Film Forum

Ah, the double bill! During Hollywood’s Golden Age – unless the feature was Gone with the Wind length – your movie ticket usually entitled you to see an “A picture” (bigger stars, bigger budgets) paired with a “B picture” (lesser stars, smaller budgets – but oftentimes the more entertaining part of the bill). In the Golden Age of the Revival Theater, double features of classic films – often of equal merit - offered three to five hour marathons to hardened buffs, who could plunge hip deep into a director’s or an actor’s oeuvre or a genre or a theme, or spend the intermission head-scratching over a particular combination. Younger moviegoers – grown up ordering tickets by smartphone – have missed all the fun.  Well, They’re Back!  Here are twenty-six classic pair-ups – all Two for the Price of One! 

EVEN MORE DOUBLE FEATURES IN OUR MARX BROTHERS FESTIVAL, SEPTEMBER 23-29. 

Reviews

“There are times when one plus one equals three — at least at the movies. Return of the Double Feature!, a 26-day retrospective series opening on Friday at Film Forum, offers proof...For cinephiles of a certain age, including [Film Forum Repertory Programmer Bruce] Goldstein and myself, the double feature was a way of learning — and thinking — about movies. The double features in the Film Forum series are variously linked by director, actor, genre or character. Mr. Goldstein calls each a “little crash course.” Return of the Double Feature! begins by pairing “Vertigo” and “Rear Window.” Both were directed by Alfred Hitchcock; each stars James Stewart, cast against type as something of a perv. Most important, both are self-reflexive movies beloved by cinephiles for their fascination with voyeurism, fetishism and other illicit thrills. To encounter these two for the first time at once could be a revelation...Such is the magic of the double bill. Showing movies in dialogue encourages them to talk to each other even as it allows them to speak for themselves.”
– J. Hoberman, The New York Times

“AN IMMACULATE SERIES! Both a gateway for young cinephiles and a chance for more veteran filmgoers to see that one classic still hovering on their to-watch list.” 
– Samuel B. Prime, The Village Voice

“A GLORIOUS TRADITION! Unplug from Netflix, kiddies, and go to see some real entertainment, all in air-conditioned comfort.”
– Robert Brenner, The Huffington Post 

“Three cheers for double bills. At a time when you can pay close to $20 for a single movie (along with half-an-hour of bad commercials and deafening trailers), it’s about time we remembered when theaters gave you more than your money’s worth.”
– Stephen Whitty, NJ.com

Films in this Series