TOP DOWN presents THE PALM BEACH STORY: STURGES UNDER THE STARS

The NW Film Center's annual Top Down Rooftop Cinema series gets off to a rollicking start this week with Preston Sturges' 1942 screwball take on the romantic comedy, The Palm Beach Story.  As with most of Sturges' output, the film locates its humor in the narrow margins of what was socially acceptable in that era; in this case, it's an impending divorce that drives film's witty banter and absurd situations.

Gerry (Claudette Colbert) and Tom (Joel McCrea) are a married couple whose financial shortages inspire her to call it quits, citing the burden that she's become to him as reason enough to head on down to Palm Beach, where interested parties can get split up on the cheap.  Along the way to the city of their final separation, Tom and Gerry get entangled with a wealthy brother (Rudy Vallee) and sister (Mary Astor) duo who fall for them.  Oh, and I'd be remiss to not mention the presence of a guy calling himself the "wienie king" (Robert Dudley).

It all travels on a simple premise and, like in Leo McCarey's 1937 similarly-themed classic The Awful Truth, one can see from a mile away that this couple will, by the end of the picture, find themselves in each others arms once more.  Fortunately, the element of surprise really isn't the point of a film like The Palm Beach Story.  Like the best of these classic rom-coms, this is a picture in love with winking at the audience, letting us in on the joke quite early so we can laugh it up as the misguided actions of the characters multiply.  All the while, it assures us that everything will work out in the end.  The expected uplift is just part of the deal.  After all, who would really want a realistic, downer of an ending capping off a film such as this? 

The NW Film Center's Top Down Rooftop Cinema series presents The Palm Beach Story on Thursday, July 26th at 8pm.  More info available here.


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NW FILM CENTER'S TOP DOWN ROOFTOP CINEMA NEEDS A HELPING HAND

Call it a mixed blessing, if you will, but the phenomenal success of the NW Film Center's annual Top Down rooftop cinema series has presented its organizers with a unique problem to solve.  Bottom line, the audience has outgrown the outdoor screen upon which the summertime screenings are projected.  It's reached the point where those unlucky enough to be at the back of the crowd have to squint in order to even be able to tell that there's a movie being projected at all.

As no doubt many of you are aware, the Film Center is a regional, non-profit media arts center, not exactly the kind of organization that tends to have much petty cash hidden away for emergencies of this variety.  Fortunately, we live in the age of crowd-funding where websites like Kickstarter or IndieGoGo allow individuals to throw down a few bones in support of the artists, organizations and causes they love. 

Can you tell where we're going with this?  Yes, Top Down needs your help to make this year's outdoor film series an enjoyable experience for all in attendance.  They've got a Kickstarter campaign in progress as well as a winning season of Thursday night screenings lined-up for Portland audiences.  A donation of any size will help ensure that the NW Film Center is able to reach their goal and purchase a screen large enough for all to experience a little cinema under the stars.

And what to expect of this year's films?  Well, as usual, it's an eclectic mix of crowd pleasers ranging from an old favorite from the great Preston Sturges to a campy children's entertainment starring Don Knotts.  Also on the schedule, one of local film hero Gus Van Sant's best films and a rock and roll musical for the new millennium.  All in all, a series of events worthy of your patronage.

Here, again, is the link for the fundraising campaign, complete with details of the different rewards available for each level of support.  This link will allow you to peruse the specifics of this year's schedule.  And, because who doesn't love trailers, here are the coming attractions:

The NW Film Center's Top Down rooftop cinema series kicks off on Thursday, July 26th at the Hotel deLuxe's parking garage (located at SW 15th & Yamhill).  The opening night film is Preston Sturges' 1942 screwball comedy The Palm Beach Story.

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