Third Annual Holly Street Film Festival

Two years ago, I had a case of the holiday blues. So we hatched a plan to pretend the holidays didn't exist. We held a film festival. We put out a schedule of film and food, and told people - we'll be here, watching the flicks and eating the food. If you want to come by, you'll be welcome. The first year's theme was Food & Film From Around the World, or some such thing, and included classics such as the 6-hour Bolliwood extravaganza Lagaan, Nick & Nora tossing back Christmas cocktails in The Thin Man, and the screamingly funny-bad Tarzan (seriously - little people in blackface playing pygmies). Last year's theme was Comfort Food for Liberals, and included a black comedy about liberal roomates who invite conservatives over for dinner and kill them (The Last Supper), and the classic Errol Flynn version of Robin Hood.

So it's back - the Third Annual Holly Street Film Festival. Those of you out there who are local and know us - you're welcome to join in the fun, just drop me a line. Here's the deal.

This year’s theme, in honor of our trip to Italy: Movies on the Mediterranean. A schedule is listed below. Friends of friends are welcome. Kids are also welcome, but few of this year’s movies are recent enough to have ratings, so you’ll have to judge the content for yourselves. And lastly, we do our best to reserve the movies ahead of time, but of course everything’s subject to availability. The particulars:

• RSVP, at least a day in advance, because we’ll need to adjust the food and because the festival’s viewing facilities are rather small, so an unexpected crowd could be a challenge
• BYOB, at least if you want the alcoholic variety.
• All meals will be vegetarian, although some may include seafood. This year, we’re not planning specific meals ahead. It will all be Mediterranean fare, in honor of the theme, based on whatever whim might possess us. Olives, funny cheeses, falafel, pasta, that sort of thing.
• Dinner at 6, followed by movie, except where matinees are noted

The schedule

Friday, December 23: Italy
Featured Film: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966, R) – “A bawdy Broadway farce set in ancient Rome where a conniving slave plots his way to freedom.” A classic, an Oscar-winning score, and supposedly very, very funny.

Saturday, December 24: Greece
Featured Film: Zorba the Greek (1964) – Another classic, with Anthony Quinn as the lively laborer who teaches an uptight young Englishman the proper lust for life.

Sunday, December 25: Israel
Featured Film: Exodus (1960) – Rounding out a weekend of classic movies made in the 1960s, we move on to this chronicle, based on a Leon Uris novel, of the post-WWII partition of Palestine and the birth of Israel. Boasts an all-star cast including Paul Newman, Eva Marie Saint, Lee J. Cobb and Sal Mineo.

Friday, December 30: France/Algeria
Featured Film: Pepe le Moko (1937) – An influential early French film about a notorious gangster holed up in the Casbah, emerging at great risk for of love of a beautiful woman. Established Jean Gabin as a French film idol and was the basis for two follow-ups, the popular Boyer-Lamar Algiers (1938) and the 1948 musical The Casbah.

Saturday, December 31: Monte Carlo
Featured Film: To Catch a Thief (1955) – Yes, we’ve all seen it a million times. But the scenery is beautiful, Cary Grant and Grace Kelly are beautiful, and it has a big fancy party scene appropriate for New Year’s Eve. Dress up or wear a mask, if you want, or don’t – but join us in breathless anticipation for the many classic lines… “Would you like a leg, or a breast?” and “Poulet! Vous êtes un poulet!” Ah, good times.

Sunday, January 1: Various secret pirate coves and ships
Pirates! What better way to go out with a bang? Enrico has decreed there shall be a Pirate Double Feature to end the festival. We’re not sure either one actually takes place on the Mediterranean, but as he points out – “it’s Errol Flynn and Ava Gardner. Who cares?”
Featured Afternoon Film: The Sea Hawk (1940). Every film festival should have some Errol Flynn swashbucklin’. Flynn is a patriot privateer who saves England from the Spanish.
Featured Evening Film: Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951). Seriously, how can you pass this up: “Feverish romantic fantasy has playgirl/nightclub singer Pandora (Ava Gardner) living in 1930s Spain, romanced by every man in sight. Naturally she cares for none of them until she meets enigmatic Dutch Captain Hendric van der Zee (James Mason) who is, in fact, the legendary Flying Dutchman – condemned to wander the seas forever unless a woman is willing to give up her life for him!”