The HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival Celebrates Its 16th Year

The HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival Celebrates Its 16th Year

Bank of America To Join HBO In Presenting Free Outdoor Classic Film Series June 16 - August 18

NEW YORK, May 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Once again, New Yorkers will walk down memory lane in Bryant Park with Sean Connery as 007, Christopher Reeves as Superman, and in a nod to the political season, Robert Redford as "The Candidate." An all-star film legends line up returns for the 16th year of the HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival, presented with Bank of America, in association with the Bryant Park Corporation.

Continuing the popular tradition of presenting "stars under the stars," the free outdoor festival returns Monday evenings at sunset, beginning June 16 and running through August 18. This year's opening night film, "Dr. No" brings the celebrated James Bond back with this 1962 favorite. The festival will end with the 30th anniversary of the 1978 "Superman" starring Christopher Reeve and Marlon Brando.

"Bank of America is thrilled to be partnering with HBO on this summertime tradition," said Rena DeSisto, global arts & culture executive for Bank of America. "With our company's new tower located at Bryant Park and our ongoing commitment to supporting arts and culture across the city, we couldn't think of a more fitting way to contribute to the vitality and cultural richness of our new neighborhood."

"HBO is so pleased to have Bank of America join this year as we continue our history of presenting the classics on the big screen. There is no better place for New Yorkers to be on Monday nights during the summer than in Bryant Park," said Bill Nelson, Chairman and CEO, HBO.

The films will be projected in 35mm onto a screen 20 feet high by 40 feet wide. Bryant Park is located at 42nd Street and the Avenue of the Americas. Food and refreshments will be available at Bryant Park concession stands, which will remain open throughout the evening. Each presentation will show on Monday evenings starting at sunset. The lawn opens at 5pm. Classic animation provided courtesy of Warner Bros.

For more information, call the HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival hotline at (212) 512-5700. For film series information, visit the festival's website at http://www.aolcityguide.com/newyork/hbobryantparkfilm/ presented by AOL(R) CityGuide or go to AOL(R) Keyword: Bryant Park Film Festival.

HBO

Home Box Office, Inc. is the premium television programming subsidiary of Time Warner Inc., providing two 24-hour pay television services -- HBO and Cinemax -- to over 40 million U.S. subscribers. The services offer the most popular subscription video on demand products, HBO On Demand and Cinemax On Demand, as well as HBO on Broadband, HD feeds, and multiplex channels. Internationally, HBO's branded television networks, along with the subscription video on demand products HBO On Demand and HBO Mobile, bring HBO services to over 50 countries. HBO programming is sold into over 150 countries worldwide.

BANK OF AMERICA AND THE ARTS

Bank of America is a leading supporter of arts and culture in the United States. Through a wide variety of programs, Bank of America works to strengthen artistic institutions and provide greater access to treasured works of art for both its customers and those who might not otherwise experience them. Each year, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation provides millions of dollars in grants to a wide range of arts organizations, supporting education and access programs and enabling institutions to expand their scope, and underwrites national and local performances, arts programs, and exhibitions. Through its unique loaned exhibition program, the bank offers its art collection to museums throughout the country, free of charge, so they may expand their offerings for the benefit of their communities.

BRYANT PARK CORPORATION

Bryant Park Corporation (BPC), a private not-for-profit company, was founded in 1980 to renovate, finance and operate Bryant Park. BPC is funded by income from events, concessions and corporate sponsors, as well as an assessment on neighboring properties, and does not accept government or philanthropic monies. In addition to providing security and sanitation services, and tending the park's lush lawn and seasonal garden displays, BPC provides public amenities and activities, including movable chairs and tables, café umbrellas, restaurants, food kiosks, world-class restrooms, and a wide range of free events throughout the year. The park is visited by over 4 million people per annum and is one of the busiest public spaces in the world. BPC's website, www.bryantpark.org, is available for more detailed information and a schedule of upcoming events.

THE HBO BRYANT PARK SUMMER FILM FESTIVAL 2008 PRESENTED WITH BANK OF AMERICA

June 16 DR. NO (UA/Provided by MGM)

Sean Connery was the first (and definitive?) 007, though author Ian Fleming is said to have preferred David Niven for the part. The popular adventure series starts with a bang when James Bond visits Jamaica, an island that is not all palms and pina coladas. The secret agent confronts a mad scientist, poisonous spiders and deadly females. Bikini-clad Ursula Andress makes a memorable entrance, setting the standard for generations of Bond girls to come. (1962) 111 Min.

June 23 BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (Universal)

She's alive! In this sequel to 1931's landmark horror classic "Frankenstein," the good doctor assembles a lady friend for his moody creature. James Whale repeated as director, while Boris Karloff, as the bridegroom, reportedly sweated off twenty pounds under the heavyweight costume and make-up. As the hissing bride, Elsa Lanchester is, well, hair-raising. All you gods and monsters are invited to this June wedding. (1935) 75 Min.

June 30 HUD (Paramount)

Paul Newman is the ornery S.O.B. of the title and Melvyn Douglas is his rancher father. Their home on the range is not a happy one, as the generations clash in gripping fashion. Oscars went to Patricia Neal (as the seen-it-all housekeeper), Douglas and cinematographer James Wong Howe. The stark black and white photography indelibly captured the wide-open spaces of the Texas Panhandle. Based on a novel by Larry McMurtry. (1963) 112 min. Panavision.

July 7 THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER (Warner Bros.)

How does one get rid of the houseguest from Hell? Monty Woolley has a field day, as the title character and master of the insult, in this drawing room farce. Based on a smash Broadway play by Kaufman and Hart, the comedy lets Bette Davis play nice in an atypical role. Ann (the "Oomph Girl") Sheridan and Jimmy Durante, doing a takeoff on skirt-chasing Harpo Marx, are along for the ride. (1942) 112 Min.

July 14 FAIL SAFE (Sony/Columbia)

The Cold War gets a good deal chillier when a U.S. bomber is accidentally ordered (due to a computer glitch!) to nuke Moscow. Filmed the same year as the similarly themed "Dr. Strangelove," Sidney Lumet's drama faced a plagiarism suit that had to be settled before release. Henry Fonda plays the stalwart U.S. president. Stellar support comes from Walter Matthau, Larry Hagman and, in an uncharacteristically serious part, Dom DeLuise. (1964) 111 Min.

July 21 ARSENIC AND OLD LACE (Warner Bros.)

Could Cary Grant's sweet old aunties be serial killers? Are they hiding bodies in the window seat and/or burying them in the basement? Teddy Roosevelt, the Panama Canal, yellow fever and a plastic surgeon named Dr. Einstein also figure in the zany plot. Well, anything can (and does) happen in Brooklyn. Frank Capra directed this screwball comedy at a breakneck pace. Watch out for the lethal elderberry wine! (1944) 118 min.

July 28 THE APARTMENT (UA/Provided by MGM)

Jack Lemmon falls for elevator operator Shirley MacLaine in this softhearted, yet cynical, bittersweet romance. Jack is getting ahead in business by loaning out his apartment to the bosses for their illicit trysts. What's he to do when he finds out that his adored Shirley is one of the "trystees?" Won 5 Oscars (including Best Picture and Best Director for Billy Wilder) and the soundtrack was Grammy nominated. (1960) 125 Min. Panavision.

August 4 LIFEBOAT (Fox)

During WWII, a German U-Boat sinks a freighter in the Atlantic. The survivors fight against death (or worse!) in a crowded, leaky lifeboat. Tallulah Bankhead (NY Film Critics Award for Best Actress) steals the show as a spoiled journalist accustomed to mink, diamonds and traveling First Class. John Steinbeck (Oscar nominated) wrote the gripping story at the request of director Alfred Hitchcock. Don't miss Hitch's trademark cameo appearance. (1944) 96 Min.

August 11 THE CANDIDATE (Warner Bros.)

Mr. Redford goes to Washington. Golden boy Robert (what type casting?) is the great blonde hope in this political satire about an "honest" man running, against all odds, for a seat in the U.S. Senate. The screenwriter, Jeremy Larner, formerly a speechwriter for Senator Eugene McCarthy, won an Oscar for his effort. Also listed in the credits are Hubert Humphrey, George McGovern and Natalie Wood. (1972) 109 Min.

August 18 SUPERMAN (Warner Bros.)

Great Caesar's ghost! The Man of Steel is turning thirty, but not to worry. He is still able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, etc. The epic, comic book adventure provided the signature role for a then unknown Christopher Reeve, while superstar Marlon Brando, playing Jar-El (Superman's dad on Krypton), earned multi-millions for his brief bit. John Williams' majestic score echoes the hero's ideals of "truth, justice and the American way." (1978) 143 Min. Panavision.

Source: HBO

CONTACT: Media, Suzanne Pinto of HBO, +1-212-512-1904

Web site: http://www.hbo.com/
http://www.aolcityguide.com/newyork/hbobryantparkfilm
http://www.bryantpark.org/

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Profile: International Entertainment