Though it's no "movie palace," Film Forum is a national treasure--one of the few remaining venues that will dedicate at least one of its rooms to a total immersion in repertory cinema. And the series that starts on Friday (1/28) and continues through 2/10, "NYC's Movie Renaissance 1945-1955" is among the most glorious examples of that unwavering commitment.

Consider the lineup that awaits the classic film diehard with sufficient stamina to sit through five films in a day (something that we've occasionally asked our loyal French noir fan base to do as well) with titles such as these (in order of their presentation on Friday):

FORCE OF EVIL
KISS OF DEATH
THE LOST WEEKEND
ON THE WATERFRONT
KILLER's KISS

Now that's what we call hard-hitting entertainment!

The series is based on the recent book KEEP 'EM IN THE EAST, by Rutgers University emeritus professor Richard Koszarski, who will be on hand to introduce two films in the series (ON THE WATERFRONT on Friday, and GUILTY BYSTANDER on Wednesday, February 2). Koszarski is the leading scholar on the history of film production in New York from the silent era to the lean years before MEAN STREETS, and his book is highly recommended reading. (There's even a rather anodyne blurb for it on the back cover by Eddie Muller--who does read this type of book, despite the "wise guy" image he likes to cultivate.)

The rest of the lineup consists of mostly lesser but notable films produced in NYC during the time frame, and (of course) is not solely restricted to hard-hitting drama and film noir:

THE NAKED CITY (including Bruce Goldstein's documentary)
SIDE STREET
THE HOUSE ON 92ND ST
PORTRAIT OF JENNIE
ON THE TOWN
LITTLE FUGITIVE
SO YOUNG, SO BAD
JIGSAW
BOOMERANG
GUILTY BYSTANDER
BOARDING HOUSE BLUES
CITY ACROSS THE RIVER
THE SLEEPING CITY
THE WINDOW
THE MARRYING KIND
IT SHOULD HAPPEN TO YOU
THE KILLER THAT STALKED NEW YORK
THE GLASS WALL
SOUNDIES: AMERICA FOR A DIME

Of course, some of these films were made mostly in Hollywood with location shooting in NYC, but why quibble with the always-galvanizing completism of Goldstein, arguably the most wide-ranging, indefatigable repertory programmers of the last half-century.

That's reflected perfectly in the last item on the list, which is a fascinating dive into the first incarnation of "music videos"--three-minute musical films delving widely into the popular music of the immediate post-WWII era. Historian Susan Delson has recently published a book about these films, many of which have been restored by the Library of Congress--a generous selection of these will be screened on February 10 as a most appropriate closing night show.

Here's a link to the FF descripton of SOUNDIES:

https://filmforum.org/film/soundies-america-for-a-dime-presented-by-susan-delson-nyc-movies

Anyone living within travel distance of Film Forum should make an effort to attend one of Goldstein's finest efforts (in a career studded with such)--it's clearly a total labor of love, and deserves the same from any/all devoted cinephiles.