TCM Classic Film Festival 2012

Wow, what a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful line-up of movies and guests! If anyone goes, please bring back a report!

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I think they did it annually for a while, but then skipped a few years. It looks like it's grown into a huge festival now, and I don't remember hearing about it until a couple of years ago.

When I lived in L.A., they had the "Last Remaining Seats" festivals every summer. I went to several of those, and they were incredible! They were always held at one of the old movie palaces downtown (you've seen them in many films, doubling for Broadway and Vaudeville houses). The interiors are jaw-dropping.

I saw "Laura" with Leonard Maltin interviewing the film's composer David Raksin (who wrote that incredible haunting theme). I saw "The Women" with a full 1939 fashion show prior to the screening, featuring original movie costumes and fashions from that year.

My favorite was seeing the silent "Ben-Hur" (fully restored) with the original organist Lee Erwin, who played for the film's premier in Hollywood in 1925. He was nineteen then, and when he played it for us in the old movie palace, he was in his 90s. It was incredible. Anita Page (Broadway Melody) was also in attendance.

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Is this the same festival that Luise Rainer appeared at last year? Sounds great. I'd forgotten that Stanley Donen was still alive.

Edit - google is my friend, and yes Ms.Rainer did attend last year.

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Updated On: 3/12/12 at 02:11 PM