Spring’s My Favorite Films at the Modern

Indulge yourself with a series featuring many of “my favorite films” including tales of romance, humor, suspense, satire, and heroism. The films in this series may hold special memories for you: no matter how many times you see them, they continue to draw you in. The series features films since 1945. While many of these films are available through streaming, it’s always more fun to see them in the theater.

Make a day of it at the Modern and include extra time to visit the galleries and our special exhibitions. Enjoy lunch in Café Modern and then settle in for an afternoon screening, or plan for a coffee break afterward with fellow film enthusiasts.

Screenings are at 2 pm most Wednesdays in the Modern’s auditorium. Tickets are $5 (FREE for Modern members), available at the museum’s admission desk or online at www.themodern.org/films.

Visit www.themodern.org/films for the ongoing schedule of film titles and dates.

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The Lunchbox
Ritesh Batra, 2013
April 3

A lonely housewife (Nimrat Kaur) decides to try adding some spice to her stale marriage by preparing a special lunch for her neglectful husband (Nakul Vaid). Unfortunately, the delivery goes astray and winds up in the hands of an irritable widower (Irrfan Khan). Curious about her husband’s lack of response, she adds a note to the next day’s lunch box and thus begins an unusual friendship in which two lonely strangers can talk about their joys and sorrows without ever meeting in person.

PG; 104 minutes; Hindi with English subtitles

La Belle et la Bête
Jean Cocteau, 1946
April 10

With its magical optical effects and enchanting performances by Josette Day and Jean Marais, Jean Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast remains the most surreal—and soulful—of fairy tale film adaptations.

93 minutes; French with English subtitles

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Richard Brooks, 1958
April 24

Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor are at the height of their glamor and acting prowess in this feverish adaptation of Tennessee Williams’s play, with a subtext of sexual repression providing an electric undercurrent.

108 minutes

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
Joseph Mankiewicz, 1947
May 1

Defying her conventional in-laws, a young widow (Gene Tierney) leaves London with her daughter and moves away for a quieter life in a secluded seaside cottage. She discovers the ghost of the dead former owner, a sea captain (Rex Harrison), is haunting the house, but gathers the courage to stand up to him, and the woman and ghost become friends. Faced with dwindling means of support, Lucy agrees to the captain’s challenge to write his colorful life story.

104 minutes

Buena Vista Social Club
Wim Wenders, 1999
May 15

An ensemble of aging musicians whose talents were virtually forgotten following Fidel Castro’s takeover of Cuba are brought out of retirement by Ry Cooder, who travelled to Havana in order to bring them together. This acclaimed documentary features triumphant performances of extraordinary music and resurrected the musicians’ careers.

G; 105 minutes

Some Like It Hot
Billy Wilder, 1959
May 29

After witnessing a Mafia murder, slick saxophone player Joe (Tony Curtis) and his long-suffering buddy, Jerry (Jack Lemmon), improvise a quick plan to escape from Chicago with their lives. Disguising themselves as women, they join an all-female jazz band and hop a train bound for sunny Florida. While Joe pretends to be a millionaire to win over the band’s sexy singer, Sugar (Marilyn Monroe), Jerry finds himself pursued by a real millionaire (Joe E. Brown) as things heat up and the mobsters close in.

121 minutes