Claudine (1974)
ONGOING SERIES OSCAR ® SUNDAYS SUNDAYS | 7:30PM
This ongoing series celebrates films that have been honored at the Academy Awards. This winter, we celebrate a selection of exceptional Black artists who have been nominated for or have won Oscars over the last 65 years. Programmed by K.J. Relth-Miller. Notes by Hyesung ii, Patrick Lowry, Sari Navarro, and Robert Reneau.
Chase is the Presenting Partner of Oscar ® Sundays.
The Defiant Ones in 35mm Sun, Dec 1 | 7:30pm | DGT
novel was modernized to reflect the ways in which the ongoing Civil Rights Movement had shaped the country. Moore’s portrayal of a devoted mother earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Gospel legend Mahalia Jackson appears in one of the film’s most memorable scenes, performing a powerful rendition of the hymn “Trouble Of The World.” DIRECTED BY: Douglas Sirk. WRITTEN BY: Eleanore Griffin, Allan Scott. WITH: Lana Turner, Juanita Moore, Sandra Dee, Susan Kohner. 1959. 125 min. USA. Color. English. 4K DCP. Claudine in 4K Sun, Dec 15 | 7:30pm | DGT John Berry, going against the grain of 1970s Blaxploitation films, offers a different vision of Black cinema with this 1974 romantic comedy starring Diahann Carroll and James Earl Jones. Carroll—in an Oscar-nominated performance—plays Claudine, a single mother living on welfare with six children, while Jones plays Rupert, a sunny, spirited garbage collector who falls for her. The relationship narrative is anchored in social themes, especially those that impact individuals in marginalized communities. Despite the tropes employed, which can fall into exploitative stereotypes if not handled carefully, Claudine ’s unique approach to “heavy” issues is bolstered by incredible character development and portrayal. DIRECTED BY: John Berry. WRITTEN BY: Tina Pine, Lester Pine. WITH: James Earl Jones, Diahann Carroll, Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs, Tamu. 1974. 92 min. USA. Color. English. 4K DCP.
Stanley Kramer’s heavy drama The Defiant Ones follows two escaped prisoners—a white man named John “Joker” Jackson (Tony Curtis) and a Black man named Noah Cullen (Sidney Poitier)—trying to avoid capture while chained together. Despite sharing equal screentime, Poitier’s credit initially came after the film’s title until Curtis asked to have Poitier’s name alongside his, making this the first above-the-title billing in Poitier’s career. The film’s nine Oscar nominations included Best Picture, Directing, and Best Actor for both stars—Poitier’s first nomination. It won for Sam Leavitt’s black-and- white cinematography and the original screenplay by Nedrick Young and Harold Jacob Smith. DIRECTED BY: Stanley Kramer. WRITTEN BY: Nedrick Young, Harold Jacob Smith. WITH: Tony Curtis, Sidney Poitier, Theodore Bikel, Cara Williams. 1958. 96 min. USA. B&W. English. 35mm. Collection print courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive.
Imitation of Life in 4K Sun, Dec 8 | 7:30pm | DGT
Lora Meredith (Lana Turner), a white, widowed mother and aspiring Broadway star, develops a close kinship with Annie Johnson (Juanita Moore), a Black woman who shares some of her hardships as a single mother. This second film adaptation of Fannie Hurst’s 1933
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