While Robin Williams (1951-2014) was best known for his dazzling comic improvisations, his film work showed remarkable range. On Thursday, July 9, Museum of the Moving Image will present a preview screening of Boulevard, featuring Williams in his remarkable final performance, as a quiet man whose life changes dramatically after a charismatic young hustler forces him to rethink his own identity. This special screening in advance of its theatrical release will be followed by a discussion with director (and Astoria, Queens native) Dito Montiel (A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints) in person. The Museum will precede this program, on June 27, with screenings of two additional films starring Williams in dramatic roles: Robert Altman's Popeye (1980) and Penny Marshall's Awakenings (1990).
Boulevard opens in New York on Friday, July 10 at the Sunshine Landmark theater. "In his finest roles, Robin Williams was able to convey a deep inner life and a wide range of feelings, and despite his high-energy persona, he could also work beautifully in a lower key," said Chief Curator David Schwartz. "In Popeye, he beautifully brings a comic-book character to life. Awakenings is one of his most finely tuned dramatic performances. And in Boulevard, which sadly became his final dramatic film, he touchingly and realistically plays a man who finds a new lease on life." Boulevard follows married but closeted 60-year-old bank employee Nolan (Williams) whose spontaneous turn down an Unknown street upends his monotonous life and crumbling marriage. After picking up a young hustler, Nolan finds himself on a journey of self-discovery and must confront the secrets he has kept hidden from his wife (Kathy Baker) and himself. Nolan's dramatic decision to rethink his own identity holds with it the promise of happiness and salvation for both he and his wife in this touching and inspiring film. From acclaimed director Dito Montiel, Boulevard features an ensemble cast that includes Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul) and Roberto Aguire (Struck by Lightning) in a breakout performance.SCHEDULE FOR 'THREE WITH ROBIN WILLIAMS,' JUNE 27 & JULY 9, 2015
All screenings take place in the Sumner M. Redstone Theater or the Celeste and Armand Bartos Screening Room at Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35 Avenue in Astoria, New York.
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