The TCM Film Festival, to me, is a lot like Christmas: We wait all year for it, and it goes by too quickly.
For four amazing days every April, it is as close to cinematic heaven as to which a film buff is likely to get, and the film festival in 2012 was no exception. The Walt Disney Family Museum and D23 were on hand to put Disney in the mix of silents, film noirs, epics, and comedies that were being screened at the Chinese and Egyptian theaters.
The Film Festival's Theme
This year’s theme was Style in the Movies and more than 3,000 film fans from around the country and around the world converged on Hollywood to celebrate in style.
Special Guest, Kirk Douglas
On Friday afternoon, despite the pouring rain, fans stood in line for a screening of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea in the famed Grauman’s Chinese theater. TCM host Ben Mankiewicz was on hand and admitted to the near capacity audience that he was a bit nervous about introducing a special guest, actor Kirk Douglas. The crowd gave Douglas a standing ovation as he took the stage.
Ben asked him about the song, Whale of a Tale and to everyone’s delight, Douglas sang the first verse. The audience cheered and listened attentively while Douglas and Mankiewicz talked about Douglas’ role in breaking the blacklist during the production of Spartacus.
Saturday Breakfast Program
On Saturday morning, Spotlight pass holders were treated to a breakfast program co-sponsored by The Walt Disney Family Museum and D23. Director of the Disney Archives Rebecca Cline brought a model of the Nautilus and talked about the props used in the making of20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. She said it was difficult to find a prop that was easy to transport and easy to carry as most of the film's props were large and heavy.
J.B. Kaufman, staff historian for the Museum, talked about the making of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. "On the naming of the dwarfs, there was supposed to be one named Awful. According to the notes, he drinks, he steals and he is always dirty". J.B. also talked about the evolution of Snow White as a character. The pass holders had many questions for both J.B. and Rebecca--even long after th event had ended.
Analyzing Snow White
That afternoon, we attended the screening of Snow White again at Grauman’s. Leonard Maltin introduced Marge Champion and brought her on stage to a generous round of applause. Ginnifer Goodwin, the star of the TV show, Once Upon a Time, came onstage and talked with Maltin about her interpretation of the Snow White character.
It was the first public screening of the 2009 restored print and it looked absolutely beautiful on the big screen. The audience hissed and booed the queen and cheered the dwarfs on to rescue Snow White!
Our thanks to TCM and the Festival staff for another great year of participating in this annual event. We look forward to next year's TCM film festival!
Visit Us and Learn More About Disney’s Amazing History
Originally constructed in 1897 as an Army barracks, our iconic building transformed into The Walt Disney Family Museum more than a century later, and today houses some of the most interesting and fun museum exhibitions in the US. Explore the life story of the man behind the brand—Walt Disney. You’ll love the iconic Golden Gate Bridge views and our interactive exhibitions here in San Francisco. You can learn more about visiting us here.
-- Lynn Zook, Digital Archivist at The Walt Disney Family Museum