In celebration of Columbia Pictures’ centennial, MoMA and the Locarno Film Festival present a series tracing the evolution of Hollywood’s scrappiest major studio. From the Oscar-winning breakthrough of Frank Capra’s It Happened One Night (1934) to the digital-age ambiguities of David Fincher’s The Social Network (2010), the 30 newly restored films in this program illuminate Columbia’s transformation from a “Poverty Row” outfit to a major industry force, highlighting how the studio balanced commercial imperatives with artistic ambition. Under Harry Cohn’s decisive leadership, Columbia came to prominence by fostering distinctive voices like Capra, Howard Hawks, and Budd Boetticher, while nurturing stars from Jean Arthur to Judy Holliday.
Organized by Dave Kehr, Curator, and Steve Macfarlane, Department Assistant, Department of Film, based on a program curated for the Locarno Film Festival by Ehsan Khoshbakht.
Film at MoMA is made possible by CHANEL.
Additional support is provided by the Annual Film Fund. Leadership support for the Annual Film Fund is provided by Debra and Leon D. Black, with major funding from The Contemporary Arts Council of The Museum of Modern Art, The International Council of The Museum of Modern Art, Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder, the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP), and The Young Patrons Council of The Museum of Modern Art.
