"Groundhog Day" 25th Anniversary Screening and Conversation

4K DCP, Color, 101 minutes

7pm performance by Hammerstein Musik Bavaria.

The night also featured a panel discussion with editor Pembroke J. Herring, producer Trevor Albert, cinematographer and Academy President John Bailey, writer Danny Rubin, actor Stephen Tobolowsky, and groundhog wrangler Corkey Miller.

Writer, actor and director Harold Ramis’s early film work as a director, such as Caddyshack (1980) and National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983), met with international success while paving the way for a new generation of comedians who, like Ramis, emerged from Chicago’s Second City comedy troupe. One of his most prolific collaborations was with actor Bill Murray, with whom he partnered on six films, including Groundhog Day (1993).

The film follows Phil Connors (Bill Murray), a cynical, self-centered Pittsburgh weatherman who is less than thrilled to be sent with news producer Rita Hanson (Andie MacDowell) and cameraman Larry (Chris Elliott) to the small town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to cover the annual Groundhog Day festivities. Annoyed by his inability to depart the following day because of a blizzard, Phil gets trapped in a time loop that forces him to repeat the same series of events and human interactions, day in and day out, until he gets it right. The time warp presents Phil with the opportunity to undertake an existential quest that elevates the film to a profound parable about the meaning of life. Groundhog Day was added to the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry in 2006.

Directed by Harold Ramis. Produced by Trevor Albert, Ramis. Screenplay Danny Rubin, Ramis. Story by Rubin. Cinematography John Bailey.
Cast: Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott, Stephen Tobolowsky, Brian Doyle-Murray, Marita Geraghty, Angela Paton.

Courtesy of Sony Pictures.