On June 10, the Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) screened ‘Back to the Future.’ The ‘80s classic starred Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd as Dr. Emmett Brown. MoMI featured this movie as part of their “See It Big” summer series. The screenings started on May 5 and will end on July 28.
The museum’s “See It Big” series will screen classic movies. Curator of Film Eric Hynes, Associate Curator of Film Edo Choi, and Reverse Shot editors Michael Koresky and Jeff Reichert selected the films. They paid special attention to film history. Steven Spielberg’s Jaws (1975) had iconic, groundbreaking branding. It influenced George Lucas’ marketing for Star Wars (1977). The films were released in the 1970s and 1980s.
Movies include Jaws (1975, 35mm), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), The Omen (1976), Star Wars (1977), The Rescuers (1977), Blow Out (1981, 35mm), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981, 35mm), The Green Ray (Le rayon vert) (1986, 35mm), Beat Street (1984, 35mm), E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Risky Business (1983, 35mm), and Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). Back to the Future (1985, 35mm) featured science fiction and comedic elements.
In the film, seventeen-year-old Marty McFly is unintentionally sent thirty years into the past via time travel. His mad scientist friend, Doc Brown, designed the device. Marty interacted with his parents as teenagers and accidentally altered the past. This changed the reality that he once knew. As he attempted to fix his mistakes, he inspired confidence and bravery in his father. The film involved quirky, physical humor.
While thirty years in the past, Marty stood up to his father’s bullies. They chased him down the street. Marty borrowed a kid’s wooden cart and quickly turned it into a skateboard. He performed exciting stunts with the bullies just out of reach. At the iconic scene’s end, the bullies crashed into a truck full of soil. The dirt spilled onto their faces and car. Doc Brown’s humor delighted viewers as well.
In order to return home, Marty needed to meet Doc thirty years prior. In a medium shot, Marty knocked on the shed’s door. In a close-up shot, Doc peeked suspiciously outside. The film cut to a wide shot in which Doc slammed the door. He did not peer outside again until Marty shared a hilarious story.
In many scenes, Doc jumped up and paced throughout the room. He spoke about flux capacitors, electric gigawatts, and plutonium. His white hair stood up and he wore safety goggles on his head. Sometimes, he would run around and repeat Marty’s ideas. This occurred in hysterical medium shots, with Marty off-center. The movie had serious elements as well.
Marty’s father, George, courageously stood up to his bully, Biff. This scene occurred in medium shots in the school’s parking lot. Biff was not treating Lorraine nicely. When George saw this, he came up to the car and demanded him to stop. With some struggle, he punched Biff in the face. In a close-up shot, Lorraine stared longingly at George. The pair danced and kissed at the prom.
MoMi planned their Queer Cinema series as well. Author and critic Kyle Turner chose the following movies: Morocco (Josef von Sternberg, 1930), Rope (Alfred Hitchcock, 1948), Querelle (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1982), The Fly (David Cronenberg, 1986), The Watermelon Woman (Cheryl Dunye, 1996), O Fantasma (Joao Pedro Rodrigues, 2000), Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001), and Jennifer’s Body (Karyn Kusama, 2009). The films surveyed LGBTQIA+ history within motion pictures. MoMi planned Juneteeth presentations as well.
They will present The Watermelon Woman (1996), The Wiz (1978), and Beat Street (1984). On Sunday, June 18, a live performance will occur after The Wiz. Local dancers from the Edge School of the Arts and an African drum circle will showcase their talents.
