In 2024, The West Orange Classic
Film Festival returns for its 18th season with a slew of
Oscar-honored dramatic films and hilarious comedy classics.
It all unspools from January 21
through March 3 in the town where Thomas Edison invented movies. The festival
offers cinema lovers a chance to experience their favorite films as they were
meant to be seen—on the big screen!
As a bonus, each film is accompanied
by an introduction beforehand and an interactive Q&A afterward by noted
guest speakers. There will also be fantastic raffle prizes available related to
the films being shown.
All film screenings take place Sundays at 2:00pm at the AMC Theatre in the Essex Green Shopping Center (495 Prospect Ave, West Orange) (There is no screening on Super Bowl Weekend – February 11th).
Tickets are $15.00 per screening and must be purchased in advance on Eventbrite.
January 21: Chinatown
(1974) with film historian, author, and critic Stephen Whitty. A private
detective hired to expose an adulterer in 1930s Los Angeles finds himself
caught up in a web of deceit, corruption, and murder. A seminal neo-noir
dripping with atmosphere.
Starring Jack Nicolson and Faye
Dunaway. Academy Award Nominee for Best Picture. 50th anniversary!
January 28: In the Heat of the
Night (1967) with film historian, professor, and filmmaker
Chriss Williams. African-American big-city police detective Virgil Tibbs finds
himself tracking down a killer in rural Mississippi, making both enemies and
unlikely friends as he hunts for the truth.
Starring Sidney Poitier and Rod
Steiger. Academy Award Winner for Best Picture.
February 4: Laurel & Hardy
at Work (1930-33) with film historian, author, and comics and
animation writer Paul Castiglia. Four beautifully restored and
hilarious Laurel & Hardy shorts featuring the classic comedy duo both on
the job and being "handy" around the house.
Featuring BUSY BODIES, HOG WILD,
TOWED IN A HOLE, and HELPMATES.
February 18: The Conversation (1974)
with film historian, author, and critic Stephen Whitty. A paranoid, secretive
surveillance expert has a crisis of conscience when he suspects that the couple
he is spying on will be murdered. Written, Produced, and Directed by Francis
Ford Coppola.
With Gene Hackman, John Cazale,
Cindy Williams, and Harrison Ford. Academy Award Nominee for Best Picture. 50th
anniversary!
February 25: The Quiet
Man (1952) with Author and Doctor of Letters in Irish Studies, Alan Delozier. After an accident in the ring, boxer Sean Thornton leaves
America and returns to his native Ireland, hoping to buy his family's homestead
and live in peace.
Chosen by West Orange Classic Film
Festival attendees in a poll of Irish-themed films! Academy
Award Nominee for Best Picture.
March 3: The In-Laws (1979)
with Pop Culture Connoisseur John Chasse. On the eve
of their children's wedding, newly-introduced in-laws Sheldon Kornpett and
Vince Ricardo become immersed in a series of wild and wacky misadventures that
just might get them killed before the vows are spoken!
Chosen by West Orange Classic Film
Festival attendees in a poll of classic comedy films! Watch for
legendary conductor Carmen Dragon leading the Paramus Philharmonic!
The West Orange Classic Film Festival is presented by the West Orange Film Society, part of the West Orange Arts Council, and is co-sponsored by the West Orange Recreation Department.
