Fans of the late Billy Wilder are in for a serious treat this summer, as a handful of his greatest films will be given the big-screen treatment here in Baltimore.
Tomorrow at the Charles, Ace in the Hole (aka The Big Carnival) will be shown at noon, with admission set at only $5. One of Wilder's most cynical films (as well as one of his most rousing), it stars Kirk Douglas as an opportunistic newspaper reporter who sees his chance for glory come when a man gets trapped inside a mine. Not only does Douglas' character cover the heck out of the story, he soon realizes that the longer the man stays trapped, the longer he can benefit from the poor guy's misfortune.
But Ace in the Hole is only the start. Beginning Wednesday, a weekly six-film retrospective will follow the legendary writer-director's career from his first film as a director, 1942's The Major and the Minor, to one of his lesser, but still enjoyable, comedies, 1964's Kiss Me, Stupid.
In between, some of the greatest films to come out of Hollywood - all of them directed and co-written by the Austrian-born Wilder - will be featured. Included are 1944's Double Indemnity, 1945's The Lost Weekend, 1959's Some Like It Hot and 1963's Irma la Douce.
The free films will screen at 7:15 p.m. Wednesdays through July 24 (excluding July 3) at the Johns Hopkins Hospital's Preclinical Teaching Building, at the corner of Wolfe and Monument streets.
Gabe Wardell, who programs the frequent film series at Hopkins, says this summer's retrospective is more than just an opportunity to spotlight the recently deceased director (Wilder died March 27 at age 95). His films are not only classics, Wardell suggests, but classics that may be appreciated even more today than they were upon their release.
"There's an undercurrent to his films that may speak more to a modern audience," Wardell says. "Some of Wilder's cynicism, if it was understood at the time, it probably wasn't appreciated the way it would be by modern audiences."
Even with his first directing effort, Wilder's predilection for offbeat and potentially explosive subject matter was evident. The Major and the Minor stars Ginger Rogers as a New York woman who, tired of trying to make it in the big city, disguises herself as a 12-year-old girl (to take advantage of the reduced train fares) and sets out for her home in Iowa. Ray Milland plays an Army major who befriends her on the train and slowly falls for her - even though he believes she's only 12!
The rest of the schedule for Hopkins' "Something Wilder" festival: Double Indemnity (June 19), The Lost Weekend (June 26), Some Like It Hot (July 10), Irma la Douce (July 17) and Kiss Me, Stupid (July 24).
Information: 410-955-3363.
And the Charles isn't finished with Wilder, either. His classic Sunset Boulevard, certainly among the handful of greatest films ever made, plays there at noon on June 29.
Information: 410-727-3464 or www.thecharles.com.
Payment dispute
Heritage Cinema founder Michael Johnson has resigned from the advisory board of the Maryland Film Festival, after a dispute over how much the MFF should have paid for its use of the North Avenue facility last month.
Both Johnson and festival head Jed Dietz agree that no deal was reached in advance over how much Johnson should have been paid for playing host to 10 screenings, as well as the closing-night party.
Dietz wrote Johnson a check for $500, the same amount he was given last year, when the Heritage was host to seven screenings and one panel discussion. Johnson insists he should have been paid more. Dietz counters that the cash-strapped festival, which is working hard to attract enough corporate sponsors to continue holding the annual film showcase, cannot afford to negotiate deals after-the-fact. He also says the festival has paid the same rent for the Charles Theatre each of the past four years, a claim backed up by Charles owner Buzz Cusack.
Regardless of who deserves the upper hand here, it's regrettable the leaders of two of Baltimore's nobler cinematic experiments have parted ways. The Heritage can use the added exposure the MFF gives it every year, while the festival can use Johnson's African-American perspective on its advisory board, which picks movies to show during the annual four-day event.
Cinema Sundays
Promises, an Oscar-nominated documentary that allows Israeli and Palestinian children to air their views on the continuing Middle East conflict, is this weekend's Cinema Sundays at the Charles offering.
WYPR's Marc Steiner will serve as host for the 10:35 a.m. screening. Admission is $15.
Meanwhile, The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys, which was supposed to be screened last Sunday but did not arrive at the theater in time, has been rescheduled for June 16.
Information: 410-727-FILM or www.cinemasundays.com.