Lady in the Water + The Princess Bride

• Monday, August 25 at 2:00pm (Lady in the Water) + 4:15pm (The Princess Bride)
• Monday, September 1 at 6:00pm (Lady in the Water) + 9:00pm (The Princess Bride) – Q&A with M. Night Shyamalan after first film

Lady in the Water
M. Night Shyamalan, 2006, U.S., 35mm, 110m
Initially conceived as a bedtime story for his daughters, Lady in the Water marked M. Night Shyamalan’s most personal work to date—an unconventional passion project smuggled into a major studio movie that relocated the fairy tale from a distant kingdom to a modest Philadelphia apartment complex. When a withdrawn superintendent (Paul Giamatti) discovers a mysterious young woman (Bryce Dallas Howard) in the building’s pool, he and his neighbors gradually come to understand they are characters in a myth still unfolding. Shot by Christopher Doyle (In the Mood for Love) in soft, muted pastels that tether the fantastic to the mundane, the film blends mythology, absurdity, horror, and self-parody in unexpected rhythms. Shyamalan cast himself (not in a cameo, but in a central role) as a struggling writer destined to shape the future, cementing himself as a filmmaker unafraid to put his distinctive, sincere vision on screen, even at the expense of convention or commercial safety.

Followed by:

The Princess Bride
Rob Reiner, 1987, U.S., 35mm, 98m
Crossing swordplay and irreverent satire with unabashed sincerity, Rob Reiner’s The Princess Bride delights equally in its own construction and its belief in happily-ever-afters. Adapted by William Goldman from his own novel, the film moves breezily between comedy and adventure as a humble farmboy-turned-swashbuckler (Cary Elwes) faces giants, torture chambers, and a six-fingered nemesis to rescue his true love (Robin Wright). From the outset, it’s a story about storytelling that gathers a band of oddball characters for a collective quest and treats fairy-tale logic as a shared language for hope, transformation, and connection. Featuring Mandy Patinkin, Wallace Shawn, André the Giant, Billy Crystal, and more. “Anybody want a peanut?”