The HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival Kicks Off the 14th Season With 'THE BIRDS'

The HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival Kicks Off the 14th Season With 'THE BIRDS'

Citi Returns to Join HBO in Presenting Free Outdoor Film Series June 19 - August 21

NEW YORK, May 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Hitchcock, Bogart, Astaire, Hepburn, Grant ... even Stallone. It's an all star film legends line up at this year's HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival, presented with Citi, in association with the Bryant Park Restoration Corporation.

Continuing the popular tradition of presenting "stars under the stars," the free outdoor festival will return for the 14th season with screenings each Monday evening at sunset, beginning June 19 and running through August 21. This year's opening night film will be the 1963 Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece, "THE BIRDS," starring Tippi Hedren, based on the Daphne du Maurier story. The festival will end with the crowds cheering for the Italian Stallion when the 1976 favorite "ROCKY" is projected on the big screen, celebrating the film's 30th anniversary.

"HBO is proud to present some of our favorite movies and film legends this year on the big screen," said Chris Albrecht, Chairman and CEO, Home Box Office. "There's still no better place for New Yorkers to be on Monday nights in the summer than Bryant Park."

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. 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.

2006 THE HBO BRYANT PARK SUMMER FILM FESTIVAL PRESENTED WITH CITI

JUNE 19 THE BIRDS (Universal)

Underestimated when first released, this shocker (based on a Daphne du Maurier story) now stands alongside Alfred Hitchcock's acknowledged masterpieces. Note the Freudian undertones as a daddy's girl (Tippi Hedren) pursues a momma's boy (Rod Taylor) up the California coast. Things turn nasty for the human lovebirds when their feathered friends turn against them. The synthesized "musical" score is made up of birdcalls and flapping wings. Be prepared to duck and cover! 120 min. (1963)

JUNE 26 - TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (Warner Bros.)

Echoes of "Casablanca." Apolitical hero Humphrey Bogart helps out the French Resistance during WWII by smuggling human cargo. Sparks fly when Bogart meets Bacall (19-year-old Lauren in her screen debut) who gives him plenty of attitude and lessons in whistling. Their real-life love affair began on the spot. Based on a lesser Hemingway novel, the script was co-written by William Faulkner. Famed singer/songwriter Hoagy Carmichael provides piano accompaniment. Play it again, Hoagy. 100 Min. (1944)

JULY 3 M*A*S*H (Fox)

Robert Altman's raucous comedy is set in a medical unit (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) during the Korean War. Pitch-black humor and operating- room gore make a volatile mix. Counter-culture sentiments run rampant in the script by blacklisted Ring Lardner, Jr. who won an Oscar for his effort. Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould, Tom Skerritt, Robert Duvall and Sally Kellerman (as "Hot Lips" Houlihan) are collectively irresistible. A popular TV series followed. 112 Min (1970) Panavision

JULY 10 BULLITT (Warner Bros.)

Cool and charismatic Steve McQueen has the title role, the one that cemented his superstar status. He's a hardened San Francisco detective tracking the shooter who blasted a mob informer in his custody. The highlight of this spare crime drama is the legendary car chase that careens up and down the hills of Frisco. Not surprisingly, the macho star did not feel the need for a stunt driver. That's Steve in the '68 Ford Mustang. The bad guys drive Dodge Chargers. 113 Min. (1968)

JULY 17 THE BAND WAGON (MGM/Provided by Warner Bros.)

Fred Astaire stars in what many consider one of the greatest Hollywood musicals ever made. He plays a has-been movie star who tries to make a comeback on the Broadway stage. A difficult director with rampant artistic pretensions stands in his way. Comden and Green (authors of "On The Town" and "Singin' In The Rain") wrote it, Michael Kidd choreographed it, Vincente Minnelli directed it and Cyd Charisse got to dance with Fred. Now "That's Entertainment!" 112 Min. (1953)

JULY 24 HIGH NOON (UA/Provided by Paramount)

Retiring sheriff Gary Cooper is about to marry Grace Kelly in this lean, atypical Western. A vengeful gunman may be a wedding crasher, which could result in a shoot-out on Main Street preceding the reception. Will Coop survive to honeymoon with Grace? Soon-to-be-blacklisted screenwriter Carl Foreman etches a chilling (and then controversial) portrait of betrayal and American complacency. The Oscar-winning song "Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darling" is sung by Tex Ritter. 84 Min. (1952)

JULY 31 A SHOT IN THE DARK (UA/Provided by Sony)

Murder most funny. Peter Sellers is falling-down hilarious as the bumbling Inspector Clouseau who doesn't believe hot-blooded Elke Sommer could be a cold-blooded killer. Don't ask how these two turn up undercover in a nudist colony! This sequel to "The Pink Panther" is generally considered the best of the series. Blake Edwards handled the direction, Henry Mancini the music. The animated title sequence took on a life all its own. 101 Min. (1964) (Panavision)

AUG. 7 THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (UA/Provided by Sony)

Cold War intrigue, dirty politics, shifty Communists, assassinations, brainwashing, fanatical mother-love and a garden club lecture on hydrangeas ... this one has it all. The gripping thriller directed by John Frankenheimer builds to a shattering climax in the old Madison Square Garden. Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Janet Leigh (a rather goofy love interest) and Angela Lansbury (scary!) are the unforgettable stars. The film was suppressed for years after the death of JFK. 126 Min. (1962)

AUG. 14 CHARADE (Universal)

Some sinister types on the trail of a missing fortune are hassling poor Audrey Hepburn (a knockout in Givenchy) all over Paris. Suave-as-ever Cary Grant is there to help the damsel in distress. Or is he? Walter Matthau, George Kennedy and James Coburn provide colorful support. The slick, romantic mystery has been described as the best Hitchcock film Hitchcock never made. Music is by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer is the author of the Oscar- nominated title tune. 114 min. (1963)

AUG. 21 ROCKY (UA/Provided by Sony)

The Italian Stallion is still a crowd pleaser (and a contender) on his 30th anniversary. Old-fashioned Cinderella story gives lowly boxer Rocky Balboa a chance at the big time by pitting him against the heavyweight champ, Apollo Creed, in a bicentennial bout. Sylvester Stallone was a double Oscar nominee for writing and acting, putting him in the illustrious company of Charlie Chaplin and Orson Welles. He didn't pull it off, but "Rocky" was declared the Best Picture winner by unanimous decision. 119 Min. (1976)

Source: HBO

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

Web site: http://www.hbo.com/

-------
Profile: intent