Wide variety of classic movies showing up in local theaters

“Chinatown” (1974, R). Roman Polanski’s meticulous period mystery about a private eye (Jack Nicholson) entangled in Southern California politics and murder is one of the great 1970's pictures. (Sept. 13, Cinemark Theatres, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., www.cinemark.com/cinemark-classic-series)

“Sabrina” (1954). Billy Wilder’s charming comedy has effervescent Audrey Hepburn (hot off her Oscar win for “Roman Holiday”) as a chauffeur’s daughter romanced by two wealthy brothers (Humphrey Bogart, William Holden). (Preceded by a chapter of the 1939 serial “Dick Tracy’s G-Men.”) (Sept. 14, BYU, Harold B. Lee Library Auditorium, Provo, 7 p.m., free)

“The Birds” (1963). Alfred Hitchcock’s pitch-perfect, slow-to-build, terrifying tale of birds going on the attack in Northern California remains a first-rate chiller (hosted by TCM’s Robert Osborne). (Sept. 19, Cinemark Theatres, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., www.cinemark.com/cinemark-classic-series)

“Seven Chances” (1925). In this silent classic, Buster Keaton will inherit a fortune if he’s married by a specific date and time, which leads to his being pursued by hundreds of prospective brides, at one point hilariously trying to outrun a formidable landslide. (Preceded by an eight-minute Thomas Edison 1904 short with a similar storyline and a lengthy title: “How a French Nobleman Got a Wife Through the ‘New York Herald’ Personal Columns.”) (Sept. 20-21, The Organ Loft, 7:30 p.m., www.edisonstreetevents.com/silent-movies)

“The Bridge on the River Kwai” (1957). David Lean’s wartime drama, a battle of wits in a Japanese POW camp, is a thrilling adventure with fine-tuned performances by William Holden, Alec Guinness and company. (Sept. 20, Cinemark Theatres, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., www.cinemark.com/cinemark-classic-series)

“The African Queen” (1951). John Huston directed this tense World War I melodrama, primarily a two-character piece with two perfectly cast stars, Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn. (Sept. 27, Cinemark Theatres, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., www.cinemark.com/cinemark-classic-series)

“The Conqueror” (1956). John Wayne as Genghis Khan? Tumbleweeds on the Gobi Desert? If you’re looking for a campy, goofy, unintentionally hilarious movie experience, you can’t do better than this weird epic filmed in southern Utah. (Preceded by a chapter of the 1939 serial “Dick Tracy’s G-Men.”) (Sept. 28, BYU, Harold B. Lee Library Auditorium, Provo, 7 p.m., free)

More vintage classics — including “Lawrence of Arabia” and “The Bride of Frankenstein” — are being scheduled for local theaters in the coming months. Stay tuned.

E-MAIL: hicks@desnews.com