What’s Screening: September 23 -29

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Lincoln Spector

This Saturday is National Art House Theater Day, where we celebrate the kind of movie theaters I cover in Bayflicks. In the Bay Area, the Rafael, the Lark, the Balboa, the Vogue, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and the New Mission are taking part.

Other than that, we’ve got six five festivals this week (yikes!), Madeline Kahn and Gene Wilder celebrations, and a lot of good movies.

Festivals

Promising events

Madeline Kahn-a-thon, Balboa, Friday, 5:00

A triple bill of High Anxiety, Blazing Saddles, and Clue. I kind of like Blazing Saddles, although it’s far from my favorite western comedy. I haven’t seen the other two. But Madeline Kahn was a wonderful comedienne. Two days after the Kahn-a-thon, the Balboa will screen Blazing Saddles again in a “Gene Wilder Tribute”–actually a double bill with Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

A Fuller Life, Roxie, Friday, 7:00; Rafael, Sunday, 4:15

Judging from his autobiography, crime reporter, novelist, soldier, screenwriter and Hollywood director Sam Fuller had an interesting life. This documentary, made by his daughter, should be fun. See my article on him.

Recommended revivals

A Rome Open City, Castro, Saturday, 1:00

Roberto Rossellini helped create Italian neorealism in this dark tale of the German occupation. Gritty and at times horrifying, it vividly recreates the physical dangers and mental strains of living under Nazi rule. Technically, I suppose, it shouldn’t count as neorealism, since two major parts are played by established stars: Anna Magnani takes the central role of a pregnant woman who discovers that her fiancé is working for the underground, and the usually comic Aldo Fabrizi takes on a rare dramatic role as a priest who finds he has to administer to more than just souls. Part of Anna Magnani – a Film Series.

A Pickup On South Street, Roxie, Saturday, 5:30; Rafael, Friday, 5:00; Saturday, 2:00

This Cold War noir stars Richard Widmark as a pickpocket who lifts the wrong wallet on a crowded subway. The wallet’s owner (Jean Peters) has no idea that it contains a piece of microfilm with important government secrets. She’s merely a dupe of Communist agents. The US government, of course, is also after this valuable piece of celluloid. A hell of an exciting story. Part of Samuel Fuller: A Fuller Life.

A M, Stanford, Thursday and next Friday

In this early talkie, director Fritz Lang shows us a Germany sinking into corruption, depression, and paranoia. The paranoia is understandable; someone is murdering little girls and successfully eluding the police. Eventually the underworld must do what the authorities cannot and stop the killer. Peter Lorre became famous as the oddly sympathetic child molester, driven by inner demons to kill. I’m not sure film noir would ever have happened without M. Part of the series Vienna and the Movies.

A Pandora’s Box, Stanford, Friday, 7:30

Nearly 70 years after her last film, cinephiles still debate whether Louise Brooks was a first-class talent or just a beautiful woman in the hands of a great director. Either way, her oddly innocent femme fatale wins our sympathy and our lust as she sends men to their destruction without, apparently, understanding what she’s doing. A great example of what the silent drama could do in the hands of a master; in this case, G.W. Pabst. Accompanied by Dennis Jameson the Wurlitzer pipe organ. On a double bill with a talkie called The Devil is a Woman.

A Time Bandits, Balboa, Saturday, 10:00am

What would you do with a map of the universe’s flaws? For a band of unruly dwarves, the answer is easy: Make it the guide for a time-traveling crime spree. Unfortunately, Evil Incarnate believes that the map will give him unlimited power, and the Supreme Being wants it back. Terry Gilliam takes the children’s fairy tale for a ride in the movie that turned Monty Python’s animator into a major filmmaker. Read my Blu-ray review.

B+ In the Realm of the Senses, Roxie, Thursday

Probably the first, and best, serious work of cinematic art to show real sex on the screen. Based on a true story, it examines a man and woman who become sexually obsessed with each other. But as the pleasures increase, darker impulses begin to take hold, leading to tragedy. Part of the Roxie’s Banned Movie Week.

Lebowskies (frequently-revived classics)

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What’s Screening: September 16 – 22

Posted on September 16, 2016 by Lincoln Spector

This week in Bay Area screenings, we’ve got epic cowboys, silicon cowboys, sinking continents, a Latino film festival, and two celebrations of Star Trek turning 50.

Festivals

New films opening

B Silicon Cowboys, Roxie, opens Friday

IBM ruled the personal computer market until a group of former Texas Instrument employees made a better and compatible product. Jason Cohen’s breezy documentary covers Compaq’s rise and fall in a quick and upbeat 77 minutes. It has some wonderful moments—especially the old Compaq commercials starring John Cleese. But it glides over a lot of important history and the technology that created it. Read my full review.

Promising events

Star Trek Triple Bill, Lark, Saturday

In honor of the show’s 50th anniversary, the Lark will screen three Star Trek films with three different casts. They start with one of the best original cast films, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. They follow that with Star Trek: First Contact–the best of the Next Generation feature films (which isn’t really saying much). Then they close it with the first reboot movie, Star Trek.

Cult Film Double Bill: Multiple Maniacs & Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, Castro, Friday

I’ve never seen John Waters’ second feature, Multiple Maniacs. It is, I assume, very weird. The $5,000 movie has been restored in 4K (which seems like overkill for a 16mm negative), so it will probably look its best. On a double bill with Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, a movie that many people love but I just don’t get.

Once upon a Time in the West, Pacific Film Archive, Friday, 6:30; Sunday, 6:45

I haven’t seen Sergio Leone’s epic western in decades, and I’ve never seen it on the big screen. I hope to rectify that Sunday.

Big, New Parkway, Friday, 4:30; Saturday, 12:00 noon; Tuesday, 6:30

I have fond memories of this fantasy comedy, which helped make Tom Hanks a star.

Recommended revivals

A Fruitvale Station, New Parkway, Friday, 7:50; Monday, 7:00; Thursday, 6:30

The experience of seeing this independent feature is very much like waiting for a time bomb. You watch Oscar Grant (Michael B. Jordan) go through the last day of 2008, knowing that he will be fatally shot by a BART cop in the early hours of the new year. Writer/director Ryan Coogler wisely avoids turning Grant into a saint, but makes us care very much for him. The last moments of the film–not including some documentary footage and the closing credits–will break your heart. Read my longer report.

B Atlantis: The Lost Continent, Balboa, Wednesday, 7:30

This George Pal fantasy adventure scared the spit out of me when it was new and I was a little kid. I saw it again recently, and one scene still sent memory-inspired shivers down my back. Overall, the movie is silly, and makes no sense at all if you have the cognitive abilities of a 12-year-old. But it’s fun. On a double bill with Golden Bat.

Lebowskies (frequently-revived classics)

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What’s Screening: September 9 – 15

Posted on September 9, 2016 by Lincoln Spector

Mr. Spock, Dekalog, Merchant Ivory, and a Big Parade in this week’s Bay Area screenings.

Festivals

New films opening

B+ For the Love of Spock, Roxie, opens Friday

Adam Nimoy splits this feature documentary between his father Leonard and the character that made Leonard famous: Star Trek‘s Mr. Spock. He tells us how the character developed, and then became one of the last century’s most iconic figures. But he also shows us how his father developed, from a struggling actor to a star to a director, how he struggled with family conflicts and alcohol. It’s a loving tribute, but also an honest one. Read my full review.

Promising events

Dekalog, New Mission, Rafael, starts Friday

I’ve yet to see Krzysztof Kieślowski’s masterpiece about the Ten Commandments and the last days of Polish Communism. I suppose I need to fix that. But since it was made as a 10-episode television series, I’ll probably wait until I can see it on the small screen.

Merchant Ivory double bill: Remains of the Day & Howard’s End, Castro, Sunday, 5:00

It’s been more than 20 years since I’ve seen either of these films, both examining the British class system in the first half of the 20th century. I remember liking both of them very much; especially Remains of the Day.
New 4K restoration of Howard’s End.

The new restoration of Howards End will also screen at the Elmwood as a regular feature, opening Friday.

David Thomson Lecture & Lola Montez, Pacific Film Archive, Saturday, 4:30

Max Ophuls’ last film, Lola Montez, screens at 5:30 as part of the ongoing series, Vienna and the Movies, curated by film critic and historian David Thomson. I haven’t seen the film. But if you get there at 4:30–even if you haven’t bought a ticket–you can listen to Thomson’s pre-screening lecture about the movie.

The Holy Mountain, Castro, Friday, 7:00

I saw Alejandro Jodorowsky’s very strange film about a spiritual quest some 42 years ago at a Los Angeles film festival. I remember it being bizarre, religious, sacrilegious, confusing, and sexual–with a lot of nudity. I kind of liked it (I was 19 at the time). On a double bill with Zardoz, which I saw around the same time, but didn’t care for–despite the nudity.

Recommended revivals

A The Big Parade, Castro, Sunday, 1:30

One of the best films about World War 1, made while the war was still a recent memory. John Gilbert sans mustache plays a spoiled rich kid who signs up almost on a lark, enjoys fun and games safely behind the lines, falls in love with a French girl (neither speaks the other’s language; a perfect match for a silent film), and then is dropped into an unrelenting Hell. With Bruce Loeb live on the organ.

A- Elevator to the Gallows, Opera Plaza, Shattuck, new 2K restoration opens Friday

Louis Malle launched his directing career, and arguably the New Wave, with this noir tale of a perfect crime gone wrong. Laced with dark, ironic humor, the film cuts back and forth between a murderer trapped in an elevator (Maurice Ronet), the murderer’s lover wandering the streets searching for him (Jeanne Moreau), and two young lovers enjoying a crime spree in a car stolen from the murderer. And all of it set to a powerful jazz score by Miles Davis. Read my longer comments.

A Animal Crackers, Stanford, Wednesday through next Friday

The Marx Brothers’ second film
overcomes the crudity of early talkies by delivering loads of laughs. “Marxist” humor always tears down the pompous and the self-important, and Animal Crackers’ setting–a society party filled with the wealthy and the pompous–makes the perfect setting for the Brothers’ special form of anarchy. On a very strange double bill with Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s 1953 version of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.

A The Terminator, Balboa, Tuesday, 7:00

James Cameron’s first hit provides non-stop thrills that keep you on the edge of a heart attack. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays the title character–a heartless machine sent back in time to murder the future mother of the man who will save humanity. Simple, straightforward, and modestly budgeted (three things you can’t say about recent Cameron pictures), The Terminator maintains an internal logic rare in time travel stories. On a double bill with RoboCop.

A All About Eve, Stanford, Saturday through Tuesday

Here’s your chance to explore the sordid ambition behind Broadway’s (and by implication, Hollywood’s) glamour. Anne Baxter plays the title character, an apparently sweet and innocent actress whom aging diva Bette Davis takes under her wing. But Eve isn’t anywhere near as innocent as she appears. Fasten your seatbelts; it’s going to be a bumpy ride. On a double bill with the 1947 version of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir.

B The Son of the Sheik, Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum, Saturday, 7:30

You can’t discuss Rudolph Valentino’s last and most famous movie without confronting outdated attitudes about romance and sex. The film’s treatment of rape is deeply offensive by today’s standards (as is the use of white actors in swarthy makeup)–and this in a movie designed to appeal to female libidos. But if you can put aside 21st-century values, it’s still a lot of fun. And yes, I know several modern women who find it sexy. I discuss the movie in more detail in this festival report. With the shorts Arabiantics and A Trip to Paramount Town. Frederick Hodges accompanies on piano.

Lebowskies (frequently-revived classics)

* Part of Alfred Hitchcock Weekends

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What’s Screening: September 2 – 8

Posted on September 2, 2016 by Lincoln Spector

Ozu, Cooper, and a whole lot of Hitchcock in this week’s Bay Area screenings.

Festivals

Promising events

Best of Cinekink 2016, New Parkway, Thursday, 9:00

According to the New Parkway website, this is “A collection of sexy shorts deemed the best during CineKink’s most recent festival run. This year’s assortment, with works ranging from documentary to drama, comedy too experimental, mildly spicy to quite explicit.” Sounds like fun.

Recommended revivals

A Tokyo Story, Pacific Film Archive, Thursday, 7:00

A great film about family in all of its troubling complexities. An elderly couple travel to Tokyo to visit their busy and overworked adult children. Everyone greets them with the proper respect, but only a widowed daughter-in-law offers real warmth. Mortality hangs in the air. You can appreciate the life changes in Tokyo Story without having experienced them. But eventually, you will experience them. Read my Blu-ray review. Part of the series Contemplative Cinema: Ozu’s Late Films.

A High Noon, Stanford, Saturday through Tuesday

Gary Cooper discovers he has only fair-weather friends in this simple fable of courage under fire. On the day of his wedding and his resignation, the town’s sheriff (Cooper) discovers that hardened criminals are on their way, presumably for vengeance. But when he tries to form a posse, no one is willing to help him. Arguably a parable about a Hollywood gripped in McCarthyite fear. On a double bill with Destry Rides Again, which I saw once long ago.

A Days of Heaven, Castro, Thursday

The story seems a better fit for a 74-minute, 1940s B noir, but Days of Heaven isn’t about story, and only moderately about character. It’s about time, place, atmosphere, and arguably the Bible. The time is around 1916, and for most of the film, the place is a large, uniquely beautiful wheat farm on the Texas panhandle. Through the yellow of the wheat fields, the haze of the sun, and the smoke of early 20th-century technology, Days of Heaven creates a sense of something that is not quite nostalgia, and not quite a dream, but a reality seen through the haze of distant memory. See my longer commentary. On a double bill with Knight of Cups.

A- The Man Who Knew Too Much
(1956 version), Balboa, Saturday, 3:30

Alfred Hitchcock’s only remake (of his own 1934 breakthrough thriller) throws an ordinary American couple (James Stewart and Doris Day) into the middle of international espionage—a favorite Hitchcock plot device. They witness the wrong murder, so evil foreign spies kidnap their son to force their silence. Shot partly on location in England and Morocco. Thrilling and fun in that Hitchcock-patented way. Part of the Alfred Hitchcock Weekends.

B Rope, Balboa, Saturday, 6:00; Monday, 7:00

Not Alfred Hitchcock’s worst film, but easily his most frustrating; this time the master messed up an excellent screenplay (by Arthur Laurents, adapted by Hume Cronyn from a play by Patrick Hamilton). Hitchcock chose to make each reel a single take, and create the impression that the film was a single shot. This robbed Hitchcock of the ability to edit, and turned Rope into a stunt instead of a thriller. Part of the Alfred Hitchcock Weekends.

Lebowskies (frequently-revived classics)

* Balboa screenings part of Alfred Hitchcock Weekends

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What’s Screening: August 26 – September 1

Posted on August 26, 2016 by Lincoln Spector

Two relationship movies open this week–one of them about the Obamas. Also Preston Sturges, Ray Harryhausen, Alfred Hitchcock, and a Mexican film festival.

Festivals

  • The Hola Mexico Film Festival opens tonight and runs through Sunday, screening ten Mexican films over the weekend.

New films opening

B+ The Intervention, Roxie, opens Friday

Over a weekend getaway, a group of friends try to convince an unhappily-married couple to divorce. But they can’t manage that task without their own relationship problems bubbling up. What do you expect? The person who planned this “marriage intervention” is a supremely mess-up alcoholic. I’m not sure if I should call this a very serious comedy or a very funny drama. Either way, it’s entertaining and touching. Read my full review.

C Southside with You, Shattuck, opens Friday

Yet another variation on Before Sunrise. Two attractive people who barely know each other walk through a city, talking, doing fun and meaningful things, and getting to know each other. Only this time, the couple are a young Barak Obama and Michelle Robinson. He thinks it’s a date; she insists not. The movie is very upbeat (the opening made me think it was a commercial), kind of sweet, but unexceptional. Read my full review.

Recommended revivals

A Leaf Blower, Roxie, Saturday, 5:00
Finding a keychain in a huge pile of leaves is a daunting task, especially if you’re not sure which huge pile is the right one. The task is near impossible if you’re a teenage boy getting help from two other teenage boys, all struggling with ranging hormones and short attention spans. Alejandro Iglesias Mendizábal and his collaborators turn this everyday annoyance into a touching and frequently hilarious comedy. The laughs become rare near the end, but the story holds up without them. Part of the Hola Mexico Film Festival.

A- The Palm Beach Story, Stanford, Saturday through Monday

No one else wrote and directed screwball comedies like Preston Sturges, and if this one doesn’t quite come up to the brilliant level of The Lady Eve, it’s still a great time at the movies. It’s not just the absurdity of casting singer Rudy Vallee as the millionaire rival ready to win Claudette Colbert from husband Joel McCrea, it’s also the Weenie King, the Ale and Quail Club, Toto, and the most ridiculous happy ending ever filmed. On a double bill with The Philadelphia Story.

A Jason and the Argonauts, Balboa, Saturday, 10:00am

No other movie so successfully turns Greek mythology (or at least a family-friendly version of Greek mythology) into swashbuckling adventure, while remaining true to the original spirit of the tales. As the gods bicker and gamble on the fates of mortals, Jason and his crew fight magical monsters and scheming human villains. Todd Armstrong and Nancy Kovack are unbearably stiff in the lead roles, but Jason contains several wonderful supporting roles, including Nigel Green as cinema’s most articulate Hercules. But the real star, of course, is Ray Harryhausen’s hand-made special effects.

B- The Lodger, Pacific Film Archive, Saturday, 4:00

Alfred Hitchcock’s second film and first thriller, The Lodger feels like the master in embryo. The plot and the atmosphere set up themes he would use again and again, but this first time, he doesn’t quite get it right. For instance, the protagonist just might be the murderer–a piece of mystery that robs the film of much of its potential suspense. It’s all made worse by Ivor Novello’s anemic and bizarre performance. But if you love Hitchcock, you have to see The Lodger for its historical importance. Accompanied by Judith Rosenberg on piano. Part of the series Hitchcock/Truffaut.

Lebowskies (frequently-revived classics)

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What’s Screening: August 12 – 18

Posted on August 12, 2016 by Lincoln Spector

Short films, funny films, scary films, but no film festivals in the Bay Area this week.

Last week, I confessed that I wrote the newsletter a bit early, and therefore it might not be entirely accurate. This one is even earlier. I wrote it on August 2. I promise that next week the newsletter will be hot off the word processor.

Promising events

Gary Meyer Selects: Trailers and Short Films, Pacific Film Archive, Wednesday, 7:00

The the man who ran the UC Theatre in its heyday, and now  more recently the director of the Telluride Film Festival, will present short films and trailers both old and new. “The selection ranges from George Méliès to Gunvor Nelson, Norman McLaren to Stan Brakhage, Alfred Hitchcock to Mel Brooks.” Full disclosure: I’ve written for his blog, EatDrinkFilms.com, and have been paid for it. 8/19: I’ve corrected this blurb.

SF Sketchfest Summer Social, Castro, Saturday

The festivities start at 10:30am with The Great Muppet Caper. Then, after a very long intermission, The Rock–yes, the big ’90s action flick–will screen at 4:20, with comic commentary by Doug Benson and friends. Finally, at 9:00, we get the latest version of The Found Footage Festival. To get an idea of what that particular experience is like, you can read my reviews of the 2007 and 2012 editions. Separate tickets required.

Recommended revivals

A The Wrong Man, Pacific Film Archive, Friday, 6:30

Although it uses one of Hitchcock’s favorite plots–the innocent citizen wrongly accused of a crime–The Wrong Man is unlike anything else he ever made. Based on a true story and apparently following it quite closely, The Wrong Man realistically shows you the horror of being an innocent accused. This is the film he made before Vertigo, and like Vertigo, it was a critical and commercial flop. But unlike Vertigo, it has yet to be properly rediscovered. Read my in-depth comments. Part of the series Hitchcock/Truffaut.

A Laurel & Hardy Series Volume 1, Rafael, Sunday, 4:30 & 7:00

For the next four Sundays, the Rafael will screen newly-restored selections from the best comedy duo in movie history. Starting in silents and smoothly adapting to talkies, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy played two men without a brain between them, who managed to be both lovable, vindictive, and very deliberate. The first volume contains four of their talking shorts; I count three of them amongst my favorites. I haven’t seen the other. For some odd reason, this series completely ignores their silents.

A The 400 Blows, Pacific Film Archive, Friday, 8:40

François Truffaut helped launch the French New Wave and modern cinema with this tale of a rebellious boy on the cusp to adolescence. Shot on a very low budget, it follows young Antoine (Jean-Pierre Léaud in the first of six films playing this role) as he cuts school, gets in trouble, discovers his parents’ marital problems, and refuses to fit in. Set to a brilliant jazz score, The 400 Blows captures the exhilaration and the horror (mostly the horror) of being 13. Another part of the series Hitchcock/Truffaut.

B A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Pacific Film Archive, Sunday, 3:30

The Warner Brothers adapted a Max Reinhardt stage production of Shakespeare’s romantic fantasy, and created one of the weirdest movies to come out of studio-era Hollywood. Oddly, Reinhardt’s spectacular visuals are its weakest point. They amaze the eye at first, but eventually just slow down the story. And yet the many big-name movie stars, which include Dick Powell, Olivia de Havilland, Joe E. Brown, James Cagney, and best of all Mickey Rooney, prove to be proficient in Shakespeare. Part of the series Vienna and the Movies.

Lebowskies (frequently-revived classics)

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What’s Screening: August 5 – 11

Posted on August 5, 2016 by Lincoln Spector

This week’s Bay Area screenings include a Burt Reynolds marathon, a monster-in-the-museum double bill, and the happy feet of Fred and Ginger.

But be advised: For personal reasons, I prepared this newsletter on Monday, August 2. Parts of it may be out of date.

Festivals

Of the five film festivals that graced the Bay Area in recent weeks, only one continues: The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. It closes Sunday. Check out my articles on this particular fest.

New films opening

A Indignation, Embarcadero, Albany, Aquarius, Rafael, opens Friday

In the early 1950s, young Marcus Messner (Logan Lerman) just might not find happiness. He has no good options, only bad ones. And he lacks the maturity to find the lesser evil. The son of a New Jersey kosher butcher, he does well academically but not socially in a Christian college. And if he leaves college, the draft and the Korean War await. Based on a novel by Phillip Roth. Read my full review. Note: The Friday night screening at the Rafael is part of the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, with writer/director James Schamus in person; the regular engagement starts Saturday.

B+ Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You, Clay, Shattuck, opens Friday; Rafael, Tuesday through Thursday

In the 1970s, Norman Lear changed the face of television with controversial sitcoms like All in the Family and The Jeffersons, then became a full-time political activist creating the organization People for the American Way. Directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady created a warm, sympathetic, and funny documentary about Lear. Of course it’s funny; comedy is his lifelong trade. But parts of the story felt incomplete, such if neither he nor the filmmakers wanted to go there.

Promising events

Burt Reynolds Mystery Marathon, New Mission, Saturday, 10:00am

No, it’s not a marathon of mysteries starring detective Burt Reynolds. The festivities begin with a free screening of The Bandit, a documentary about Reynolds’ close friendship with stuntman-turned-director Hal Needham–a platonic, touching love story between two very macho men. You can read my report. After the doc, you’ll have to buy a ticket for the “mystery marathon of Burt Reynolds and Hal Needham classics and a bonanza of 35mm trailers.”

Museum Monster Double Feature: It! Curse of the Golem and Curse of the Faceless Man, Balboa, Wednesday, 7:30

I know nothing about this, but it sure sounds like fun.

Raiders! the Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made and Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation

Not a double bill. Separate admission for each show
Soon after Raiders of the Lost Ark was released, three teenaged fans started on their own backyard version, following the movie shot by shot on the cheap. It took them seven years to complete it. The New Parkway will screen both the home-made action adventure and a documentary on its creation.

Recommended revivals

A+ Top Hat & The Gay Divorcee, Stanford, Wednesday through next Friday

If escapism is a valid artistic goal, Top Hat is a great work of art–and worthy of an A+. From the perfect clothes that everyone wears so well, to the absurd mistaken-identity plot, to the art deco set that makes Venice look like a very exclusive water park, everything about Top Hat screams “Don’t take this seriously!” But you don’t need realism when Fred Astaire dances his way into Ginger Rogers’ heart to four great Irving Berlin tunes (and one mediocre one). The Gay Divorcee feels like
a lukewarm rip-off of Top Hat, but it
was actually made first. Arguably the first true Astaire-Rogers movie, it’s a flawed entertainment with one great dance number, a few funny lines, and some historical interest. On its own, I give it a B-.

B+ Blackmail, Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum, Saturday, 7:30

A beautiful young woman ditches her Scotland Yard detective boyfriend, flirts with an artist, then has to kill him in self-defense. The next morning she’s at the mercy of a blackmailer. Alfred Hitchcock’s second thriller already shows touches of the master. The heroine’s night wanderings after the incident, her reaction to casual gossip about the murder, and the blackmailer’s breakfast prove that even this early, Hitchcock could keep us on the edge of our seats. With the shorts The Sleuth (starring Stan Laurel) and The Silent Trailer.
Frederick Hodges accompanies everything on piano.

Lebowskies (frequently-revived classics)

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