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president
> Pioneers
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Distributor Is Sought for Ballet
Film Narrated by Princess Grace
Bj ioiin COCCH1
thi dance Among the lamed graduates "I
VI I IN MEETS MEDIA—Woody
Allen, left, with Eric Pleskow, president
of United Artists, met with more
[li. ii i 150 members of the nation's print
and TV media Friday (I) through Sunday
(3) on behalf of his new film "Annie
Hall." The writers, editors and critics
represented leading publications
and TV stations in the U.S. and Canada
and were guests at a preview of
the picture Friday evening (I). The
film, which stars Allen, Dianne Keaton
and Tony Roberts, is slated to open in
late April in approximately 25 key
situations around the country.
52,248 Film Budget Set
For Camden County Jail
CAMDEN. N.J.—An allocation of $2,-
75 was approved by the Camden County
Freeholders to rent 40 feature motion
pictures for showing to prisoners in the
ounty jail. Among the films that the inflates
will see are "Start the Revolution
Without Me." "The Black Windmill." "Diamoni.lv''
Boxcar Bertha." "The Take." "Hell
I
p in Harlem." "The Black Bird." "Black
Gunn," "Bite the Bullet." "Deep Thrust,"
Friday Foster." "Willie Dynamite." "Taxi
l)n\er." "Foxy Brown" and "Bucktown
SA."
Sheriff Thomas J. O'Rourke acknowledged
that the titles of some of the selected
Ims had caused him some concern. However,
he said, "that is what they like over
there and we have had good success with
Mgfphowing of films."
IC
ITC Films for Learning
Is Releasing Art Series
NEW YORK— Lord Kenneth Clark's
of Modern Painting." is now bens;
released as a 35mm color and sound
tilmstrip series for the educational and cultural
market by ITC Films for Learning, a
inewly organized division of ITC Entertain-
-jment, it was announced by Abe Mandell,
of ITC Entertainment, an ATV
iCo.
"'Pioneers of Modern Painting' is the
filmstrip series of our newly organized
division. ITC Films for Learning." said
"The series had had an unparal-
Icled record of success, as a series of speon
Public Broadcasting stations
and as
•' Ihnini series, subscribed to b> educational
i Jnd cultural
institutions."
M W YORK- "A very special film" is a
phrase perhaps too often used to describe
something a bit out of the ordinary, but it
does apply to "The Children of Theatre
Street." a really exquisite ballet film. It tells
of the training undergone by young students
at the Kirov Ballet School, also called the
Vaganova Choreographic Institute, in Leningrad.
Princess Grace appears in and narrates
the Mini for producer Earle Mack, a
New York financier and patron of the arts
responsible for the concept.
As yet without a distributor and available
in 16mm, the film will have a special
benefit performance, open to the public, at
City Center here May 9. Proceeds will go
to the School of American Ballet, founded
by George Balanchine, who will be present.
In the early '20s, Balanchine left his native
Russia after having been schooled at the
Kirov institute. Balanchine, who also founded
the School of American Ballet, once was
associated with the Ballet Russe de Monte
Carlo, which links him indirectly with
Princess Grace.
Devoted Ballet Buff
The princess, the former Grace Kelly of
Hollywood, is a devoted ballet buff and
agreed to participate in the venture when
Mack promised to donate part of the film's
proceeds to the Princess Grace School of
Classical Ballet (formerly the Monte Carlo
Ballet School) in Monaco and to other cultural
outlets. This is not her first professional
appearance since her Oscar-winning
days as an actress, because she introduced
the 1966 film "The Poppy Is Also a Flower"
in its TV debut. She will be honorary chairman
of the benefit May 9, although she is
not scheduled to be present.
Amy Phillips, an assistant to producer
Mack, said that the Novosti Press was instrumental
in getting the film (Mack's first)
under way. Mack is credited with being the
sole investor and with obtaining permission
from the Soviet Cultural Ministry to produce
a series of educational dance documentaries
which evolved into "The Children of
Theatre Street."
Dairy m pie Associate Producer
Associate producer is Jean Dalrymple. a
New York producer, publicist and author.
Artistic director and the supervisor of the
film's dance sequences is Oleg Briansky. a
ballet choreographer and teacher in this
country, Director Robert Dornhelm. one of
Austria's leading documentary filmmakers.
is well-known in Europe. The "stars" of the
film were chosen by the principals behind
the scenes and include Angelina Armeiskaya,
11. Alec Timoushin. 12. and graduating
student Lena Voronzova.
Theatre Street is the name of the street
on which the institute is located. The school
teaches subjects which ordinary students
would receive as well as intensive classes in
the school are Rudolf Nureyev, N i
Makarova and Mikhail Baryshnikov, regarded
as three of the world's greatest
dancers. Reference to them in the film's
narration caused a cooling of relations between
the Soviets and the American crew,
since the three are defectors and their attendance
at the school no longer is acknowledged.
Mack, who runs a construction company
in Secaucus. N.J.. intends to donate the bulk
of any profits on the film to the arts. The
well-known public relations firm. John
Springer Associates. Inc.. is involved in
publicizing the film, further proof of its
power. Talks with agents regarding regular
distribution lor the film have been initiated
and Mack hopes for a theatrical outlet as
early as June.
Universal Will Film 'Wiz'
In NYC Starting Sept. 30
NEW YORK—The theatrical motion
picture version of the Broadway stage hit
"The Wiz" will be filmed entirely on location
in New York City, with production
scheduled to begin September 30. Diana
Ross stars as Dorothy in the musical based
on "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," which
Sidney Lumet will direct. The film is a
Universal/ Motown production.
The announcement was made at the Astoria
Motion Picture and Television Production
Center at a press conference attended
by New York Mayor Abraham D.
Beame, Queensboro President Donald
Manes. Walter Wood of the Mayor's Office
for Motion Pictures and Television and
Sidney Lumet.
Said Mayor Beame: "We are grateful to
Universal Studios who will be producing
The Wiz' and we also offer our thanks
to Sidney Lumet, New York's own director
who has brought a lot of movie business to
New York City."
The film version of "The Wiz" will have
some members of the original Broadwav
cast in roles they created on stage.
Rob Cohen will produce "The Wiz." and
Ken Harper, who was producer of the stage
version, will be executive producer. Geoffrey
Holder, who directed and designed the
costumes for the Broadway hit. will design
costumes for the film.
"We have received outstanding cooperation
from the movie industry in New York
City and we look forward to the start of
production." said Cohen who produced
"The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars &
Motor Kings" and Universale "High
School." scheduled for release later this
\ear.
Joel Schumacher wrote the screenplay
for "The Wiz" and Tony Walton has been
signed .is production designer.
{li
BOXOFTICE April 18, 1977
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