From the opening notes of the celebrated scores, to the roll of the ending credits, box office king Steven Spielberg’s films never fail to move audiences. On Wednesday, June 25, the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust will present Close Encounters of the Spielberg Kind, featuring eight iconic films directed by Steven Spielberg from the 1970s through the 1990s, all in the air-conditioned, mosquito-free, acoustically designed Edmond J. Safra Hall. Like E.T., we think that’s something to phone home about.
The free film series will run through Wednesday, August 13. All films will start at 6:30 p.m. Fabulous raffle prizes will be given away at each screening. Visit www.mjhnyc.org/spielberg for more information.
Whether the films feature lovable aliens, terrifying sharks, or epic struggles of survival, the films chosen all show the depth of Spielberg’s long and varied career. Featuring two films that garnered Best Director Oscars (Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan) and three that broke box office records (Jaws, E.T., and Jurassic Park), the series is a tribute to one of the best directors of all time.
All films are free and Museum admission is free from 4-8 p.m. on Wednesdays. Tickets will be available at the box office on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 4 P.M. on the day of each screening. Donations are welcome.
The Museum’s public programs are made possible through a generous gift from Mrs. Lily Safra.
Wednesday, June 25, 6:30 P.M.
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981, 115 min.)
Starring Harrison Ford and Karen Allen
Archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis do.
Wednesday, July 2, 6:30 P.M.
Saving Private Ryan (1998, 169 min.)
Starring Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, and Tom Sizemore
Following the Normandy landings, a group of U.S. soldiers goes behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action.
Wednesday, July 9, 6:30 P.M.
Jurassic Park (1993, 127 min.)
Starring Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Sam Neill
During a private tour, a theme park suffers a major power breakdown that allows its cloned dinosaurs to run amok.
Wednesday, July 16, 6:30 P.M.
Amistad (1997, 155 min.)
Starring Dijmon Hounsou, Matthew McConaughey, and Anthony Hopkins
This dramatic tale follows the 1839 mutiny aboard the Spanish slave ship, Amistad, that was captured near Montauk, and the complex trial that it sparked.
Wednesday, July 23, 6:30 P.M.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977, 137 min.)
Starring Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, and Teri Garr
After an encounter with UFOs, people around the country feel irresistibly drawn to an isolated area in the wilderness where something spectacular is about to happen.
Wednesday, July 30, 6:30 P.M.
Schindler’s List (1993, 195 min.)
Starring Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, and Ben Kingsley
In Poland during World War II, Oskar Schindler saves the lives of Jews by employing them in his factories.
Wednesday, August 6, 6:30 P.M.
Jaws (1975, 124 min.)
Starring Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss
When a gigantic great white shark begins to menace a small island community, a police chief, a marine scientist, and a grizzled fisherman set out to stop it. Join the action just in time for the TV sensation “Shark Week.”
Co-sponsored by the Young Friends of the Museum.
Teen Night
Wednesday, August 13, 6:30 P.M.
E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982, 115 min.)
Starring Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, and Dee Wallace
A troubled child summons the courage to help a friendly alien escape Earth and return to his home world.
Co-sponsored by the Museum’s High School Apprentices.
