Rare films noir on view via ArtsEmerson's Noir Nights on June 9-12 provide more than a shadowy, morally ambiguous counterpoint to all the bright summer weather and shameless outdoor fun that will not doubt go on at the same time. They're also a reminder that Boston's long tradition of cinephilia survives quite strongly if you know where to look. (Street cred: The first movie I remember seeing, aged approximately 4, is Chaplin's "The Gold Rush" on the big screen at the old Harvard Square.)
True, the heyday of the revival house is long gone, along with the Orson Welles and other temples of cinema that reigned in the 1960s and '70s. But for those who aren't satisfied with "Hangover II," we have the Kendall Square, the Coolidge Corner and the Brattle. And those who want to drink deeply from one particular cinematic well at a time can find plenty of choices over the course of a year at Harvard Film Archive and the Museum of Fine Arts, among other non-theater venues.
ArtsEmerson is bidding to be part of that group with programs in the Bright Family Screening Room, in the Paramount Center, 559 Washington St. The 170-seat venue room is named for the family of Emerson alum and "Friends" producer Kevin Bright. And for those four nights the room's state-of-the-art projection equipment will be put to use in the service of twisted sisters, dark crime drama, tortured guilt and irresistible corruption. Yay!
Noir Nights is inspired by - and uses pristine new and archival prints from - Noir City, the Noir Film Foundation’s annual Los Angeles celebration of film noir, screened on 35mm. There are some big names in the six films - Olivia DeHaviland, Ray Milland, Ginger Rogers, Edward G. Robinson and Joan Fontaine - as well as directors Robert Siodmack and Fritz Lang. But of most interest to cinephiles is the fact that these films are comparatively little seen today, in large part because they're not available on DVD.
The films are: "Dark Mirror" (1946), directed by Siodmack, with DeHaviland playing twin sisters, one of whom is responsible for "a grisly murder"; "Cry of the City" (pictured above, 1948) also by Siodmack, with Richard Conte as a vicious New York hood and Victor Mature as his childhood friend, now a cop; "So Evil My Love" (1948), noir transplanted to Edwardian London with Milland as a con man; "Alias Nick Beal" (1949), a Faustian tale with Thomas Mitchell as a DA dragged down by Milland's mysterious tempter; "Tight Spot" (1955), with Ginger Rogers as a gangster's moll turned witness under tight guard; and "Beyond a Reasonable Doubt" (1956), directed by Lang, with Dana Andrews and Joan Fontaine in the tale of a main who gets himself framed for murder in order to discredit capital punishment.
More fun than beach volleyball, right? Tickets are $10, or $7.50 for members, and are available in advance at www.ArtsEmerson.org or 617-824-8400.
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