Minneapolis, MN, March 27, 2012— The Walker Art Center presents Lawrence Kasdan: Rugged Terrain, a Regis Dialogue and Retrospective, from April 11-20, 2012. Six of the director’s films will be screened as part of the retrospective, including the area premiere of his newest film, Darling Companion.
A producer, screenwriter, and director, Kasdan has been a trailblazer across a wide range of film genres from drama to Westerns to science fiction. He wrote the screenplays for The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), as well as for many of his own films. He made his feature film directorial debut in 1981 with the film noir thriller Body Heat. His films include Westerns (Wyatt Earp, 1994) and melancholy comedies (The Accidental Tourist, 1988), though he is probably best known for his iconic college reunion ensemble drama The Big Chill (1983).
“Not just anybody can claim to have written for Indiana Jones and Luke Skywalker, painted an iconic portrait of the baby boomer generation at the crossroads of middle age, and filmed a couple of Westerns as fine as any made in Hollywood,” said Scott Foundas, associate program director of the Film Society at Lincoln Center, who will participate in the Regis Dialogue with Kasdan. “[Kasdan is] as much at ease in the old West as in the sometimes equally rugged terrain of suburban American domesticity.”
Unless otherwise noted, tickets to each film are $8 ($6 Walker members and students with valid ID) and are available at walkerart.org/tickets or by calling 612-375-7600. Tickets to the Regis Dialogue are $20. The Cinephile’s Package offers admission to all six films (including the premiere) plus the Regis Dialogue and is available for $40 ($27).
Regis Dialogue: Lawrence Kasdan with Scott Foundas
Saturday, April 14, 8 pm
$20 ($15 Walker members and students)
Over the past 21 years, the Regis Dialogue and Retrospective programs have brought some of today’s most innovative and influential filmmakers to the Walker Cinema to talk in depth about their work. This month, join Lawrence Kasdan in conversation with Scott Foundas, associate program director of the Film Society at Lincoln Center and a contributing editor to Film Comment.
The Big Chill
April 11, 7:30 pm
In Kasdan’s follow-up to Body Heat, a group of mostly successful college friends reunites after the suicide of Alex, the erstwhile star among them. Featuring a retro-classic ’60s soundtrack and powerful ensemble performances by Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, Kevin Kline, William Hurt, and Mary Kay Place. 1983, 35mm, 105 minutes.
Grand Canyon
April 12, 7:30 pm, free
A lawyer (Kevin Kline) is rescued from muggers by a tow-truck driver (Danny Glover), sparking a friendship that brings together an unusually diverse group. Advertised as “The Big Chill for the ’90s,” the film honestly confronts race and class issues in urban America. 1991, 35mm, 134 minutes.
Darling Companion
Area Premiere
April 13, 7:30 pm
Beth (Diane Keaton), whose marriage to Joseph (Kevin Kline) is disintegrating, forms a special bond with a stray dog she rescues from the side of a Denver highway. On a stay at their vacation home in the Rockies, her distracted husband loses the dog, and she drops everything to search for him. This comedy reunites Kline and Kasdan for their sixth feature, and completes a trilogy that includes The Big Chill and Grand Canyon. Cast includes Sam Shepard, Dianne Wiest, and Elisabeth Moss. 2012, DCP, 103 minutes.
Body Heat
April 18, 7:30 pm
A notoriously steamy film noir revival, Body Heat follows Ned Racine (William Hurt) and Matty Walker (Kathleen Turner in a career-launching role) as they plot to kill Matty’s husband. 1981, 35mm, 113 minutes.
Wyatt Earp
April 19, 7:30 pm, free
Idealistic tenderfoot, horse thief, gunslinger, embittered drunk, Dodge City marshal of lore—Wyatt Earp traces the long and turbulent life of its eponymous hero, with Kevin Costner in the lead. Also stars Dennis Quaid, Gene Hackman, Michael Madsen, Bill Pullman, and Isabella Rossellini. 1994, video, 191 minutes.
The Accidental Tourist
April 20, 7:30 pm
In Kasdan’s melancholy comedy, Hurt plays a writer of travelogues pushed further into emotional exile and a divorce after the tragic death of his 12-year-old son. An exuberant stranger (Geena Davis) pierces his apathy. 1988, video, 121 minutes.
Acknowledgments
This program is made possible by generous support from Regis Foundation.