The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress, The City, and The Cummington Story

The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress
1944, directed by William Wyler
Cinematography by William Wyler, with combat footage by William Clothier
Wyler, a member of the First Motion Picture Unit of the U.S. Army Air Corps, flew with the crew of the Memphis Belle on the B-17 bomber’s 25th and final mission, a dangerous daytime raid on the submarine pens in Wilhelmshafen, Germany. His documentary made use of handheld 16mm and 35mm cameras inside the plane to dramatically convey the crew’s perspective. The film also combines footage from several of the Belle’s earlier missions to tell the story of ordinary American boys doing a tough job.
43 minutes, black and white

and

The City
1939, directed by Willard Van Dyke
and Ralph Steiner
Film score by Aaron Copland
This documentary commissioned for the 1939 World’s Fair dramatically portrays the growing ills of industrialization and seeks a modern utopian version of old and true American ways of life. Copland’s first soundtrack juxtaposes the simple spirit of rural America with a driving cityscape of steel mills, traffic jams, and other assaults on urban humanity.
43 minutes, black and white

and

The Cummington Story
1945, directed by Helen Grayson
Film score by Aaron Copland
Commissioned by the Office of War Information at the end of World War II, and including a tender and moving score by Copland, this rarely seen documentary depicts a family of European war refugees beginning a new life in a small New England town.
15 minutes, black and white

All Film Tickets: $7