked with some of the screen’s biggest stars including Paul Newman, Cary Grant and James Stewart. He is known for his attention to detail and intricately orchestrated films, which rarely deviated from the script and storyboard layouts. While his most prevalent theme is best described as “suspenseful melodrama,” his films rise to greatness on the merits of their visual artistry and seamless plotting — and, more important, as the result of his almost unsettling exploration of the metaphysical anxieties that all of us share.
None of Hitchcock’s films more ably illustrates this slant than REAR WINDOW, the recently restored version of which headlines AMC’s on-air festival this year. The film stars James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Thelma Ritter and Raymond Burr. A cinematic landmark of psychological suspense, REAR WINDOW embraces all of Hitchcock’s trademark themes, including the invasion of privacy in big-city life, the insidious effects of paranoia, and the inherent trickiness of even the most intimate human relations. REAR WINDOW has been painstakingly restored by Universal Studios, which invested $1 million in the project.
In addition to REAR WINDOW, the festival will include THE BIRDS, THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, PSYCHO, VERTIGO, FRENZY, MARNIE, ROPE, SABOTEUR, SHADOW OF A DOUBT, TOPAZ, TORN CURTAIN and THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY.
AMERICAN MOVIE CLASSICS is the premiere 24-hour movie network featuring award-winning original productions of American film. With one of the finest, most comprehensive libraries of classic films from the 1930s through the 1980s and a diverse blend of original series, documentaries, and interstitials, the service offers in-depth information on timeless and contemporary Hollywood classics. Through the network’s multiple platforms–AMC’s website (www.amctv.com), AMC’s original broadband programming, and AMC Magazine–the entertainment provider informs passionate movie fans about the history behind the films. AMC is available in 72 million homes.
Contact:
Dina White
Jaime Saberito
516-803-4350
Fenot Tekle
Lynn Weiss
310-998-9300