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Studying at Cambridge University and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, Don Siegel (1912-1991) didn’t set out to be an action film director. With Warner Bros. as his film school — first in the insert and montage departments (he created the memorable montage sequences for Yankee Doodle Dandy and Casablanca, among many others), then as a second-unit director — young Siegel got to shoot the mob scenes, riots, mutinies, disasters, battles, etc., none of which would have come handy in a Chekhov adaptation. But, from the very beginning, he showed skill at scenes of violence; an affinity for outsider, authority-resistant heroes; and, as a former editor, a flair for unrelenting pace, for narrative drive, for story movement. In retrospect, his partnership with Clint Eastwood seems almost inevitable, but he also provided memorable roles for stars as disparate as Lee Marvin, Walter Matthau, Richard Widmark, and even Ronald Reagan and Elvis Presley — and for John Wayne his swan song and possibly greatest role. In the wake of Siegel’s triumphs in the crime, prison, sci-fi, Western, and cop genres — in at least three of those five categories he set the gold standard — it’s curious to learn that his own favorite movie was David Lean’s heart-wrenching Brief Encounter. But the time is long past when Siegel was remembered mainly as the directing mentor of his former assistant Sam Peckinpah and of Eastwood; now his astonishing four-decade career can be seen as creating a distinctive and characteristic body of work in its own right. SPECIAL THANKS TO PAUL GINSBURG, BOB O’NEIL, DAVE OAKDEN (NBC UNIVERSAL); LINDA EVANS-SMITH, MARILEE WOMACK (WARNER BROS.); MICHAEL SCHLESINGER, SUSANNE JACOBSON, GROVER CRISP (SONY PICTURES); TOM MOLEN, HARRY GARRISON, BARRY ALLEN (PARAMOUNT PICTURES); FLEUR BUCKLEY (BRITISH FILM INSTITUTE); FRITZ HERZOG, SNOWDEN BECKER (ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS & SCIENCES); MIMI BRODY, CHENG-SIM LIM, TODD WIENER (UCLA FILM & TELEVISION ARCHIVE); RICK YANKOWSKI (CRITERION PICTURES); SCHAWN BELSTON (20TH CENTURY FOX); ERIC SPILKER; MARTIN SCORSESE, MARK MCELHATTEN (SIKELIA PRODUCTIONS); RONNIE SCHEIB; AND GREG FORD. PROGRAMMED BY BRUCE GOLDSTEIN CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE LISTING & SCHEDULE “Don Siegel was the outstanding American action director of his generation, a worthy successor to Raoul Walsh and Howard Hawks. His finest work is to be found in a series of male-oriented pictures—tough and tight thrills, Westerns, war movies, noirs. It’s an oeuvre that would be unthinkable in today’s Hollywood, consisting as it does of stylish but unpretentious mainstream films made with intelligence and vitality.” “The most dependable genre-meister of the postwar era.” “The master of lean, mean genre flicks.” – Time Out New York “Laced with the irresistibly cinematic energy of human malice, Siegel films defined American genre filmmaking with unparalleled precision and unyielding clarity.” “The Film Forum series is full of small gems.” – Dave Kehr, The New York Times. Click here for full review “A leading auteur director.” - New York Press “A glorious retrospective!” - David Wilentz, The Brooklyn Rail MARCH 17/18/19 FRI/SAT/SUN
"Perhaps the director's masterpiece." - Dave Kehr, The New York Times “When critics go on about the glories of an undiscovered gem made by an under-appreciated craftsman, this is the film they’re generally talking about.... A film you’ll want to champion over and over!” “This spectacularly brisk, gorgeously photographed film was perhaps the director's most personal work… For 1970s crime movie aficionados, Film Forum's new 35mm print is an answered prayer.” “A tight, compelling tale with the subtle grace of the craftsman… A thoughtful, witty caper flick with not a good guy in sight, nor any shortage of creeps and oddballs… Pure pulp!” “Marvelous, toughly eccentric thriller which confirmed
that Siegel had more responses to 70s paranoia than a mere Magnum blast...sunlit noir territory, populated exclusively with cherishably individuated oddballs.” “The narrative line is clean and direct, the characterizations economical and functional and the triumph of intelligence gloriously satisfying.” – Andrew Sarris. MARCH 20 MON (2 FILMS FOR 1 ADMISSION)
(1949) Robert Mitchum (recently sprung from his real-life marijuana
bust) pursues Patric Knowles and stolen money across Mexico, gets involved
with Jane Greer, and is himself chased by William Bendix — who’s
chased by Mexican cop Ramon Navarro! And then the plot twists begin. 35mm Studio Archive Print. (1946) “I can do corpses exquisitely” casually
remarks illustrator Peter Lorre in this classic locked-room mystery,
with ex-Scotland Yard inspector Sydney Greenstreet battling his snotty
successor and the omnipresent fog to clear a friend. Siegel’s first
feature. 35mm Studio Archive Print. Plus Siegel’s Christ allegory Star in the Night (1945),
first of his two Oscar-winning shorts (35mm Restoration from The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences). MARCH 21 TUE (2 FILMS FOR 1 ADMISSION) (1956) A teenage slum gang — Sal Mineo and future directors Mark
Rydell and John Cassavetes — plan a murder after a casual dissing,
in urban drama based on Reginald Rose’s teleplay and filmed on
a single $35,000 set. “Delivers the artistic shock treatment of
a brass-knuckled uppercut.” – Newsweek. (1962) On a God-forsaken bit of WWII trench, busted ex-sergeant Steve
McQueen boasts that thousand-yard stare; but when company sarge Fess
Parker (TV’s Davey Crockett) has to evacuate most of the squad,
McQueen gets his chance, and the mayhem begins. With a cast jam-packed
with 60s icons, including James Coburn, Bob Newhart, Nick Adams, and
Bobby Darin. 35mm Studio Archive Print. James Wolcott on HELL IS FOR HEROES “A model of delirious efficiency.” – Time Out New York “Siegel elicited McQueen’s most feral performance in this small-scale but scary Second World War drama.” MARCH 22/23 WED/THU (2 FILMS FOR 1 ADMISSION) (1971) On the run from the Rebs, Clint Eastwood’s wounded Union
soldier finds shelter in Geraldine Page and Elizabeth Hartman’s
Louisiana women’s school — then finds himself with an embarrassment
of bedroom options. Spicy sex comedy? Eastwood action flick? More like
Lord of the Flies! This Eastwood initiated Gothic that baffled
fans here but garnered European critical hosannas.
35mm Studio Archive Print. “Unforgettably creepy Southern gothic.” - Time Out New York “A triumph of
style...so stunningly adapted and directed that it allows for all kinds
of serious implications.” “The best film I have ever done, and possibly the best I will ever do.” – Siegel. "[Siegel's] direction tends toward the expressionistic; distorted views, subjective angles, and echoing voice-overs seek to burrow deep into the characters’ lust-crazed consciousness… his intense, intelligent breakdown of the film’s wild outbursts reveals subtleties of love, despair, and shame beneath the schematic luridness.” TWO MULES FOR SISTER SARA (1970) “Those fellas couldn’t fight worth a damn, but one
of ’em wasn’t a bad cook” remarks drifter Clint Eastwood
after rescuing nun Shirley MacLaine from three outlaws. But is there
really a “special dispensation” allowing nuns to smoke, swear
and drink with the best of them? With a classic removing-the-arrow scene
and French/Juarista showdown climax. 35mm Studio Archive Print. MARCH 24/25/26/27 FRI/SAT/SUN/MON INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS
(1956) “Love, desire, ambition, faith — without
them, life is so simple.” Good news and bad news for small town doctor Kevin
McCarthy. The good news: his waiting room is packed. The bad news: everybody’s
there because their relatives and friends “are no longer their
relatives and friends.” Local shrink Larry Gates laughs it all
off as “mass hysteria” — but what’s that giant
pod doing on the billiard table? Are the pods symbols of soulless Communism?
Or of witch-hunting McCarthyism (Joe, not Kevin)? Or are they really
just the same old feeling-less aliens bent on world domination? Classic
adaptation of a story by cult author Jack Finney (Time and Again); the
prologue, epilogue and pulp title were studio-imposed, despite protests
from Siegel and producer Walter Wanger. Siegel’s version ended
with McCarthy’s frenzied run through freeway traffic — imagine
it. 35mm Studio Archive Print. “One of the most enduring sci-fi flicks ever.” – V.A. Musetto, New York Post “The definitive Cold War paranoia film… alarmingly real and influential.”– Elliott Stein, The Village Voice “Arguably the most paranoid sci-fi parable of a very neurotic decade.”– David Fear, Time Out New York “The most haunting, strangely poetic science fiction picture ever.” – Peter Bogdanovich. MARCH 28 TUE (2 FILMS FOR 1 ADMISSION)
(1960) Half-breed Elvis Presley, son of Indian Dolores del Rio and
a white settler, is torn between tribesmen on the warpath wanting him
back and townsmen wanting his hide. Rough, tough, tragic CinemaScope
Western, with Presley’s near-song- less performance his absolute
best. 35mm Studio Archive Print. "Elvis Presley in his strongest (nearly song-less) role." “Presley gives his best acting performance by far.” “Terriffic!” - Time Out New York
EDGE OF ETERNITY
(1959) Vertigo sufferers, beware! A man going over the edge of the
Grand Canyon is only for starters, then hero Cornel Wilde and the surprise
killer battle to the death in a metal bucket dangling on cables over
the abyss. With Siegel regular (later Leone player) Jack Elam providing
comedy relief. MARCH 29/30 WED/THU (2 FILMS FOR 1 ADMISSION) (1954) Attica precursor, as ringleader Neville Brand (off-screen, the
fourth most-decorated soldier of WWII) plays the media and warden Emile
Meyer (Sweet Smell of Success’ sadistic cop) while trying to keep
the lid on a prison hostage takeover. Shot in 16 days at Folsom Prison,
with actual cons as extras. “Balances social commentary with gut-punching action… the first Siegel film to take bureaucratic authority to task and display his disdain for authority.” “One of the all-time classic prison movies.” – Andrew Sarris, The New York Observer (1954) Two cops need money bad — Steve Cochran to romance cash-hungry
singer Ida Lupino and Howard Duff for a new baby — then they stumble
on stolen loot. With a near-continuous jazz score (played by the era’s
West Coast all-stars) and an opening robbery sequence that’s pure
Siegel. “The opening robbery scene is a Siegel standout.” – Andrew Sarris, The New York Observer MARCH 30 THU (2 FILMS FOR 1 ADMISSION)
(1957) Andy Hardy gets a gun, as Mickey Rooney proves manic exuberance
converts easily to psycho murder mania. Back from the pen, Rooney’s
Nelson joins Leo Gordon’s Dillinger, gets plastic surgery from
corrupt doc Sir Cedric Hardwicke, then gets too violent even for Dillinger.
35mm Print Courtesy British FIlm Institute. Plus Hitler Lives? (1945), Siegel’s second Oscar-winning short (35mm Restoration from The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences). “A ferocious Mickey Rooney gives the finest dramatic performance of his career.” “Mickey Rooney is surprisingly effective as a psychotic gangster with exuberant homicidal tendencies.” THE GUN RUNNERS (1958) Fishing boat captain Audie Murphy (most decorated U.S. soldier
in WWII) gets blackmailed by Eddie Albert into running arms to Cuban
revolutionaries — then Albert double-crosses the rebels. Third
adaptation of Hemingway’s To Have and Have Not. MARCH 31/APRIL 1 FRI/SAT (2 FILMS FOR 1 ADMISSION) (1964) “Lady, I just haven’t got the time.” Very
free adaptation of Hemingway’s classic story, with hitmen Lee Marvin
and Clu Gulager stalking race car driver John Cassavetes, then stopping
at nothing to find out why he didn’t resist. With Ronald Reagan
slapping around Angie Dickinson in his last acting role — and first
movie villain. Originally intended as a Movie of the Week, but deemed
too violent for TV. 35mm Studio Archive Print. “A tough little movie with a provocative cast—not just Lee Marvin and John Cassavetes, “The only director in Hollywood with the sense to cast Ronald Reagan as an irredeemable, slimy villain.” THE LINEUP (1958) When Mr. Big wants his smack back, he sends psycho contract
killer Eli Wallach and sidekick Robert Keith to wack the kid who’s “powdered” her
dolly. Vintage Siegel action, with hair-raising chase climax on a freeway
to nowhere. 35mm Studio Archive Print. “One of Siegel’s tightest and most effective pictures... [with] the most whiz-bang chase sequence in American cinema. The superb location shooting makes Lineup one of the great San Francisco movies—it’s up there with Vertigo on that score.” “Brutal, sadistic and threatening, with its passionless
killers stalking San Francisco long before existentialism was à la
mode.” “Little gem of a drug movie with Eli Wallach brilliant as a heatless hit man, and last-line-seeking Robert Keith as his poetic wheel man.” APRIL 2/3 SUN/MON (2 FILMS FOR 1 ADMISSION) (1979) Condemned to the Rock, Eastwood’s Frank Morris shrugs
off strip searches, shower brawls — and racial tensions, to find
a special new use for snotty warden Patrick McGoohan’s nailclipper.
Based on the only successful escape attempt from Alcatraz — well,
bodies were never found — this is arguably the darkest and quietest
film ever from a major studio, let alone with an action super-star in
the lead. “The strongest film from the late period of Siegel’s career.” “Could be more profitably studied in film courses than
all the works of Bergman and Fellini combined.” “Remarkably austere and efficient... (1976) Legendary gunman John Wayne gets the bad news from doc James
Stewart, then decides to spend his remaining time with landlady Lauren
Bacall and her son Ron Howard; but there’s always someone out there
who’s gotta make his own reputation. Wayne’s swan song, with
the climactic shootout his final scene and his tear-stained last close-up
a peak in, and sum up of, a legendary career. "Siegel shepherded John Wayne through his best non-Ford or Hawks performance.” “Just when it seemed
that the Western was an endangered species, Wayne and Siegel have managed
to validate it once more.” APRIL 4 TUE (2 FILMS FOR 1 ADMISSION) (1952) Duel of the outrageous character names, as Audie Murphy’s “Silver
Kid” hooks up with Stephen McNally’s Sheriff “Lightning” Tyrone
to go toe to toe with “Ratface,” “Johnny Sombrero,” and
Lee Marvin’s “Tinhorn” Burgess; while in back to back
scenes, Faith Domergue strangles and seduces with equal aplomb. “The action is fast and furious.” – Phil Hardy, The Western “Handled with great verve and more than a suspicion of tongue in cheek, and building up a special explosive bit for Marvin.” – Time Out (London). CHINA VENTURE
(1953) WWII, China coast, and Captain Edmond O’Brien leads a
patrol, including Japanese-speaking Barry Sullivan and nurse Jocelyn
Brando (Marlon’s sister), to bring in an ailing Japanese operative
and find out his big secret. Shot on an incredible studio-created jungle,
nearly washed away by torrential studio downpours. APRIL 5/6 WED/THU (2 FILMS FOR 1 ADMISSION)
(1968) By-the-book police commissioner Henry Fonda gives sticky-fingered
cop Richard Widmark and partner Harry Guardino just 72 hours to retrieve
Steve Ihnat, the hyper, bespectacled killer they let escape. “The
color photography continually stamps incidents with the authentic familiarity
of various facades and corners of New York,” raved the Times, though
much of it was shot on the Universal backlot. 35mm Studio Archive Print. “DON’T MISS! One of Siegel’s more underrated gems, this police story set the template for dozens of future precinct dramas. Good stuff!” “A
crossroads in Siegel’s career.” “One of Siegel’s most emotionally powerful policiers.” (1968) “Eastwood gives New York 24 hours — to get out of
town!” Cowboy Arizona cop Clint Eastwood, in the
Big Apple to pick up captured fugitive Don Stroud, finds his Wild West
methods making him a fish out of water, amid the disapproving glares
of local Lieutenant Lee J. Cobb and social worker Susan Clark. 35mm Studio Archive Print. “Even
Siegel’s somehow off-center treatment of New York hippiedom is
intriguingly wry.” |
ENDED
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CHARLEY VARRICK
(1973) Two-bit Southwest town. Tiny bank. Piece of cake that even an
old fogey in a leg cast could knock off. Especially when that fogey is
Walter Matthau’s crop duster and smalltime crook Charley Varrick, “last
of the independents,” in disguise. But then a startling post-heist
discovery: there’s too much money. . . way too much. Siegel’s
immediate follow-up to his blockbuster 
THE BIG STEAL
CRIME IN THE STREETS
HELL IS FOR HEROES
THE BEGUILED
FLAMING STAR
RIOT IN CELL BLOCK 11
PRIVATE HELL 36 
BABY FACE NELSON 
THE KILLERS
ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ
THE SHOOTIST
THE DUEL AT SILVER CREEK
MADIGAN
COOGAN’S BLUFF