DGA Monthly

D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 4 I 3 9 A Place in the Sun Directed by George Stevens The Special Projects Committee invites you to join them for a special 35mm print screening of Director George Stevens' 1951 classic, A Place in the Sun. George Cooper Stevens (1904–1975) was born in Oakland, CA. At the age of 10, his mother gave him a Brownie camera and he began photographing the city and portraits of her. At 17, Hal Roach Studios employed him as an assistant cameraman on shorts of Rex the Wonder Horse. He worked as DP and a gag writer on 35 Laurel and Hardy shorts where he learned that comedy could be "graceful and human." In 1933, Stevens made his feature directorial debut with the comedy, The Cohens and Kellys in Trouble. His big break came when he directed Katharine Hepburn in Alice Adams. He would go on to direct such classic films as Swing Time, Gunga Din and Woman of the Year. Stevens served as president of the Screen Directors Guild (SDG) from 1941 to 1943, but after seeing the Nazi propaganda film, Triumph of the Will, he joined U.S. Army Signal Corps in World War II and headed a film unit from 1943 to 1946 where they documented D-Day and the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp. LA Mon., Dec. 9 7:00 p.m. DGA Theater 1 RSVP Online at www.dga.org The Classic Film Series screens revered films, often followed by a panel discussion about the film and its Director's contribution to the world of cinema. A Place in the Sun — A working-class young man becomes romantically entangled with two women — one who works in his wealthy uncle's factory, and the other a beautiful socialite — leading to a tragic love triangle. Based on Theodore Dreiser's novel "An American Tragedy," Charlie Chaplin called A Place in the Sun "the greatest movie ever made about America" and David Mamet, in his book Bambi vs. Godzilla: On the Nature, Purpose, and Practice of the Movie Business, included A Place in the Sun in a list of four "perfect" films, along with The Godfather, Galaxy Quest and Dodsworth. In 1991, A Place in the Sun was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." Starring: Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, Shelley Winters Running Time: 122 minutes - Print Courtesy of Paramount Pictures This screening will be followed by a discussion featuring special guest, Director George Stevens, Jr., and Special Projects Committee Co-Chair Michael Goi, moderated by Director Arthur Allan Seidelman. 1946, Stevens resumed his duties as SDG President and served in that post until 1948. In 1950, during the McCarthyist scare and related Hollywood blacklist, he defended Joseph L. Mankiewicz from Cecil B. DeMille's attempt to recall him as president of the SDG. As a result of his experiences during the war, his films became more dramatic with classics such as I Remember Mama (1948) and The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965). Stevens received Oscar nominations for The Talk of the Town (1942) and The More the Merrier (1943); and Oscar and DGA nominations for Shane (1953) and The Diary of Anne Frank (1959). He won the DGA Award and the Academy Award for "Best Director" for A Place in the Sun (1951) and Giant (1956). 1960 Stevens was honored with the DGA Lifetime Achievement Award. DGA FOUNDERS SERIES CLASSIC FILM SERIES The Eastern Region Special Projects Committee invites you to join them for a Founder's Series screening of Frank Capra's 1939 political satire, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Frank Russell Capra (1897 – 1991) was born Francesco Rosario Capra in Bisacquino, Sicily. His family immigrated to America in 1903 and after spending time in the Army, he landed first job in the industry in 1919 when he answered a cattle call for extras for John Ford's The Outcasts of Poker Flat. In 1922, he made his directorial debut with the silent short The Ballad of Fisher's Boarding House and his feature directorial debut in 1926 with silent film The Strong Man. He would go on to become one of America's most influential Directors during the 1930s, winning three Academy Awards for Best Director from six nominations. Among his leading films were It Happened One Night (1934), Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), You Can't Take It with You (1938), and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). Other notable Capra films include Lady for a Day (1933), Lost Horizon (1937), Meet John Doe (1941) and the Why We Fight series he produced as a member of the U.S. Army Signal Corps during World War II. NY Fri., Dec. 20 7:00 p.m. DGA NY Theater RSVP Online at www.dga.org The Founders Series, screens films made by the organizers of our Guild, followed by a discussion about both the importance of the film and the legacy of the DGA founders. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington — A naive youth leader is appointed to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate. His idealistic plans promptly collide with corruption at home and subterfuge from his hero in Washington, but he tries to forge ahead despite attacks on his character. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was nominated for eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor, winning Best Original Story. Considered to be one of the greatest films of all time, the film was selected by the Library of Congress as one of the first 25 films for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1989, for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." Starring: James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Claude Rains, Edward Arnold, Guy Kibbee, Thomas Mitchell, Beulah Bondi Running Time: 129 minutes - Print Courtesy of Swank Motion Pictures This screening will be followed by a discussion discussion led by Committee Chair Raymond De Felitta. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Directed by Frank Capra A DGA member since 1937, Capra would go on to become the second President of the Guild in 1938 and was instrumental to the industry's acceptance of the fledgling organization. He was nominated for DGA Awards for his features A Hole in the Head (1959) and Pocketful of Miracles (1961). In 1941, he received the DGA Honorary Life Member Award and in1959, Capra was honored with the DGA Lifetime Achievement Award.

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