The Roots of Noir
This series, which continues through May, is presented in conjunction with The Art Institute of Chicago’s exhibit “Edward Hopper.” Included are films that reflect Hopper’s admiration for the film noir genre and other American crime films that fed into the noir movement of the 1940s. Check our April and May Gazettes for upcoming films in The Roots of Noir.
THE MALTESE FALCON
1941, John Huston, USA, 100 min.
With Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor
Huston’s directorial debut is a crackling adaptation of Dashiell Hammett’s hard-boiled detective classic, with Bogart in legendary form as ruthless sleuth Sam Spade, chasing a precious object coveted by a host of scoundrels, including jovial “Fat Man” Sydney Greenstreet, sexually ambiguous con artist Peter Lorre, gum-chewing gunsel Elisha Cook Jr., and deceptive dame Mary Astor. 35mm. (MR)
Saturday, February 16, 5:00 pm
Sunday, February 17, 3:15 pm
THE PUBLIC ENEMY
1931, William A. Wellman, USA, 83 min.
With James Cagney, Mae Clarke
Hot on the heels of LITTLE CAESAR came the second definitive gangster classic of the 1930s. Cagney catapulted to superstardom with his dynamic portrayal of Tom Powers, an ambitious South Side hoodlum who rises to the top of the Chicago underworld. This is the film in which Cagney memorably mashes a grapefruit into the kisser of nagging moll Mae Clarke. 35mm. (MR)