In August 2011, celebrations of the 100th birthday of the late great cineaste Nicholas Ray (August 7, 1911-June 16, 1979) will open at the Venice Mostra with the world premiere of the restored/reconstructed version of Ray’s experimental last film, We can't go home again.
Called by some a visionary masterpiece, and by others a fool’s errand, this controversial film embodies Ray’s last explorations in the medium that he called “the cathedral of the arts.” Along with its technical innovations unequaled even today, over 35 years after it was made, the film explores the face of a community at a critical moment in our cultural-political history and offers a searing portrait of the filmmaker’s soul.
The work of the film’s restoration is currently underway through the collaboration of the Nicholas Ray Foundation, the The EYE Institute of the Netherlands and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Film Archive. Thus far additional support has been provided by the Venice Mostra; RAI;Cinema; Gucci; The Museo Nazionale del Cinema, Torino, Italy; and gracious private contributors.
Accompanying the release of We can't go home again will be several other projects to conveying some of the depth and breadth of Ray’s talent, his unique contributions to the medium of moving pictures, and his significance as an artist, visionary, and teacher.
These will include:
