Hitchcock, now forever-canonized as one of the most quintessential filmmakers in all of history, is a far cry from being previously known as America’s favorite thrill-maker of the 1950’s, and nothing more. From simply a purveyor of popcorn jollies, to being hailed in France as a true pioneer, the notion of Hitchcock being regarded as a seriously important artist was met in its time with a befuddled, quizzical stare. 

Thankfully, we don’t have to wait on the opinion of a handful of French critics to move the needle forward on another massively influential and beguiling artist. In 2023, we find ourselves at a similar crossroads in the case of one of America’s most under-sung crowd-pleasers, the inimitable and forever-boundary pushing Robert Zemeckis. There are sadly few filmmakers who know the craft well enough to tow the line between entertainment, experimentation, and personal-expression, with even fewer who carry their particular obsessions throughout their whole career, creating a cinema best experienced, or perhaps, fully unlocked, with the proper context. 

It is with this we present CRACKERJACK COMPASS: THE WORKS OF ROBERT ZEMECKIS, a (mostly) complete run of his work, from his blockbusters (BACK TO THE FUTURE I-III, WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT), his award winners (FORREST GUMP, CAST AWAY), and his unjust flops (ALLIED, WELCOME TO MARWEN). 

This is one of the first major retrospectives of such a tireless artist, a week filled with new takes on old classics, and fresh perspectives on the more slept-on sections in his filmography; a chance to fully appreciate a filmmaker who smuggles in more than meets the eye into his entire dazzling body of work.

“…the Cahiers cinephilia, the cinephilia of the ‘Hitchcock–Hawksians,’ has something about it that relates—perversely—to the general public, because Hawks’ and Hitchcock’s films were seen in their day by working class people and ignored by cultivated people. It’s a relation to the working-class space through forms that people experienced and loved for fifty years.” -Serge Daney (former writer/editor for Cahiers du Cinema & Trafic)

“For some reason, he has never been properly evaluated at all. For a time he was devoted to animation. However, he made a spectacular return to live-action films with Flight and continues to shoot unique masterpieces like ALLIED and WELCOME TO MARWEN. Of course, not many people appreciate these works. However, he does not seem to care about public opinion at all and continues to boldly shoot new works. Perhaps Zemeckis is the American film director who makes the most authentic films today.” -Kiyoshi Kurosawa (director, CURE & PULSE)