ROLLING ROADSHOW TOUR TO PAY TRIBUTE TO SERGIO LEONE 'DOLLARS' TRILOGY WITH SPECIAL SCREENINGS IN SOUTHERN SPAIN PRESENTED BY THE MGM CHANNEL AND TEUVE
June 6-8 Event in Almeria, Spain Marks First-Ever
Rolling Roadshow Tour Held Outside the U.S.
Austin, TX April 18, 2008 The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema unveiled its plans today for the 2008 installment of the Rolling Roadshow Tour, the organization's annual traveling film screening series. This year's event takes place June 6-8 and will pay tribute to MGM's classic Sergio Leone “Dollars” Spaghetti Western trilogy, with screenings of Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, in Almeria, Southern Spain, the original location where all three films where shot. Leone's epics launched the career of four-time Oscar®-winner Clint Eastwood who set a precedent for the genre - and the generation - with his portrayal of the original anti-hero: “The Man With No Name.”
The Rolling Roadshow: Leone Edition is presented by The MGM Channel and Teuve in Spain. The screening schedule follows:
June 6: Fistful of Dollars
June 7: For a Few Dollars More
June 8: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
"For the past three summers, we have taken the Rolling Roadshow Tour across the United States, logging more than 30,000 miles traveling to the most famous movie locations in America," says Alamo Drafthouse Cinema founder Tim League. "This summer we are expanding the vision of the Rolling Roadshow Tour further than we ever imagined, to one of the most important cinematic locales of the 20th Century."
Admission to screenings are free to the general public and following each of the screenings the Rolling Roadshow Tour, The MGM Channel and Teuve will host a reception toasting Sergio Leone, a true maestro of cinema.
The Rolling Roadshow Tour
Every summer, the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema takes to the road, departing from Austin, Texas on a whirlwind tour, hosting free 35mm screenings of famous movies in famous places. Known as The Rolling Roadshow Tour, the organization has been to the Field of Dreams in Iowa to show Field of Dreams with Kevin Costner live in person, Devil's Tower in Wyoming for a screening of Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind and Alcatraz Island for a screening of Escape From Alcatraz.
The Leone "Dollars" Trilogy
In 1964, Sergio Leone, an assistant director of Italian "sword and sandal" movies traveled to the Almeria region of Spain to shoot a small film based on Akira Kurosawa's samurai adventure Yojimbo. The leading man was an unknown American bit-part television actor who at 34 years old was well past his matinee-idol potential. The film, was A Fistful of Dollars; the actor, Clint Eastwood. No one could have imagined the explosive force of this seemingly modest film. Sergio Leone is now considered by many film historians to be one of the most influential directors of all time. Few films have reshaped the visual style of cinema more than Sergio Leone's quintessential "Spaghetti Western" trilogy, and even fewer films elevate the filming location to the status on par with lead actor. Like John Ford's American southwest, Leone's Almeria region plays a vital role in shaping the emotion and spirit of his films. Leone's stylistic and graphic depictions of the Old West elevated a marginalized genre to an art form and influenced today's filmmakers.
About MGM Networks
MGM Networks manages Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.'s interests in MGM-branded networks, Hollywood film studio joint venture channels and other programming services spanning scores of markets across Europe, North and South America, Asia, Oceana and Africa. For more information, visit www.mgmchannel.com.
About Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., through its operating subsidiaries is actively engaged in the worldwide production and distribution of motion pictures, television programming, home video, interactive media, music, and licensed merchandise. The company owns the world's largest library of modern films, comprising around 4,100 titles. Operating units including Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc., United Artists Films Inc., Ventanazul, MGM Television Entertainment Inc., MGM Networks Inc., MGM Distribution Co., MGM International Television Distribution Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment LLC, MGM ON STAGE, MGM Music, MGM Consumer Products and MGM Interactive. In addition, MGM has ownership interests in international TV channels reaching over 120 countries and territories around the world. MGM ownership is currently as follows: Providence Equity Partners (29%), Texas Pacific Group (21%), Sony Corporation of America (20%), Comcast (20%), DLJ Merchant Banking Partners (7%) and Quadrangle Group (3%). For more information, visit www.mgm.com.
About TEUVE
TEUVE has an eight-year career in the Pay-TV sector including an important involvement in digital TV platforms by satellite and DTT (Digital terrestrian Television). TEUVE has grown to become currently one of the most importants providers in the Iberian Pay-TV Market available on the main cable and IPTV platforms. It produces and distributes ten TV channels as well as their linked services: TV on demand offer, mobile contains offer.
TEUVE is one of the biggest thematic channels producers in Spain; it produces six cinema channels (CINESTAR, EXTREME, DARK, MGM, SOMOS, CINEMATK y CANAL 18) and five entertainment channels (PACHA TV, NATURA, BUZZ, KIDSCO & TELECORAZÓN). All of them are in the different cable network in Spain and are available in 1,8 million homes.
About The Alamo Drafthouse
Founded in 1997 by Tim and Karrie League in Austin, Texas, the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema combines new release films, repertory programming and a variety of unique special events all under one roof, as well as full food and beverage menu served right to your seat. The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema was named the "#1 Theater in America" by Entertainment Weekly Magazine. Founders Tim and Karrie League will be travelling with the Rolling Roadshow to Almeria to host the Leone Edition of the Rolling Roadshow Tour.
If you are planning to visit the area and stay for a while in the Almeria region, contact Tuco Tours (http://www.tucotours.com), who offer tours of all of the Sergio Leone locations.
Rolling Roadshow media inquires please contact
info@rollingroadshow.comDetails, directions and FAQ are available at
www.rollingroadshow.com
Jaunted.com : The Pop Culture Travel Guide, just picked up the story about the Rolling Roadshow's journey to Spain on June 6-8. I really like the brevity and succinctness of their event summary:
A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS opens with a scene of "the man with no name" (Clint Eastwood) riding into frame and stopping for well water outside an adobe farmouse. On June 6, The Rolling Roadshow and a select group of Leone fans will be gathered around the very same well in front of that very same farmhouse to watch that very same movie. The farmhouse, pictured today to the left, is now the Cortijo el Sotillo, a charming boutique hotel. We have partnered with the Cortijo el Sotillo to present this free screening of A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, the opening film of the 2008 Rolling Roadshow Tour: the Leone Edition. Following the screening, attendees will gather at the same fireplace where Clint Eastwood so quickly "handles" Rojas men later in the film. The small hotel has only 20 rooms, so if you would like the rare treat of actually staying at the same lodging where Marisol was held captive, we recommend booking soon. Mention the Rolling Roadshow Tour and receive the promotional rate of 85€/night for a single room, 104€/night for a double room. Breakfast and taxes are included in that rate.
ROLLING ROADSHOW TOUR TO PAY TRIBUTE TO SERGIO LEONE 'DOLLARS' TRILOGY WITH SPECIAL SCREENINGS IN SOUTHERN SPAIN PRESENTED BY THE MGM CHANNEL AND TEUVE
You never know who you might run into at an Alamo event/Rolling Roadshow event. Just this month we had Steve Buscemi drop in for the Miller's Crossing Feast and Robert Redford came on opening day of The Unforeseen. My favorite surprise drop-in however came this weekend at the Big Lewbowski Rolling Roadshow. Austin musical luminary Jimmy Dale Gilmore made his first ever appearance at a big Lebowski event at Dart Bowl on Friday. He told stories about how he first got involved with the Coen Brothers as well as tidbits about his friendships with the rest of the Lebowski cast. Gilmore said he's been making music for 35 years now, and he has gotten more recognition and fame from his 2 minutes of Lebowski screen time than in his entire musical career. Take away from this guest appearance: you never know who might show up to a Rolling Roadshow. The safest bet - never miss a show.
