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| Moonfleet |
7pm
Moonfleet PG
Fritz Lang, 87 mins, USA, 1955
One of Fritz Lang's most magical, dynamic and dreamlike films is a key work in the critical appreciation of the director's career, largely neglected in America but widely regarded in Europe as one of the seminal works of '50s cinema. In 18th century England a young orphaned boy befriends the charismatic head of a smuggling ring (Stewart Granger). This windswept, austerely designed and brilliantly staged adventure was Lang's only Cinemascope film, a form he would famously deride in Godard's Contempt. With George Sanders, Joan Greenwood and an evocative score by Miklys Ryzsa. Imported 35mm print.
8.35pm
Fury
Fritz Lang, 94 mins, USA, 1936, 35mm, B&W. Courtesy: Filmmuseum Berlin
Lang's first American film is a sharp and terrifying study of mass hysteria and mob rule. The citizens of a small town try to lynch an innocent murder suspect. Spencer Tracy survives, and returns to take revenge. Co-scripted by Lang, this seminal and still-potent film reintroduces the director's characteristically fatalistic preoccupation with characters trapped in the machinations of society. With Sylvia Sidney and Walter Brennan. Imported 35mm print courtesy of Filmmuseum Berlin.
10.15pm
Die Vier um die Frau
Fritz Lang, 52 mins, Germany, 1921, 35mm, German with English subtitles. Courtesy: Filmmuseum Berlin
Long considered lost and only rediscovered in Brazil in 1986, this precursor to the Dr. Mabuse films was co-written by Lang's regular collaborator (and soon-to-be-wife) Thea von Harbou, and stars Rudolf Klein-Rogge. It is a melodramatic tale concerning stolen jewels, mistaken identity and sexual blackmail. Exquisitely designed and shot, this rarely screened early Lang film is an important milestone, highlighting numerous thematic and cultural preoccupations that mark the rest of the director's career.
