Why I love CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON

BMFI intern Zoe Portman continues the Why I Love Movies series of blog posts. Learn why BMFI's screening of Creature of the Black Lagoon fulfills her long-time ambition. Check back for additional posts by other BMFI staff and community members that explore the movies we love.

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Why I Love Creature from the Black Lagoon
Zoe Portman, BMFI Intern  

This summer I will finally be able to realize the goal I’ve nursed for nearly a decade: to see Creature from the Black Lagoon in the original 3-D. 

I was thirteen when I saw Creature from the Black Lagoon for the first time.  I had gone to a horror movie convention over Halloween weekend, and met Ben Chapman, the stuntman who portrayed the Gill-man on land (the 6’5” septuagenarian autographed my friend’s sneaker).  I was thrilled to see Creature in the original 3-D, which was being shown in honor of its 50^th anniversary. As I was sitting in a conference room which had been temporarily converted into a screening room, a bombshell fell: the expected shipment of 3-D glasses had never arrived and we would have to watch the film in a mere two dimensions. Since my ride wasn’t due for hours, and these were the days when cell phones were still the exception rather than the rule, I had no choice except to stay, despite my disappointment.

The Gill-man's iconic swim through the Black Lagoon

I emerged from the murky depths of the dark room six hours later, glazed, having watched all three of the Creature films. In addition to the original, we saw Revenge of the Creature and The Creature Walks Among Us. Although my higher cognitive functions were shot after hours of exposure to the kind of cheesy dialogue and overacting that only the 1950s could produce, I was still able to determine that Creature from the Black Lagoon was far superior to its sequels.  Black Lagoon catapulted the Gill-man into classic Universal monster status, particularly with the iconic scene where he swims through the lagoon, just feet below the unaware object of his affections. In contrast, the sequels burned his gills off and dressed him awkwardly in clothes, and proved that true love can never exist between a prehistoric amphibious humanoid and a beautiful ichthyologist.

Emerging from the murky depths...

Creature from the Black Lagoon is shown in conjunction with another Jack Arnold 3-D extravaganza, It Came from Outer Space.  These films were the first two Universal films to be filmed in 3-D, and are shown as part of our 3-D: What’s all the Fuss? Series.  See Creature from the Black Lagoon on Wednesday, August 10, at 7:00pm.  I know I’ll be the first in line to get my tickets!

Zoe Portman is a Film Studies student entering her fourth year at Hampshire College, currently interning at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute.

Andrew J. Douglas, Ph.D.: Why I Love NOTORIOUS

BMFI's Director of Education, Andrew J. Douglas, Ph.D., contributes this second entry in a series of blog posts about how the movies showing at BMFI have inspired our staff and volunteers. We hope you love them as much as we do.

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Why I Love Notorious
By Andrew J. Douglas, Ph.D., BMFI Director of Education

Notorious (1946) isn’t one of Alfred Hitchcock’s flashiest films, even though it has two of the most glamorous stars he ever worked with—Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman. Notorious doesn’t have nearly the most memorable narrative or surprising plot twist of any Hitchcock film, though its story provides such a potent conflict, it’s been lifted for a number of novels, television episodes, and films—perhaps most famously by screenwriter Robert Towne for Mission: Impossible 2. Neither does Notorious have one of the director’s most visually arresting scenes—think of Psycho or North by Northwest—but it does have the single most clever and meaningful use of a coffee cup in the history of cinema.

But don’t lament Notorious for what it doesn’t have; love it for what it does. Beyond the great elements mentioned above, the movie also contains perhaps the single most romantic and suggestive on-screen kiss ever to come out of the studio system, one of Hitchcock’s most thoroughly malevolent “mothers”, and one of the best uses of the MacGuffin ever. 

The coffee cup in question. Ingrid Bergman shines as a spy who infiltrates a ring of Nazis in Rio de Janeiro in Hitchcock's Notorious, showing Tuesday, August 2 at BMFI.

I love it for that coffee cup I first noticed when I saw the film as a college student. That petite mug put me on the path to learning and caring about mise-en-scene. It is true that sometimes a coffee cup is just a coffee cup... but Notorious taught me to never take it for granted.

Dr. Douglas will introduce BMFI's 35mm screening of Notorious on Tuesday, August 2. The film is being shown in conjunction with his four-week film class, Alfred Hitchcock: The Best of the Rest.

Dr. Douglas received his Ph.D. from the Department of Radio/Television/Film at Northwestern University. His next class at BMFI is a one-night Summer Classics Seminar focusing on Steven Spielberg's classic thriller, Jaws, on August 16.

Club BMFI: Member Appreciation Events

By Devin Wachs, Public Relations Manager

Groucho famously said, "I don't want to belong to any club that will accept me as a member," but here at BMFI, we're glad that our members disagree. Our 6,400 members are vital to our success and we rely on their support and passion for our theater and programming.

It's true, our members already get benefits like discounted admission to movies and film education courses, but we wanted to do something extra to say thank you. To that effect, we hope that members new and old will join us at one of the "Club BMFI" members-only meet-and-greets that we're hosting before the screenings in our "3-D: What's all the Fuss?" Film Series.

Complimentary white wine, sodas, and popcorn will be served in the first floor Community Room from 6:00-7:00pm tonight, Wednesday, July 13 (before It Came from Outer Space in 3-D) and Wednesday, August 10 (before Creature from the Black Lagoon in 3-D). Members will also be able to put faces to names when they meet BMFI's new Membership Coordinator, Patricia Russo, and other BMFI staff members. Please bring your member ID card.

For those of you who aren't members or need to renew, you can find more information and join online or call Patricia at 610-527-4008 x106. You can also join in person tonight at our "Club BMFI" event or at the Box Office the next time you come to the movies!

Five Film Favorites for the Fourth of July

By Zoe Portman, BMFI Intern

To commemorate America’s Independence Day and spark that patriotic spirit, here are five films that celebrate America and inspire that fourth of July feeling.

1) Independence Day (1996)

Starring Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, and Bill Pullman, Independence Day is the story of an alien invasion of Earth launched in the days preceding America’s Independence Day. Nothing screams American patriotism like blatant xenophobia and making the rest of the world celebrate our independence. No wonder this was a #1 hit!                                         

2) Air Force One (1997)

Get off my plane!

Harrison Ford is the President of the United States, flying home on Air Force One from a conference in Russia. All he wants to do is relax with his wife and daughter, and watch the football game. However, his plans are disrupted when the plane is hijacked by Soviet radicals, led by Gary Oldman. Can good old American know-how defeat these highly trained military terrorists?

3) Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

Starring James Cagney as the singer/songwriter/performer George M. Cohan, Yankee Doodle Dandy is the story of Cohan’s contribution to World War I morale, told in flashback as his patriotic songs are revived for World War II. James Cagney won a Best Actor Academy Award for portraying the song-and-dance man.

4) Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

Jefferson Smith, a Boy Ranger leader filled with idealistic patriotism, accidently discovers political corruption in the senate. Despite his naivety, he refuses to back down, instead fighting for the American values he believes in. Even in the wake of recent political corruption and scandals, this Frank Capra classic is sure to inspire faith in America. 

5) Good Night and Good Luck (2005)

In the same vein as All the President’s Men, Good Night and Good Luck shows how honest reporting can shine through the darkness of fear and hysteria. Edward R. Murrow, already famous and beloved for his radio reports during the London Blitz, decides to attack Senator Joseph McCarthy’s fear tactics during the height of the Red Scare. This film is a testament to the power of the press.


Zoe Portman is a Film Studies student entering her fourth year at Hampshire College, currently interning at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute.

Juliet Goodfriend: Why I Love GUYS AND DOLLS

We all have our favorite movies. Sometimes they inspire us, or remind us of sharing a popcorn bucket with someone special, or make us laugh even though we can deliver the lines ourselves in our sleep. One of the wonderful things about working at BMFI is that we get to share some of our favorite films with you; we hope they might become some of your favorites, too. BMFI's President, Juliet Goodfriend, contributes the first in a series of posts written by BMFI staff and volunteers about the movies they love that are showing this summer at BMFI.

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Why I Love Guys and Dolls
Juliet Goodfriend, BMFI President

My memory of Guys and Dolls precedes the movie. I think my parents went to the try-outs for [the stage production of] Guys and Dolls in Philadelphia in 1950. As they did with every musical they saw, they brought home sheet music from the performance and my brother, sister, father, mother, and I sang the songs as Mom played them on the piano. So the music became imbedded in my memory, in my very being.

Well, when the movie came out I saw it first (and subsequently two more times) at the Erlen Theater on Ogontz Avenue in Philadelphia in 1955. That theater had a midnight blue ceiling with gold stars and around the edges of the auditorium was the silhouette of a Spanish--or was it a Moorish?--city. It was very exotic and romantic. 

Hearing Frank Sinatra's golden tones blended in my imagination with Marlon Brando's gorgeous "bad boy" looks and kept me rapt through all three viewings.  I imagined someone was singing those love songs to me.  Not "someone"--no, Marlon himself! Even if his voice did not compare with Sinatra's, his earnest, apologetic, and strangely innocent singing and dialogue won my heart. The story? The plot? Oh, not nearly so important as the songs.... they still work magic for me.

Join Juliet at Bryn Mawr Film Institute's sing-along screening of Guys and Dolls on Wednesday, June 29 at 7:00pm. Free popcorn if you wear a costume!

COMPANY Back by Popular Demand!

By Zoe Portman, BMFI Intern 

Lines were out the door last Sunday as crowds of people turned out to see Stephen Sondheim’s musical Company.  If the sold-out theater was any indication, the screening was a big success!  So BMFI is pleased to announce that this one-night only special event is being shown again on Sunday, July 10 at 1pm.  Buy your tickets early, because you don’t want to miss this! Tickets are on sale now at BrynMawrFilm.org!

The New York Philharmonic's production of Stephen Sondheim's musical Company features an all-star cast, including Neil Patrick Harris (left) and Christina Hendricks (second to right).

A series of vignettes surrounding a bachelor’s 35th birthday about his relationships with his various married friends, Company has been revived numerous times since its original 1970 Broadway production, which won a record-setting six Tony Awards. The version presented by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra was updated in the early '90s for a modern crowd, and has an all-star cast including Neil Patrick Harris, Patti LuPone, Stephen Colbert, Jon Cryer, Christina Hendricks,  and Martha Plimpton

BMFI Wins Fifth Readers' Choice Award!

By Devin Wachs, Public Relations Coordinator

We are thrilled to announce that Bryn Mawr Film Institute has been voted the "Best Movie Theater" by Main Line Times and Main Line Suburban Life's readers! This is the fourth year running that BMFI has won this Readers' Choice award, our fifth year in total.

Thank you to Main Line Media News and the dear readers who voted for us. We appreciate your continuing support!

The winners were announced on Thursday in a special supplement in both newspapers. Pick up an issue by Wednesday to see which of your (other) favorite local haunts were winners.

Filmmaker Appearance and FIDDLER Sing-along: A Good Week for BMFI Special Events

By Meredith Slifkin, BMFI Intern

Thanks to everyone who has been coming out to attend special events at BMFI! Last Tuesday, May 18, we were honored to have filmmaker Tigre Hill join us for a screening of his documentary, The Barrel of a Gun, and last night, Wednesday, May 25, everyone had a great time at the Fiddler on the Roof Sing-along. There was singing, dancing, matchmaking (maybe). Below are a few photos from the events:

Filmmaker Tigre Hill at The Barrel of a Gun screening and Q&A

Rachel Hancock, Asher Hancock, and Levi Hancock with grandmother Sybil Terres Gilmar in costume! 

Bernie Brenner also in costume at the Fiddler on the Roof Sing-along

Dan Schwartz in the same costume that he wore when he played Tevye at St. Joseph's Prep!

Thanks again to everyone who came out and helped to make these events a success. If you missed out on the sing-along, don't fret. Check out our upcoming Singing in the Summer film series!

New Summer Programming and the Return of Summer Classics!

By Meredith Slifkin, BMFI Intern

Summer is almost here! Soon schools will be out, the beaches will be stormed, and the lines at Rita’s will stretch around the corner. Most importantly, the Summer Classics series begins at BMFI! The latest issue of Projections is at the printer as we speak, but you can check out the web version online now.

Summer Classics at BMFI will feature everything from thrills and chills to epic romances to campy 3-D extravaganzas. The series kicks off on Tuesday, June 14 with Arthur Penn’s The Chase. Here are some other highlights:

In a tribute to the last of the true Hollywood starlets, Elizabeth Taylor, BMFI will screen the two films for which she won Academy Awards, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf and BUtterfield 8, and host a special dinner and presentation by film critic Carrie Rickey about Taylor’s life and work.

BMFI remembers Elizabeth Taylor

Other highlights include films by two iconic directors, Charlie Chaplin and Alfred Hitchcock, and fan-favorite sing-alongs to Guys and Dolls, Brigadoon, and The Music Man. There will also be summertime “thrills and chills,” including the film that defined the summer blockbuster, Jaws (which is all part of our evil plot to keep you out of the water and coming to BMFI instead, of course). Actually, there will be a one day Summer Classics Seminar held on Jaws, taught by BMFI Director of Education Andrew J. Douglas, Ph.D.

Stay out of the water...

Lovers of all things camp, cult, and kitsch will be pleased to partake in the original 3-D experience with 1950s camp classics It Came From Outer Space and Creature From the Black Lagoon. After a whirlwind summer of classic films, the series will conclude with epic romances that must be seen on the big screen, Casablanca and Gone with the Wind.

See Creature From the Black Lagoon in spectacular 3-D!

Whew! That’s just the summary. Check out Projections for the full list of films. There’s no better way to spend a summer night than seeing your favorite films and stars on the big screen.

As always, there is a terrific crop of new releases including the latest from Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris, and Terrence Malick, Tree of Life, and this year’s Oscar-winner for Best Foreign Picture, the Danish drama In a Better World.

If that’s not enough to convince you to come out BMFI, remember that the one place that’s always air-conditioned in the summer is a movie theater.

After careful consideration, we have a winner!

By Meredith Slifkin, BMFI Intern

Congratulations to Erica Kleckner of Berwyn, the winner of our short video contest! Erica won a full scholarship to this year’s Summer Filmmaking Workshop at BMFI for her video about how she would spend her summer if she didn't take part in the workshop. See her winning video here:

Thanks to her short, Erica joins the rag-tag group of dreamers (also known as motivated high school students) who will spend six weeks this summer working with film professionals from Youth Media Interactive to learn the ins-and-outs of the filmmaking process. They will gain valuable experience (and have a lot of fun) as they write, direct, edit, and produce their own short film. Click here for more information about the annual Summer Filmmaking Workshop at BMFI.

On set at the 2009 Summer Filmmaking Workshop

Congratulations again to Erica Kleckner and to all of the 2011 SFW students. See you on June 27!