From Wednesday, June 1st through Saturday, July 30, the Gene Siskel Film Center is thrilled to present Judy! A Judy Garland Summer Centennial Retrospective, a series of nine films celebrating one of cinema’s most memorable and beloved performers, the incomparable Judy Garland, to mark the 100th anniversary of her birth (June 10, 1922). The series will demonstrate Garland’s depth of talent and dedication to her craft, with iconic films screened alongside lesser-seen titles that range from her early work to one of her final performances on the big screen. Seven of the nine films will be screened on 35mm prints.
“An icon and a legend, Garland brought joy and music to countless moviegoers. It is our pleasure to honor her with a snapshot of her illustrious and exceptional career,” says Gene Siskel Film Center Director of Programming Rebecca Fons.
Films to be screened in the series are: Vincente Minnelli’s charming, “unmissable” (The Guardian) big-screen smash, MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (in 35mm; June 1 & 4); Minnelli’s rapturous wartime romance, THE CLOCK (June 8 & 11), featuring Garland in her first non-singing starring role; the astounding (and only) cinematic pairing of Garland with Fred Astaire in EASTER PARADE (in 35mm; June 15 & 18), featuring a score by Irving Berlin; the Chicago-set IN THE GOOD OLD SUMMERTIME (June 22 & 25), a musical adaptation of the 1940 film THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER, also featuring Buster Keaton and a young Liza Minnelli; Garland’s final pairing with Gene Kelly in SUMMER STOCK (in 35mm; June 19 & July 2), featuring the spectacular finale of “Get Happy”; George Cukor’s A STAR IS BORN (in 35mm; July 6 & 9), featuring an incandescent Garland in her first of two Oscar-nominated performances; Vincente Minnelli’s THE PIRATE (in 35mm; July 13 & 16), set to Cole Porter tunes and featuring Gene Kelly as a lusty pirate; a classic of post-war cinema, JUDGMENT AT NUREMBURG (in 35mm; July 20 & 23), which features Garland in her second and final Academy Award-nominated role, along with a star-studded ensemble, including Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Marlene Dietrich and Montgomery Clift; and THE WIZARD OF OZ (in 35mm; July 27 & 30), featuring Garland in her most iconic role, along with some of her most iconic performances, including “Over the Rainbow.”
Each film will screen twice between June 1 and July 30. Tickets are $12 for general audiences and $6 for Gene Siskel Film Center members.
Visit siskelfilmcenter.org to learn more and find out what’s playing today.