2015 TCM Classic Film Festival announce four world premiere restorations, including 'Spartacus'

TCM's 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival lineup has announced its first four films. The festival will feature four newly restored editions of the classic films, "Apollo 13" (1995), "Spartacus" (1960), "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (1939) and "Steamboat Bill Jr." (1928).

Apollo 13 (1995) – 20th Anniversary – World premiere restoration presented in collaboration with Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

Ron Howard's extraordinary film chronicles the mechanical mishaps aboard the Apollo 13 lunar spacecraft and the diligent efforts to bring the astronauts home safely. Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon and Bill Paxton star as the astronauts, with Gary Sinise and Ed Harris as their counterparts in Mission Control and Kathleen Quinlan as Hanks' wife. The screenplay is based on the book Lost Moon by astronaut Jim Lovell, played by Hanks in the film, and Jeffrey Kluger. Apollo 13 earned Oscars for its taut film editing and exceptional sound design.

Spartacus (1960) – 55th Anniversary – World premiere restoration presented in collaboration with Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

Widely regarded as one of the best "sand and sandal" epics that became a staple of Hollywood during the 1950s and '60s, Stanley Kubrick's Spartacus tells the engrossing tale of a slave who became a gladiator and went on to challenge the might of the Roman Empire. Kirk Douglas plays the title role and served as producer on the film, which also stars Tony Curtis, Jean Simmons, Laurence Olivier, Charles Laughton, John Gavin and Peter Ustinov, in an Oscar®-winning performance. This film helped bring about the end of the Hollywood blacklist when Douglas publicly announced that Dalton Trumbo, one of the "Hollywood Ten," would be adapting Howard Fast's bestselling historical novel. In addition to Ustinov's win, Spartacus took home Oscars for its art direction, costume design and cinematography.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) – World premiere restoration presented in association with Warner Bros. Classics

Charles Laughton plays Quasimodo, Victor Hugo's tragic hero in this lavish RKO production of the oft-told tale with Maureen O'Hara as Esmeralda under the direction of William Dieterle. The cast also includes Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Thomas Mitchell and Edmond O'Brien. The Paris set, which included a remarkable replica of the famed Notre Dame cathedral, was one of the largest built during the era.

Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928) – World premiere restoration presented in collaboration with Cohen Film Collection

Buster Keaton stars as the son of a paddle-steamer captain in love with the daughter of his father's business rival in this dazzling silent comedy. Despite its box office failure, Steamboat Bill Jr. has since become one of the most cherished Buster Keaton vehicles. Its hurricane sequence required numerous breakaway sets and buildings, including the building façade that just missed crushing Keaton in the movie's most famous sight gag. The TCM Classic Film Festival's screening of Steamboat Bill Jr. will feature a live orchestra conducted by legendary silent film composer Carl Davis in a world premiere performance of his new score.

Passes for the 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival are set to go on sale to the public Thursday, Nov. 13, at noon (ET). Passes can be purchased exclusively through the official festival website: www.tcm.com/festival. A limited number of festival passes will also be available to Citi cardmembers via an exclusive online only presale at www.citiprivatepass.com. This exclusive presale begins at 10 a.m. (ET), Tuesday, Nov. 11, and ends at 10 a.m. (ET), Thursday, Nov. 13.