The Cinema Museum - Kennington Noir, She Done Him Wrong (1933), Boys Don't Cry (1999), The Parson's Widow (1920), Rare Cinema Europe

 

Kennington Noir May 18th She Done Him Wrong (1933) May 21st Boys Don't Cry (1999) May 22nd The Parson's Widow (1920) May 25th Rare Cinema Europe May 27th Kennington Noir presents; Mystery Street (1950), Wednesday May 18th @ 7:30pm Kennington Noir presents Mystery Street (1947), directed by John Sturges and starring Ricardo Montalban, Sally Forrest, Bruce Bennett, Elsa Lanchester, and Marshall Thompson. When a skeleton turns up on a beach, local cop Ricardo Montalban uses forensics to find the identity of the body, what happened and who did the deed; but Elsa Lanchester steals the show doing a splendid turn as an eccentric, greedy landlady. As with last month’s T-Men, the classy noir cinematography comes courtesy of the great John Alton. Advance tickets are £8 and can be purchased from Ticketlab or direct from the Museum by calling 020 7840 2200 during office hours. Women & Cocaine presents; She Done Him Wrong (1933), Saturday May 21st @ 7:30pm “I’ll try anything once, twice if I like it, three times to make sure.” This month Women & Cocaine salutes the most scandalous woman ever! She was an actress, playwright, screenwriter, and sex symbol, famous for her bawdy double entendres. The month of May belongs to Mae West as we screen her classic She Done Him Wrong from 1933 and immerse you in Mae’s world. West plays Burlesque barroom singer Lady Lou, a woman who knows everyone in town, especially the men. Unfortunately, her convict ex-boyfriend Chick, is the jealous type and vows violence against her if she behaves unfaithfully while he’s in prison. To make matters worse, Lou’s boss, Gus, secretly runs a prostitution and counterfeiting ring, and the director of the city mission next door is actually a federal agent (played by Cary Grant in his breakout role). Reserved tickets are £9.45 - click below to purchase from Eventbrite. Tickets will also be available on the door on the night. Concessions available on the door with valid ID. Phone bookings for this event cannot be made via the Cinema Museum. Buy Now Sappho's Cinema & Lesflicks presents; Boys Don't Cry (1999), Sunday May 22nd @ 3:30pm This month we are thrilled to be screening the powerful Oscar winning film, Boys Don’t Cry (1999), the first feature film written and directed by Kimberley Peirce. This true story tells the short, tragic life of Brandon Teena (Hilary Swank), who is forced to leave his hometown when his ex-girlfriend’s brother discovers that he’s biologically female. Relocating to the small town of Falls City, Nebraska, Brandon becomes the popular new guy and falls for Lana (Chloë Sevigny), an aspiring singer and they begin to plan their future together. But when her ex-convict friends, John (Peter Sarsgaard) and Tom (Brendan Sexton III), learn Brandon’s secret, things take a turn for the worse very quickly. Boys Don’t Cry was one of the first major films to grapple with being transgender in America, and the current events we are experiencing due to the trans conversion therapy ban has made this dramatic debut about sexual misfit, even more relevant and powerful. Sappho’s Cinema is a celebration of our herstory on film, and aims to show true stories that offer authentic and diverse representation. More details here. Reserved tickets are £9.45 - click below to purchase from Eventbrite. Tickets will also be available on the door on the night. Concessions available on the door with valid ID. Phone bookings for this event cannot be made via the Cinema Museum. Kennington Bioscope presents; Prastankan / The Parson's Widow (1920), Wednesday May 25th @ 7:30pm Prästänkan/The Parson’s Widow (1920), directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer and starring Hildur Carlberg, Einar Rød, Greta Almroth, Olav Aukrust, Kurt Welin, Mathilde Nielsen, Emil Helsengreen, and Lorentz Thyholt. A young man is elected by a small village to be its parson. As part of his duties, he is required to marry the widow of the parson before him. This poses two problems – first, the widow is old enough to be his grandmother, and second, he is already engaged to another woman. “Once we have seen The Parson’s Widow, is it easier to find a comic element in even the most serious Dreyer films, stemming from Dreyer’s humanism, his acceptance of man for what he is, with all his weaknesses and strengths” (film historian Eileen Bowser). More information here. John Sweeney will be providing live piano accompaniment for The Parson’s Widow and Colin Sell will be playing for the supporting programme. Tickets are £7, but seats are limited.  To avoid disappointment, please request an invitation using the email kenbioscope@gmail.com. Rare Cinema Europe presents; Life Is A Dog / Zivot Je Pes (1933), Friday May 27th @ 7:30pm A chance to see a selection of rarely screened fine European films. Life is a Dog/Život je pes, (Czechoslovakia / 1933 /84 mins). Directed by Martin Fric and starring Hugo Haas and Adina Mandlova. A light hearted romp mainly set in and around a Prague music publishing shop. A young composer falls for the publisher’s daughter but the road to love is complicated when he gains employment at the shop disguised as his uncle. Hugo Haas was a top star of both theatre and film in his native Czechoslovakia and would later find character roles in Hollywood before becoming a director himself. Adina Mandlova proves delightfully flirty as the love interest and the hi-jinks are kept bubbling along by the experienced Martin Fric who directed more than 100 films between 1929 and 1968. Advance tickets are £8 and can be purchased from Ticketlab or direct from the Museum by calling 020 7840 2200 during office hours.  Tickets will also be available on the door.