The sweet story of a misunderstood man with an unlikely companion – a 6′ 3 1/2″ tall white invisible rabbit friend that only he can see – HARVEY (1950) stars AFI Life Achievement Award recipient James Stewart, and was honored among the American Film Institute’s ranking of the funniest films of all time. Based on Mary Chase’s 1944 play of the same name and directed by Henry Koster, HARVEY, orbits around the unlikely pair – one seen, one unseen – and the ensuing debacle when the man’s sister decides to have him committed to a sanitarium. Available on iTunes and Amazon Prime Video.
Until Next time, I’ll see you at the movies!
HollywoodGlee celebrating the start of the 2019 AFI FEST presented by Audi. (Photo credit: Larry Gleeson)
About AFI Movie Club
AFI has created a global, virtual gathering of those who love the movies. As a non-profit, AFI Movie Club is a member-powered organization, dependent upon the support of its movie fans. To support AFI Movie Club please consider becoming a member or donating.
AFI Movie Club was launched as a free program to raise the nation’s spirits by bringing artists and audiences together. AFI shines a spotlight on an iconic movie each day. Audiences can “gather” at AFI.com/MovieClub to find out how to watch the featured movie of the day with the use of their preexisting streaming service credentials.
Directed by AFI Life Achievement Award recipient Frank Capra and starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert – both of whom were enshrined among AFI’s greatest screen legends – IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934) is an iconic screwball comedy that’s appeared on no fewer than four of AFI’s lists of the greatest American films of all time – including among the top 10 funniest films ever to grace the silver screen.
Spoiled heiress Ellie Andrews (Colbert) escapes from her millionaire father Alexander’s yacht when he kidnaps her after she elopes with and marries King Westley, a playboy aviator whom Andrews thinks is a fortune hunter. She boards a bus headed for New York and meets Peter Warne (Gable), a reporter who has just been fired. Despite their dislike for each other, the two manage to fulfill each other’s needs and find redemption in their work and in their relationships. Streaming on Prime Video and YouTube.
The working title for this film was Night Bus, and it was to have starred Robert Montgomery, who was Frank Capra’s original choice for the part of Peter Warne. Montgomery was replaced by Clark Gable, who was borrowed from M-G-M, while Claudette Colbert was borrowed from Paramount. In Capra’s autobiography, he states that he variously sought Myrna Loy, Margaret Sullavan, Miriam Hopkins, and Constance Bennett for the role of Ellie Andrews before selecting Colbert.
In the five major categories, Best Picture, Best Direction, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, and Best Actress (Colbert was the first French-born actress to receive the honor). It was voted one of the ten best pictures of 1934 by the FD Poll of Critics and the National Board of Review, and on 20 Mar 1939, Gable and Colbert performed a radio version of it for the Lux Radio Theater.
Although many films are called “remakes” of It Happened One Night in modern sources, only 1956 musical You Can’t Run Away from It, produced at Columbia, directed by Dick Powell and starring Jack Lemmon and June Allyson, was based on the same short story and used the same screenplay (with adaptations) as the Capra film. It Happened One Night was ranked 46th on AFI’s 2007 100 Years…100 Movies–10th Anniversary Edition list of the greatest American films, moving down from the 35th position it held on AFI’s 1997 list.
Until Next time, I’ll see you at the movies!
HollywoodGlee celebrating the start of the 2019 AFI FEST presented by Audi. (Photo credit: Larry Gleeson)
About AFI Movie Club
AFI has created a global, virtual gathering of those who love the movies. As a non-profit, AFI Movie Club is a member-powered organization, dependent upon the support of its movie fans. To support AFI Movie Club please consider becoming a member or donating. AFI Movie Club was launched as a free program to raise the nation’s spirits by bringing artists and audiences together. AFI shines a spotlight on an iconic movie each day. Audiences can “gather” at AFI.com/MovieClub to find out how to watch the featured movie of the day with the use of their preexisting streaming service credentials.
Today’s AFI Movie Club pick is a madcap (screwball comedy) story of a boy, a girl, and a leopard, BRINGING UP BABY (1938) features Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant – both ranked by AFI among the greatest screen legends of all time. The film alsoappears on AFI’s lists of the greatest American films – both the original iteration and the 10th-anniversary edition – as well as among the greatest filmed comedies and love stories of all time. Although not truly a remake, the 1972 film What’s Up Doc?, starring Barbra Streisand and Ryan O’Neal, was inspired by Bringing Up Baby, according to interviews with its director, Peter Bogdanovich. In 2007 Bringing Up Baby was ranked 88th on AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies–10th Anniversary Edition list of the greatest American films, moving up from the 97th position it held on AFI’s 1997 list. Available for Screening on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, and Google Play among others such as Microsoft, Vudu, and iTunes. Until next time, I’ll see you at the movies!
About AFI Movie Club
AFI has created a global, virtual gathering of those who love the movies. As a non-profit, AFI Movie Club is a member-powered organization, dependent upon the support of its movie fans. To support AFI Movie Club please consider becoming a member or donating. AFI Movie Club was launched as a free program to raise the nation’s spirits by bringing artists and audiences together. AFI shines a spotlight on an iconic movie each day. Audiences can “gather” at AFI.com/MovieClub to find out how to watch the featured movie of the day with the use of their preexisting streaming service credentials. (Source: AFI News Release)
Today’s AFI Movie Club selection received a Best Picture Academy-award-winning Oscar and is based on the play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue by Tarell Alvin McCraney.
From writer/director Barry Jenkins, MOONLIGHT was also honored in 2016 with an AFI AWARD, recognizing it as one of the year’s most outstanding achievements in the art of the moving image – with the official rationale stating that, “MOONLIGHT illuminates the peerless power of cinema to inspire empathy for others and embrace a greater understanding of ourselves. Barry Jenkins’ poetic tour de force presents a deeply emotional triptych — the journey of boy to man searching for connection amidst the labyrinth of societal boundaries. An extraordinary ensemble lights the way in this sublime realization of a world where the question ‘Who is you?’ echoes in the pain of dreams deferred and the strength of an inner truth.”
Available to watch on Kanopy, Hoopla, Fubu Tv, and Showtime. Highly recommended viewing!
Today’s AFI Movie Club selection is Schmigadoon!, an American musical comedy television series created by Cinco Paul and Ken Dario that parodies and pays homage to Golden Age musicals of the 1940s and 1950s. Cinco Paul also has written all the show’s songs.
Schmigadoon!
The series is directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and stars an ensemble cast including Cecily Strong, Kristen Chenowith, Martin Short, and recent Academy-award winner, Ariana DeBose (West Side Story), among others. Christopher Gattelli handled the choreography.
Cecily Strong also is credited as a series producer. Said Strong, “It turns out that when you stay with something for two years, they make you a producer. Strong was the first person cast in SCHMIGADOON!
Cecily Strong
Here is what the American Film Institute had to say about SCHMIGADOON! at the 2021 AFI Awards:
“SCHMIGADOON! explodes with joy and music and laughter – and contemporary cynicism. This candy-colored cocktail is hand-crafted by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, who have created an ebullient valentine to musicals by inviting even the most sardonic to see the world beyond the fog of Brigadoon. Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key light up a glittering marquee of Broadway talent that power an insight into personal change through clever homage, catchy songs and bravura, show-stopping choreography.” -The American Film Institute, AFI AWARDS 2021
The series is available on Apple TV+ and premiered on July 16th, 2021.
Check out the official trailer where star Kristen Chenowith sings the showstopping “Tribulation” sing-a-long in one four-minute-long, continuous take!
About AFI Movie Club
AFI has created a global, virtual gathering of those who love the movies. As a non-profit, AFI Movie Club is a member-powered organization, dependent upon the support of its movie fans. To support AFI Movie Club please consider becoming a member or donating.
AFI Movie Club was launched as a free program to raise the nation’s spirits by bringing artists and audiences together. AFI shines a spotlight on an iconic movie each day. Audiences can “gather” at AFI.com/MovieClub to find out how to watch the featured movie of the day with the use of their preexisting streaming service credentials.
American Film Institute (AFI) Trustee and AFI Life Achievement Award honoree Steven Spielberg brings an electrifying new vision to the classic tale created by maestros Steven Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein, and originally envisioned for the screen by AFI Life Achievement Award honoree Robert Wise, with West Side Story (2021), today’s AFI Movie Club pick of the day!
This vibrant and cinematic new rendering of WEST SIDE STORY included a number of AFI Alumni – including cinematographer JanuszKamiński (Class of 1987), editor Sarah Broshar (Class of 2005), and assistant payroll accountant Cindy Li (Class of 2013).
Interestingly, Ariana Debose’s shoes melted during the filming of the “America” dance. Partly due to the hot weather and partly due to Debose’s hot dancing style choreographed by Justin Peck!
Check out Ariana Debose on The Power of Music from the recent 2021 AFI AWARDS luncheon.
“WEST SIDE STORY leaps into American film history a complete original – while standing tall upon stories foundational to the human experience. Steven Spielberg leads with love and forges his position as our greatest modern master, seeking out and soaring above new challenges and assembling a creative ensemble that speaks to the genius of both past and present – from Tony Kushner and Rita Moreno to Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim. For all who wish to embrace art in modern-day, this film is a rapturous celebration of America’s vast and varied voices, and at the same moment, a stinging question of what it will take to become ‘one hand, one heart.’” -The American Film Institute, AFI AWARDS 2021
Rita Morena, who earned an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in the 1961 version of West Side Story, returned on the 2021 version adding a living bridge between the two versions. Moreno is also credited as an Executive Producer and in a newly envisioned role.
West Side Story (2021) is available to stream on HBO, HBO Max, and Disney among others.
About AFI Movie Club
AFI has created a global, virtual gathering of those who love the movies. As a non-profit, AFI Movie Club is a member-powered organization, dependent upon the support of its movie fans. To support AFI Movie Club please consider becoming a member or donating.
AFI Movie Club was launched as a free program to raise the nation’s spirits by bringing artists and audiences together. AFI shines a spotlight on an iconic movie each day. Audiences can “gather” at AFI.com/MovieClub to find out how to watch the featured movie of the day with the use of their preexisting streaming service credentials.
Today’s AFI Movie Club pick is the Benedict Cumberbatch-led, The Power of the Dog, written and directed by Jane Campion.
“THE POWER OF THE DOG looks to the hills for secrets unseen – and finds them in powerful, poetic images that transport audiences with a modern look back at the American West. This landmark work proves Jane Campion’s unparalleled ability to capture a world of breathless beauty and breathtaking brutality, both wrapped tight as a rope. This slow-burn tale is a brilliant exercise in suspense and release – masterfully manifested by a brilliant cast and an unforgettably complex performance by Benedict Cumberbatch.” -The American Film Institute, AFI AWARDS 2021
The Power of the Dog is based on Thomas Savage’s novel of the same name and is currently streaming on Netflix. In addition, Campion became the first woman ever nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director twice. Campion was previously nominated in 1993 for The Piano, for which she earned an Oscar for Best Screenplay. The Power of the Dog was recently showered with twelve Oscar nominations, including Cumberbatch as Best Actor and Campion for Screenwriting and Directing.
About AFI Movie Club
AFI has created a global, virtual gathering of those who love the movies. As a non-profit, AFI Movie Club is a member-powered organization, dependent upon the support of its movie fans. To support AFI Movie Club please consider becoming a member or donating.
AFI Movie Club was launched as a free program to raise the nation’s spirits by bringing artists and audiences together. AFI shines a spotlight on an iconic movie each day. Audiences can “gather” at AFI.com/MovieClub to find out how to watch the featured movie of the day with the use of their preexisting streaming service credentials.
For President’s Day, the American Film Institute AFI Movie Club selected Dave, a political comedy/romance about a Presidential lookalike named Dave recruited by the Secret Service to become a stand-in for the President of the United States.
Dave stars Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Frank Langella, Kevin Dunn, Ving Rhames, Ben Kingsley, Charles Grodin, and is directed by the recently departed, Ivan Reitman. Check out the video on the iconic director (Animal House, Ghostbusters, Stripes) and his commentary on tone in his films!
Interestingly, Dave features a number of cameos by real-life politicians who were given the green light to improvise and deliver monologues on their respective ideologies. The pols donated all their earned wages from the film to charities.
Notable, writer Gary Ross was working as a speechwriter for then-presidential candidate Michael Dukakis, as he was penning the screenplay for Dave. Ross received an Academy Award nomination for his efforts – for his Dave screenplay!
Dave is available to stream on Hoopla, Amazon Prime, and Google Play.
Having spent numerous summer weekends in the Ozarks growing up, I was simply astounded watching the reality of Winter’s Bone (2010) and its eery look into the underbelly of rural family life in the Ozarks. Produced with a budget of a mere $2.2 million, the film was shot on location and with most of the music performed by musicians from the Ozarks. These two elements added a surreal and authentic feel. The soundtrack included traditional mountain folk songs, hardscrabble honky-tonk tunes, gentlefolk ballads, and hymns. Winter’s Bone was also today’s AFI Movie Club pick of the day.
The film was nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Writing, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Actress. Winter’s Bone is the film that put Jennifer Lawrence on the map across the film universe with her depiction of Ree, a young seventeen-year-old woman thrust into adulthood in a drug-stricken community. The screenplay, based on Missouri author Daniel Woodrell’s novel of the same name, was written by Debra Granik and Anne Rossellini. Granik also directed the film.
In 2010 Winter’s Bone was honored with an AFI AWARD – “recognizing it as one of the 10 outstanding films deemed culturally and artistically representative of the year’s most significant achievements in the art of the moving image.” In addition, The film was produced by Anonymous Content, which was founded by AFI Conservatory alum Steve Golin (AFI Class of 1981).
Winter’s Bone is available for viewing on Kanopy and at Amazon Prime Video to rent/buy.
Honorees To Be Celebrated At Private Reception On January 7, 2022
AFI’s Movie Club To Showcase Official Selections With New Content
Hosted Exclusively On AFI.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Los Angeles, CA, December 8, 2021 – The American Film Institute (AFI) announced today the recipients of AFI AWARDS 2021. AFI AWARDS honorees include 10 outstanding films and 10 outstanding TV programs deemed culturally and artistically representative of this year’s most significant achievements in the art of the moving image. Additional honorees were selected in a category for “Special Awards,” designated for works of excellence that fall outside of the Institute’s criteria of American film and television.
AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR
CODA
DON’T LOOK UP
DUNE
KING RICHARD
LICORICE PIZZA
NIGHTMARE ALLEY
THE POWER OF THE DOG
tick, tick… BOOM!
THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH
WEST SIDE STORY
AFI TELEVISION PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR
HACKS
MAID
MARE OF EASTTOWN
RESERVATION DOGS
SCHMIGADOON!
SUCCESSION
TED LASSO
THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
WANDAVISION
THE WHITE LOTUS
AFI SPECIAL AWARD
BELFAST
SQUID GAME
SUMMER OF SOUL (…OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED)
Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO
“AFI is honored to shine a proper light upon the most outstanding screen stories of 2021 and those who worked collaboratively to bring them to screens large and small,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO. “From soaring in spirit to dark and dangerous – from heartbreaking to hilarious – these are the stories that have united us in uncertain times and continue to drive culture forward.”
Honorees will gather on January 7, 2022, for recognition at the annual AFI AWARDS private reception at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA — an event favored by the entertainment community for its informal intimacy and its inclusive acknowledgment of excellence.
Beginning January 8, 2022, AFI’s global Movie Club program will showcase the official selections with new daily content, including videos of special guests from the honored works introducing the titles. AFI AWARDS official selections will be celebrated on AFI.com/MovieClub and across all AFI social media platforms.
Celebrating film and television arts’ collaborative nature, AFI AWARDS is the only national program that honors creative teams as a whole, recognizing those in front of and behind the camera. All of the honored works advance the art of the moving image, inspire audiences and artists alike, enhance the rich cultural heritage of America’s art form and make a mark on American society. When placed in a historical context, these stories provide a complex and rich visual record of our modern world.
AFI AWARDS selections are made through a jury process where AFI Trustees, artists, critics, and scholars determine the year’s most outstanding achievements and provide artistic and cultural context for the selection of each honoree.
This year’s jury featured acclaimed artists including Lee Isaac Chung, Liz Hannah, Anjelica Huston and Ed Zwick; renowned film historians Annette Insdorf, L.S. Kim, Akira Mizuta Lippit, Leonard Maltin, Ellen Seiter, and Robert Thompson; the AFI Board of Trustees; film critics Shawn Edwards from the African American Film Critics Association and Claudia Puig from Los Angeles Film Critics Association; and film and television critics from outlets such as the Los Angeles Times, National Public Radio, Rolling Stone, TV Guide, and The Washington Post. The jury was chaired by AFI Board of Trustees member Jeanine Basinger (Chair Emerita and Founder of the Film Studies Department, Wesleyan University) and AFI Board of Trustees Vice Chair Richard Frank (former Chairman of Walt Disney Television, President of Walt Disney Studios, President of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences).
The 2021 recipients join a distinguished group of previous AFI AWARDS honorees whose works define the art form and contribute to our rich cultural legacy. View all past AFI AWARDS honorees here.
About the American Film Institute (AFI)
The American Film Institute (AFI) is a nonprofit organization with a mandate to champion the moving image as an art form. Established in 1967, AFI launched the first comprehensive history of American film and sparked the movement for film preservation in the United States. In 1969, AFI opened the doors of the AFI Conservatory, a graduate-level program to train narrative filmmakers. AFI’s enduring traditions include the AFI Life Achievement Award, which honors the masters for work that has stood the test of time; AFI AWARDS, which celebrates the creative ensembles of the most outstanding screen stories of the year; and scholarly efforts such as the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and the AFI Archive that preserve film history for future generations. AFI exhibition programs include AFI FEST, AFI DOCS, and a year-round exhibition at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Maryland. Other pioneering programs include workshops aimed at increasing diversity in the storytelling community, including the AFI Directing Workshop forWomen and the AFI Cinematography Intensive for Women. AFI’s newest program is AFI Movie Club, a daily global engagement for those who love the movies. Read about all of these programs and more at AFI.com and follow us on social media at Facebook.com/AmericanFilmInstitute, YouTube.com/AFI, Twitter.com/AmericanFilm and Instagram.com/AmericanFilmInstitute
The sweet story of a misunderstood man with an unlikely companion – a 6′ 3 1/2″ tall white invisible rabbit friend that only he can see – HARVEY (1950) stars AFI Life Achievement Award recipient James Stewart, and was honored among the American Film Institute’s ranking of the funniest films of all time. Based on Mary Chase’s 1944 play of the same name and directed by Henry Koster, HARVEY, orbits around the unlikely pair – one seen, one unseen – and the ensuing debacle when the man’s sister decides to have him committed to a sanitarium. Available on iTunes and Amazon Prime Video.
HollywoodGlee celebrating the start of the 2019 AFI FEST presented by Audi. (Photo credit: Larry Gleeson)
(Source: AFI News Release)
