Museum of the Moving Image Honors Paul Williams, 1/25-27
Songwriter, singer, actor, and Tonight show favorite, Paul Williams was a cultural icon throughout the 1970s and 1980s. His remarkable career, including his recent comeback, will be showcased in a weekend retrospective at Museum of the Moving Image, January 25 through 27, 2013. Williams will be present for all screenings, including a new digital restoration of Ishtar (which was filmed across the street from the Museum at the Kaufman Astoria Studios), Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise, The Muppet Movie, and the acclaimed new documentary Paul Williams: Still Alive.
The hit songs that Williams wrote dominated the charts and became staples, including Three Dog Night's "An Old Fashioned Love Song"; The Carpenters's "We've Only Just Begun"; "Evergreen," from the Barbra Streisand version of A Star is Born; and "Rainbow Connection," performed by Kermit the Frog in The Muppet Movie. The diminutive star also appeared on the big and small screens, most notably as the villainous Swan in Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise (which he also co-scored), and he wrote memorable scores for Bugsy Malone and other movies. He is the subject of an entertaining and illuminating new documentary Paul Williams: Still Alive. Williams wrote a new song for the film, "Still Alive," which has received a Broadcast Film Critics Association nomination for Best Original Song.
"Paul Williams: Still Alive is a remarkably engaging documentary," said Chief Curator David Schwartz. "Not only does it remind us of Williams's ubiquitous and delightful presence on screen and his songwriting genius, it also captures his compelling and unique personality. We're delighted to have him as a guest at the Museum, and to enjoy some of his best movies, including the perennially underrated Ishtar."
SCHEDULE FOR 'Paul Williams,' JANUARY 25-27, 2013
Unless otherwise noted, film screenings take place in the main Moving Image Theater and in the Celeste and Armand Bartos Screening Room at Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35 Avenue (at 37 Street), Astoria, and are included with Museum admission.
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