Turner Classic Movies Film Festival 2023 – A Celebration of Cinema
TCMFF celebrated Warner Bros. 100th anniversary with several events honoring many of its classic films, filmmakers, and cast.
The word cinema is derived from the French word cinématographe, which has roots in ancient Greek. κῑ́νημᾰ • (kī́nēma) means movement. Add graphe and you have a phrase that was popularized by Auguste and Louis Lumiere, brothers who were forefathers of cinema. Their short films in the late 1890s and early 1900s are considered the advent of cinema. Storytelling transitioned from written and oral to visual. Few channels honor classic cinema as well as Turner Classic Movies (TCM) does. The Atlanta-based company was born in 1994 and has been celebrating movie magic ever since.
April 13th through 16th of this year, the 14th Annual TCM Film Festival took place in Hollywood, CA, where cinephiles communed at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Movies screened at nearby iconic venues, including the legendary TCL Chinese Theatre. With the theme of "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet," TCMFF celebrated Warner Bros. 100th anniversary with several events honoring many of its classic films, filmmakers, and cast.
TCM host Ben Mankiewicz was the official host of the proceedings and helmed many interesting conversations, including the opening night screening of Rio Bravo (1959) and a discussion about the rescue operation to save film with Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, two of America's most venerated filmmakers, Steven Spielberg and Paul Thomas Anderson, and Rio Bravo star Angie Dickenson.
On the last day of the festival, Mankiewicz introduced All About Eve, a film by his great uncle Joseph L. Mankiewicz, a figure whom he said loomed large in their family. The Bette Davis classic was glorious on the big screen, the actors and dialogue larger than life, and a true testament to the timeless nature of an eternally great film.
Every night had something special for movie lovers. On Friday night, there was an IMAX screening of Ocean’s Eleven (2001), where George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh joined Mankiewicz to discuss the high-octane remake. Earlier that night, American Graffiti (1973) was screened for its 50th anniversary with actors Richard Dreyfus and Candy Clark in attendance. There is absolutely nothing like seeing classic films on the big screen, where they were meant to be seen, collectively with other moviegoers. Most of the old-school actors, like Burt Lancaster, Humphrey Bogart, and Bette Davis, had real presence, which really comes across on massive movie theater screens.
On Saturday, film historian and author Donald Bogle were presented with the Robert Osborne Award prior to a screening of one of his favorite films, Carmen Jones (1954). On Saturday night, horror classic The Exorcist (1973) screened in the main theater and its insidious, chilling nature holds up. Oscar-winning filmmaker William Friedkin spoke with executive vice president, Library, Archive and Scitech for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Randy Haberkamp afterward, and though he looks frail, Friedkin hasn’t lost any of his sharp wit. While he recognizes the importance of The Exorcist in the cultural zeitgeist, for him the pinnacle of cinema was Citizen Kane. He said he's always aspired to have a film as great as that. He was being modest because The French Connection, The Exorcist, To Live and Die in L.A., and Sorcerer are considered by many to be groundbreaking and in a league of their own.
TCM hosts Jacqueline Stewart and Dave Karger and historian Luis I. Reyes also graced the stage for discussions about films that are important parts of cultural heritage - Enter the Dragon (1973), Beach Party (1963), Stand and Deliver (1988), and Hairspray (1988) are a few they introduced and had discourse about.
While those in attendance at TCMFF were mostly baby boomers, there was a sprinkling of Gen. X and Gen Z. Many were fans, some had family ties to the movies. Though the Hollywood area is a bit rundown, that’s somewhat fitting as a locale for the festival. It’s a mix of grit and glamour, just like the film industry. The restaurant in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, 25 Degrees, has one of the best burgers in Los Angeles and offered complimentary coffee every morning. There was plenty of TCM swag for sale and many tributes held in the Roosevelt’s Blossom Ballroom.
The official closing night film was The Big Chill (1983), with JoBeth Williams and Tom Berenger representing the film for its 40th anniversary. The closing night party at the Roosevelt was jam-packed with people networking and winding down from the exuberance of the festivities.
All-in-all it was a well-organized event that caters to film buffs. TCM also has a cineaste cruise that takes place annually. This year it sets sail November 6-11, from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada, Mexico on the Disney Magic. TCM is without a doubt a network that is the stalwart preserver of classic cinema.
Watch TCM Film Festival discussions here.
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Sonya Alexander started off her career training to be a talent agent. She eventually realized she was meant to be on the creative end and has been writing ever since. As a freelance writer she’s written screenplays, covered film, television, music and video games and done academic writing. She’s also been a script reader for over twenty years. She's a member of the African American Film Critics Association and currently resides in Los Angeles.
