By Eli Wolfe
Interested in postponing the start of fall? Then indulge in some classic films at the (free) Endless Summer Cinema outdoor movie series.
Endless Summer Cinema, presented by the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive and the Downtown Berkeley Association, features two nights of free short movies and feature films screened outdoors on the Crescent Lawn at Oxford Street between Center and Addison.
On Friday, Sept. 27, sit back, perhaps with a blanket, to enjoy Philip Kaufman’s 1978 remake of the 1950s vintage science fiction thriller Invasion of the Body Snatchers, which tackled the perils of mass conformity. The newer film follows a health inspector (Donald Sutherland) who uncovers the existence of a growing species of “pod people” inhabiting the bodies of human clones hiding among us in plain sight. The movie was shot in San Francisco and, along with Sutherland, stars Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum and Leonard Nimoy. (115 minutes)
Come back the following Friday, Oct. 4, to see the bittersweet Hal Ashby romance Harold and Maude. The May-December affair between a suicidal adolescent (Bud Cort) and an optimistic septuagenarian (Ruth Gordon) explores love, life, death and friendship. As it was shot on locations around Berkeley and other parts of the Bay Area, filmgoers will get a kick out of the beautiful scenery and the Cat Stevens soundtrack. (91 minutes)
Film shorts and “other surprises” begin at 7:30 p.m. each night and the features start at 8 p.m. Patrons are encouraged to bring their own blankets and chairs, and arrive early and eat at one of the many downtown restaurants. Also, Bittersweet Café and Cakes and Purls will offer tasty treats and drinks on the Crescent prior to and during each screening.
For more information about the event, visit the Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive website.
Berkeleyside is proud to be the media sponsor for Endless Summer Cinema.
Check out Berkeleyside’s event calendar for more events, and make sure you post your community happenings there.
