TCM Classic Film Festival provided a cavalcade of classics, and its theme was “Grand Illusions: Fantastic Worlds on Film.” The late David Lynch was remembered as his films, Blue Velvet and Wild at Heart, were screened. Michelle Pfeiffer had her handprints and footprints enshrined in concrete at the TCL Chinese Theatre. The BFI (British Film Institute) celebrated its 90th anniversary as it screened nitrate prints of hit films like Jaws, Blithe Spirit, and Mildred Pierce. This was a phenomenal year at the festival.
Friday started off with the charming romantic comedy, Servants’ Entrance (1934). This featured delightful performances from Janet Gaynor and Lew Ayres. Gaynor’s filmography rarely gets spotlighted. It stood out with a whimsical cartoon sequence from Walt Disney, which featured silverware coming to life. From a genre perspective, the film shares screwball characteristics with Frank Capra’s It Happened One Night (1934) as the plot is a variation of the runaway heiress storyline. Ned Sparks, a character actor of the Pre-Code era, steals the show as a suicidal cartoonist! Up next was The Mark of Zorro (1940), and this was my second viewing of it. The turnout was fantastic, as many young men and teenagers were in the audience. Hollywood, get the memo; we still need dashing heroes for the young male demographic! The sword fight between Tyrone Power and Basil Rathbone had everyone on their toes. John Taintor Foote’s prosy screenplay still remains endearing to this day. Both Power and Linda Darnell glowed in their lavish costumes by Travis Banton. Later in the evening, I saw the iconic All That Jazz (1979) by director-choreographer Bob Fosse. Before the screening, editor Alan Heim was interviewed by Jacqueline Stewart, the host of Silent Sunday Nights. Heim discussed how he edited the dance numbers off the beat (choreography term) and adhered to Fosse’s creative decision to have the dancers’ feet cut off within the frame. Fosse wanted this because he did not like seeing the dancers’ dirty shoes. Rewatching this on the big screen really made me appreciate his distinct choreography and bittersweet themes regarding death.
Costumed fans channel the outrageous energy of The Rocky Horror Picture Show at a raucous screening during the 2025 TCM Classic Film Festival. Photo by Katalina Garber.
“It highlights the need for a balance between the versatility of Hollywood’s Golden Age and the rebel spirit of New Hollywood.”
Saturday was eclectic with a musical biopic, a late 50s western, and the anarchy of the Marx Brothers. Rhapsody in Blue (1943) was special as it was the restored pre-release version, which included an overture and several full-length musical numbers. This was one of the best musicals I’ve seen; Robert Alda gave a powerful performance as George Gershwin. It stood out from the traditional Hollywood musical as its numbers took different forms. They were a mix of stage performances, montage sequences, and naturalistic melodies with average people singing Gershwin’s tunes. I would be remiss not to mention the amazing musical numbers performed by Al Jolson, Paul Whiteman and his orchestra, and Joan Leslie. Gunman’s Walk (1958) was an underrated Western presented by Eddie Mueller (TCM’s noir historian) and Keith Carradine. Mueller emphasized how the film was a departure for leading man Tab Hunter. Hunter was known for playing the handsome male lover type, and in this film, he played a hotheaded, tragic villain. Keith Carradine discussed Van Heflin’s unique acting style as he used a method involving numbers. This western was provocative with its now contemporary thematic elements. It touched on men’s role as leaders, the hypocrisies of father figures, family legacy, and the much-debated relationship between Native Americans and settlers. The Technicolor cinematography by Charles Laughton Jr. had a rich, warm quality to it, and it makes me wonder if Kevin Costner used Gunman’s Walk as visual inspiration for Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1.
