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The late Dino De Laurentiis' legacy as producer extraordinaire spans decades, continents and genres. This weekend, USC's Visions and Voices Initiative offers a fittingly epic tribute. Friday kicks off the festivities with a classic Italian cheese and beefcake buffet, when Barbarella: Queen of the Galaxy (1968) is paired with the original Conan the Barbarian (1982).
While we often see career retrospectives of actors and directors, Saturday presents a rare day-long look at the evolution and reinvention of a producer, the man behind the men behind the camera. Screenings start at 10:30AM with Italian neo-realist works Bitter Rice (1949) and The Great War (1959), while afternoon screenings of Serpico (1973) and Death Wish (1974) transplant that gritty aesthetic to the struggling American streets. That evening, Laurentiis' work transitions into full-on blockbuster with King Kong (1976), closing out with cult favorite Army of Darkness (1992) at 9:30PM.
After a full night's sleep (something the prolific Laurentiis must not have seen too often), Sunday's festivities open at 10AM with his last epic, U-571 (2000). At high noon, the day takes a turn toward the monstrous with Blue Velvet (1986), a perfect synthesis of the different Dinos. From here, the day is consumed by Hannibal Lecter, whom Laurentiis brought to life in his later years. Manhunter (1986) screens at 2:30PM while Hannibal (2001) plays at 7:30PM.
All events are free and open to the public, although reservations are required (each screening requires a separate one). Full list appears below. See you at the movies!
All Week
3 (2012) (Laemmle's Fallbrook 7)
The Artist (2011) (Laemmle's Playhouse 7)
Bully (2011) (Arclight Hollywood) (The Landmark)
Dark Tide (2012) (Laemmle's Noho 7)
The Deep Blue Sea (2011) (Laemmle's Fallbrook 7)
Footnote (2011) (Laemmle's Fallbrook 7) (Laemmle's Noho 7)
Goon (2011) (Nuart Theatre)
Hot Flash Havoc (2012) (Laemmle's Music Hall 3)
Jeff, Who Lives at Home (2011) (Laemmle's Fallbrook 7)
Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011) (Downtown Independent) (Laemmle's Monica 4-Plex) (Laemmle's Town Center 5)
The Kid With a Bike (2011) (Laemmle's Monica 4-Plex)
The Manzanar Fishing Club (2012) (Laemmle's Monica 4-Plex)
Musical Chairs (2011) (Laemmle's Music Hall 3) (Laemmle's Playhouse 7) (Laemmle's Town Center 5)
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2011) (Laemmle's Fallbrook 7) (Laemmle's Noho 7)
The Trouble With Bliss (2011) (Laemmle's Music Hall 3)
Thursday 3/29
L'Amour Braque (1985) / David Lynch's Crazy Clown Time (Cinefamily @ Silent Movie Theatre) (The Unbelievable Genius of Andrzej Zulawski)
Attenberg (2010) (free event w/ costume designer Thanos Papastergiou) (Melnitz Movies)
Bullitt (1968) / The Hunter (1980) (Egyptian Theatre) (Low Rider: The Super-Charged Cinema of Steve McQueen)
Extinction Number Six (2011) (free event w/ filmmaker Rachel Thompson) (USC School of Cinematic Arts)
The Holy Mountain (1973) (Laemmle's Noho 7)
L.A. Air: Margie Schnibbe (Echo Park Film Center)
The Makioka Sisters (1983) / An Autumn Afternoon (1962) (New Beverly Cinema)
The Manchurian Candidate (1962) (Aero Theatre)
Showgirls 2: Penny's From Heaven (2011) (w/ filmmaker Rena Riffel) (Laemmle's Noho 7)
El Topo (1970) (Laemmle's Noho 7)
We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktavists (2012) (free event w/ discussion) (Cinema Speakeasy) (Crawford Family Forum)
Friday 3/30
Annie Hall (1977) / Radio Days (1987) (Aero Theatre)
Barbarella: Queen of the Galaxy (1968) (free event w/ special guests) (USC School of Cinematic Arts) (A Tribute to Dino De Laurentiis)
Conan the Barbarian (1982) (free event) (USC School of Cinematic Arts) (A Tribute to Dino De Laurentiis)
Dune (1984) (Downtown Independent)
Filmmakers Alliance (Echo Park Film Center)
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967) (UCLA Film & Television Archive @ Hammer Museum) (Spencer Tracy: That Natural Thing)
The Important Thing is to Love (1975) / David Lynch's Crazy Clown Time (Cinefamily @ Silent Movie Theatre) (The Unbelievable Genius of Andrzej Zulawski)
Madcap Modernism: Mid-Century Cartoons from UPA and Beyond (w/ special guests) (LACMA)
Papillon (1973) / Soldier in the Rain (1963) (Egyptian Theatre) (Low Rider: The Super-Charged Cinema of Steve McQueen)
Standing Ovation (2010) (w/ writer/director Stuart Raffill) (Nuart Theatre) (Cine-Insomnia Midnight Movie)
The Ten Commandments (1941) (Old Town Music Hall)
We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011) / Orlando (1992) (New Beverly Cinema)
Saturday 3/31
Army of Darkness (1992) (free event) (USC School of Cinematic Arts) (A Tribute to Dino De Laurentiis)
Bitter Rice (1949) (free event) (USC School of Cinematic Arts) (A Tribute to Dino De Laurentiis)
Bottle Shock (2008) (w/ filmmakers) (LACMA)
Channel 101 (free event) (Downtown Independent)
Cinema Paradiso (1988) (Aero Theatre)
Death Wish (1974) (free event) (USC School of Cinematic Arts) (A Tribute to Dino De Laurentiis)
Dutch Seventies (Echo Park Film Center)
The Great Escape (1963) (Egyptian Theatre) (Low Rider: The Super-Charged Cinema of Steve McQueen)
The Great War (1959) (free event) (USC School of Cinematic Arts) (A Tribute to Dino De Laurentiis)
King Kong (1976) (free event) (USC School of Cinematic Arts) (A Tribute to Dino De Laurentiis)
Kino-Eye (1924) / Kino-Pravda No. 23 (1925) (UCLA Film & Television Archive @ Hammer Museum) (Kino-Eye: The Revolutionary Cinema of Dziga Vertov)
The Manzanar Fishing Club (2012) (w/ writer/producer Richard Imamura & guests at the 7:30pm show) (Laemmle's Monica 4-Plex)
The Most HFS Movie of 2011 (Cinefamily @ Silent Movie Theatre) (HFS)
Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) (Live Shadowcast Midnight Show) (Art Theatre of Long Beach)
Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) (Sins O' The Flesh Midnight Show) (Nuart Theatre)
Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) (Midnight Insanity Midnight Show) (South Coast Village Regency Theaters)
Serpico (1973) (free event) (USC School of Cinematic Arts) (A Tribute to Dino De Laurentiis)
Szamanka (1996) / David Lynch's Crazy Clown Time (Cinefamily @ Silent Movie Theatre) (The Unbelievable Genius of Andrzej Zulawski)
The Ten Commandments (1941) (Old Town Music Hall)
We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011) / Orlando (1992) (New Beverly Cinema)
Sunday 4/1
Blue Velvet (1986) (free event) (USC School of Cinematic Arts) (A Tribute to Dino De Laurentiis)
Boris Godounov (1989) (Cinefamily @ Silent Movie Theatre) (The Unbelievable Genius of Andrzej Zulawski)
Bugs Bunny Cartoon Classics (w/ egg hunt) (Aero Theatre)
Cambodia Journey (free event w/ Q&A) (Long Beach Cinematheque) (Douglas MacArthur Park)
Hannibal (2001) (free event) (USC School of Cinematic Arts) (A Tribute to Dino De Laurentiis)
Manhunter (1986) (free event) (USC School of Cinematic Arts) (A Tribute to Dino De Laurentiis)
The Manzanar Fishing Club (2012) (w/ writer/producer Richard Imamura & internee fisherman Mas Okui at the 3:10pm show) (Laemmle's Monica 4-Plex)
The Manzanar Fishing Club (2012) (w/ writer/producer Richard Imamura & guests at the 5:20pm show) (Laemmle's Monica 4-Plex)
Possession (1981) (Cinefamily @ Silent Movie Theatre) (The Unbelievable Genius of Andrzej Zulawski)
The Ten Commandments (1941) (Old Town Music Hall)
The Three Stooges Meet Hercules (1962) / The Outlaws is Coming (1965) (Aero Theatre)
The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) / The Getaway (1972) (Egyptian Theatre) (Low Rider: The Super-Charged Cinema of Steve McQueen)
A Tribute to Dino De Laurentiis Panel Discussion and Dedication (free event) (USC School of Cinematic Arts) (A Tribute to Dino De Laurentiis)
U-571 (2000) (free event) (USC School of Cinematic Arts) (A Tribute to Dino De Laurentiis)
