“There’s no place like home.” – Dorothy, The Wizard of Oz

The idea of what makes a house a home, and explorations of how and where Americans live, have powerfully informed many significant films over the years, in ways both subtly thought-provoking and farcically over-the-top. The National Building Museum is proud to partner with the American Film Institute (AFI) Silver Theatre and Cultural Center to present a film series associated with the Museum’s exhibition House & Home. "Reel Estate: The American Home on Film" presents a wide-ranging series of films focusing on the American home, from nostalgic classics like Gone With the Wind, to post-WWII suburban melodramas like No Down Payment, and to subversive comedies like Hal Ashby’s The Landlord.

Strangers When We Meet*
March 30, Saturday, 3:15 pm

Richard Quine’s bittersweet melodrama, beautifully lensed in CinemaScope by Charles Lang, has long enjoyed a devoted fan following for its emotional sophistication and nuance. Unhappy with his wife's desire that he pursue more lucrative contracts, architect Kirk Douglas pours his soul into the unconventional home he is creating for novelist Ernie Kovacs in Bel Air. In contrast to his own stripped-down, open-plan suburban rambler, the new multi-level residence incorporates discreet Japanese-style screens, romantic jewel-tones, and warm wood surfaces—a bold design, with further inspiration provided by the affair Douglas soon begins with new neighbor Kim Novak. The actual residence was designed by Carl Anderson with Ross Bellah, studio artists whose rattan furnishings had been honored by MoMA 20 years earlier in a competition judged by modern architect Marcel Brueur, among others. DIR Richard Quine; SCR Evan Hunter, based on the novel by Evan Hunter; PROD Richard Quine. Germany, 1960, color, 117 min. NOT RATED

*Additional screening times available at AFI.com/Silver.

Ticket Information:
BUY TICKETS THROUGH AFI.com/Silver. $8.50 AFI and NBM members | $11.50 General Admission | $9 Seniors (65+), Students (with valid ID), and Military | $7 Children (12 and under).  Tickets may also be purchased at the box office (opens 30 minutes before the first show of the day).  Please note that tickets are not available for purchase through the National Building Museum.

The AFI Silver Theatre is located at 8633 Colesville Road in Silver Spring, Maryland, Silver Spring Metro, Red Line. 

Support for House & Home and related education programming is provided by The Home Depot Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, Hanley Wood, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Andersen Corporate Foundation, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, MASCO Corporation Foundation, and AARP, among others.