When it comes to classic moviegoing experiences, you can’t beat the double feature.
It’s a chance to truly luxuriate in the magical world of light and shadows, to really make a day of it, and it offers programmers a rich opportunity to make creative and interesting choices. On Friday, Film Forum begins a single-admission festival of movies linked by explicit and thematic connections.
These are some highlights:
‘Scarface’ (1932 and 1983)
There’s a very good chance you’re familiar with Al Pacino’s shtick in Brian De Palma’s gangster epic, but checking it out opposite its source, the Howard Hawks classic starring Paul Muni, might help you see it in a brand new light. Screens Friday
‘Top Hat’ and ‘Swing Time’
Two examples of movie magic starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, performers extraordinaire. Screens Aug. 14
‘On the Bowery’ and ‘After Hours’
These two classic movies are linked by their lower Manhattan settings: “On the Bowery” is a seminal documentary chronicling life on Skid Row in the 1950s. Martin Scorsese’s “After Hours” finds Griffin Dunne trapped in a surreal SoHo, encountering oddball ’80s types. It’s unlike anything else in Scorsese’s oeuvre. Screens Aug. 17
‘Forbidden Games’ and ‘The Spirit of the Beehive’
Two portraits of childhood during war: “Games,” directed by René Clément, follows a child after her parents die. “Beehive” uses symbolism to critique the Franco regime in Spain. Screens Aug. 21
IF YOU GO: The 2nd Annual Festival of Summer Double Features runs Friday through Sept. 5 at Film Forum, 209 W. Houston St., visit filmforum.org for full lineup
