Annual 35mm Film Festival from April 25th to 27th. Join us for this three-day event that surveys a variety of titles from cult classics to Hollywood staples and celebrates watching films on film. Funding from the Vesta Fund.

Schedule:

Friday, April 25, 2025

7:00 p.m: My Favorite Wife
With a story by Leo McCarey, Irene Dunne and Cary Grant reunite following their successful pairing in The Awful Truth for this romantic screwball comedy. Dunne plays a woman lost at sea for seven years, who unexpectedly returns home on the day of her husband's wedding. Grant is delightful as the husband tasked with delivering the unfortunate news to his new bride. Full of crazy antics and quick zingers, seeing this charming comedy from Hollywood’s Golden Age in a packed house is a true treat.

9:45 p.m: Faster, Pussycat. Kill. Kill.
In this iconic cult classic from pulp filmmaker Russ Meyer, three homicidal go-go dancers wreak havoc on unsuspecting strangers in the California desert. Provocative, violent, and celebrated for its theme of bad-girl empowerment, this queen of all exploitation flicks inspired a whole generation of auteurs including Quentin Tarantino and the Pope of Trash himself, John Waters, who once declared 'Faster, Pussycat. Kill .Kill. is, beyond a doubt, the best movie ever made. It is possibly better than any film that will be made in the future.'

Saturday, April 26, 2025

10:00 a.m: Fantasia
One of Disney’s most groundbreaking and ambitious films put to screen consists of 8 animated segments set to classical music, with the most notable segment being “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” starring Mickey Mouse. This imaginative animated film contains little spoken dialog and features the work of legendary conductor Leopold Stokowski, leading the Philadelphia Orchestra. The mesmerizing animation and bold colors make FANTASIA a must-see on 35mm.

1:30 p.m: Dancing Lady
Joan Crawford shines in this pre-Code musical about a burlesque dancer who gets her shot on Broadway. Determined to be a success, she juggles her career and her two suitors – a rich playboy (played by Crawford’s future husband Franchot Tone) and her moody director (played by Crawford’s longtime lover Clark Gable). Come for the electric chemistry between the three leads, and stay for the spectacular finale featuring a larger-than-life set, with a mesmerizing mirrored merry-go-round sequence. Featuring an early screen appearance from The Three Stooges and Fred Astaire in his first on screen role. Presented on a breathtaking 35mm print made from the original nitrate negative housed at The George Eastman Museum.

3:45 p.m: Joan Crawford's Home Movies
The private Joan Crawford fought as hard to create a normal family life as she did to establish her career. She forged her own path and became a single parent, eventually adopting and raising four children. Like many parents, she picked up a 16mm camera and began filming both the special and the ordinary events of her family’s life. These home movies (ca. 1940–42) present that which one rarely gets to see: a larger-than-life personality at home, unadorned, just being herself — and often in color, at a time when her feature films were black and white. Crawford filmed most of the home movies herself; when she is on camera, it is unclear who is behind it.

6:30 p.m: The Heartbreak Kid
In this rarely screened anti-romantic comedy from trailblazing filmmaker Elaine May, a self-absorbed newlywed falls in love with the woman of his dreams while on his honeymoon; the only problem is she is not his new wife. Featuring a screenplay by Neil Simon and noteworthy performances by Charles Grodin and Cybill Shepherd. THE HEARTBREAK KID influenced a new generation of comedy films with its focus on dialogue-heavy, character-centric humor.

9:45 p.m: Blue Velvet
In David Lynch’s unsettling tale of suburbia, an investigation is launched after a young man discovers a severed human ear in a vacant field. Featuring an impressive cast that includes Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Laura Dern, and a memorably deranged performance from Dennis Hopper. Considered controversial upon its initial release, BLUE VELVET pries open an alternate reality of dread and evil that lurks just beneath the surface of everyday life. Lynch’s warping of the cinematic convention cemented his reputation as an uncompromising visionary whose approach has stood the test of time. Rated R.

Sunday, April 27, 2025

11:00 a.m: Captain Blood
This swashbuckling classic was the final film released by the Vitagraph Company. Early silent matinee legend J. Warren Keerigan stars as the valiant Peter Blood, a doctor enslaved in Barbados for treating the enemy, who leads his fellow prisoners to a rebellious life as pirates. Filled with thrilling action sequences, romance, and incredible practical special effects. Restored by the Library of Congress in 2018, this rarely screened print features the original tinting and additional shots missing since the 1930s. Silent.

2:45 p.m: Gypsy
Let us entertain you with this iconic Broadway show turned Oscar-winning musical chronicling burlesque dancer Gypsy Rose Lee’s rise to fame. Natalie Wood stars as a shy girl with seemingly little talent, forced to tour the Vaudeville circuit with her sister. Also starring Rosalind Russell who gives a go-for-broke performance as cinema’s ultimate stage mother. Guaranteed to make your spirits climb, GYPSY features over 13 musical numbers with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, including “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” and beautiful costumes from Orry-Kelly, showcased on a rich IB Technicolor print. You’ll have a real good time.

7:00 p.m: Out of the Past
A moody noir classic from Jacques Tourneur starring Robert Mitchum, ensnared here by the beautiful but calculating Jane Greer as the femme fatale. After leaving a seedy life as a small-time private eye, Mitchum is pulled back into trouble when his past returns to haunt him. Remarkable cinematography by Nicholas Musuraca sets the brooding fatalist tone. Out Of The Past bristles with hard boiled dialogue and memorable performances.

Date: April 25 - 27, 2025

Location:

Ambler Theater
108 East Butler Avenue
Ambler, PA 19002

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