Ground-Breaking Films Of D.W. Griffith And Early Pioneers Return To NYC

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ “Monday Nights with Oscar®” will celebrate the motion picture highlights and advances of 1908, D.W. Griffith’s first year as a director, with the presentation of “A Century Ago: The Films of 1908,” on Monday, April 20, at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy Theater in New York City.

“A Century Ago” will sample the year’s entertainment and artistic achievements with screenings of such films as Biograph’s “After Many Years,” in which new director Griffith experiments with parallel cutting and camera movement; Vitagraph’s trick film “The Thieving Hand”; Gaumont’s sensational “Fantasmagorie,” animated by Émile Cohl; and one of the earliest Italian productions “Le Farfalle” (“Butterflies”), presented from a hand-tinted print.

Hosted by the Academy’s Director of Educational Programs and Special Projects Randy Haberkamp, the evening will feature live musical accompaniment by Michael Mortilla.

Most films will be screened from 35mm prints drawn from the collections of the Academy Film Archive, the Library of Congress, and the UCLA Film & Television Archive, among others.

Tickets for “A Century Ago: Films of 1908” are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. Tickets may be purchased online at www.oscars.org or by mail (a printable order form is available in the Events & Exhibitions section of the Web site (see Venues & Ticket Information). Tickets may also be purchased at the box office on the night of the event (subject to availability). The box office opens at 6:30 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m. All seating is unreserved. For more information, call (212) 821-9251.

The Academy Theater is located at 111 East 59th Street in New York City.

Photo courtesy of the Margaret Herrick Library.

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