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Harvard Film Archive
Rating Details »
Neighborhood: Harvard Square
24 Quincy Street
Cambridge, MA 02238
(617) 495-4700
24 Quincy Street
Cambridge, MA 02238
(617) 495-4700
- Nearest Transit:
-
Harvard (Red)
- Good for Kids:
- No
25 reviews for Harvard Film Archive
I used to intern at the Archive - stacking and organizing the films, reference books, etc -- and one of the perks was seeing free film screenings at the Harvard Film Archive.
If you love film, especially old and classic films that are a bit tricky to see nowadays in a big theater -- at least amidst the dancing chihuahuas and blonde la di da's -- then you should definitely make a trip. Afterwards, there's always somewhere to go or something to do in Harvard Square. Or you can just wander the streets. Wandering is fun...
All the people I worked with were incredibly considerate and fun...none of that "Oh, this is Haaaarvard" bs...
One thing, there was no eating allowed in the Screenings. Make sure to eat beforehand...or plan to go out afterwards.
Good place to see old films - but october 09 - and no vintage horror flicks - what's wrong with that picture !
Seeing The Wild Bunch here last night made me wonder, "Why haven't I been here before?"
It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. There are some great people watching opportunities, and the conversations in the audience before the movie starts will either keep you entertained, or make you want to bang your head against the back of your chair.
It's a neat place and a nice way to spend an evening, do something a little out of the ordinary. Don't worry if you're not a Film Person, they seem to have a good mix of things for film aficionados and the rest of us mortals.
I do wish they would let you have a snack or something in there, though. Next time, I'll eat beforehand.
Facility + services + free film screenings + great all purpose spot = 100 bajillion stars*
Rude as fuck for no reason staff = 1 star
(seriously - if you don't want people to ask questions either redesign your website, keep the voicemail up to date, or don't list your gdamned phone number)
End of review = 3 star
*100 bajillion is a number. If you disagree I'll fight you.
I am just back from a (free!) screening of Antonioni's L'Eclisse. Aside from the Russians whispering behind me during the whole damned film, despite my patented turn-and-glare, it was glorious. It's Antonioni! And last week I saw Battleship Potempkin! Can my life get any better?
Maybe.
But not likely.
HFA shows all kinds of things, from old-school classic to of-the-moment avant-garde. Hyphens are important in these things. But yes. Some things I have heard exactly nothing of, and are probably even too pretentious for my tastes, but that's why I live here: I seem salt-of-the-earth by comparison. In any event, highly recommended if your taste in film is elevated beyond, oh, say, "Rambo, Part 55531240."
Independent Week? I'm there!
I couldn't have been more impressed with how this theater goes about film. We received a heartfelt introduction from a film professor about love and film and what it means to him.
The movie did start late, but this isn't your typical cinema. This is about art and an experience. The atmosphere is relaxed and personable.
I am a little disappointed that you can't bring in candy. :( I don't care how much of a film snob I can be, I have a giant sweet tooth that demands its needs are met.
The other excellent place to catch a classic film in Harvard Sq. While this place has none of the charm of the Brattle Theater, it does have a better sound and projection system -- while retaining the unfriendly-to-the-ass-and-back seats. Another plus here is that you'll sometimes get the filmmaker in attendence to do a Q&A about the movie afterward or, if it's a silent film you might get treated to live music accompaniment.
The selection here isn't nearly as ecclectic as the Brattle or Coolidge Corner (I don't think you're going to be seeing a zombie flick marathon here anytime soon), but for a film afficianado their schedule can be just as rewarding. Obscure, lesser-known filmmakers and hard-to-find, rare prints are the house specialty here. So you'll enjoy yourself and yeah, you just might learn something.
Scenes from the Harvard Film Archive ...
(Scene 1)
Harvard Undergrad: So, Ethan Hawke, what was it like portraying Hamlet?
Ethan Hawke: Ummmm, it was like, pretty cool.
HU: What was the most interesting aspect of this most recent film adaptation?
EH: It was set in New York, which I thought was pretty cool.
HU: What steps did you take to prepare for the role?
EH: Ummm, I watched the Mel Gibson version. Mel Gibson is pretty cool.
(Scene 2)
Me: What's this film called again?
My Date: Ludwig-Requiem for a Virgin King
Me: Is Ludwig the dwarf doing the cartwheels?
MD: I think he's the one in the robes behind the naked opera singer holding the candle.
Me: What does the motorcycle represent again?
(Scene 3)
Room Mate: The 70s is when the split screen really came into it's own as a film technique. Andromeda Strain is a prime example. It's all about the split screen.
Me: Shut up and pass the popcorn.
Best place ever, worst place ever.
I've seen many a wonderful film here - and gone out to do the "Cantabrigian/Harvard-esque coffee-shop discuss the film with folks as though you were at a a Fellini festival" evening, and I've done the "why am I watching crapily edited bad French films with a bunch of ivy-league pissants?" evenings.... so, pick your movies and crowds wisely. You're either in for one hell of a treat, or your trapped here for 2-4 hours.
However, the best Saturday afternoon I have probably ever spent indoors (well, one that didn't involve a...oh, nevermind) was at the HFA listening to Chuck Jones. (The animator/voice for Warner Brother's gems like Bugs Bunny/Daffy Duck/etc.) It was a few months before he died, and he spent about 4 hours showing his favorite animations ("The Rabbit of Seville" was one, of course, but so was "The Dot and the Line," which I had forgotten about) and telling AMAZING stories.
Personal fav: turns out that the Warner brothers hated animation and animators, but knew they had to have an animation division to compete with Disney - so they kept the Looney Tunes squad in a trailer on the back lot. Jack Warner almost closed the whole production down one day when he realized that Looney Tunes was not the animation team that produced "that funny sounding mouse."
The theater was completely packed.
Seriously. Best Saturday afternoon.
As other people have said: very nice building. Not essential at all, but helps set a certain mood/atmosphere.
MAJOR plus: people don't eat food, as opposed to most of the other places (e.g. the Kendall Square Cinema is the best movie theater in Boston as far as new releases go, but more than half of the people will buy popcorn, which drives me nuts).
Film selection: Very good. Where else will they play Weerasethakul's shorts? (I still curse myself for missing his in-person appearance barely a week before then). Starting this week-end and through next week they are having some Garrel+Godard screenings which I will probably attend.
So even though Boston is not the best city for movies (definitely inferior to where I lived in France), it has a couple of good theaters, and the HFA is one of them.
The HFA is the best place to see films in Cambridge/Boston. Each month features a certain theme and then they show 1-2 movies every night that pertain to the theme. Perhaps the theme is the films of Bergmann or Renais or films based on Kafka stories or post-WWII Swedish cinema. Regardless the films you see there are always the most intruiging.
There's no place I would rather see a film. Tickets are $8 or $6 for students.
http://www.harvardfilm.../
This is so where the good movies are.
Plus the building is something -- designed by Le Corbusier.
The theater itself? The screen is pretty big and is reasonably high up. Other than that it is not so remarkable -- except the seats are set a little off-center. But you get to see obscure Georgian flicks made during Soviet days, so you can be a little forgiving.
This is truly a great place to see old films. There should be more like it someplace. I took a film course here a while back and got hooked. And I love the feeling when i come here and its packed. Some of the silent films are usually accompanied by a piano player which is great, i haven't seen that since MOMA.
In Harvard Square, culture lurks down nearly every cobblestone path. The Harvard Film Archive, tucked away on Quincy Street, is no exception. They do a great job of programing 16mm and 35mm prints of everything from classic foreign and hollywood films to more edgy contemporary work. Sometimes they invite filmmakers to talk about their movies.
This place is great! They have old movies, new movies, independant movies, forein films and documentries. My friend's dad works here and gets me in free, but the place isn't expensive at all.
Premiring dec. 16 is a film based on and filmed in moracco, by my friend's very own father! It will be great, as most of the movies they show here are!
Throwing mini-film festivals nearly everyday, the Archive screens everything from avant-garde classics to cutting edge contemporary work in a theater that that feels like Manhattan's Film Forum without the line and half the price. But the real gem of the Archive is the rare opportunity it presents for film lovers to scour their comprehensive resources be it films or secondary material. Set inside Harvard's Carpenter Center, the visual studies building that sticks out like a 70s piece of architecture in Harvard's otherwise idyll 18th Century setting, the theater is only part of a bustling arts space that on most weeknights tends to feel like a couples love boat attraction or a lonely hearts club with wide open spaces in between patrons.
amazing selection of foreign, independent, and art films...many that are very rare and not available on video...often when they screen a silent movie they have a live pianist accompany the film too!
close second to the brattle for best theatre in boston, as far as i'm concerned.
Fun vintage films on the big screen - hoorah! Fairly cheap activity for a night out in the city. I like even just looking through the films HFA offers, a lot of the stuff I never would have found on my own. I did wander around a little bit trying to find it the first time but it's well worth the wander. (-:
Great lectures, great programming, reasonably priced. A real treasure that metro Boston is very lucky to have. Rare film screenings are a real treat.
Big love for HFA. The most interesting, diverse selection of films that you probably would never otherwise know about or see.
Love this place. Between this and the Brattle, the Harvard area has everywhere else beat for movie houses. Ranging from obscure art films to Dawn of Dead (just shown last week) you never know what they are going to show next. Six bucks for students, 8 for the rest. Keep your eye out for what is playing. A great place for film buffs.
I finally made it to the HFA for the first time last week to watch 'Wall'. Although $8 is a bit steep for the uncomfortable seats, it's one of the very few places that shows obscure and independent films, documentaries and so forth. The selection is extremely varied so even if nothing looks appealing now, something will probably catch your eye in the future and it'll most likely be the only time and place you'll have the chance to watch it on the big screen.
There is always something playing here that I haven't seen before and I love their showcases. A true gem.
My favorite place to see films in Cambridge/Boston.
Nowhere else will you see an Eisenstein with live piano accompaniment by a Rachmaninoff trained pianist!
The HFA covers everything from Soviet-era musicals (they also used to have a really great 'Soviet Film Festival' but I haven't seen that on their calendar in recent years), Asian GLBT, French New Wave (but you won't just see the well known titles, you'll see lesser known but just as good films of the genre too), Chaplin, Bollywood, Brakhage, plus directors and film movements you never heard of but are usually quite happy you learned about.
As others have said, you will see some popular films and some really obscure films-- its all about that month's theme.
Most evenings have two features, and between the showings you can check out the art museum that this theater is set in.
Oh yeah, there's no snack bar (which I think is a plus), so you can sneak in whatever you like to munch on.
You may not like everything you see, but if you are interested in seeing films not shown in mainstream (or even other "art house" cinemas) theaters, this is the place to go. Think of it like,"Hey, I just saw some crappy tripe for $6- $8! But it was crappy tripe I would not have been able to see at any suburban cineplex in the country! Plus, I saved a few bucks..."
And that's the worst thing that will happen if you venture to the HFA.
I'm glad Harvard found something cinematic to heap their cash on. The Archive is never short of something interesting, and if you're lucky, you can always catch someone special (director, screenwriter, etc) in person. Plus, compared to eleven dollar multiplexes...wouldn't you rather come here?
