The New Hollywood: An American Revolution

Following the success of centennial celebrations of Warner Bros in 2023 and Columbia Pictures in 2024, Sag Harbor Cinema turns its attention this summer to a filmmaking movement — not unlike the French New Wave — that determined great changes within the American film industry.

From July 7 through the end of the summer, the Sag Harbor Cinema will pay tribute to the transformative generation of filmmakers, whose creativity and vision shook up an aging studio system and brought to the American screens fresh ways to look at the country, new cinematic languages, and an empowered notion of the director.

The New Hollywood era was a veritable revolution fueled by a new generation of young, cinephile filmmakers that subverted storytelling conventions and brought production from Californian soundstages to gritty city streets and the American heartland, thus meeting the needs of a changing culture and its audience. Their cinema reflected youth, the spirit of the counterculture, and the unrest of the country.

Films by Robert Altman, Steven Spielberg, Brian De Palma, Joe Dante, John Carpenter, Martin Scorsese, John Landis, George Lucas, Peter Bogdanovich, John Milius and Francis Ford Coppola will be featured, with some late night screenings and special guests.

“Both “Jaws” and “Nashville” turn 50 this year. It seemed the perfect excuse to revisit this incredibly inspiring and creative moment in American cinema when a group of young writers-directors changed the rules and found new ways to speak of and to the complicated times in this country. In a certain way it correlates to the present. I also cherish the idea that some of our audience may never have had the opportunity to see these films on a big screen. That in itself will be a treat,” said the cinema's founding artistic director Giulia D’Agnolo Vallan. “Some of these filmmakers found their beginnings through horror and the drive-in circuit. That gives us an opportunity to do some late night screenings at the Cinema, which we have not yet done.”

The series will open on Monday, July 7, with a new 4K restoration of Steven Spielberg’s first theatrical feature “The Sugarland Express” (1974), which was described by Pauline Kael as “one of the most phenomenal debuts in the history of movies.” Starring Goldie Hawn and William Atherton as a couple on the run whose child is taken by the State of Texas, “The Sugarland Express” was the first collaboration between Spielberg and composer John Williams and was almost entirely shot on location.

Also screening in July are Brian De Palma’s adaptation from the Stephen King novel “Carrie” (1976) on July 18, and Michael Cimino’s war masterpiece “The Deer Hunter” (1978) on July 21. Special guests will include — among others to be announced — “Good Time,” “Uncut Gems” and the upcoming “Smashing Machine” director Benny Safdie who will join the cinema for a live introduction of Robert Altman’s “Nashville” (1975) in late July.

Among other films expected to be shown in the program are classics from the New Hollywood era including Spielberg’s “Jaws” (1975), John Milius’ surfing epic “Big Wednesday” (1979), Francis Ford Coppola’s early road movie “The Rain People” (1969) and a new restoration of “Apocalypse Now” (1979), John Carpenter’s futuristic urban western “Escape from New York” (1981) and David Cronenberg’s “The Fly” (1986) on rare 35mm — plus Peter Bogdanovich’s “Paper Moon” (1973), with real life father-daughter duo Ryan and Tatum O’Neal, as part of the regular Kids & Families programming.

For further information please visit sagharborcinema.org. Sag Harbor Cinema is at 90 Main Street in Sag Harbor.