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119-535: The movie was released on the 2007 Sundance Film Festival . The movie follows a man's search for perfection in a world where life rarely measures up to the idealized images that constantly bombard us. Gary Shaller ( Freeman ), who gained commercial success in the past as the keyboard player in the band "On the One", is in a failing relationship with Dora ( Gwyneth Paltrow ), and working for his former bandmate Paul ( Simon Pegg ), writing and recording commercial jingles. Gary

238-475: A New York Film Critics Circle Award , and a Producers Guild of America Award , as well as earned his fifth and final Academy Award nomination for his performance. The FBI Story , in which Stewart portrayed a Depression-era FBI agent, was less well received by critics and was commercially unsuccessful. Despite its commercial failure, the film marked the close of the most commercially successful decade of Stewart's career. According to Quigley's annual poll, Stewart

357-573: A pulmonary embolism three years later. James Maitland Stewart was born on May 20, 1908, in Indiana, Pennsylvania, the eldest child and only son born to Elizabeth Ruth (née Jackson; 1875–1953) and Alexander Maitland Stewart (1872–1962). Stewart had two younger sisters, Mary (1912–1977) and Virginia (1914–1972). He was of Scottish and Ulster-Scots ancestry. The Stewart family had lived in Pennsylvania for many generations. Stewart's father ran

476-408: A Murder (1959) and the crime film The FBI Story (1959). The former was a box office success despite its explicit dealing with subjects such as rape, and garnered good reviews. Stewart received critical acclaim for his role as a small-town lawyer involved in a difficult murder case; Bosley Crowther called it "one of the finest performances of his career". Stewart won his first BAFTA, a Volpi Cup ,

595-642: A Wonderful Life (1946), Harvey (1950) and Anatomy of a Murder (1959). Stewart played darker, more morally ambiguous characters in movies directed by Anthony Mann , including Winchester '73 (1950), The Glenn Miller Story (1954), and The Naked Spur (1953), and by Alfred Hitchcock in Rope (1948), Rear Window (1954), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), and Vertigo (1958). Stewart also starred in The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), The Spirit of St. Louis (1957), The Flight of

714-487: A Wonderful Life (1946), the first postwar film for both of them. Stewart played George Bailey , an upstanding small-town man who becomes increasingly frustrated by his ordinary existence and financial troubles. Driven to suicide on Christmas Eve , he is led to reassess his life by Clarence Odbody , an "angel, second class", played by Henry Travers . During filming, Stewart experienced doubts about his abilities and continued to consider retiring from acting. Although It's

833-425: A Wonderful Life was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Stewart's third Best Actor nomination, it received mixed reviews and was only a moderate success at the box office, failing to cover its production costs. Several critics found the movie too sentimental, although Bosley Crowther wrote that Stewart did a "warmly appealing job, indicating that he has grown in spiritual stature as well as in talent during

952-593: A bit that he handles with characteristically engaging skill". MGM did not see leading-man material in Stewart, described by biographer Michael D. Rinella as a "lanky young bumpkin with a hesitant manner of speech." During this time, his agent Leland Hayward decided that the best path for him would be through loan-outs to other studios. Stewart had only a small role in his second MGM film, the hit musical Rose Marie (1936), but it led to his casting in seven other films within one year, from Next Time We Love to After

1071-410: A box-office flop. Soured by this failure, Stewart avoided the genre and would not make another Western for four years. Stewart's collaboration with Hitchcock ended the following year with Vertigo (1958), in which he starred as an acrophobic former policeman who becomes obsessed with a woman (Kim Novak) he is shadowing. Although Vertigo has later become considered one of Hitchcock's key works and

1190-786: A career as a stage actor making his Broadway debut in the play Carry Nation (1932). He landed his first supporting role in The Murder Man (1935) and had his breakthrough in Frank Capra 's ensemble comedy You Can't Take It with You (1938). Stewart went on to receive the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in the George Cukor romantic comedy The Philadelphia Story (1940). His other Oscar-nominated roles were in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), It's

1309-467: A college graduate and a licensed commercial pilot. Stewart received his commission as a second lieutenant on January 1, 1942. After enlisting, Stewart made no new commercial films, although he remained under contract to MGM. His public appearances were limited to engagements for the Army Air Forces. The Air Corps scheduled him on network radio with Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy , and on

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1428-473: A corporation, Patron Inc., to produce the film. Stewart portrayed a photographer, loosely based on Robert Capa , who projects his fantasies and fears onto the people he observes out his apartment window while on hiatus due to a broken leg and comes to believe that he has witnessed a murder. Limited by his wheelchair, Stewart had to react to what his character sees with mostly facial responses. Like Mann, Hitchcock uncovered new depths to Stewart's acting, showing

1547-442: A critical favorite over the ensuing decades. Stewart was billed above John Wayne in posters and the trailers, but Wayne received top billing in the film itself. Stewart, Wayne, and Ford also collaborated for a television play that same year, Flashing Spikes (1962), for ABC 's anthology series Alcoa Premiere , albeit featuring Wayne billed with a television pseudonym, "Michael Morris", (also used for Wayne's brief appearance in

1666-476: A decade earlier. He and co-star Simone Simon were miscast, and the film was a critical and commercial failure. William Boehnel of the New York World-Telegram called Stewart's performance emotionless, and Eileen Creelman of The New York Sun wrote that he made little attempt to look or sound French. Stewart's next film, The Last Gangster (1937) starring Edward G. Robinson , was also

1785-543: A distinctive voice on the Lux Radio Theater , The Screen Guild Theater , and other shows. So well-known had his slow drawl become that comedians began impersonating him. Stewart and Sullavan reunited for two films in 1940. The Ernst Lubitsch romantic comedy The Shop Around the Corner starred them as co-workers who cannot stand each other but unknowingly become romantic pen-pals. It received good reviews and

1904-633: A failure, but it was followed by a critically acclaimed performance in Navy Blue and Gold (1937) as a football player at the United States Naval Academy . The film was a box-office success and earned Stewart the best reviews of his career up to that point. The New York Times wrote "the ending leaves us with the conviction that James Stewart is a sincere and likable triple-threat man in the [MGM] backfield" and Variety called his performance "fine". Despite good reviews, Stewart

2023-755: A group of out-of-competition sections, including NEXT, New Frontier, Spotlight, Midnight, Sundance Kids, From the Collection, Premieres, and Documentary Premieres. Many films premiering at Sundance have gone on to be nominated and win Oscars such as Best Picture , Best Director and Best Actor in a Leading Role . Sundance began in Salt Lake City in August 1978 as the Utah/US Film Festival in an effort to attract more filmmakers to Utah. It

2142-528: A man who knows violence first-hand and struggles to control it. The Stewart–Mann collaborations laid the foundation for many of the Westerns of the 1950s and remain popular today for their grittier, more realistic depiction of the classic movie genre. In addition, Stewart starred in the Western radio show The Six Shooter for its one-season run from 1953 to 1954. He and Mann also collaborated on films outside

2261-475: A pacifist lawman alongside Marlene Dietrich , a saloon girl who falls in love with him. It was critically and commercially successful. TIME magazine wrote, "James Stewart, who had just turned in the top performance of his cinematurity as Jefferson Smith in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington , turns in as good a performance or better as Thomas Jefferson Destry." Between films, Stewart had begun a radio career and had become

2380-411: A percentage of the profits. Stewart was also granted authority to collaborate with the studio on casting and hiring decisions. Stewart ended up earning about $ 600,000 for Winchester '73 , significantly more than his usual fee, and other stars quickly capitalized on this new way of doing business, which further undermined the decaying studio system . Stewart chose Mann to direct, and the film gave him

2499-480: A picture of our country that is broadly reflective of the diversity of voices not always seen in our cultural exports." The majority of the film screenings, including the festival's premieres, would be held within the Cineworld cinema at The O2 entertainment district. The 2013 Sundance London Festival was held April 25–28, 2013. Sundance London 2014 took place on April 25–27, 2014, at The O2 Arena ; however

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2618-951: A pilot when his father steered him towards Princeton. Stewart enrolled at Princeton in 1928 as a member of the class of 1932, majoring in architecture and becoming a member of the Princeton Charter Club . He excelled academically but also became attracted to the school's drama and music clubs, including the Princeton Triangle Club . Upon his graduation in 1932, he was awarded a scholarship for graduate studies in architecture for his thesis on an airport terminal design, but chose instead to join University Players , an intercollegiate summer stock company performing in West Falmouth, Massachusetts , on Cape Cod . Stewart performed in bit parts in

2737-505: A protagonist confronting his fears and repressed desires. Although most of the initial acclaim for Rear Window was directed towards Hitchcock, critic Vincent Canby later described Stewart's performance in it as "grand" and stated that "[his] longtime star status in Hollywood has always obscured recognition of his talent." 1954 was a landmark year in Stewart's career in terms of audience success, and he topped Look magazine's list of

2856-735: A scientist in Koster's British production No Highway in the Sky , which was one of the first airplane disaster films ever made. Filmed in England, it became a box office success in the United Kingdom, but failed to attract audiences in the United States. Stewart took a small supporting role as a troubled clown in Cecil B. DeMille 's The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), which went on to win

2975-680: A seven-year contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), orchestrated by talent scout Bill Grady, who had been tracking Stewart's career since seeing him perform in Princeton. His first Hollywood role was a minor appearance in the Spencer Tracy vehicle The Murder Man (1935). His performance was largely ignored by critics, although the New York Herald Tribune , remembering him in Yellow Jack , called him "wasted in

3094-502: A shattering emotional climax rendered by Stewart. Kate Cameron of the New York Daily News wrote that he "has one grand scene in which he demonstrates most effectively that he is something more than a musical comedy juvenile". For his next film, the romantic drama Seventh Heaven (1937), Stewart was loaned to 20th Century-Fox to play a Parisian sewer worker in a remake of Frank Borzage 's silent classic released

3213-473: A starring role in the Western Night Passage (1957), which had originally been slated as his ninth collaboration with Mann. During the pre-production, a rift developed between Mann and writer Borden Chase over the script, which Mann considered weak. Mann decided to leave the film and never collaborated with Stewart again. James Neilson replaced Mann, and the film opened in 1957 to become

3332-633: Is also responsible for bringing wider attention to such films as Common Bonds , Saw , Garden State , American Psycho , Super Troopers , The Blair Witch Project , Spanking the Monkey , Reservoir Dogs , Primer , In the Bedroom , Better Luck Tomorrow , Little Miss Sunshine , Donnie Darko , El Mariachi , Moon , Clerks , Thank You for Smoking , Sex, Lies, and Videotape , The Brothers McMullen , 500 Days of Summer , Napoleon Dynamite , Whiplash (which topped

3451-743: Is documented in Professor Emanuel Levy 's book, Cinema of Outsiders: The Rise of American Independent Cinema (NYU Press, 1999, 2001, 2011). UK-based publisher C21 Media first revealed in October 2010 that Robert Redford was planning to bring the Sundance Film Festival to London, and in March the following year, Redford officially announced that Sundance London would be held at The O2 , in London from April 26 to 29, 2012;

3570-597: Is fully immersed in his dream world, apparently while being in a coma in a hospital. The production filmed at Capel Manor Guest Pavilion in Kent to shoot the scenes at the house in Gary's dreams where he meets Anna. Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival , then US Film and Video Festival ) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute . It

3689-404: Is having lucid dreams about a woman named Anna ( Penélope Cruz ), with whom he is deeply infatuated. He learns more about lucid dreaming by buying books and attending classes taught by lucid-dreaming guru, Mel ( Danny DeVito ). Gary eventually discovers that the girl he dreams about does, in fact, exist. Paul arranges for Gary to meet her, but this proves disappointing, as she fails to live up to

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3808-570: Is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival takes place every January in Park City, Utah ; Salt Lake City, Utah ; and at Sundance Resort (a ski resort near Provo, Utah ), and acts as a showcase for new work from American and international independent filmmakers. The festival consists of competitive sections for American and international dramatic and documentary films, both feature films and short films, and

3927-605: The New York Daily Mirror compared him to Stan Laurel in this melodramatic film, and Variety called his performance unfocused. Stewart became a major star when he was loaned out to Columbia Pictures to play the lead role in Frank Capra's You Can't Take It with You (1938) opposite Jean Arthur . Stewart played the son of a banker who falls in love with a woman from a poor and eccentric family. Capra had recently completed several well-received films and

4046-490: The Air Force Reserve , and held various command positions until his retirement in 1968 as a brigadier general . Stewart remained unmarried until his 40s and was dubbed "The Great American Bachelor" by the press. In 1949, he married former model Gloria Hatrick McLean . They had twin daughters, and he adopted her two sons from her previous marriage. The marriage lasted until Gloria's death in 1994, and Stewart died of

4165-525: The Apache . Stewart's third film release of 1950 was the comedy The Jackpot ; it received critical acclaim and was commercially successful, but was a minor film in his repertoire and has largely been forgotten by contemporary critics and fans. In December 1950, the screen adaptation of Harvey was released, directed by Henry Koster and with Stewart reprising his stage role. With critics comparing his performance with Fay's, Stewart's performance as well as

4284-792: The Civil War , and his father had served during both the Spanish–American War and World War I. After first being rejected for low weight in November 1940, he enlisted in February 1941. As an experienced pilot, he reported for induction as a private in the Air Corps on March 22, 1941. Soon to be 33 years old, he was over the age limit for Aviation Cadet training—the normal path of commissioning for pilots, navigators and bombardiers—and therefore applied for an Air Corps commission as both

4403-821: The Shemp Howard comedy short Art Trouble (1934), filmed in Brooklyn , and acted in summer stock productions of We Die Exquisitely and All Paris Knows at the Red Barn Theater on Long Island . In the fall, he again received excellent reviews for his role in Divided by Three at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre , which he followed with the modestly successful Page Miss Glory and the critical failure A Journey By Night in spring 1935. Soon after A Journey By Night ended, Stewart signed

4522-660: The reserves of the United States Air Force after the Army Air Forces split from the Army in 1947. During active-duty periods, he served with the Strategic Air Command and completed transition training as a pilot on the B-47 and B-52 . Stewart was first nominated for promotion to brigadier general in February 1957; however, his promotion was initially opposed by Senator Margaret Chase Smith . At

4641-537: The 1950s, Stewart experienced a career renewal as the star of Westerns and collaborated on several films with director Anthony Mann . The first of these was the Universal production Winchester '73 (1950), which Stewart agreed to do in exchange for being cast in a screen adaptation of Harvey . It also marked a turning point in Hollywood, as Stewart's agent, Lew Wasserman , brokered an innovative deal with Universal, in which Stewart would receive no fee in exchange for

4760-610: The 2000s, when major stars with multimillion-dollar films (like The Butterfly Effect with Ashton Kutcher ) dominated the festival. Kevin Smith doubted that Clerks , if made in the late 2000s, would be accepted to Sundance. Numerous small festivals sprung up around Sundance in the Park City area, including Slamdance , Nodance, Slumdance , It-dance, X-Dance, Lapdance, Tromadance , The Park City Film Music Festival , etc., though all except Slamdance are no longer held. Included in

4879-532: The 2015 Festival was cancelled in an announcement on January 16, 2015. Sundance London returned to London from June 2–5, 2016, and again June 1–4, 2017, both at Picturehouse Central in London's West End. The 2018 and 2019 events continued at the same venue. Films shown at the 2019 event included Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling ’s Late Night , the controversial dark tale The Nightingale , US comedy Corporate Animals , Lulu Wang 's The Farewell (which won

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4998-511: The Academy Award for Best Picture. Critics were curious why Stewart had taken such a small, out-of-character role; he responded that he was inspired by Lon Chaney 's ability to disguise himself while letting his character emerge. In the same year, Stewart starred in a critically and commercially failed biopic, Carbine Williams (1952), and continued his collaboration with Mann in Bend of

5117-658: The Air Force on May 31, 1968, when he reached the mandatory retirement age of 60. Upon his retirement, he was awarded the United States Air Force Distinguished Service Medal . Stewart rarely spoke about his wartime service but did appear in an episode of the British television documentary series The World at War (1974), commenting on the disastrous 1943 mission against Schweinfurt , Germany. After his experiences in

5236-696: The Audience Award ) and Sophie Hyde 's film based on Emma Jane Unsworth 's novel about female friendship, Animals . The 2020 event in London was postponed due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic . It was not rescheduled until July 2021. Inaugurated in 2014, Sundance Film Festival: Hong Kong has taken place in 2016, 2017, 2018 and from September 19 to October 1, 2019. It is held at The Metroplex in Kowloon Bay each year. The 2020 events in London and Hong Kong were postponed due to impact of

5355-897: The COVID-19 pandemic and as of late 2021 has not been rescheduled. From 2006 through 2008, Sundance Institute collaborated with the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) on a special series of film screenings, performances, panel discussions, and special events bringing the institute's activities and the festival's programming to New York City. Many notable independent filmmakers received their big break at Sundance, including Kevin Smith , Robert Rodriguez , Quentin Tarantino , Todd Field , David O. Russell , Steve James , Paul Thomas Anderson , Steven Soderbergh , Darren Aronofsky , James Wan , Edward Burns , Damien Chazelle , Lee Isaac Chung , Jane Schoenbrun , Molly Gordon , Nick Lieberman , A. V. Rockwell and Jim Jarmusch . The festival

5474-650: The Dying Girl in 2015, The Birth of a Nation in 2016, Minari in 2020, and CODA in 2021. At the 2016 Sundance Film Festival , three films went on to garner eight Oscar nominations. Manchester by the Sea took the lead in Sundance-supported films with six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. The next year, about 40 films were acquired by distributors, among them including Amazon , Netflix , Lionsgate , and Universal . CODA became

5593-609: The Phoenix (1965) as well as the Western films How the West Was Won (1962), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), and Cheyenne Autumn (1964). With his private pilot's skills, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II seeking combat duty and rose to be deputy commanding officer of the 2nd Bombardment Wing and commanding the 703d Bombardment Squadron from 1941 to 1947. He later transferred to

5712-512: The River (1952), which was a commercial and critical success. Stewart followed Bend of the River with four more collaborations with Mann in the next two years. The Naked Spur (1953) and The Far Country (1954) were successful with audiences and developed Stewart's screen persona into a more mature, ambiguous, and edgier presence. The films featured him as troubled cowboys seeking redemption while facing corrupt cattlemen, ranchers, and outlaws;

5831-522: The Sundance Film Festival, after Redford's character the Sundance Kid from the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid . The Sundance Film Festival experienced its extraordinary growth in the 1990s, under the leadership of Geoffrey Gilmore and John Cooper, who transformed the venue into the premier festival in the United States, on par of Cannes, Venice, Berlin, and Toronto International Film Festival (also known as The Big Five). That crucial era

5950-553: The Sundance changes made in 2010, a new programming category titled "NEXT" (often denoted simply by the characters "<=>", which mean "less is more") was introduced to showcase innovative films that are able to transcend the confines of an independent budget. Another recent addition was the Sundance Film Festival USA program, in which eight of the festival's films are shown in eight different theaters around

6069-522: The Thin Man . He also received crucial help from his University Players friend Margaret Sullavan , who campaigned for him to be her leading man in the Universal romantic comedy Next Time We Love (1936), filmed right after Rose Marie . Sullavan rehearsed extensively with him, boosting his confidence and helping him incorporate his mannerisms and boyishness into his screen persona. Next Time We Love

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6188-463: The United States. The festival went virtual in 2021 and 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic . The festival returned for in-person showings in 2023. The total economic benefits Sundance brought to Utah were estimated to be $ 167 million in 2020. The Sundance Institute's contract to host the festival in Park City will expire following the 2026 festival. The Sundance Institute is considering moving

6307-610: The University Players' productions in Cape Cod during the summer of 1932. The company's directors included Joshua Logan , Bretaigne Windust , and Charles Leatherbee, and amongst its other actors were married couple Henry Fonda and Margaret Sullavan , who became Stewart's close friends. At the end of the season, Stewart moved to New York with his Players friends Logan, Myron McCormick , and newly single Henry Fonda. Along with McCormick, Stewart debuted on Broadway in

6426-410: The Western Two Rode Together (1961), which had thematic echoes of Ford's The Searchers . The same year, he also narrated the film X-15 for the USAF. Stewart was considered for the role of Atticus Finch in the 1962 film adaptation of Harper Lee 's novel To Kill a Mockingbird , but he turned it down, concerned that the story was too controversial. Stewart and Ford's next collaboration

6545-425: The Western genre such as Thunder Bay (1953) and The Glenn Miller Story (1954), the latter a critically acclaimed biopic in which he starred opposite June Allyson. It earned Stewart a BAFTA nomination and continued his portrayals of 'American heroes'. Stewart's second collaboration with Hitchcock, the thriller Rear Window , became the eighth highest-grossing film of 1954. Hitchcock and Stewart also formed

6664-425: The Wilson Model School for primary school and junior high school. He was not a gifted student and received average to low grades. According to his teachers, this was not from a lack of intelligence, but due to being creative and having a tendency to daydream. Stewart began attending Mercersburg Academy prep school in the fall of 1923, because his father did not believe he would be accepted into Princeton (his father

6783-491: The academy was recompensing for not giving him the award the year prior. Moreover, Stewart's character was a supporting role, not the male lead. He gave the Oscar to his father, who displayed it at his hardware store alongside other family awards and military medals. Stewart next appeared in two comedies— Come Live with Me (1941), which paired him with Hedy Lamarr , and Pot o' Gold (1941), featuring Paulette Goddard —that were both box-office failures. Stewart considered

6902-416: The beginning of June 1945, Stewart was the presiding officer of the court martial of a pilot and navigator who accidentally bombed Zurich , Switzerland . Stewart returned to the United States in early fall 1945. He continued to play a role in reserve of the Army Air Forces after the war and was also one of the 12 founders of the Air Force Association in October 1945. Stewart eventually transferred to

7021-400: The betrayed boyfriend of the leading lady, portrayed by Jean Harlow and Janet Gaynor , respectively. Both films garnered him some good reviews. After an appearance in the short subject Important News (1936), Stewart had his first top-billed role in the low-budget "B" movie Speed (1936), in which he played a mechanic and speed driver competing in the Indianapolis 500 . The film

7140-416: The brief run of Carry Nation and a few weeks later – again with McCormick – appeared as a chauffeur in the comedy Goodbye Again , in which he had a walk-on line. The New Yorker commented, "Mr. James Stewart's chauffeur... comes on for three minutes and walks off to a round of spontaneous applause." Following the seven-month run of Goodbye Again , Stewart took a stage manager position in Boston , but

7259-412: The comedy to the show...In addition, he contributes some of the most irresistible romantic moments." His performance earned him his only Academy Award in a competitive category for Best Actor, beating out Henry Fonda, for whom he had voted and with whom he had once roomed, both almost broke, in the early 1930s in New York. Stewart himself assessed his performance in Mr. Smith to be superior and believed

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7378-428: The critics. The New York Times noted, " The Stratton Story was the best thing that has yet happened to Mr. Stewart in his post-war film career...he gives such a winning performance that it is almost impossible to imagine any one else playing the role." Stewart's other 1949 release saw him reunited with Spencer Tracy in the World War II film Malaya (1949). It was a commercial failure and received mixed reviews. In

7497-416: The expectations that Gary has built up in his dreams of her. He eventually continues to dream about her, even soundproofs his apartment, and makes other efforts to be able to sleep longer, so that he can remain with Anna for longer periods of time. Eventually, feeling as though he is betraying Dora, he attempts to go back to her. While crossing the street to reach her, he is hit by a car. As the movie ends, he

7616-445: The experience of small filmmakers trying to get into various festivals in the late 2000s, including Sundance. The film contained several arguments that Sundance had become dominated by large studios and sponsoring corporations. A contrast was made between the 1990s, in which non-famous filmmakers with tiny budget films could get distribution deals from studios like Miramax Films or New Line Cinema , (like Kevin Smith 's Clerks ), and

7735-408: The family business, the J. M. Stewart and Company Hardware Store, which he hoped Stewart would take over as an adult after attending Princeton University, as was the family tradition. Raised a Presbyterian by his deeply religious father, Stewart was a devout churchgoer for much of his life. Stewart's mother was a pianist, and music was an important part of family life. When a customer at the store

7854-402: The festival continued. More than 60 films were screened at the festival that year, and panels featured many well-known Hollywood filmmakers. Also that year, the first Frank Capra Award went to Jimmy Stewart . The festival also made a profit for the first time. In 1981, the festival moved to Park City, Utah, and changed the dates from September to January. The move from late summer to midwinter

7973-563: The festival to another city, and in 2024 announced Boulder, Colorado , Cincinnati, Ohio , and current host city Park City as the three finalists for its host city starting in 2027. 40°38′33″N 111°29′42″W  /  40.64250°N 111.49500°W  / 40.64250; -111.49500 Jimmy Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor, military aviator, and poet. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With

8092-665: The festival's Top 10 Films of All Time in 2024, as the result of a survey conducted with over 500 filmmakers and critics in honor of the festival's 40th anniversary ), CODA , Boyhood , We're All Going to the World's Fair , Theater Camp and A Thousand and One . Three Seasons was the first in festival history to ever receive both the Grand Jury Award and Audience Award, in 1999. Later films that won both awards are: God Grew Tired of Us in 2006 (documentary category), Quinceañera in 2006 (dramatic category), Precious in 2009, Fruitvale (later retitled Fruitvale Station ) in 2013, Whiplash in 2014, Me and Earl and

8211-467: The film itself received mixed reviews. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times wrote that "so darling is the acting of James Stewart [...] and all the rest that a virtually brand-new experience is still in store for even those who saw the play", while Variety called him "perfect" in the role. John McCarten of the New Yorker stated that although he "doesn't bring his part to the battered authority of Frank Fay...he nevertheless succeeds in making plausible

8330-552: The first Sundance film to win an Oscar for Best Picture at the 94th Academy Awards . The festival has changed over the decades from a low-profile venue for small-budget, independent creators from outside the Hollywood system to a media extravaganza for Hollywood celebrity actors, paparazzi, and luxury lounges set up by companies not affiliated with Sundance. Festival organizers have tried curbing these activities in recent years, beginning in 2007 with their ongoing Focus On Film campaign. The 2009 film Official Rejection documented

8449-488: The first films about the new science of public opinion polling . It was poorly received both commercially and critically. Stewart appeared in four new film releases in 1948. Call Northside 777 was a critically acclaimed film noir , while the musical comedy On Our Merry Way , in which Stewart and Henry Fonda played jazz musicians in an ensemble cast, was a critical and commercial failure. The comedy You Gotta Stay Happy , which paired Stewart with Joan Fontaine ,

8568-540: The first time it has traveled outside the US . In a press statement, Redford said, "We are excited to partner with AEG Europe to bring a particular slice of American culture to life in the inspired setting of The O2, and in this city of such rich cultural history. [...] It is our mutual goal to bring to the UK, the very best in current American independent cinema, to introduce the artists responsible for it, and in essence, help build

8687-399: The first version, Hitchcock himself considered his remake superior. Stewart's next film, Billy Wilder 's The Spirit of St. Louis (1957), saw him star as his young adulthood hero, Charles Lindbergh . It was a big-budget production with elaborate special effects for the flying sequences, but received only mixed reviews and did not earn back its production costs. Stewart ended the year with

8806-410: The first-year pilot program of what became the Sundance Institute , and James W. Ure took over briefly as executive director, followed by Cirina Hampton Catania, who was asked by Governor Matheson to help bring the festival into profitability as the governing board was preparing to disband it due to debts incurred in 1978. Catania generated sponsorships, in-kind contributions, and advertising revenue, and

8925-517: The idea of redefining his screen persona through the Western genre. In the film, Stewart is a tough, vengeful sharpshooter, the winner of a prized rifle that is stolen and passes through many hands, until the showdown between him and his brother. Winchester '73 became a box-office success upon its summer release and earned Stewart rave reviews. He also starred in another successful Western that summer, Broken Arrow (1950), which featured him as an ex-soldier and Native American agent making peace with

9044-475: The inaugural US Film Festival presented by Sundance Institute (1985), which included Program Director Tony Safford and Administrative Director Jenny Walz Selby. The branding and marketing transition from the US Film Festival to the Sundance Film Festival was managed under the direction of Colleen Allen, Allen Advertising Inc., by appointment of Robert Redford. In 1991, the festival was officially renamed

9163-605: The latter to be the worst film of his career. His last film before military service was the musical Ziegfeld Girl (1941), which co-starred Judy Garland , Hedy Lamarr , and Lana Turner . It was a critical failure, but also one of the best box-office performers of the year. Stewart became the first major American movie star to enlist in the United States Army to fight in World War II. His family had deep military roots: both of his grandfathers had fought in

9282-417: The latter was not well-received: The New York Times stated that his "singing and dancing will (fortunately) never win him a song-and-dance-man classification", and Variety called "his singing and dancing [...] rather painful on their own", although it otherwise found Stewart aptly cast in an "assignment [that] calls for a shy youth". Stewart's last film to be released in 1936, After the Thin Man , features

9401-532: The most knowing and engaging young actors appearing on the screen at present". Stewart's third film release of 1938, the First World War  drama The Shopworn Angel , saw him collaborate again with Margaret Sullavan. In his performance, Stewart drew upon his own feelings of unrequited love towards Sullavan, who was married to his agent, Leland Hayward . Although the film was otherwise well-received, critics were mixed about Stewart. Bland Johaneson of

9520-407: The most-popular movie stars, displacing rival Western star John Wayne . Stewart continued his successful box-office run with two collaborations with Mann in 1955. Strategic Air Command paired him again with June Allyson in a Cold War   Stewart took a central role in its development, using his experiences from the air force. Despite criticism for the dry, mechanistic storyline, it became

9639-526: The notion that Harvey, the rabbit, would accept him as a pal." Stewart later stated that he was dissatisfied with his performance, stating, "I played him a little too dreamily, a little too cute-cute." Despite the film's poor box office performance, Stewart received his fourth Academy Award nomination as well as his first Golden Globe nomination. Similar to It's a Wonderful Life , Harvey achieved popularity later, after frequent television showings. Stewart appeared in only one film released in 1951, playing

9758-574: The point of being neurotic, thoughtful to the point of being tongue-tied", describing him as "particularly gifted in expressing the emotional ambivalence of the action hero". Stewart won the New York Film Critics Circle award and received his first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Stewart's last screen appearance of 1939 came in the Western Destry Rides Again , in which he portrayed

9877-472: The political comedy-drama Mr. Smith Goes to Washington . Stewart played an idealist thrown into the political arena. It garnered critical praise and became the third-highest-grossing film of the year. The Nation stated "[Stewart] takes first place among Hollywood actors...Now he is mature and gives a difficult part, with many nuances, moments of tragic-comic impact." Later, critic Andrew Sarris qualified Stewart's performance as "lean, gangling, idealistic to

9996-611: The potential of independent film, and increase visibility for filmmaking in Utah. The main focus of the event was to conduct a competition for independent American films, present a series of retrospective films and filmmaker panel discussions, and celebrate the Frank Capra Award. The festival also highlighted the work of regional filmmakers who worked outside the Hollywood system. In 1979, Sterling Van Wagenen left to head up

10115-523: The radio program We Hold These Truths , a celebration of the United States Bill of Rights , which was broadcast a week after the attack on Pearl Harbor . Stewart also appeared in a First Motion Picture Unit short film, Winning Your Wings , to help recruit airmen. Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary in 1942, it appeared in movie theaters nationwide beginning in late May 1942 and resulted in 150,000 new recruits. Stewart

10234-416: The role of a Nietzsche -loving philosophy professor. The film's screenwriter Arthur Laurents also stated that "the casting of [Stewart] was absolutely destructive. He's not sexual as an actor." Stewart found success again with The Stratton Story (1949), playing baseball champion Monty Stratton  opposite June Allyson . It became the sixth highest-grossing film of 1949 and was well received by

10353-444: The screen with Carole Lombard . Stewart blamed its directing and screenwriting for its poor box-office performance. Regardless, the film received favorable reviews, with Newsweek writing that Stewart and Lombard were "perfectly cast in the leading roles". The other two films, The Ice Follies of 1939 and It's a Wonderful World , were critical failures. In Stewart's fourth 1939 film, he worked with Capra and Arthur again in

10472-522: The show", yet the film was again not a box-office success. Stewart's final film to be released in 1940 was George Cukor 's romantic comedy The Philadelphia Story , in which he played an intrusive, fast-talking reporter sent to cover the wedding of a socialite ( Katharine Hepburn ) with the help of her ex-husband ( Cary Grant ). The film became one of the largest box-office successes of the year and received widespread critical acclaim. The New York Herald Tribune stated that "Stewart...contributes most of

10591-562: The sixth highest-grossing film of 1955. Stewart's final collaboration with Mann in the Western genre, The Man from Laramie , one of the first Westerns to be shot in CinemaScope , was well received by the critics and audiences alike. Following his work with Mann, Stewart starred opposite Doris Day in Hitchcock's remake of his earlier film The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956). The film was another success. Even though critics preferred

10710-504: The story of Elwood P. Dowd, a wealthy eccentric, whose best friend is an invisible man-sized rabbit and whose relatives are trying to get him committed to a mental asylum. Stewart gained a following in the unconventional play, and although Fay returned to the role in August, they decided that Stewart would take his place again the next summer. Stewart's only film to be released in 1947 was the William A. Wellman comedy Magic Town , one of

10829-933: The strong morality he portrayed both on and off the screen, he epitomized the " American ideal " in the mid-twentieth century. In 1999, the American Film Institute (AFI) ranked him third on its list of the greatest American male actors . He received numerous honors including the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1980, the Kennedy Center Honor in 1983, as well as the Academy Honorary Award and Presidential Medal of Freedom , both in 1985. Born and raised in Indiana, Pennsylvania , Stewart started acting while at Princeton University . After graduating, he began

10948-586: The third-tier football team due to his slender physique. Stewart also made his first onstage appearance at Mercersburg, as Buquet in the play The Wolves in 1928. During summer breaks, he returned to Indiana, working first as a brick loader and then as a magician's assistant. Due to scarlet fever that turned into a kidney infection, he had to take time out from school in 1927, which delayed his graduation until 1928. He remained passionate about aviation, with his interest enhanced by Charles Lindbergh 's first solo transatlantic flight, but abandoned visions of becoming

11067-698: The time of the nomination, the Washington Daily News noted: "He trains actively with the Reserve every year. He's had 18 hours as first pilot of a B-52." On July 23, 1959, Stewart was promoted to brigadier general, becoming the highest-ranking actor in American military history. During the Vietnam War , he flew as a non-duty observer in a B-52 on an Arc Light bombing mission in February 1966. He served for 27 years, officially retiring from

11186-477: The war, Stewart considered returning to Pennsylvania to run the family store. His former agent, Leland Hayward, had also left the talent business in 1944 after selling his roster of stars, including Stewart, to Music Corporation of America (MCA). Stewart decided not to renew his MGM contract and instead signed a deal with MCA. He later stated that he was given a new beginning by Frank Capra, who asked him to star in It's

11305-540: The years he was in the war", and President Harry S. Truman concluded that "If [my wife] and I had a son we'd want him to be just like Jimmy Stewart [in this film]." In the decades since its release, It's a Wonderful Life has grown to define Stewart's film persona and is widely considered a Christmas classic, and according to the American Film Institute, is one of the 100 best American movies ever made. Andrew Sarris stated that Stewart's performance

11424-402: Was The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). A classic psychological Western, the picture was shot in black-and-white film noir style at Ford's insistence, with Stewart as an East Coast attorney who goes against his non-violent principles when he is forced to confront a psychopathic outlaw ( Lee Marvin ) in a small frontier town. The complex film initially garnered mixed reviews but became

11543-623: Was a box-office success and received mostly positive reviews, leading Stewart to be noticed by critics and MGM executives. Time stated that "the chief significance of [the film] in the progress of the cinema industry is likely to reside in the presence in its cast of James Stewart", and The New York Times called him "a welcome addition to the roster of Hollywood's leading men". Stewart followed Next Time We Love with supporting roles in two commercially successful romantic comedies, Wife vs. Secretary (1936) with Clark Gable and Myrna Loy and Small Town Girl (1936). In both, he played

11662-555: Was a box-office success in Europe, but failed to find an audience in the US, where less-gentle screwball comedies were more popular. Director Lubitsch assessed it to be the best film of his career, and it has been regarded highly by later critics, such as Pauline Kael and Richard Schickel . The drama The Mortal Storm , directed by Frank Borzage , featured Sullavan and Stewart as lovers caught in turmoil upon Hitler 's rise to power. It

11781-466: Was a critical and commercial failure, although Frank Nugent of The New York Times stated that "Mr. Stewart [and the rest of the cast] perform as pleasantly as possible." Stewart's last three film releases of 1936 were all box-office successes. He had only a bit part in The Gorgeous Hussy , but a starring role in the musical Born to Dance with Eleanor Powell . His performance in

11900-493: Was a member of the class of 1898) if he attended public high school. At Mercersburg, Stewart participated in a variety of extracurricular activities. He was a member of the track team (competing as a high jumper under coach Jimmy Curran ), the art editor of the school yearbook, a member of the glee club , and a member of the John Marshall Literary Society. To his disappointment, he was relegated to

12019-412: Was also critically successful, but while Variety wrote that the performances of Stewart and Arthur garnered "much of the laughs", most of the critical acclaim went to Lionel Barrymore and Edward Arnold . In contrast to the success of You Can't Take It With You , Stewart's first three film releases of 1939 were all commercial disappointments. In the melodrama Made for Each Other (1939), he shared

12138-472: Was concerned that his celebrity status would relegate him to duties behind the lines. After spending over a year training pilots at Kirtland Army Airfield in Albuquerque, New Mexico , he appealed to his commander and in November 1943 was sent to England as part of the 703d Bomb Squadron to fly B-24 Liberators . He was based initially at RAF Tibenham , before moving to RAF Old Buckenham . Stewart

12257-484: Was convinced to continue acting when he was cast in the lead role of Yellow Jack , playing a soldier who becomes the subject of a yellow fever experiment. It premiered at the Martin Beck Theater in March 1934. Stewart received unanimous praise from the critics, but the play proved unpopular with audiences and folded by June. During the summer, Stewart made his film debut with an unbilled appearance in

12376-512: Was done by the executive director Susan Barrell with the cooperation of Hollywood director Sydney Pollack , who suggested that running a film festival in a ski resort during winter would draw more attention from Hollywood. It was called the US Film and Video Festival. In 1984, the now well-established Sundance Institute, headed by Sterling Van Wagenen, took over management of the US Film Festival. Gary Beer and Van Wagenen spearheaded production of

12495-588: Was fading, and a new wave of actors, including Marlon Brando , Montgomery Clift , and James Dean , would soon remake Hollywood. Stewart returned to making radio dramas in 1946; he continued this work between films until the mid-1950s. He also made a comeback on Broadway to star in Mary Coyle Chase 's Harvey in July 1947, replacing the original star Frank Fay for the duration of his vacation. The play had opened to nearly universal praise in 1944 and told

12614-449: Was fifty years old at the time and had begun wearing a silver hairpiece in his movies. Consequently, Hitchcock cast Cary Grant in his next film, North by Northwest (1959), a role Stewart wanted; Grant was four years older than Stewart but photographed much younger. Stewart's second 1958 film release, the romantic comedy Bell, Book and Candle (1958), also paired him with Kim Novak, with Stewart later echoing Hitchcock in saying that he

12733-667: Was fired after frequently missing his cues. Returning to New York, he then landed a small part in Spring in Autumn and a role in All Good Americans , where he was required to throw a banjo out of the window. Brooks Atkinson of The New York Times wrote, "Throwing a $ 250 banjo out of the window at the concierge is constructive abuse and should be virtuously applauded." Both plays folded after only short runs, and Stewart began to think about going back to his studies. Stewart

12852-480: Was founded by Sterling Van Wagenen , head of Robert Redford 's company Wildwood Enterprises, Inc , John Earle and Cirina Hampton-Catania of the Utah Film Commission . The 1978 festival featured films such as Deliverance , A Streetcar Named Desire , Midnight Cowboy , Mean Streets , and Sweet Smell of Success . The goal of the festival was to showcase American-made films, highlight

12971-571: Was hospitalized. RKO initially wanted to replace Stewart, but eventually the project was canceled. However, Rogers' success in a stage musical caused the film to be picked up again. Stewart was recast in Vivacious Lady at Rogers' insistence and due to his performance in Of Human Hearts . It was a critical and commercial success, and showed Stewart's talent for performing in romantic comedies; The New York Herald called him "one of

13090-408: Was looking for a new type of leading man. He had been impressed by Stewart's role in Navy Blue and Gold (1937). According to Capra, Stewart was one of the best actors ever to hit the screen, understood character archetypes intuitively, and required little directing. You Can't Take It With You became the fifth highest-grossing film of the year and won the Academy Award for Best Picture . The film

13209-430: Was miscast as 25-year-old Novak's romantic partner. The film and Stewart's performance received poor reviews and resulted in a box office failure. However, according to film scholar David Bingham, by the early 1950s, "Stewart's personality was so credible and well-established", that his choice of role no longer affected his popularity. Stewart ended the decade with Otto Preminger 's realistic courtroom drama Anatomy of

13328-551: Was one of the first blatantly anti- Nazi films to be produced in Hollywood, but according to film scholar Ben Urwand , "ultimately made very little impact" as it did not show the persecution experienced by Jews or name that ethnic group. Despite being well received by critics, it failed at the box office. Ten days after filming The Mortal Storm , Stewart began filming No Time for Comedy (1940) with Rosalind Russell . Critics complimented Stewart's performance; Bosley Crowther of The New York Times called Stewart "the best thing in

13447-484: Was one of the top money-making stars for ten years, appearing in the top ten in 1950, 1952–1959, and 1965. He topped the list in 1955. Stewart opened the new decade by starring in the war film The Mountain Road (1960). To his surprise, it was a box office failure, despite his claims that it was one of the best scripts he'd ever read. He began a new director collaboration with John Ford , making his debut in his films in

13566-644: Was promoted to major following a mission to Ludwigshafen , Germany, on January 7, 1944. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for actions as deputy commander of the 2nd Bombardment Wing , the French Croix de Guerre with palm, and the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters . Stewart was promoted to full colonel on March 29, 1945, becoming one of the few Americans to ever rise from private to colonel in only four years. At

13685-509: Was ranked the greatest film ever made by the Sight & Sound critics' poll in 2012, it was met with unenthusiastic reviews and poor box-office receipts upon its release. Regardless, several critics complimented Stewart for his performance, with Bosley Crowther noting, "Mr. Stewart, as usual, manages to act awfully tense in a casual way." Hitchcock blamed the film's failure on Stewart being too old to convincingly be Novak's love interest: he

13804-478: Was still a minor star, and MGM remained hesitant to cast him in leading roles, preferring to loan him out to other studios. After a well-received supporting part in Of Human Hearts (1938), he was loaned to RKO to act opposite Ginger Rogers in the romantic comedy Vivacious Lady (1938). The production was shut down for months in 1937 as Stewart recovered from an undisclosed illness, during which he

13923-506: Was the most successful of his post-war films up to that point. Rope , in which Stewart played the idolized teacher of two young men who commit murder to show their supposed superiority, began his collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock . Shot in long "real-time" takes, Stewart felt pressure to be flawless in his performance; the added stress led to him sleeping very little and drinking more heavily. Rope received mixed reviews, and Andrew Sarris and Scott Eyman have later called him miscast in

14042-412: Was unable to pay his bill, Stewart's father accepted an old accordion as payment. Stewart learned to play the instrument with the help of a local barber. His accordion became a fixture offstage during his acting career. A shy child, Stewart spent much of his time after school in the basement working on model airplanes, mechanical drawings, and chemistry—all with a dream of going into aviation. He attended

14161-472: Was underappreciated by critics of the time, who could not see "the force and fury" of it, and considered his proposal scene with Donna Reed , "one of the most sublimely histrionic expressions of passion". Stewart later named the film his personal favorite out of his filmography. In the aftermath of It's A Wonderful Life , Capra's production company went into bankruptcy, while Stewart continued to have doubts about his acting abilities. His generation of actors

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