Essex County is full of culture — and that includes various entertainment events that happen throughout the year. The West Orange Classic Film Festival is back for 2023 — and this year the theme is “Fabulous Fables + Magical Myths”. The festival will take place on Sundays from January through March, and will be held at AMC Dine-In Essex Green 9 in West Orange. Read on for more details about The West Orange Classic Film Festival 2023.
The Details
The classic films will take place at 2PM on Sundays throughout the duration of the festival — which runs from January 8th to March 5th, 2023. There will be no screening on February 12th for Super Bowl Weekend. Each film will be followed by a discussion led by a local film scholar/critic, and the event is presented by the West Orange Arts Council.
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Tickets are $15.00 per movie and must be purchased in advance on Eventbrite here. Tickets will not be available at the theatre box office or through Fandango. All movies will be shown at AMC Dine-In Essex Green 9, located at 495 Prospect Avenue in West Orange.
The Lineup
January 8th: The Adventures of Robin Hood — This film is a swashbuckling, classic tale of Robin and his merry men who rob the rich to give to the poor, and features Errol Flynn + Olivia de Havilland.
January 15th: Abbott and Costello’s Jack and the Beanstalk — This classic fairy tale gets a comical workover from comedy legends Abbott and Costello. Lou plays Jack, while former heavyweight boxer Buddy Baer plays the giant. Meanwhile, renowned voice artist Mel Blanc lends his sound to various animals in the story. This restored version of the 1952 classic film will be presented in a new 4K version.
January 22nd: Yellow Submarine — This film is a 1968 animated jukebox musical comedy adventure film inspired by the music of the Beatles.
January 29th: Jean Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast — This film (also known as La Belle et la Bête) is a 1946 French romantic fantasy film directed by French poet and filmmaker Jean Cocteau. Beauty and the Beast is now recognized as a classic of French cinema.
February 5th: The 7th Voyage of Sinbad — Sinbad and his crew make landfall on Colossa and encounter Sokurah the magician fleeing a giant cyclops. This film was selected in 2008 for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.
February 19th: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory — Gene Wilder stars in a 1971 fantasy about an eccentric candy maker and poor boy who he introduces to the world of imagination, and candy.
February 26th: The Princess Bride — This film is a 1987 American fantasy adventure comedy directed/co-produced by Rob Reiner, starring Cary Elwes + Robin Wright.
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March 5th: Field of Dreams — Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella is inspired by a voice he can’t ignore to pursue a dream he can hardly believe.
