TCM Classic Film Festival 2012--STYLE IN THE MOVIES

No one is more excited than I am for this year's TCM Classic Film Festival April 12-15 in Hollywood.  When they announced last fall that its theme would be Style in the Movies, I nearly fell out of my chair.  This, my friends, is what GlamAmor is allllllllll about.  The festival will showcase some of the best films of all time with style that continues to inspire designers today.  Tickets are going fast, so be sure to get your own soon--the top two tiers are nearly sold out already!

Style in the Movies is even broken into areas of sub-focus and include many of my favorites.  There will be spotlights on icon Audrey Hepburn, the Noir Style, Deco Design, and the Legendary Costumes of Travis Banton.  There will also be a celebration for the 100th anniversary of Paramount studios with a spotlight on the Robert Evans era and the incredible rush of creativity he brought to the 1970s Paramount Renaissance.  Evans will even be in attendance.

The festival's Opening Night Gala will feature the stylish Cabaret (1972) with Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey both there to introduce their movie.  Set in 1930s Germany and produced in the 1970s, there's a lot to love about this Bob Fosse classic.  After all, Liza became a super star and a style icon through her Oscar-winning role as Sally Bowles.  Oh my, what to wear...

Another iconic musical will also be screened--Singin' in the Rain (1952).  Set in the 1920s at the dawn of sound in the movie industry and produced in the 1950s, it is widely regarded as the best movie musical of all time.  In her third film at only age 20, Debbie Reynolds showed that she was truly a triple threat--actor, singer, dancer.  And what style!  She honors the festival with her introduction to this film along with How the West Was Won (1962).

Look at some more details of what we have in store:

Audrey Hepburn--Style Icon

An extensive tribute to Audrey Hepburn includes:

• Sabrina (1954) - First movie where Edith Head and Hubert de Givenchy start sharing costume designing duties on Audrey's films.
• Funny Face (1957, above) - Another stylish Edith Head and Givenchy collaboration for Audrey.
• Two for the Road (1967) - See Audrey out of Givenchy and into different designers of the day in this newly restored 45th anniversary copy.

The Noir Style

I just spent January covering some of the movies, locations, and all around style of film noir on GlamAmor. Be sure to take a peek if you haven't done so already...I think you'll find it lots of fun.  At the festival, film noir historian Eddie Muller will introduce and discuss the movies, and actresses Peggy Cummins, Rhonda Fleming, and Marsha Hunt will also appear at each of their film noir screenings including:

• Gun Crazy (1950) - John Dall and Peggy Cummins star as lovesick sharpshooters on a crime spree in this Joseph H. Lewis directed classic.
• Cry Danger (1951) - Dick Powell stars as an ex-con out to find the culprits who framed him for a crime he didn’t commit.

Deco Design and The Legendary Costumes of Travis Banton

These two areas of sub-focus have a lot of overlap since Travis Banton was the lead Costume Designer for Paramount during the Art Deco era.  I will be featuring Art Deco Style on GlamAmor as part of my own month-long tribute in February to continue building excitement for the festival.  Movies representing each of these categories are:

• Our Dancing Daughters (1928) - A new print of director Harry Beaumont’s Jazz-age silent melodrama starring Joan Crawford.
• Nothing Sacred (1937) - The first screwball comedy to be shot in color, William Wellman directs Fredric March as a newspaper man who turns a dying woman, played by Carole Lombard, into a media sensation.

The Paramount Reanaissance

Paramount has always been a favorite studio of mine because of Edith Head, but Robert Evans put his own style signature on Paramount in the 1970s.  Three of the best movies of all time (below) were under his reign.  The TCM Classic Film Festival will feature Chinatown as part of the celebration, which I just featured here on GlamAmor for its incredible style.

• Love Story (1970) - Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal star in the story of young love that helped save Paramount from bankruptcy.
• The Godfather II (1974) - Winner of six Academy Awards (including Best Picture), Francis Ford Coppola directs a star-studded cast lead by Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton, and Robert Duvall.
• Chinatown (1974) - Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, and John Huston star in this neo-noir directed by Roman Polanski.

Last year was such an incredible experience for me and I know my fellow film fans feel exactly the same.  In case you missed it, or would simply like to relive some of the memories, take a look at my posts to see last year's festival through my eyes:

• Wednesday at the Roosevelt Hotel
• Thursday at Club TCM and the Roosevelt Hotel
• Red Carpet for An American in Paris
• Poolside at the Roosevelt and Girl Happy
• Becket at Grauman's Egyptian Theater in Hollywood
• Citizen Kane, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and La Dolce Vita at Grauman's Chinese Theater

See you at the Roosevelt Hotel!