THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LOST CONTINENT '24:
AUTEURES
MARCH 30-APRIL 3 / ROXIE THEATRE
PRESENTED BY MID-CENTURY PRODUCTIONS
LA VIE CONJUGAL (1964) • LES AMANTS (1958)
t’s 2024, and MCP is springing into action with a 15-film series at San Francisco’s Roxie Theater that follows last year’s highly regarded “Other Side of the Lost Continent” expedition. Reminding you that man and woman cannot live on solely on film noir, our “Auteures” series rescues the fairer sex from decades of oblivion by showcasing women’s films written, directed, and acted by women.
From Saturday, March 30 to Wednesday, April 3, the “Auteures” will provide a road map for a different kind of film archeology—with works by pioneering women directors Marie Epstein and Jacqueline Audry; films written by Louise de Vilmorin, Annette Wademant, Françoise Giroud and Solange Térac—and all brought to life on screen by familiar and forgotten pioneering actresses (Danièle Delorme, Claire Maffei, Madeleine Renaud, Edwige Feuillère, Micheline Presle—and Jeanne Moreau).
Moreau is featured in four films, three of which will play in a special triple bill on Monday, April 1—featuring her breakout roles as an “existential sex symbol” (Les Amants / The Lovers), her hard-bitten collaboration with Orson Welles (The Immortal Story) and her very first film at age 21, Dernier amour / Last Love
The series concludes with the sixtieth-anniversary revival of André Cayatte’s double-barreled look at marriage through the contrasting lens of gender, La Vie conjugale / Anatomy of a Marriage, a double-feature “he said/she said” post-mortem where it’s up to the audience to decide who’s telling the truth. The young ingenue Marie-José Nat takes hold of her character and transforms herself into a state-of-the-art leading lady in these films—another MCP rediscovery you won’t want to miss.
"If you want to discover some amazing movies without having to put it the work of separating wheat from chaff, just put yourself in Malcolm’s hands and enjoy a special film experience." —Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
MOREAU TRIBUTE TICKETS AVAILABLE
Please strongly consider joining us for our special April 1st tribute to the legendary, mysterious Moreau, with rarely-screened classics showcasing her work with legendary directors—Louis Malle in The Lovers, Orson Welles in The Immortal Story, plus a never-before-seen in America screening of her very first film, Last Love (1949), made when she was just 20. If you can only attend one of our Other Side ’24 screenings, make it this one!
DON MALCOLM ON SUBSTACK
Don Malcolm’s Substack includes more info on the festival with previews written by series mastermind Phoebe Green.
Where Moreau began... a glimpse into the ultra-rare Dernier amour
He Said, She Said... Andre Cayatte's marital double‑whammy
Petillante, not petulant! - gender issues gets fizzy!
Into the whirling world of women - the matchless Micheline Presle
Into the whirling world of women - the matchless La Maternelle
Jacques Becker & his female collaborators - plus Claire Maffei & Anne Vernon!
Gigi, Cheri, Minne & Mme. Dalleray - "Colette x 4" opens the door for Other Side '24
An exemplary life and career has come to an end with the recent passing of Don Murray, an actor-writer-activist whose commitment to films exploring social issues was second-to-none. We hope that Don’s memoirs, which sadly did not find a publisher during his lifetime, will at last be made available—Don’s reminiscences are filled with empathy, insight, humor and unflinching honesty and illuminate his incredible life.
MCP will be making Unsung Hero, its semi-authorized documentary about Don, temporarily available for on-line screening shortly. There you’ll find out much more about the man’s life and career, including rare projects that remain virtually unknown to even his most ardent admirers.
We were honored to work with Don and his family on UNSUNG HERO, and thankful for the long-time support of the Roxie Theater, where the most comprehensive revival of Don’s film and television works was screened in July 2014.
Alongside his well known films such as Bus Stop, A Hatful of Rain, and Advise & Consent, we were thrilled to present thought-provoking works such as The Hoodlum Priest, Sweet Love Bitter, Shake Hands with the Devil, Deadly Hero, the landmark TV series The Outcasts, and the ultra-rare Call Me by My Rightful Name, a film that had been in limbo for more than four decades.
In 2022 a unique artifact from Don’s prolific work in live television, Billy Budd, was screened at the Roxie as part of our MIDCENTURY MADNESS series, further demonstrating Don’s unique range and charisma. (See Don Malcolm's Substack essay Revisiting an "Unsung Hero" which accompanied the 2022 screenings.) We hope that more of Don’s appearances in live television during the 1950s and 1960s will become available for screening—it contains some of his finest work and would provide additional evidence of just how significant a figure he was at the height of his career. Godspeed to you, Mr. Murray...
SATURDAY MATINÉE - MAR 30
Colette...
12:30 PM GIGI
A young girl earmarked to be a third generation courtesan (Danièle Delorme) rebels against her fate...
(1949, Jacqueline Audry, 82m)
2:15 PM CHÉRI
An aging courtesan (Marcelle Chantal) is vexed by the petulant young boy (Jean Desailly) she can't quite bear to abandon. (1950, dir. Pierre Billon, 90m)
SATURDAY EVENING - MAR 30
4:45 PM MINNE / MINNE, L'INGÉNUE LIBERTINE
A feisty young woman (Danièle Delorme) searches for freedom in Belle Epoque Paris and gets more than she bargained for... (1950, dir. Jacqueline Audry, 90m)
6:30 PM THE GAME OF LOVE / LA BLÉ EN HERBE
A young boy needing help in "learning the ropes" of love is taken "in hand" by a vibrant, mysterious woman (Edwige Feuillère). (1954, dir. Claude Autant-Lara, 106m)
SUNDAY MATINÉE - MARCH 31
Jacques Becker & his female collaborators
12:30 PM ANTOINE AND ANTOINETTE / ANTOINE ET ANTOINETTE
Two young marrieds (Roger Pigaut, Claire Maffei) have their love tested by the loss of a winning lottery ticket. (1947, dir. Jacques Becker, 78m)
2:15 PM RUE DE L'ESTRAPADE / FRANÇOISE STEPS OUT
Delicious Anne Vernon (still with us at 100!) discovers that her husband (equally delicious Louis Jourdan) may be stepping out on her. What to do? Take a chambre de bonne in the Latin Quarter and take up with adorably louche Daniel Gélin as an outrageous young scrounger... (1953, dir.Jacques Becker, 100m)
SUNDAY EVENING - MARCH 31
Women, work v. love...
4:45 PM CHILDREN OF MONTMARTRE / LA MATERNELLE
A suddenly dispossessed heiress (Madeleine Renaud) finds work and fulfillment in a slum childcare center. (1933, dir. Jean Benoît-Lévy, Marie Epstein, 83m)
6:40 PM THE LOVE OF A WOMAN / L'AMOUR D'UNE FEMME
A young woman (Micheline Presle) works hard to be accepted as a doctor for a village on a remote island, only to have the expectations of her lover (Massimo Girotti) create complications... (1953, dir. Jean Grémillon, 104m)
MONDAY - APRIL 1 BIG ROXIE
Jeanne Moreau per Louise de Vilmorin, Louis Malle, AND Orson Welles!
6:15 PM THE LOVERS / LES AMANTS
A cheating woman (Jeanne Moreau) cheats once too often, and creates a scandal—but enjoys the ride (which is even more scandalous!) (1958, dir. Louis Malle, 90m)
8:00 PM THE IMMORTAL STORY
A streetwallker (Jeanne Moreau) is roped into a strange scheme concocted by a bitter old man (Orson Welles, who also directed). (1968, dir. Orson Welles, 62m)
9:15 PM LAST LOVE / DERNIER AMOUR
In her first film (age 21), Jeanne Moreau is a feisty bohemian who threatens to break up an upper-class marriage (Georges Marchal, Annabella). (1949, dir. Jean Stelli, 99m)
TUESDAY - APRIL 2
How do you say "fizzy" in French?
6:30 PM THE HONORABLE CATHERINE / L'HONORABLE CATHERINE
The blackmail schemes of a lady con artist (Edwige Feuillère) backfire when she and her unwitting partner (Raymond Rouleau) are kidnapped by jewel thieves! (1943, dir. Marcel L'Herbier and Jacques de Baroncelli, 99m)
8:30 PM JULIETTA
A double triangle of wacky romantic entanglements keeps pert young Dany Robin on her toes--also starring Jean Marais and Jeanne Moreau. (1953, dir. Marc Allégret, 99m)
WEDNESDAY - APRIL 3
He said, she said...marital revelations from André Cayatte
6:30 PM ANATOMY OF A MARRIAGE - MY DAYS WITH JEAN MARC / LA VIE CONJUGALE
(1964, dir. Andre Cayatte, 112m)
8:45 PM ANATOMY OF A MARRIAGE - MY DAYS WITH FRANÇOISE / LA VIE CONJUGALE
(1964, dir. Andre Cayatte, 112m)
Andre Cayatte presents two versions of the same star-crossed marriage, giving first the husband (Jacuqes Charrier) and then the wife (Marie-José Nat) control of the story.
San Francisco's Roxie Theatre is at 3117 16th St., between Valencia & Guerrero. BOX OFFICE: 415.863.1087
MIDCENTURY PRODUCTIONS is a "boutique" programming venture designing "mini film festivals, featuring films from cinema's most explosive three decades—the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. We program original festivals and work with organizations and individuals to craft singular programming that illuminates the hidden corners of these three decades.
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