Film Screenings / Programs / Series
WILLIAM LUSTIG PRESENTS
July 15 – July 25
In what has become a summer tradition here at Anthology, the great William Lustig – filmmaker (VIGILANTE, MANIAC, MANIAC COP) and founder of Blue Underground, the premiere DVD label devoted to marginal genre films – returns with another selection of choice 1960s and 70s grindhouse cinema. With the multiplexes overrun with bloated, high-concept, spandex-filled fare, we’ll be attempting to magically transport Anthology back several decades and north 40 blocks, to channel a little piece of 42nd Street in its prime by presenting a series of films from an era in which popcorn movies worked wonders with what today would pass for very little. Down-to-earth, human-scale, and teeming with terrific character actors (this year’s selection boasts the talents of Warren Oates, Tony Musante, Peter Boyle, John Vernon, Ron Leibman, Ruby Dee, and many more), these films – almost none of which have been released on video – are a testament to a time when summer movies didn’t leave you feeling violated and depressed.
Special thanks to Bill Lustig, and to Monte Hellman, Alexandra Avakian, Brian Block (Criterion Pictures), Kathryn Brennan (Paramount), Harry Guerro, Adam Hotchkiss (Optimum Releasing), Caitlin Robertson (20th Century Fox), Marilee Womack (WB), Andrew Youdell (BFI), and Kent Youngblood (MGM).
