Courtesy of Rialto Pictures.

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NEW 35MM OF WINTER KILLS 

Sag Harbor, NY – Starting on September 15th, Sag Harbor Cinema will play Rialto’s re-release of the black comedy thriller, Winter Kills, which was screenwriter/director William Reichert’s directorial debut. The new 35mm prints, the first struck in over 40 years, were overseen by the film’s Camera Operator, John Bailey. Bailey went on to be the Director of Photography on Cat People, The Big Chill, and Groundhog Day, as well as the president of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences.

This thinly veiled and hyper-paranoiac take on the JFK assassination stars Bridges as Nick Kegan, scion of a fabulously wealthy and powerful family headed by patriarch John Huston (“the real delight of the film” — Canby, New York Times), as a character based on Joe Kennedy. Bridges soon finds himself going down multiple rabbit holes while trying to unravel the conspiracy behind the murder of a U.S. president, his older brother.

Winter Kills features an astonishing supporting cast that seems to parody the 1970s vogue for all-star epics like Airport: Anthony Perkins, Eli Wallach, Sterling Hayden, Dorothy Malone, Tomas Milian, Ralph Meeker, Richard Boone, Toshirō Mifune, and a wordless, unbilled appearance by Elizabeth Taylor, as a character inspired by JFK’s mobbed-up mistress, Judith Exner.

The story behind Winter Kills is as convoluted, mysterious and downright incredulous as the movie itself. The two main producers went bankrupt — one was later sent to a federal prison for drug trafficking, the other tied to his bed by a creditor and shot in the head — and production was suspended for two years while Richert raised the completion money.

Though critically acclaimed on first release — with a rave review by Brendan Gill in The New Yorker and two raves in The New York Times (by both Vincent Canby and Janet Maslin) — Winter Kills was dumped by its original distributor, allegedly because of its parent company’s investment in Kennedy family projects. In the early 1980s, Richard Condon, writer of the original novel (along with The Manchurian Candidate, Prizzi’s Honor, etc.), wrote an article for Harper’s called “Who Killed Winter Kills?,” detailing the film’s many behind-the-scenes intrigues.

SHC’s board member and former executive producer of programming for the Film Society of Lincoln Center Wendy Keys, who was a friend of Richert and championed the film, will introduce the 35mm screening on September 17th at 6pm.

Tickets for the screenings of Winter Kills will be available on the cinema’s website, sagharborcinema.org.

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Courtesy of Rialto Pictures.

WINTER KILLS

Dir. William Richert
USA, 1979; 97 mins, in English Rated R

This thinly veiled and hyper-paranoiac take on the JFK assassination stars Jeff Bridges as Nick Kegan, scion of a fabulously wealthy and powerful family headed by patriarch Huston (“the real delight of the film” — Canby, New York Times), as a character based on Joe Kennedy. Bridges soon finds himself going down multiple rabbit holes while trying to unravel the conspiracy behind the murder of a U.S. president, his older brother.

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As a not-for-profit 501(c)(3), community-based organization, Sag Harbor Cinema is dedicated to presenting the past, present and future of the Movies and to preserving and educating about films, filmmaking, and the film-going experience in its three state-of-the-art theaters. The Cinema engages its audiences and the community year-round through dialogue, discovery, and appreciation of the moving image – from blockbusters to student shorts and everything in between. Revitalized and reimagined through unprecedented community efforts to rebuild the iconic Main Street structure after a fire nearly destroyed it in 2016, SHC continues a long historic tradition of entertainment in the heart of Sag Harbor Village. SHC Members enjoy discounts on tickets and merchandise and have access to our member-only rooftop lounge, The Green Room. 

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