FILM SCREENINGS

Before Winter Comes

1969. Great Britain. Directed by J. Lee Thompson. With David Niven, Topol, Anna Karina, John Hurt, Anthony Quayle. One of the aims of this series was to unearth a largely forgotten film or two in the Museum’s collection. While Thompson’s movie is not flawless—how credible is a romance between Topol and the exquisite Karina?—it does deserve to be brought out of mothballs. Niven plays a British major who reluctantly takes command of a displaced-persons camp in post-WWII Austria. The peculiar circumstances bring out a complex, compassionate, and mature performance. 102 min.