Film festival revisits widescreen classics

By Phil Witte
Daily Forty-Niner

The Carpenter Performing Arts Center at Cal State Long Beach will play host to five days of Oscar winners, rare gems and remastered classics beginning Wednesday.

The sixth annual Widescreen Film Festival, started by Film and Entertainment Arts lecturers Gary Prebula and Steve Hubbert, highlights restored versions of film classics, as well as hosting featured guests presenting and discussing their films.

There were two inspirations for creating the festival, Prebula said.

"First, we wanted to do our part for film preservation," Prebula said. "When you go to the festival, this could be the last time you'll be seeing it on a big screen as it should be seen, on widescreen. Second, we thought the film and electronic arts department needed a festival to attract attention Ö the only thing anyone seems to know about Long Beach's department is that Steven Spielberg was kicked out."

An advisory committee made up of various industry professionals that keeps track of the status of films being preserved, selects the films for the festival.

"The advisory committee consists of editors, directors, camera operators, production designers and also the people who control the libraries at all the studios," Prebula said.

The committee is co-chaired by Fay Kanin, the chairman of the National Film Preservation Board and Gene Allen, past president of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences and an Academy Award winning production designer.

The film kicking off the festival, David Lean's Oscar winner "Bridge on the River Kwai," has special meaning for the festival, said Bethany Price, the producer for the festival.

"Six years ago at the first festival, ëBridge on the River Kwai' was the first film we showed," Price said. "The quality of the print was so poor, we didn't even charge admission. On the industry grading scale it was a D because the film was cracked, distorted and there were pieces missing. The version we have for Wednesday has been completely restored and is of A or B grade."

On Friday, the festival kicks in, with three Elvis-themed films on the slate. First, at 5 p.m. is "Bye Bye Birdie," the adaptation of the Broadway smash starring Dick Van Dyke, Janet Leigh, Paul Lynde and Ann-Margaret. The film features the character Conrad Birdie, a superstar singer who serves in the army.

Following "Birdie," but requiring separate admission, is one of the festival's highlights, an Elvis double feature. The set starts at 8 p.m. with a newly re-edited version of the Elvis concert classic "Elvis, That's The Way It Is," followed by the other Elvis Vegas movie, "Viva Las Vegas."

Rick Schmidlin, who produced the re-edit of "Way It Is," will be on hand to discuss his involvement with the film. Schmidlin was selected for the project by Roger Mayer, a festival advisory committee and president and CEO of Turner Entertainment, based on his previous work re-editing Orson Welles' "Touch of Evil" and Erich von Stroheim's "Greed." Also a lifelong Elvis' fan, Schmidlin's rock and roll credentials were established by producing all of The Door's long form videos.

"Roger Mayer spent years archiving all of the concert footage and we worked about nine months re-editing it," Schmidlin said. "This version presents Elvis on his own terms. There are no talking heads or voice-overs. Although Denis Sanders was behind the camera, it is widely acknowledged that Elvis directed everything from the stage. This will give fans a true understanding of Elvis as he would have wanted them to see it, on his own terms."

In addition to the re-editing of footage, this will be the first time the film will be presented in Dolby Digital surround sound.

Saturday will feature something for the whole family. The 10 a.m. showing will feature six classic Disney cartoons followed by "Swiss Family Robinson."

The cartoons, which will feature Donald Duck and Ranger J. Audobon Woodlore, will by introduced by two special guests. Disney animators Bill Justice and Ward Kimball will be on hand to talk about the history of Disney and working on classics cartoons like "Snow White." In the lobby, animation cells from the cartoons will be for sale. On hand to present "Swiss Family Robinson" will be director Ken Annakin and star James MacArthur.

Jackie Chan is next on the bill in "Miracles," the only domestic showing of what Chan, who also co-wrote and directed, says is his personal favorite.

"Last year we featured the only domestic showing of Jackie Chan's ëGorgeous' and this year we're pleased to have the honor again," Price said. "Both films went straight to video domestically, so this will be the only chance to see it on the big screen."

Saturday night features an odd, but explainable triple feature. First at 5 p.m. is Mel Brooks' classic western "Blazing Saddles," recently voted the sixth funniest American movie of all time. This will be followed by a David Lynch double header of "Elephant Man" at 8 p.m. and "Blue Velvet" at 11 p.m.

Strange as the group may seem, Mel Brooks is the link between the films. "Mel Brooks served as executive producer on "Elephant Man" and he is the one who brought David Lynch to the project," Price said.

"Elephant Man" producer Jonathan Sanger, who was a Mel Brooks protégé and is currently partners with Tom Cruise in a production company, will be there talking about working with Mel Brooks and making the film.

The night ends with David Lynch's cult classic, "Blue Velvet," starring Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rosellini, and Dennis Hopper. This peek into the psychotic underbelly of suburban life earned Lynch his second Best Director nomination, after earning his first with "Elephant Man."

The festival closes on Sunday with a trio of Westerns beginning  with John Ford's "Cheyenne Autumn," starring Richard Wid-mark, Ricardo Montalbon, Karl Malden, Delores Del Rio and Carroll Baker. The film honestly examines the plight of Native Americans, bucking the usual stereotypical Hollywood fare.

Next at 3:30 p.m. is Richard Brooks' "The Professionals," starring Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin, Jack Palance, Woody Strode, Robert Ryan and Claudia Cardinale.

Finishing off the day at 7 p.m. is the triple Oscar winning classic, "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," George Roy Hill's ultimate buddy movie. Paul Newman and Robert Redford rob trains and banks and elude determined posses until they meet their inevitable and unforgettable end.

Though it has been around for six years, Prebula still thinks the festival has a way to go.

"Eventually the festival will become self-sufficient, but we're not there yet," Prebula said. "We would love to be able to write a check to our sister film school at UCLA to help them in film preservation."

Price hopes the festival will promote the cause of film preservation.

"These films are easily damaged because the chemicals degrade," Price said. "If we don't take care of them, our amazing film history will be lost."