Whether you’re a film buff from way back or a newcomer to the golden years of Hollywood, Dendy Canberra’s Hollywood Retro Film Festival has plenty to offer. Curated by film critic Margaret Pomeranz, it’s an excellent introduction to a range of movies, genres, directors and stars from the 1930s to the 1960s. There are plenty of omissions, but that only goes to show the breadth and depth of Hollywood movie making at its best.
The festival begins with 12 Angry Men (1957). This was TV director Sidney Lumet’s big-screen debut and was adapted by Reginald Rose from his TV play of the same title. The inspiration for numerous sitcom episodes since, it’s the story of a lone holdout on a jury who votes “not guilty” in a capital case thus forcing the other jurors to examine the evidence and their own motives more carefully. It’s an intense, well-acted drama mostly set in one room with a cast including Jack Klugman, Martin Balsam, and Lee J. Cobb.

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