Doctor Zhivago Brings His Bolshevik Revolution to The Valley

In addition to independent cinema, The Valley Film Festival loves, loves, loves classic Hollywood films! Even those, actually made in Hollywood. We just can't get enough. And, when these classics return to the big screen for one-night engagements, being able to see them as they were intended, makes the experience that much richer. 

Earlier this year The New York Times Film Club launched in both NYC and L.A., or, more accurately, The Valley! As their website states, "The NYT Film Club is membership-based club devoted to an audience that is passionate about movies." Memberships start at $100 and come with a load of benefits, including access to preview screenings and digitally restored classics fused with Intel technology.

VFF is excited to share that this members-only club has extended an invite to VFF filmmakers, friends & fans, to attend their upcoming screening of the 1965 classic, Doctor Zhivago, starring Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Geraldine Chaplin and a slew of other actual movie stars. Directed by David Lean, with a haunting soundtrack from Maurice Jarre, Doctor Zhivago won 5 of the 10 Academy Awards it was nominated for, and is a must see for movie lovers around the world.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

6:00-6:45pm Red Carpet Arrival/Reception

6:45-10:00pm Screening

Warner Bros. Studio

Burbank, CA

RSVP for you plus one guest at NYTFilmClub@nytimes.com. Please mention that you heard about the screening through The Valley Film Festival.

Canoodling in The Valley ~ Remembering Dame Liz Taylor (1932-2011)

We at The Valley Film Festival loved her in The Last Time I Saw Paris, A Place in the Sun, and BUtterfield 8, to name a few, and we really, really, wish we could brag to the world that Elizabeth Taylor attended school or lived in The Valley, but alas, we can not. Ms. Taylor was a West Side girl through and through.

Not one to give up, VFF dug deep into the Valley vaults and found the gem we were looking for: Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were regulars at El Chiquito Inn, across from Warner Bros. Wipe that smirk off of your face!  El Chiquito was not a pay-by-the-hour inn, it was a Mexican restaurant that served up fresh chili rellenos to Toluca Lake locals and studio workers. And since El Chiquito Inn opened in the 1950's and closed in the mid-1990's, we'd like to believe that Taylor & Burton's fondest moments were spent canoodling in the corner.

Now the Warner Bros. parking lot, El Chiquito Inn was located at 4211 Olive Avenue, near where Ciao! Christina stands today, and a few short blocks from local legend The Smoke House. Next time you're in the neighborhood, raise your glass and toast to Dame Liz. 

In the meantime, you can (re)discover her filmography on IMDB or Netflix and read all about her tireless efforts to educate & eradicate the world of AIDS via The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.