HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival Celebrates Its 18th Year, Kicks Off Tonight, 6/21

Once again, Bryant Park will be a destination for film buffs on summer nights in New York City, with an all-star legendary film line up for the 18th year of the HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival Presented by Time Warner Cable in association with the Bryant Park Corporation.

Continuing the popular tradition of presenting "stars under the stars," the free outdoor festival returns Monday evenings at sunset, beginning June 21 and running through August 23. The season kicks off on the first day of summer with GOLDFINGER, starring Sean Connery as 007 in this 1964 James Bond favorite. The festival's closing night film, BONNIE AND CLYDE, brings Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty together for the memorable 1967 crime drama.

Highlights of this year's festival include Mia Farrow in ROSEMARY'S BABY, Henry Fonda in 12 ANGRY MEN, and Best Actor Performances by Gene Hackman in THE FRENCH CONNECTION and Richard Dreyfuss in THE GOODBYE GIRL.

"This free, ten-week outdoor film series provides the ultimate setting for film lovers in New York City. Watching outstanding films under the stars, without cost, brings an inspired sense of community to the whole city," according to Harriet Novet, Regional Vice President, Public Affairs, Time Warner Cable's New York City Region.

"HBO is so pleased to once again be joining with Time Warner Cable in presenting the classics on the big screen. There is no better place for New Yorkers to be on Monday nights during the summer than in Bryant Park," said Bill Nelson, Chairman and CEO, HBO.

The films will be projected in 35mm onto a screen 20 feet high by 40 feet wide. Bryant Park is located at 42nd Street and the Avenue of the Americas. Snacks, meals, and refreshments are available at Bryant Park food kiosks and restaurants. Free bicycle parking is available in Bryant Park at 6th Avenue and 41st Street. Each presentation will show on Monday evenings starting at sunset. The lawn opens at 5pm. Classic animation provided courtesy of Warner Bros.

For more information, call the HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival hotline at (212) 512-5700. For film series information, visit the festival's website at http://www.moviefone.com/hbo-bryant-park-film-festival. The festival's website provided by Moviefone.com, AOL's premier source for film news, celebrity interviews, movie trailers, show times and all things cinematic.

THE HBO BRYANT PARK SUMMER FILM FESTIVAL 2010 PRESENTED BY TIME WARNER CABLE

JUNE 21 GOLDFINGER (MGM) Sean Connery stars as 007 in #003 of the James Bond series. Considered one of the best of all Bonds, it was loosely adapted from Ian Fleming's 1959 novel. The author visited the set, but unfortunately died before the film was released. The villains Goldfinger (Gert Frobe, a former Nazi Party member) and Oddjob (Harold Sakata, a 284 lb. Hawaiian and Olympic medalist) are two of our hero's most enduring adversaries. As for the ladies, Shirley Eaton is the beauty gilded to death; Shirley Bassey belts the title song and Honor Blackman gains immortality as Pussy Galore. (1964) 111 Min.

JUNE 28 CAROUSEL (FOX) "June is bustin' out all over" sings the chorus in this beloved (if darker than usual) Rodgers and Hammerstein collaboration. Shiftless carnival barker Billy Bigelow returns to earth from purgatory to right some of the wrongs done during his lifetime. Adapted from a 1945 Broadway triumph, the musical features timeless standards, with "You'll Never Walk Alone" topping the hit parade. Shirley Jones plays good girl Julie who is married to bad boy Billy. Tenor Gordon MacRae replaced Frank Sinatra as Bigelow, when Ol' Blue Eyes walked out. (1956) 128 Min. CinemaScope

JULY 5 THE FRENCH CONNECTION (FOX) Popeye Doyle (based on real-life character Eddie Egan) is a tough-as-nails, obsessive, foul-mouthed, racist, New York narcotics detective. Good cop/bad cop, all in one. On the trail of drug smuggling continentals, Popeye and his partner will get their men or die trying. The gritty, often harsh, crime drama won Oscars® and Golden Globes® for Best Picture, Best Actor (Gene Hackman) and Best Director (William Friedkin). It may be best remembered for a white-knuckle car/subway chase through Brooklyn and the phrase "Picking your feet in Poughkeepsie." (1971) 104 Min.

JULY 12 MY MAN GODFREY (Universal) During a scavenger hunt, a ditzy society girl finds a "forgotten man" in a garbage dump and hires him as her wealthy family's butler. He learns quickly how to "butle," but there's more to Godfrey than meets the eye. This brisk and breezy screwball comedy is laced with trenchant Great Depression-era social commentary. William Powell and Carole Lombard, divorced from each other three years before the movie was made, were both Oscar®-nominated. In 2006, Premiere Magazine voted "Godfrey" one of "The 50 Greatest Comedies" of all time. (1936) 95 Min.

JULY 19 THE CHINA SYNDROME (Sony/Col) Jane Fonda (ambitious TV reporter), Michael Douglas (scruffy cameraman) and Jack Lemmon (conscientious whistle blower) star in this topical suspense tale. What happens when the three good guys set out to expose an attempted cover-up of an accident in a nuclear power plant? The artifice of TV and journalistic integrity are subtexts, but "China" never loses sight of its thriller roots. Film was released just two weeks prior to the real-life disaster at Three Mile Island. Now that's scary. (1979) 123 Min.

JULY 26 MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (Python [Monty] Pictures) The irreverent, mad men of British TV made the leap to big screen comedy, without missing a laugh. King Arthur and his knights are on a quest for the ever-elusive Grail. Plenty of silliness, a couple of songs and some distinctive animation are encountered along the way. John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Graham Chapman and Eric Idle are those responsible for the hilarity. Gilliam and Jones co-directed and to quote their own tagline... "Makes 'Ben Hur' look like an Epic." Special thanks to the British Academy of Film and Television Arts [BAFTA] East Coast. (1975) 86 Min.

AUG. 2 ROSEMARY'S BABY (Paramount) After a young couple (Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes) moves into a gothic Manhattan apartment building (filmed at the famed Dakota), she becomes pregnant. An elderly neighbor (Oscar® winner Ruth Gordon) takes undue interest in her prenatal care. Beware of herbal drinks and chocolate mousse offered by little old ladies! From a bestseller by Ira Levin, here is psychological suspense at its best. Director Roman Polanski made a spooky horror film with no gore and no blood, except for a plate of raw meat. (1968) 136 min.

AUG. 9 THE GOODBYE GIRL (Warner Bros.) Richard Dreyfuss won an Oscar® for his endearing turn as Elliot, a struggling New York actor who finds himself saddled with two unwanted roommates... an unemployed dancer (Marsha Mason) and her precocious 10-year-old daughter (Quinn Cummings). It's loath at first sight for this odd couple plus one, but, as in all good romantic comedies, love conquers all before "The End." Neil Simon later adapted his wisecracking screenplay into a Broadway musical starring Bernadette Peters and Martin Short. (1977) 110 Min

AUG. 16 12 ANGRY MEN (MGM) Henry Fonda is the lone holdout on a jury during a murder trial. There are 11 "guilty" votes, but juror #8 thinks their verdict may have been reached in haste. Can he convince his fellow jurors to reconsider before passing sentence, as a man's life hangs in the balance? A kinescope version of Reginald Rose's economical script was made for TV in 1954. Fonda himself co-produced this expanded film version, which turned out to be an auspicious directional debut for Sidney Lumet. It remains compelling and provocative today, Your Honor. (1957) 95 Min.

AUG. 23 BONNIE AND CLYDE (Warner Bros.) Meet Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker. They rob banks. Explosive (if romanticized) crime drama, set during the Depression, follows the Barrow gang's crime sprees from Kansas to Texas. Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty were blessed with their juiciest roles yet, but Oscars® went to the cinematography and to supporting actress Estelle Parsons. A career launcher for Parsons, it also showcased another newcomer, Gene Wilder. Director Arthur Penn made his mark with one of the most influential movies of the 1960's and that legendary climax became the stuff of cinematic lore. (1967) 111 Min

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BRYANT PARK CORPORATION

Bryant Park Corporation (BPC), a private not-for-profit company, was founded in 1980 to renovate, finance, and operate Bryant Park in New York City. BPC is funded by income from events, concessions, and corporate sponsors, as well as an assessment on neighboring properties, and does not accept government or philanthropic monies. In addition to providing security and sanitation services, and tending the park's lush lawn and seasonal garden displays, BPC provides public amenities and activities, including movable chairs and tables, café umbrellas, restaurants, food kiosks, world-class restrooms, and a wide range of free events throughout the year. The Midtown park, conveniently located at 6th Avenue between 40th and 42nd Streets, is visited by over 5 million people each year and is one of the busiest public spaces in the world. BPC's website, www.bryantpark.org, provides more detailed information and a schedule of upcoming events.