2011 Summer Film Festival & Kick Off Contest! (Updated)

UPDATE:  This post was originally published on Thursday, May 12, and disappeared due to an issue with Blogger that affected content we posted at the end of last week. Because of the glitch, we are extending the Film Festival contest deadline to Monday, May 23. 

Please note, if you left a comment on this blog post last Thursday, you do not need to re-enter the contest. We have a record of your entries. If you didn't have a chance to enter before the Blogger outage, please review the rules and enter the contest below. Good luck!


Without further ado, the line-up for the 2011 HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival, presented by Bank of America...

June 20  ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST
Jack Nicholson leads a character-filled revolt against the evil Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher) at a mental facility. Directed with a sly smile by Milos Forman and based on the Ken Kesey novel, it is only the second film to win the top five Oscars. (1975, Saul Zaentz Co.)

June 27  THE 39 STEPS
Hitchcock’s early British masterpiece thriller stars Robert Donat as the resourceful man wrongfully suspected of a murder. While on the run, he gets involved with spies, a beautiful woman, and a music hall performer named Mr. Memory. Special thanks to the British Academy of Film and Television Arts [BAFTA New York]. (1935, MGM)

July 4  EASY RIDER
The iconic road trip film features Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper as bikers traveling from LA to New Orleans in search of America, a great rock soundtrack, an unforgettable cast of characters, and Laszlo Kovacs’ perfect cinematography on location. (1969, Sony/Columbia)

July 11  GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES
Bombshell Marilyn Monroe is gold digging (Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend) and gorgeous Jane Russell is looking for love (Anyone Here For Love?) on a ship to Paris in Howard Hawks’ sparkling, witty, and colorful musical comedy. (1953, Fox)

July 18  IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT
Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger are magnificent as a Philadelphia detective and a bigoted sheriff who work together to solve a complex murder in Mississippi. Earning the Oscar for Best Picture, the film was directed by Norman Jewison and features music by Quincy Jones and Ray Charles. (1967, MGM)

July 25  THE LADY EVE
Barbara Stanwyck is in peak form as a con artist who sets her sights on a clueless brewery heir, played hilariously by Henry Fonda. With sophisticated dialogue, masterful direction by Preston Sturges, and an outstanding supporting cast, this is one of the greatest comedies on film. (1941, Universal)  

August 1  COOL HAND LUKE
Paul Newman plays Luke, who is serving time on a chain gang and refuses to buckle under authority. George Kennedy provides Oscar-winning support, and Strother Martin is the sadistic guard who utters the immortal line “What we’ve got here…is a failure to communicate.” (1967, Warner) 

August 8  AIRPLANE!
From the team who created The Naked Gun, this fast moving crazy comedy features Leslie (“Don’t call me Shirley”) Nielsen, Robert Stack, and Robert Hays who play it straight while the audience can’t stop laughing. Cameos by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Ethel Merman, and Barbara Billingsley. (1980, Paramount) 

August 15  HIGH SIERRA
Humphrey Bogart became a star in this momentous gangster movie, which started the world’s obsession with film noir.  Bogie is a doomed ex-con killer on the lam with a heart of gold and Ida Lupino is his moll. Deftly directed by Raoul Walsh and masterly co-written by John Huston. (1941, Warner)

August 22  DIRTY HARRY
Clint Eastwood is San Francisco Police Inspector Harry Callahan, who has little regard for rules but always gets results. On the hunt for a maniacal serial sniper, he uses his trademark intimidation and .44 Magnum handgun. Feeling lucky? (1971, Warner) 



Film Festival Kick Off Contest

Now that you’ve checked out the line-up, enter to win one of three Film Festival prize packages featuring

• Pair of reserved seats at the movie of your choice in the park, and

• Tote bag of HBO-themed swag including one of the following DVD sets:

• Curb Your Enthusiasm: Seasons 1 – 7

• Entourage: Seasons 1 – 6

• True Blood: Seasons 1 & 2

To enter, leave a comment here and tell us which film you’re most excited to see at the park this summer. For extra entries do one or both of the following and tell us about it in your comment below:

- Like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/BryantParkNYC
- Follow us on Twitter @BryantParkNYC (tweet @ us with #BPFilmFest and we'll follow you back!)

You'll get an extra entry per item. We believe in the honor code!

The contest will close at 11:59pm on Monday, May 23 and three winners will be announced shortly after.

See you at the movies!