Museum of the Moving Image Presents Wes Anderson Retrospective, Now thru 5/27

American director Wes Anderson has built colorful, beautifully realized worlds in his seven feature films, from his stunning debut Bottle Rocket to his latest Cannes Film Festival opening feature, Moonrise Kingdom. From today, May 18 through 27, 2012, Museum of the Moving Image will present a Wes Anderson retrospective including all of his features and the short Hotel Chevalier, as well as a special screening of Orson Welles's The Magnificent Ambersons-a film that inspired Anderson. Each screening in the series will open with a personal video introduction by Wes Anderson.

The series, Wes Anderson's Worlds, includes a special preview screening of Moonrise Kingdom, straight from its Cannes premiere. The preview screening on Tuesday, May 22, at 7:00 p.m. is open to Museum members only, courtesy of Focus Features. The film opens theatrically on May 25. Museum membership starts at $75 and in addition to access to Museum galleries, it includes free admission to the whole retrospective and over 400 films a year; more information is available online at http://movingimage.us.

"Wes Anderson's films may seem whimsical, like fancifully designed supertoys, but within the meticulously constructed worlds he creates, there is surprising depth and emotional resonance," said David Schwartz, the Museum's Chief Curator. "We are very pleased to give New York audiences an opportunity to see all of Anderson's films on the big screen.

SCHEDULE FOR "WES ANDERSON'S WORLD," MAY 18–27, 2012:

Unless otherwise noted, screenings are included with Museum admission and take place at Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35 Avenue, in Astoria. Online event info: http://www.movingimage.us/films/2012/05/18/detail/wes-andersons-worlds/

All films directed by Wes Anderson unless otherwise noted. Each screening will open with a personal video introduction by Anderson.

Rushmore
FRIDAY, MAY 18, 7:00 P.M.
SUNDAY, MAY 20, 4:00 P.M.
Dir. Wes Anderson. 1998, 93 mins. With Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Olivia Williams. Set to a British Invasion soundtrack, this wickedly brainy comedy pits an audacious beretwearing prep school kid against a deflated rich industrialist, competing for the love of a beautiful teacher.
Tickets for Friday evening screenings: $12 ($9 for senior citizens and students) and includes admission to the Museum's galleries, which are open until 8:00 p.m.

Bottle Rocket
SATURDAY, MAY 19, 2:00 P.M.
SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2:00 P.M.
Dir. Wes Anderson. 1996, 105 mins. With Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, James Caan. Anderson's debut feature and first writing collaboration with Owen Wilson is an absurdist caper that stars the Wilson brothers as a pair of pathetic attempted robbers.

The Magnificent Ambersons
SATURDAY, MAY 19, 4:00 P.M.
Dir. Orson Welles. 1942, 88 mins. With Joseph Cotten, Tim Holt. Welles's exquisitely beautiful adaptation of Booth Tarkington's novel about a family unwilling to change with the times was an important influence on The Royal Tenenbaums. Also part of the series See It Big!

The Royal Tenenbaums
SATURDAY, MAY 19, 6:30 P.M.
SUNDAY, MAY 20, 6:30 P.M.
2001, 110 mins. With Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Bill Murray. Anderson and Owen Wilson earned an Oscar nomination for writing this brilliantly self-contained comedy-drama about three gifted siblings.

Preview Screening:
Moonrise Kingdom
TUESDAY, MAY 22, 7:00 P.M.
2012, 94 minutes. With Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton. Courtesy Focus Features. Just days after it premieres as the opening night film at the Cannes Film Festival, director Wes Anderson's film Moonrise Kingdom will have a special preview screening exclusively for Museum of the Moving Image members. Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, Moonrise Kingdom tells the story of two 12-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing off-shore–and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in every which way. The film opens in theaters on May 25.
This is a members-only screening. Admission is free. Museum members may reserve tickets in advance. To find out more about membership opportunities, visit http://movingimage.us or call 718 777 6800.

Fantastic Mr. Fox
SATURDAY, MAY 26, 1:00 P.M.
SUNDAY, MAY 27, 1:00 P.M.
Dir. Wes Anderson. 2009, 87 mins. With the voices of George Clooney, Meryl Streep. Based on the novel by Roald Dahl. This family-friendly animation is about a crafty fox trying to reform his stealing ways, who finds his community targeted for death by three slowwitted farmers fed up with losing their chickens. Recommended for ages 8 and up.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
SATURDAY, MAY 26, 3:00 P.M.
SUNDAY, MAY 27, 3:00 P.M.
Dir. Wes Anderson. 2004, 119 mins. With Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Anjelica Huston. The Life Aquatic takes an often sentimental tone in its delightful tale of a famous oceanographer looking to get back at a mythical shark. With the idiosyncratic irony typical of his previous roles for Anderson, Bill Murray adds layers of depth as a postmodern Ahab.

The Darjeeling Limited
SATURDAY, MAY 26, 6:00 P.M.
SUNDAY, MAY 27, 6:00 P.M.
Dir. Wes Anderson. 2007, 91 mins. With Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman. No Anderson film so beautifully considers the complexities of sibling dynamics as this breezy, colorful, nuanced train ride through the bustling mise-en scène of India. Darjeeling is a serious/silly look at self-discovery and trying to hide in foreign places.
Preceded by Hotel Chevalier.2007, 13 mins. With Natalie Portman, Jason Schwartzman. A lyrical and poignant love story about an encounter between a man who lives in a luxury hotel and his former girlfriend.

Museum of the Moving Image (movingimage.us) advances the understanding, enjoyment, and appreciation of the art, history, technique, and technology of film, television, and digital media. In January 2011, the Museum reopened after a major expansion and renovation that nearly doubled its size. Accessible, innovative, and forward-looking, the Museum presents exhibitions, education programs, significant moving-image works, and interpretive programs, and maintains a collection of moving-image related artifacts.

Tickets for special screenings and events may be purchased in advance by phone at 718 777 6800 or online. Location: 36-01 35 Avenue (at 37 Street) in Astoria. Subway: M (weekdays only) or R to Steinway Street. Q (weekdays only) or N to 36 Avenue.

The Museum is housed in a building owned by the City of New York and its operations are made possible in part by public funds provided through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York City Economic Development Corporation, the New York State Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Natural Heritage Trust (administered by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation). The Museum also receives generous support from numerous corporations, foundations, and individuals.