Tuesday, November 10, 6:00 p.m.
American Center, Tržiště 13, Prague 1 - Malá Strana, 1st floor
This classic 1948 black-and-white film noir directed by Jules Dassin was shot in documentary style and filmed on location in the streets of New York City, featuring landmarks such as the Williamsburg Bridge and the Whitehall Building in Manhattan. William H. Daniels won an Academy Award for his cinematography.
Based on a story by Malvin Wald, The Naked City portrays the police investigation that follows the murder of a young model. A veteran cop is placed in charge of the case and he sets about, with the help of other beat cops and detectives, finding the girl's killer. The Naked City producer Mark Hellinger's voice was used for the film's narration. Hellinger died of a sudden heart attack after a preview of the movie.
In 2007, the film The Naked City was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Tuesday, November 24, 6:00 p.m.
American Center, Tržiště 13, Prague 1 - Malá Strana, 1st floor
Thanks to a run of bad luck and go-nowhere jobs, John convinces Russell to join the army so they can get in shape, likening it to a health spa. Once in boot camp, wiseguy John tangles with his by-the-book Sgt. and becomes the unofficial leader for his platoon, made up mostly of other misfits and assorted losers. After somehow making it through graduation, they are given a special assignment but, thanks to John's romantic interest in a pretty Military Policewoman, the other men wind up behind the Iron Curtain in the communist Czechoslovakia until John, Russell, their dates and Sgt. Hulka make a daring rescue attempt in explosive style.
Apart from one of the few mentions of a communist-time Czechoslovakia in Hollywood cinematography, the comedy features a very young Bill Murray as John, the main character.
Christmas Time Movie
Tuesday, December 8, 6:00 p.m.
American Center, Tržiště 13, Prague 1 - Malá Strana, 1st floor
Jack Skellington, the pumpkin king of Halloween Town, is bored with doing the same thing every year for Halloween. One day he stumbles into Christmas Town, and is so taken with the idea of Christmas that he tries to get the resident bats, ghouls, and goblins of Halloween town to help him put on Christmas instead of Halloween -- but alas, they can't get it quite right.
This cult film by Tim Burton was created long before computers took over by frame-by-frame animation.
Tuesday, December 22, 6:00 p.m.
American Center, Tržiště 13, Prague 1 - Malá Strana, 1st floor
An annual American TV classic for the Christmas holidays, It's a Wonderful Life follows, in flashback, George Bailey (James Stewart), who spends his entire life giving up his big dreams for the good of his town, Bedford Falls. But in the present, on Christmas Eve, he is a broken man, suicidal over the misplacing of an $8000 loan and the machinations of the evil millionaire, Mr. Potter. His guardian angel, Clarence, falls to Earth, literally, and shows him how his town, family, and friends would turn out if he had never been born. George meant so much to so many people; should he really throw it all away?
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