Academy honors Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with NYC screening

Jan 10, 2008 by Ian Evans

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Monday Nights with Oscar® program will be presenting a special afternoon screening of King: A Filmed Record…Montgomery to Memphis on Monday, January 21, at 3 p.m. at the Academy Theater in New York City. Richard Kaplan, the film’s associate producer, will participate in a pre-screening discussion.

To date, the Academy Awards® ceremony has only been postponed three times. One such postponement followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968. Two years later, King premiered as a one-time screening event to benefit the Martin Luther King, Jr. Special Fund. The three-hour documentary consists only of newsreel and other period footage, from the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955 through the assassination of the civil rights leader in 1968. Nominated for an Academy Award in the Documentary Feature category, King uses no narration — only the speeches of Dr. King and dramatic readings that thematically bridge the sequences of actuality footage. Sidney Lumet and Joseph Mankiewicz directed the performances of such luminaries as Harry Belafonte, Ruby Dee, Ben Gazzara, Charlton Heston, James Earl Jones, Burt Lancaster, Paul Newman, Anthony Quinn, Clarence Williams III, and Joanne Woodward.

Shortened versions have been shown in the years since, but this special screening in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day returns the original full-length theatrical version to the big screen.

Monday Nights with Oscar is a monthly series showcasing high-quality prints of films that have been nominated for or won Academy Awards. Tickets for King: A Filmed Record…Montgomery to Memphis are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. Tickets may be reserved by calling 1-888-778-7575. Depending on availability, tickets may be purchased in person on the afternoon of the screening. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. All seating is unreserved. The Academy Theater is located at 111 East 59th Street in New York City.