ROMAN HOLIDAYJanuary 13-14Directed by William WylerStarring: Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, Eddie Albert1953, color, 118 minutes, Not RatedAudrey Hepburn, the essence of 1950s chic, stars in an Oscar-winning performance as a cosseted European princess who goes AWOL in Rome and is soon taken under the wing of tabloid journalist Gregory Peck and his photographer sidekick, Eddie Albert. She thinks the boys don't suspect who she really is, but they're onto her -- and sense a sensational story if they can just keep Audrey's handlers from retrieving her too soon.

MOULIN ROUGEFebruary 10-11Directed by Baz LuhrmannStarring: Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, Jim Broadbent2001, color, 127 minutes, Rated PG-13A naïve young poet (McGregor) falls in love with a cabaret star (Kidman), and their ill-fated romance is told through a dazzling array of songs, from snatches of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "The Sound of Music" to Madonna's "Like a Virgin." But the real star is director Baz Luhrmann, who came up with this infectious concoction that won two Oscars for art direction and costume design.

352 Cypress St., Abilene, TX (325) 676-9620 www.paramount-abilene.org

2012

Experience cinema in the opulent atmosphere of Abilene’s landmark theatre. The Paramount, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was built in 1930, and 81 years later is still celebrating the magic of film.

THE ALAMOMarch 9-10Directed by John WayneStarring John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Laurence Harvey1960, color, 162 minutes, Not RatedTexas's pivotal battle for independence from Mexico comes blazingly to life courtesy of John Wayne (who also directs) as Davy Crockett. Col. William Travis (Harvey) and famous knife-fighter Jim Bowie (Widmark) join the Tennessee frontiersman in the crumbling Spanish mission. The final attack and rousing defense in one of history's most epic last stands rank among Hollywood's finest battle set pieces.

TOP HATMay 11-12Directed by Mark SandrichStarring: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers1935, black & white, 100 minutes, Not RatedThis joyous Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musical features a beautiful Irving Berlin score. Astaire stars as Jerry Travers, a singer-dancer who auditions some new moves for producer Horace Hardwick at his hotel. The beautiful Dale Tremont (Rogers) is staying downstairs and the wackiness begins when she mistakes Jerry for Horace in this romantic comedy that received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.

JAWSJune 8-9Directed by Steven SpielbergStarring: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss1975, color, 125 minutes, Rated PGDirector Steven Spielberg virtually invented the summer blockbuster with this white-knuckle adaptation of Peter Benchley's novel about an insatiable great white shark that terrorizes the townspeople of fictional Amity Island. John Williams's legendary score punctuates the tension as the police chief (Scheider), an oceanographer (Dreyfuss) and a grizzled shark hunter (Shaw) seek to destroy the bloodthirsty beast.

BEN HURApril 13-14Directed by William WylerStarring: Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Haya Harareet1959, color, 222 minutes, Not RatedCharlton Heston plays Judah Ben-Hur, a proud Jew who runs afoul of ambitious boyhood friend Messala (Stephen Boyd) in this 1959 epic that boasts an unforgettable chariot race and earned 11 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Heston) and Best Director (William Wyler). Condemned to life as a slave, Judah swears vengeance against Messala and escapes, later crossing paths with a gentle prophet named Jesus.

THE BIG COUNTRYJuly 13-14Directed by William Wyler Starring: Gregory Peck, Jean Simmons, Burl Ives1958, color, 167 minutes, Not RatedJames McKay (Peck) retires from sea life and heads west in this frontier drama directed by William Wyler. McKay finds himself in the middle of a water-rights feud and wins no friends when he chooses to stay neutral. The cast includes Charlton Heston and Oscar-winner Burl Ives, but the true star of The Big Country is the Western plains' magnificent landscape. The film won Burl Ives an Oscar for his supporting actor work.

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERAAugust 10-11Directed by Joel SchumacherStarring: Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Minnie Driver2004, color, 141 minutes, Rated PG-13Director Joel Schumacher brings Andrew Lloyd Webber's legendary musical to the big screen. Gerard Butler stars as the disfigured, reclusive genius who roams beneath the Paris Opera and takes budding star Christine (Rossum) under his wing. But as he falls for her, she finds love with handsome Raoul (Wilson). Enraged, the Phantom nearly kills Christine, but soon refocuses his efforts on expressing his love through music.

REAR WINDOWSeptember 7-8Directed by Alfred HitchcockStarring: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Raymond Burr1954, color, 115 minutes, Rated PGAs his broken leg heals, wheelchair-bound L.B. Jefferies (Stewart) becomes absorbed with the parade of life outside his window and soon fixates on a mysterious man whose behavior has Jefferies convinced a murder has taken place. Meanwhile, other windows reveal the daily lives of a dancer, a lonely woman, a composer, a dog and more. Grace Kelly, Thelma Ritter and Wendell Corey co-star.

YOUNG FRANKENSTEINOctober 12-13Directed by Mel BrooksStarring: Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman, Cloris Leachman1974, color, 106 minutes, Rated PGA laugh riot from beginning to end, this classic parody from director Mel Brooks stars Gene Wilder as Frederick Frankenstein, who detests his family history but ultimately can't resist the temptation to follow in his infamous grandfather's footsteps. The great supporting cast includes Marty Feldman as bug-eyed assistant Igor, Madeline Kahn as Frankenstein's frosty fiancée and Peter Boyle as the zipper-necked monster.

INSIDIOUSOctober 31Directed by James WanStarring: Patrick Wilson. Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins2011, color, 102 minutes, Rated PG-13Our Halloween film for 2012 is this truly scary haunted house thriller that is destined to be a classic of the genre. Josy and Renai confront terrifying tribulations when their son falls into a coma and his body starts to attract malevolent forces. But when the family moves, hoping to leave the evil spirits behind, they realize their problems are only beginning. This film screens on Halloween night only, and includes an early and late show.

MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTONNovember 9-10Directed by Frank CapraStarring: James Stewart, Frank Capra, Jean Arthur1939, black & white, 129 minutes, Not RatedWhen idealistic junior senator Jefferson Smith (Stewart) arrives in Washington, D.C., he's full of plans and dazzled by his surroundings -- qualities he retains despite widespread corruption among his cynical colleagues. Jean Arthur puts in a sharp performance as Smith's streetwise secretary, who helps him navigate his way through Congress, in this Academy Award-winning classic from director Frank Capra..

THE WIZARD OF OZDecember 7-8Directed by Victor FlemingStarring: Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley1939, color, 103 minutes, Rated GThere's no place like home for young Dorothy (Garland), who's been swept away from her farm in Kansas to a wonderland of munchkins and flying monkeys. She must follow the Yellow Brick Road to the all-knowing Wizard of Oz to find her way home. Along the way, she meets the Scarecrow (Bolger), the Tin Man (Haley) and the Cowardly Lion (Lahr), who help her fend off the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton).

ANNIE GET YOUR GUNDecember 31Directed by George SydneyStarring: Betty Hutton, Howard Keel, Louis Calhern1939, black & white, 129 minutes, Not RatedThis film adaptation of Irving Berlin's classic musical stars Betty Hutton as gunslinger Annie Oakley, who romances fellow sharpshooter Frank Butler (Keel) as they travel with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. Previously off target when it comes to love, Annie proves you can get a man with a gun in this battle-of-the-sexes extravaganza.

Please note: All films subject to change based on availability.