Ambler Theater 35mm Film Festival showcases nine classic films with guest speakers and special events
by Wendy A. Maraska
This month, during the weekend of April 17 to 19, the historic Ambler Theater, a non-profit community arthouse theater, will host the sixth annual 35 MM Film Festival. This entails an extraordinary curated weekend of nine classic films including The Clock, Ed Wood, Merrily We Go to Hell, Daisies, Sabrina, Female Trouble, Underworld, Dames, and classic American film noir Where the Sidewalk Ends. Each film will be accompanied with an introduction and era-appropriate pre-show programming including shorts, clips, and other memorable bonus features.
This year, Ambler Theater is thrilled to welcome Turner Classic Movies host Alicia Malone as this year’s honoree of the Lou DiCrescenzo Cinematic Arts Award. Malone is an authority on classic, independent, and foreign films, and is passionate about supporting women in the film industry. DiCrescenzo is a renown film historian and archivist who donated his vast collection of antique film equipment, memorabilia and 35mm film to Ambler Theater.
Also presenting films this year is Hannah Jack, a professional writer for Turner Classic Movies whose eloquent introductions precede movies airing on TCM each week. Hannah has written introductions for films streaming on HBO Max and FilmStruck, as well as classic movies screened in theaters around the country as part of the TCM Fathom Events Big Screen Classics Series. Hannah will present the introductory and closing films this year,
Additionally, during the Sunday April 19 screening of Underworld (1927), Ben Model will present a live original score. Model is an American musician, historian, publisher, and presenter and accompanist of silent films who composes and performs organ or piano music for silent films. According to silentfilmmusic.com, Ben has created and performed thousands of live scores for several hundred silent films. Ben is a resident film accompanist at the Museum of Modern Art (NY) and at the Library of Congress’ Packard Campus Theatre, is a regular at festivals such as the TCM Classic Film Festival, Capitolfest and the Kansas Silent Film Festival, and performs regularly at historic theaters, museums, schools and other venues around the US and internationally.
The 1934 film Dames, will be presented by George Willeman, Nitrate Vault Leader at the Library of Congress.
Ambler Theater belongs to the Renew Theaters group, which includes three other member-supported theaters including Doylestown’s County Theater, the Hiway Theater in Jenkintown, PA and the Princeton Garden Theatre in Princeton, NJ. It opened on New Year’s Eve 1928 by its owner Warner Bros., with the movie Our Dancing Daughters starring Joan Crawford. The Ambler theater seats 1228 in its breath-taking Spanish colonial style architecture. Its impressive facade, grandiose auditorium, and multiple spacious lobbies provide an appealing setting for cinephiles and first-time theater goers alike, to enjoy first run and classic films from all ages of Hollywood film history
Event passes for Ambler’s 35 mm film festival are sold out, but individual tickets are still available. Additionally, individuals may join or renew their Ambler Theater membership to help keep great films in our community and support a cultural landmark. Theater members enjoy reduced admission prices and free admission to many special programs. Sustaining level memberships provide additional support to the theater and enjoy additional benefits. All membership levels are tax-deductible.
In addition to the 35 mm Festival, the Ambler Theater boasts several other appealing programming options throughout the year, including Hollywood Summer Nights, Retrograde (classic comedies/dramas from the 1980s and 1990s), $5 family matinees, and Reel Rebels: a year-long series featuring American and international films that showcase renegade characters including One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Cool Hand Luke, and Band of Outsiders, among others.
Ambler theater is located at 108 E Butler Avenue in Ambler, PA 19002.