February is a time for lovers. Romance, as well as the hope to find it are abound and what better place to seek it out than at your local repertory cinema. Sure, a dark theater full of strangers may seem like an odd space for finding a potential suitor, but who knows what can happen at the concession stand or under the marquee? One thing’s for sure: There’s nothing quite like the allure of the big screen.
This month’s offerings across New York and Los Angeles feature a whole host of fare designed to fill audience’s hearts, not just in the sense of discovering love, but also reaching to the soul. Starting January 31 and running through March 5, Film at Lincoln Center will be hosting a career retrospective titled “Frederick Wiseman: An American Institution” that is sure to envelop newcomers to the documentarian’s hypnotic work, as well as longtime fans. Brand new 4K restorations of 33 of his films, including “High School” and “Central Park,” will be featured.
Celebrating the work of a revival house across the pond and shedding light on its current dispute with landlords, IndieWire has also selected options from Prince Charles Cinema in London that are sure to warm many during this cold, gloomy winter. Keep reading below for all our picks and more info on when you can catch them.
NEW YORK
Film at Lincoln Center
Where to start with the filmography of Frederick Wiseman… Many look at his early work, like “Titicut Follies” (1967) — a stirring peek inside the Bridgewater State Prison for the Criminally Insane — or “High School” (1968) — a seminal snapshot of American youth at Philadelphia’s Northeast High School — as the perfect points of entry into Wiseman’s oeuvre, but put against his larger body of work, they are uncharacteristically minimalist by comparison. In truth, the best way to develop an appreciation for what Wiseman offers is to experience his more massive portraits, such as “Welfare” (1975), which depicts both the officials and claimants involved in the eponymous system, or “Central Park” (1989), a loving ode to New York City’s most welcoming feature, those who enjoy its escape, and the people responsible for maintaining its beauty and charm.
Wiseman’s most recent work is also perhaps some of his most buoyant and enlivening, with his last film, “Menu-Plaisirs — Les Troisgrois” (2023) serving as a reminder that, despite his age, the nonagenarian filmmaker is still capable to crafting fresh and enticing studies. It follows the second and third generation of a famous French culinary family as they maintain their legacy through obsessive, yet delicate attention to detail, much like Wiseman himself. Compared to other documentary formats such as direct cinema or cinéma vérité, Wiseman views his own work as “reality fictions” in that both his camera work and editing aim to capitalize on the dramatic tension of his subjects. Whatever you call it, Wiseman’s films are a gift to our society and feature some of the most honest depictions of humanity set to screen.
Anthology Film Archives
Another retrospective definitely worth checking out is “Wild at Heart: Willem Dafoe” at Anthology Film Archives from February 7-26. From Kathryn Bigelow & Monty Montgomery’s biker drama “The Loveless” to Abel Ferrara’s Roman journey of self-discovery “Tommaso,” this celebration of Dafoe’s work spans his entire career, even featuring shorts he was a part of as a member of the avant-garde theater troupe The Wooster Group. Unfortunately, its screening of David Lynch’s “Wild at Heart,” which includes Dafoe as a sexually violent career criminal, is already sold out, but tickets for 35mm showings of Paul Schrader’s slick crime drama “Light Sleeper” are still available for Friday, February 14 that will be followed by a Q&A with Dafoe himself. Dafoe will be interviewed after a number of other screenings in the series too.
If Dafoe’s not your thing…weird…but other options for the month include Stanley Kubrick’s nuclear satire “Dr. Strangelove,” featuring Peter Sellers, Peter Sellers, and Peter Sellers, on February 4 at 6:45pm ET, as well as Jules Dassin’s genre-defining crime procedural “The Naked City” that same night at 9:15pm ET.
LOS ANGELES
Vista Theater
This month at the Vista, while the contemporary headliners will be 35mm showings of Drew Hancock’s “Companion” and Oz Perkins’ “The Monkey,” both skewing towards horror, the theater also has a delightful selection of classics for those seeking something a bit more tame…well…not exactly tame. On February 7 and 8, as part of the Vista’s Midnights series, Russ Meyer’s softcore sexploitation flick “Vixen!” will be shown on 35mm. For its Matinees, the Vista will be showing Ernst Lubitsch’s beloved romantic comedy “Ninotchka,” co-written by Billy Wilder and starring Greta Garbo and Melvyn Douglas, on February 8 and 9 at 10am PT. Also featured on the 14th and 15th at midnight, just in time for Valentine’s Day, Hal Ashby’s oddball rom-com “Harold & Maude.”
Academy Museum
For those seeking a little adventure, head on over to the Academy Museum’s David Geffen Theater on February 5 for a 35mm showing of the Director’s Cut of Wolfgang Petersen’s WWII sub thriller “Das Boot.” An adaptation of the 1973 German novel, the film follows a U-boat crew during the Battle of the Atlantic and went on to be nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Director for Petersen.
Sorry for those East-coasters unable to catch “Wild at Heart” at Anthology Film Archives, but for all those Angelinos still mourning the loss of Lynch, the Academy will be screening the dark romantic thriller in 35mm on Valentine’s Day at 7:30pm PT. A few days before, on Wednesday, February 12, as a selection of the Visual Effects Branch and a special treat to all those Cuarón fans out there, “Gravity” will be shown in 3D, as it was made to be seen.
Prince Charles Cinema — London, UK
Can’t catch “Wild at Heart” in New York or LA? Have no fear, as the love affair between Elvis impersonator Sailor Ripley and vivacious vixen Lula Fortune will also be showing at Prince Charles Cinema in London on Saturday, February 8 and Monday, February 10. The PCC is the last independent cinema in London’s West End, in operation since 1962 when it first opened as a theater before being converted into a movie house of ill-repute. Finally, in 1991, work began to turn it into the thriving local business it is today, but unfortunately, all of that is at risk now due to a conflict with the building’s landlord. To support PCC in its ongoing struggle, sign the petition on its website or better yet, sign the petition and go check out one of its outstanding February selections.
In addition to “Wild at Heart,” the PCC will also be screening Giusseppe Tornatore’s Academy Award-winning love letter to movies and growing up, “Cinema Paradiso.” Featuring a heart-rending score from Ennio Morricone and co-composed by his son Andrea, the coming-of-age drama helped revitalize Italy’s film industry and the kissing scene montage towards the end remains one of cinema’s most indelible sequences. “Cinema Paradiso” will be show at the PCC on February 8 at 8:30pm GMT.
