Denver's Mayan Theatre: Scorsese and Orson Welles Festival

There were two films in the caliber of greatest movies of all time screened at the Mayan Theatre in Denver this year. This came with the classic programming the Mayan has so dutifully gifted to Denver's film community. February, 2011 saw the Martin Scorsese Film Festival, screening a Scorsese classic every Tuesday and with March came the Orson Welles Film Festival. If you love film and can think of a better way to spend your Tuesday nights, then perhaps you best open your own movie theater.

The aforementioned greats from cinema's pantheon were Scorsese's "Raging Bull" and Orson Welles's "Citizen Kane." "Raging Bull" reassured the world of Martin Scorsese's creative genius. As the story goes, Scorsese nearly died of an overdose and Robert De Niro convinced him to pour his soul into directing the story of boxer Jake LaMotta. This masterpiece of black and white bliss, carried on the backs of De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Cathy Moriarty like crosses, screams redemption in every raw moment.

Alex Trebek: "Deep Focus, nonlinear narrative and the low-angle shot." Winning Jeopardy Contestant: "What are things that "Citizen Kane" permanently ingrained in the cinematic lexicon?" More than that, Orson Welles formed a language of film that is largely taken for granted in filmmaking today, at least in the U.S. RKO Pictures gave Welles unprecedented creative control; a first time film director's wet dream. This towering piece of celluloid has been known to bore people to death, but taken in proper historical and cinematic context is life-changing. "Citizen Kane" was "The Social Network" of its day, but a thousand fold in its influence and depth.

To carry on about "Raging Bull" and "Citizen Kane" wouldn't do these directors justice. For the Scorsese Festival, The Mayan also screened, "Mean Streets," "After Hours," and "Goodfellas." It was particularly gratifying to join an audience laughing hysterically at Joe Pesci's ultra-violent gravitas, so as not to feel questionable about relishing it. A festival like this also introduces younger audiences to an earlier Scorsese, with films that didn't assume he is one of the greatest living directors.

Of course, in scouring interviews and commentary of both Scorsese and Orson Welles, one often retrieves fairly modest craftsman. At least in considering the respect such names command in mere mention. Orson Welles was forever shackled in trying to impress Hollywood, unbeknownst that he would become an entire chapter of film history. Included with "Citizen Kane," the Mayan's Orson Welles Festival screened "The Third Man," "Touch of Evil," and "The Lady from Shanghai." Welles starred in Carol Reed's masterful film noir, "The Third Man," but he directed and starred in "Touch of Evil" and "The Lady from Shanghai."

The Mayan ran two show times each Tuesday night, which ensured no excuses in perhaps seeing these films for the first time on the big screen. It most certainly was the Big Screen too, as the Mayan didn't reduce these films to their smaller screens upstairs. The presence of Scorsese and Welles command the big room.

What's in store for the big room next? Word is that the Mayan is going to hold a "Man with No Name" Festival in May/June. It's an absolutely definitive paradigm for remakes: if you're going to do a remake, it has to be as good, if not better than what Sergio Leone did with Akira Kurosawa. In a direct adaptation, Leone took Kurosawa's "Yojimbo" and made another masterpiece in "A Fistful of Dollars." The Mayan will screen the full trilogy, which also includes "For a Few Dollars More" and "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly."

Join the Mayan Theater in celebrating how Spaghetti Westerns made a real man out of Clint Eastwood. Until then, it's back to their regularly scheduled great programming.