35mm Double Feat: OUTSIDE THE LAW w/ YOUNG DESIRE

Special Features: Introduction by film historian David Stenn

Mary Nolan Double Feature: OUTSIDE THE LAW (1930) in 35mm with YOUNG DESIRE (1930) in 35mm

Tragic and magnetic, Mary Nolan remains one of the most fascinating actresses of late silent and early sound cinema. This double feature showcases her remarkable talent and offers a haunting glimpse of the career that might have been. A Ziegfeld Follies dancer, Nolan fled to Europe in 1924 following a scandal, reinventing herself as a leading lady in 17 German films. Returning to the U.S. three years later, she landed major roles opposite Lon Chaney and John Gilbert before signing with Universal, which placed her on their star roster. She received top billing in four films for the studio — including the two featured here — before an abusive relationship with a powerful MGM executive resulted in a six-month hospitalization and an unofficial blacklist that ended her film career. Together, these films reveal a singular performer whose onscreen vulnerability and intensity were all too reflective of the struggles she endured off-screen.

95th Anniversary
OUTSIDE THE LAW (1930) in 35mm
Mary Nolan plays a criminal’s girlfriend involved in planning a bank heist so the two can start a new life — only to face off against a ruthless gangster (Edward G. Robinson) who wants a cut. The couple’s ability to escape with the loot depends on if they can be as ruthless as their opponent. Director Tod Browning lends the story his signature grit and empathy for society’s outsiders. MoMA curator Dave Kehr praised “a tortured, very modern performance” from Nolan. DIR/SCR/PROD Tod Browning; SCR Garrett Fort; PROD Carl Laemmle Jr. U.S., 1930, b&w, 70 min. NOT RATED

95th Anniversary
YOUNG DESIRE (1930) in 35mm
Mary Nolan portrays a carnival dancer yearning to escape her bleak life, clinging to the hope that love with a wealthy young man can overcome her past. With locations such as a real carnival, the film showcases Nolan’s raw acting style. Critic Farran Smith Nehme praised her acting as “strikingly modern — unfiltered, unstudied, with an edgy fascination that was unique to her,” while MoMA curator Dave Kehr described the film as “impressively bleak,” with “one of the great stomach-punch endings of all time.” DIR Lewis D. Collins; SCR Winifred Reeve, Matt Taylor, from the play “Carnival” by William R. Doyle; PROD Carl Laemmle. U.S., 1930, b&w, 68 min. NOT RATED

Runtime: 153 min., including a 15-min. intermission.

Run Time: 153 Minutes

Opening Date: Saturday, November 08, 2025

Genre: Crime drama

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