Saturday was a day that many dreaded at first. There were just too many good films playing at the same time. But the day started with a tribute to Jerry Lewis, who, for some strange reason, had never had his handprints in cement before. Later, there was a stirring moment from 93-year-old Maureen O'Hara.
I'll have more on the handprint ceremony later, but as a teaser, I can tell you that Quentin Tarantino was there to give a short speech for Lewis. It might be surprising to some that Tarantino is such a Lewis fan, but it makes perfect sense for Tarantino, who has done it all on his movies, just like Lewis. Speaking of Lewis, he had complete command of the crowd that turned out, laughing and almost putting up a standup routine for everyone.
From that point, I had a bit of a break to spend time with several friends I've made here. We hung around the Roosevelt Hotel, the command center here, before heading to the El Capitan, where we waited in line for over an hour to ensure that we'd see O'Hara and John Ford's How Green Was My Valley. O'Hara was interviewed by Robert Osborne, who made the mistake of using his first question to ask about Ford. “I thought I was here to talk about me!” O'Hara replied. She was so clearly moved by the applause from a crowd that truly loves her.
Next, it was time for the rare King Vidor film The Stranger's Return starring Miriam Hopkins, Lionel Barrymore and Franchot Tone. It was the first time the film had been screened in decades, so the theater was packed. I just managed to get in and it was worth it. Then again, Barrymore is great in everything and Hopkins is a beautiful, underrated actress from the era.
For my first film in the TCL Chinese IMAX, I saw William Friedkin's Sorcerer. Friedkin was there, clearly excited that his 1977 film is finally getting an audience. He brought several members of the restoration team on stage, plus screenwriter Waylon Green. As for the film itself, it was one of the most well-directed and orchestrated thrillers I've ever seen. That's shocking, considering I like the first Wages of Fear. But a combination of Roy Scheider's performance and Friedkin's directing kept me on edge for two hours.
To wrap things up, I got to the midnight screening of Tod Browning's Freaks. Depending on your taste, you could see this film as a masterpiece or just plain odd. Comedian Dan Gould woke up the audience with his funny introduction on Browning, the film and his career. He called it the “Jack & Jill of its day.” Well, the Adam Sandler movie can only hope to be remembered decades after it was made.
Sunday closes out the festival with another great lineup and it will be tough to pick. As much fun as this has been, it's sad to see it end, but there's next year! Check back later for the post on Sunday's events.
images courtesy of Daniel Levine