web - Back Street 2 copy
Back Street (1932)

The Melbourne Cinémathèque & ACMI present

Back Street

John M. Stahl | USA | 1932 | Unclassified (15+)
Film

When

Wed 3 Dec 2025

See below for additional related events

Marking the first adaptation of Fannie Hurst’s popular 1931 novel of the same name, Stahl’s film is a strikingly realistic glimpse into what life was like for many women during the Great Depression.

Featuring remarkably restrained performances from its two leads, Stahl regulars Irene Dunne and John Boles, the film is a tragic tale of doomed love and feminine masochism that eschews emotional melodrama in favour of a more objective gaze, an approach largely uncommon at the time and still deeply affecting to this day. With ZaSu Pitts and Jane Darwell.

Format: DCP
Language: English
Source: Park Circus
Courtesy: Park Circus
Runtime: 93 mins

Event duration

93 mins

Rating

Unclassified (15+)

Where

Cinema 1, Level 2
ACMI, Fed Square

Plan your visit

Membership options

Mini membership
(3 consecutive weeks)
$30.5–36

Annual memberships
$174–325

See full options

More films screening in this program

There are no upcoming related events at this time.

About Melbourne Cinémathèque

Australia's longest-running film society, Melbourne Cinémathèque screens significant works of international cinema in the medium they were created, the way they would have originally screened.

Melbourne Cinémathèque is self-administered, volunteer-run, not-for-profit and membership-driven. 

Learn more | View the 2025 program | See membership options

Melbourne Cinémathèque - Dirk Bogarde in a still from Victim

Join our newsletter

Get updates on the latest news, exhibitions, programs, special offers and more.

You might also like