Sag Harbor Cinema will open its second exhibition for the yearlong retrospective, “The Worlds of Julie Andrews,” on Saturday, May 6, following a screening of Blake Edwards’s biting Hollywood satire “S.O.B.” in which Andrews plays a famous actress who upsets her virginal reputation by baring it all in order to save her (director) husband’s career. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Blake Edwards’s daughter Jennifer, who also has a role in the film.
In the vein of “Victor/Victoria,” which opened the cinema’s retrospective almost a year ago, this weekend celebrates the collaboration between Julie Andrews and her second husband, film director Blake Edwards. One of the great comic talents of American cinema, Edwards was known for his magic touch with actors, the flawless, stylized elegance of his films and his subversive, doggedly independent spirit.
The weekend will also include a May 7 screening of the director’s cut of Edwards’s cult western “Wild Rovers,” followed by a Q&A with film collector and historian, Bob Rubin. The film was originally cut by the studio in a major upset, eliminating 40 minutes of the running time and leaving only an action western — far from Edwards’s revisionist concept for the film.
The exhibit on the cinema’s third floor will illustrate the collaboration between Edwards and Andrews featuring annotated scripts, rare photos from the sets, sketches, correspondence and even art of other mediums, like Edwards’s sculptures used in “The Man Who Loved Women.”
“The artistic collaboration between Julie Andrews and Blake Edwards is one of the greatest in Hollywood history,” said Giulia D’Agnolo Vallan, the cinema’s artistic director. “Their love for film and its craft, as well as their understanding of the power of art to illuminate life’s complexities and absurdism, are a joy to experience in the seven films they did together. And we are thrilled to be able to offer — thanks to Ms. Andrews and her family’s generosity — a deeper understanding of their creative process through this new exhibit.”
Andrews and Edwards were married in 1969 and their collaborations spanned 40 years until his death in 2010 at the age of 88. Their work together included “Darling Lili,” “S.O.B.,” “10,” “The Tamarind Seed,” “The Man Who Loved Women,” “Victor/Victoria” the film and later the Broadway musical, and “That’s Life.” Their work and life together often led to interests outside the realm of film: Edwards encouraged Andrews’s passion for children’s literature, while Andrews encouraged his interest in sculpting and painting. Among Edwards’s collaborators was the composer Henry Mancini, who scored most of his films. His extraordinary body of work in film was acknowledged in 2004, when he was awarded an honorary Oscar.
This portion of the yearlong retrospective launches the finale of the cinema’s homage to Ms. Andrews and the collaborations of which she was a part. The exhibit will run through July 4, and will be available for viewing during the cinema’s normal operating hours.
Tickets for the screenings will be available on the cinema’s website, sagharborcinema.org. Sag Harbor Cinema is at 90 Main Street, Sag Harbor.