January 18, 2008

 

The Michigan Theater salutes the Oscars® with a month-long series of Best Picture winners this February.

The series kicks off Monday, February 4 with Wings, the Best Picture winner of 1928, the first year of the Academy Awards®, and runs each Monday through the month. 1928 was also the first year of operation for the Michigan Theater, now celebrating its 80th anniversary year. Wings – a silent film – will be accompanied by Steven Ball on the Barton Theater Organ.

The Best Picture series represents a lively look at 80 years of the Oscars and an equally wide range of film styles:

• Feb. 4: Wings (1927): Director William Wellman's epic of WWI fighter pilots stars Clara Bow, Buddy Rogers, Richard Arlen – with a young Gary Cooper. It also won an Oscar for Best Effects. (Not rated. 139 minutes.)

• Feb. 11: Hamlet (1948): Lawrence Olivier directed and starred in Shakespeare's mordant tale of murder, mayhem and mental anguish in medieval Denmark. It also won Oscars for Best Actor, Best Costumes and Best Art Direction. (Rated Approved. 155 minutes.)

• Feb. 18: Oliver (1968): Director Carol Reed filmed the Broadway musical freely adapted from Charles Dickens' orphan tale, "Oliver Twist." The film also won Oscars for Best Director, Best Art Direction, Best Sound and Best Musical Score, and garnered a slew of other nominations. (Rated G. 153 minutes.)

• Feb. 25: Rain Man (1988): Director Barry Levinson drew great performances from Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman in the tale of two brothers, each an impaired genius in his own way. It also won Best Actor, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay Oscars. (Rated R. 133 minutes.)

All films will be shown in the Historic Theater at 7:00 pm. Advance tickets are available for Wings only via Ticketweb.com. All others are sold at the door only.