Bay of Angels + Back to the Wall
JEANNE MOREAU Our evening double feature showcases the singular Jeanne Moreau, as we straddle her emergence from her still mostly-lost pre-New Wave career into 60s superstardom.
Bay of Angels / La Baie des anges
7:30 PM Moreau’s a charismatic platinum blonde — who also happens to be a compulsive gambler, a fact that the overly impressionable Claude Mann finds out the hard way. Jacques Demy veers away from his usual New Wave confections with this swoony “casino noir” that alternates glamour and squalor in its depiction of an endless, enthraillng but ominous rollercoaster ride at the roulette table. (1963, Jacques Demy, 90m)
Back to the Wall / Le Dos au mur
9:15 PM Here, Moreau’s an unfaithul wife who chose the wrong husband (Gerard Oury) to cheat upon. Edouard Molinaro’s debut noir pulls out all the stops in chronicling the depths of his revenge. (1958, dir. Edouard Molinaro, 93m)
Midcentury Productions’ THE FRENCH HAD A NAME FOR IT ’24- Part Two brings a landmark ten-year series to a smashing conclusion with 18 more rare films noirs from France, the actual birthplace of noir! Seven ultra-rarities play in the little Roxie on Friday and Saturday, Nov 29-30, followed by 11 more gems in the Big Roxie from Sunday, Dec 1 through Tuesday, Dec 3. Eternal French film icons — Jean Gabin, Jeanne Moreau, Brigitte Bardot — all appear in terrific films you’ve never seen. Join us Friday and Sunday for a special look at the secret career of Erich von Stroheim where you’ll fall in love with “the man you love to hate”.
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