Film historian David Thomson curates Money in the Blood, a month-long film retrospective examining the influence of classic Hitchcock films and their effect on cinematic taste (and tolerance).

Films screening at the Plaza Branch on Sundays at 2 p.m. include:

Psycho (1960) Get reacquainted with Hitchcock’s revolutionary masterpiece, starring Janet Leigh as an impulsive thief and Anthony Perkins as the owner/operator of the Bates Motel. Based on a novel by Robert Bloch. Rated R. (109 min.)

The Collector (1965) on August 8. A socially withdrawn butterfly collector decides to expand his scope, beginning a collection of human specimens. Starring Terence Stamp and Samantha Eggar. Based on the novel by John Fowles. Not rated. (119 min.)

The Birds (1963) on August 15. Bodega Bay residents are suddenly confronted with a malicious full-scale attack by birds of all shapes and sizes. Hitchcock’s purest expression of an arbitrary universe. Starring Tippi Hedren and Rod Taylor. Rated PG-13. (119 min.)

Blow-Up (1966) on August 22. A self-indulgent photographer inadvertently captures a murder on film. Starring David Hemmings and Vanessa Redgrave. Directed by Michael Antonioni. Not rated. (111 min.)

Frenzy (1972) on August 29. A sex criminal known as “The Necktie Murderer” is terrorizing London. In typical Hitchcock fashion, the police finger an innocent man who must prove his innocence by finding the real murderer. Based on a novel by Arthur La Bern. Rated R. (116 min.)

Films screening at the Central Library (14 W. 10th St.) on Mondays at 6:30 p.m. include:

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane (1962) on August 2. A macabre and eerie tale of a demented former child star living with her invalid sister, causing tensions that lead to murder. Starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. Not Rated. (132 min.)

Mississippi Mermaid (1969) on August 9. On a French island off the coast of Africa, a tobacco farmer is scammed by his mail-order bride (Catherine Deneuve). He travels to Paris to track her down, where the scam continues to play out. Based on a novel by Cornell Woolrich. Rated PG. (123 min.)

The Conversation (1974) on August 16. A paranoid surveillance expert (Gene Hackman) becomes obsessed with a wiretap conversation. With Harrison Ford, Teri Garr, and Robert Duvall. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Winner of the Palme D’Or from the Cannes Film Festival. Rated PG. (113 min.)

Fatal Attraction (1987) on August 23. Glenn Close is not the victim in this thriller, which sees her character transform from mistress to knife-wielding psycho stalker. With Michael Douglas. Rated R. (119 min.)

Psycho (1998) on August 30. A faithful reproduction of the Hitchcock original, with few embellishments. Starring Anne Heche, Vince Vaughan, and Viggo Mortensen. Directed by Gus Van Sant. Rated R. (105 min.)

Films screening at the Central Library (14 W. 10th St.) on Saturdays at 1:30 p.m. include:

The Nutty Professor (1963) on August 7. A timid chemistry teacher (Jerry Lewis) stumbles onto a potion that transforms him into a suave and smooth-talking Romeo. But then there are the side effects… With Stella Stevens. Not Rated. (107 min.)

Klute (1971) on August 14. Donald Sutherland is a P.I. in search of a missing scientist. During the investigation, he crosses paths with a call girl (Jane Fonda) who quickly becomes a target. Directed by Alan J. Pakula. Rated R. (114 min.)

Taxi Driver (1976) on August 21. Robert DeNiro stars as an alienated young man whose search for acceptance and companionship gives way to violence once he realizes that he only has himself to talk to. With Harvey Keitel and Jody Foster. Directed by Martin Scorsese. Winner of the Palme D’Or from the Cannes Film Festival. Rated R. (112 min.)

The Silence of the Lambs (1991) on August 28. A young FBI cadet looks to a locked-up psychiatrist turned serial killer for help in catching another killer. Starring Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins. Won the Oscar for Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Actor. Based on the novel by Thomas Harris. Rated R. (118 min.)

Jason Harper
Web Content Developer
Kansas City Public Library
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Acclaimed film historian and critic David Thomson speaks about the legacy of Alfred Hitchcock’s most important film, as detailed in his book The Moment of Psycho: How Alfred Hitchcock Taught America to Love Murder.

In the book, Thomson demonstrates how Psycho represented all America wanted from a film—and how it still does. He is the author of The New Autobiographical Dictionary of Film and Have You Seen…? A Personal Introduction to 1,000 Films.

The book will be available for sale.

RSVP for free admission here:

http://www.kclibrary.org/event/david-thomson-moment-psycho

Fringe Central is located at 1730 Broadway.

Members pay $10.00.

Non-members pay $20.00.

Ms. Levison is President of Business Strategies, a consulting firm that specializes in creating business plans for film and consulting on other aspects of independent filmmaking and distribution. Filmmakers at any level can benefit from this financing seminar!

Everyone at the Film Commission looks forward to seeing you there!

Gordy Hoffman has conducted screenwriting workshops all over North America, Poland and the UK. He recently taught screenwriting at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and the University of Kansas, and he’s serving as a panelist for the 2010 IFP Script to Screen Conference in New York City, as well as a judge for the 2010 McKnight Screenwriting Fellowships. He’s attached to direct CORDELIA, written by Melissa Brandt, a love story inspired by KING LEAR, and he’s writing a comedy set in the Gaza Strip. Gordy Hoffman founded the BlueCat Screenplay Competition in 1998 and remains its sole judge.

This workshop will consist of six writers each submitting a full screenplay to each member in advance of the workshop day, with plenty of time for each participant to read each other’s work. Gordy will also read the screenplays in advance and provide brief written feedback on each screenplay.

On the workshop day, we will go over each screenplay in depth, providing each writer with a constructive, specific reaction from the group on their current draft, as well as the suggestions on what they should address in the next rewrite.

Any questions? Email bluecatworkshop@bluecatscreenplay.com