Words on Film: Inside the Saul Bass Collection

This event is SOLD OUT.  There will be a stand-by line on the evening of the program.  Stand-by numbers will be given out beginning at approximately 5:30 p.m. The number of STAND-BY tickets available (if any) will be determined shortly before the start of the event.

Join us at the Margaret Herrick Library to celebrate the work of one of the greatest American designers and filmmakers of the twentieth century.  Saul Bass (1920-1996) created some of the most compelling images of American postwar visual culture. Some of his best-known works include a series of unforgettable posters and title sequences for films such as Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958) and Otto Preminger’s Anatomy of a Murder (1959). 

For this installment of our Words on Film series, the Library will open its vaults to share many rarely seen artifacts from the Saul Bass Collection, which was donated to the library by the Bass family in 1998 and 1999. 

There will be a panel discussion with special guests including Saul Bass’ daughter Jennifer Bass, film critic Peter Debruge (Variety), Matthew McCarthy (Film Art Gallery), Bass’ archivist and assistant Brad Roberts, and moderated by Anne Coco, Head of Graphic Arts Collections. Unfortunately, Eva Marie Saint is no longer able the attend this event.

There will be original artworks, storyboards, publicity materials and correspondence related to Bass’ work, and much more!

Some of the films that will also be highlighted will include:  Carmen Jones (1954), The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), Around the World in 80 Days (1956), Bonjour Tristesse (1958), Psycho (1960), Ocean’s 11 (1960), Spartacus (1960), West Side Story (1961), It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), The Shining (1980), Big (1988), Goodfellas (1990), Cape Fear (1991), The Age of Innocence (1993), Casino (1995).  There will be materials relating to films Saul Bass himself directed including Why Man Creates (1968) and Phase IV (1974).

Jennifer Bass will also sign copies of her book Saul Bass: A Life in Film and Design after the event.

Event Details:
Margaret Herrick Library, 333 S. La Cienega Blvd. Beverly Hills
7:00 – 8:30 p.m. (doors open at 6:00).  Light refreshments will be served. Parking will be available at the Beverly Hills Tennis Courts.

In order to RSVP for two complimentary tickets, please click the RSVP available November 4th and provide your name and email address.

Check-in:
Once you RSVP, on the night of the show, check-in at will-call at the Academy’s Margaret Herrick Library.

Upcoming Library Speaker events:
January 23, 2020:  Hawk Koch: MAGIC TIME: MY LIFE IN HOLLYWOOD