Double Feature: HIGH SIERRA + RIFIFI
Special Features: Intro by film historian Foster Hirsch on October 18
HIGH SIERRA
Paroled from a lengthy prison sentence after his mob boss pulls some strings, Roy "Mad Dog" Earle (Humphrey Bogart, in a career-making star turn) gets back to work by planning the heist of a swanky resort in Palm Springs, along with hotheaded youngsters "Babe" Kozak (Alan Curtis) and "Red" Hattery (Arthur Kennedy). The job goes smoothly, but the getaway is another story. Also starring Ida Lupino, Joan Leslie, Cornel Wilde and Bogart's own dog Zero as "Pard," the film features a screenplay co-written by John Huston, who would himself direct Bogart and rocket them both to A-list stardom, later that same year in THE MALTESE FALCON. DIR Raoul Walsh; SCR John Huston, W.R. Burnett, from his novel; PROD Jack L. Warner. U.S., 1941, b&w, 100 min. NOT RATED
Followed by:
RIFIFI [DU RIFIFI CHEZ LES HOMMES]
The American noir crime thriller was widely appreciated in France, and the best translations are generally cited as Jean-Pierre Melville's BOB LE FLAMBEUR and Jules Dassin's beloved heist film RIFIFI. The action in RIFIFI is an arc — with a meticulous and silent 28-minute safe-cracking scene that is the center of the film, not its climax. While the action takes place in Paris and exhibits classic French finesse, a particularly American tenacity adds the bite necessary to make it a perfectly balanced film noir. DIR/SCR Jules Dassin; SCR René Wheeler, Auguste Le Breton, from his novel; PROD Henri Bérard, René Bézard, Pierre Cabaud. France, 1955, b&w, 118 min. In French with English subtitles. NOT RATED
HIGH SIERRA also screens on Thurs, Oct. 24 View details here.
Run Time: 233 Minutes
Opening Date: Friday, October 18, 2024
Genre: Film noir
