Fathom Events had grand designs for 2020, but those plans ended early when a global pandemic spread far and wide last March. Things have been touch and go ever since, with theaters closing, reopening, and reclining across the nation for the past 9 months. Now, Fathom Events is ready to get back to providing classic entertainment as they have officially announced their TCM Big Screen Classics Series for 2021. This epic event will be bringing a dozen cinematic masterworks to theaters nationwide starting this January. And they are kicking it all off with the 1941 masterpiece The Maltese Falcon, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary.
Next year, film aficionados can enjoy a yearlong journey spanning nine decades of cinema history, through a dozen of some of the movie industry's greatest titles, as Fathom Events and Turner Classic Movies present the seventh annual TCM Big Screen Classics series. Featuring acclaimed films released from 1941 to 1996, and encompassing legendary dramas, iconic musicals, beloved comedies, a thrilling adventure, a stylish film noir, a stirring epic, a crackling mystery, and a suspenseful horror, the TCM Big Screen Classics series has something for everyone in 2021.
Each film is presented with pristine digital projection, movie-theater-quality sound, and in its original aspect ratio, as they were intended by the filmmakers. The TCM Big Screen Classics series is further enhanced with fascinating pre- and post-feature insights presented by popular TCM hosts, including TCM Primetime host Ben Mankiewicz.
- The lineup for the 2021 TCM Big Screen Classics series is:
- The Maltese Falcon 80th Anniversary
- Boyz n the Hood 30th Anniversary
- The Ten Commandments 65th Anniversary
- La Bamba
- Fried Green Tomatoes 30th Anniversary
- The Birdcage 25th Anniversary
- The African Queen 70th Anniversary
- Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory 50th Anniversary
- Citizen Kane 80th Anniversary
- The Silence of the Lambs 30th Anniversary
- West Side Story 60th Anniversary
- On Golden Pond 40th Anniversary
Since its start in 2015, the TCM Big Screen Classics series has proved to be an annual fan favorite. Many events in the series achieved rave reviews and were top performers at the box office. Said Fathom Events Vice President of Studio Relations, Tom Lucas.
"Year after year, the TCM Big Screen Classics series proves to be among our most requested programming. We are excited to bring another exciting line-up of films across a variety of genres - from comedies to musicals to award-winning dramas, there is something for everyone."
Said Genevieve McGillicuddy, vice president of enterprises and strategic partnerships, TCM.
"This year has shown us that watching movies on the big screen is not an experience to take for granted, and 2021's lineup of films has something for every movie lover,""We are prouder than ever to continue this partnership with Fathom Events to bring the TCM Big Screen Classics series to audiences around the country."
Tickets for The Maltese Falcon 80th Anniversary will be available beginning on Fri., Dec. 18 at www.FathomEvents.com or at participating theater box offices. For a complete list of events in the series, visit the Fathom Events website. Tickets for remaining titles will be available closer to the event dates. Please continue to check the Fathom Events website and sign up for alerts.
The movies coming soon to a theater near you in the TCM Big Screen Classics are:
The Maltese Falcon (1941) 80th Anniversary
DATE: Sun., Jan 24 & Wed., Jan 27
CAST: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Gladys George, Peter Lorre, Barton MacLane, Lee Patrick, and Sydney Greenstreet.
DIRECTED & SCREENPLAY: John Huston
A gallery of high-living lowlifes will stop at nothing to get their sweaty hands on a jewel-encrusted falcon. Detective Sam Spade wants to find out why and who will take the fall for his partner's murder. The film features an all-star cast, was nominated for three Academy Awards®, and has been listed in AFI'S 100 YEARS...100 MOVIES "100 Greatest American Films Of All Time."
Boyz N the Hood (1991) 30th Anniversary
DATE: Sun., Feb 28 & Wed., Mar 3
CAST: Ice Cube, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Morris Chestnut, and Larry Fishburne.
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY: John Singleton
Writer/director John Singleton's acclaimed debut is a graphic and powerful look at life in South-Central Los Angeles as a trio of young men attempt through different means to escape the violence-filled life of the streets. Singleton was nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay at the 64th Academy Awards®, making him the youngest person and the first African-American to be nominated for Best Director.
The Ten Commandments (1956) 65th Anniversary
DATE: Sun., Mar 28 & Wed., Mar 31
CAST: Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner, Anne Baxter, Edward G. Robinson, Yvonne De Carlo, Debra Paget, and John Derek.
SCREENPLAY BY: Aeneas MacKenzie, Jesse L. Lasky Jr., Jack Gariss, and Fredric M. Frank.
DIRECTED BY: Cecil B. DeMille
Filmed in Egypt and the Sinai with one of the biggest sets ever constructed for a motion picture, The Ten Commandments tells the story of the life of Moses, once favored in the Pharaoh's household, who turned his back on a privileged life to lead his people to freedom. In addition to numerous awards and accolades, The Ten Commandments also remains one of the biggest box office successes in cinema history (with theatrical sales adjusted for inflation).
La Bamba (1987)
DATE: Sun., April 18 & Wed., April 21
CAST: Esai Morales, Rosanna DeSoto, Elizabeth Peña, Joe Pantoliano and Lou Diamond Phillips.
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY: Luis Valdez
The life of Mexican-American rock & roll legend Richie Valens bursts across the screen in this celebrated, music-filled movie with star-making performances by Phillips as Richie and Morales as his half-brother, Bob. La Bamba, written and directred by Luis Valdez, depicts the 17-year-old's rocket rise to fame, as he fights family problems and bigotry, to become a recording star with a string of hit singles and a date with destiny. Fueled by Valens' hit songs performed by the Grammy®-winning Los Lobos, as well as classic '50s tunes, La Bamba recreates the thrilling early days of rock and pays homage to the enduring legacy of a remarkable talent whose music crossed all borders.
Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) 30th Anniversary
DATE: Sun., May 9 & Wed., May 12
CAST: Kathy Bates, Jessica Tandy, Mary Stuart Masterson, Mary-Louise Parker, and Cicely Tyson.
SCREENPLAY BY: Fannie Flagg (novel) and Carol Sobieski (screenplay)
DIRECTED BY: Jon Avnet
This inspiring drama was adapted from Fannie Flagg's best-selling novel "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe." When an unhappy housewife befriends a lady in a nursing home, she hears a remarkable tale of laughter, devotion, and a special friendship that defies all obstacles in this heart-warming film from acclaimed director Jon Avnet.
The Birdcage (1996) 25th Anniversary
DATE: June
CAST: Robin Williams, Gene Hackman, Nathan Lane, and Dianne Wiest.
SCREENPLAY BY: Elaine May
DIRECTED BY: Mike Nichols
A hugely entertaining remake of the 1978 film La Cage aux Folles, The Birdcage follows the tale of a drag club owner and his partner as they deal with their son's engagement to a conservative politician's daughter.
The African Queen (1951) 70th Anniversary
DATE: July
CAST: Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn, and Robert Morley.
SCREENPLAY BY: John Huston, James Agee, Peter Viertel, and John Collier
DIRECTED BY: John Huston
During World War I, the slovenly, drunkard captain of a steamer named The African Queen takes the prim sister of a British missionary to Africa aboard after invading Germans kill her brother. While she can't tolerate the captain's drinking and manner, and he can't stand her judgmental attitude, inevitably, their mismatched relationship turns to one of affection as they traverse treacherous waters. Arguably one of the finest films ever made, The African Queen also features one of the most legendary star pairings with Humphrey Bogart, in the role that earned him his only Academy Award, and Katharine Hepburn in this timeless tale of opposites attracting.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) 50th Anniversary
DATE: August
CAST: Gene Wilder, Jack Albertson, Peter Ostrum, Roy Kinnear, Julie Dawn Cole, Leonard Stone, Denise Nickerson, Dodo Denney, and Paris Themmen.
SCREENPLAY BY: Roald Dahl
DIRECTED BY: Mel Stuart
This treasured musical is a veritable OSHA "what not to do" lesson.... Based on Roald Dahl's cherished book, on a whirlwind tour of Willy Wonka's world of "Pure Imagination," an incredible, edible realm of chocolate waterfalls, Oompa-Loompas, and industrial-sized confections, a boy named Charlie discovers the sweetest secret of all.
Citizen Kane (1941) 80th Anniversary
DATE: September
CAST: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Everett Sloane, Ray Collins, George Coulouris, Agnes Moorehead, Paul Stewart, Ruth Warrick, Erskine Sanford, and William Alland.
SCREENPLAY BY: Herman J. Mankiewicz and Orson Welles
DIRECTED BY: Orson Welles
Orson Welles's first feature film, the innovative and precedent-setting Citizen Kane is considered by many critics, filmmakers, and fans to be the greatest film ever made. The investigation of a publishing tycoon's dying words reveals conflicting stories about his scandalous life. "Rosebud...."
Silence of the Lambs (1991) 30th Anniversary
DATE: October
CAST: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, and Ted Levine.
SCREENPLAY BY: Ted Tally
DIRECTED BY: Jonathan Demme
Well, well, well... In The Silence of the Lambs a fledgling FBI agent, Clarice Starling, enlists the help of Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer, in catching a serial killer named "Buffalo Bill." Released to great critical acclaim, The Silence of the Lambs became only the third film to win Academy Awards® in the "Big Five" categories: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
West Side Story (1961) 60th Anniversary
DATE: November
CAST: Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Rita Moreno, George Chakiris, and Russ Tamblyn.
SCREENPLAY BY: Ernest Lehman
DIRECTED BY: Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins
With music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics from Stephen Sondheim, this exhilarating ten-time Academy Award®-winning musical sets the timeless Romeo and Juliet tragedy in 1950. Two teenage street gangs, the white working-class Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks, face off in the slums of New York.
On Golden Pond (1981) 40th Anniversary
DATE: December
CAST: Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda, Doug McKeon, Dabney Coleman, and William Lanteau.
SCREENPLAY BY: Ernest Thompson
DIRECTED BY: Mark Rydell
One of the 1980s most honored and cherished films, On Golden Pond, follows the story of a prickly retired professor who visits his Maine summer home with his loving wife, their daughter, her fiancé, and his son. The cantankerous professor develops an unlikely bond with his grandson, providing the framework for an emotional summer. On Golden Pond is also one of the few movies to earn the nominations for the Big Five Academy Awards® (Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Screenplay).