Friday, October 25, 2024 - 6:00 pm
October 25 - Wait Until Dark (1967), 108 minutes, directed by Terence Young, starring Audrey Hepburn, Richard Crenna, and Alan Arkin.
San Francisco based historian Jim Van Buskirk will guest co-host.
Through an odd sequence of events, Susy Hendrix (Audrey Hepburn) comes to possess an antique doll packed with heroin. Not surprisingly, there are some very bad men who will do almost anything to possess it. Matters are complicated by Suzy’s solitary blindness in her New York apartment. Wait Until Dark is famous for its excruciating suspense, but it’s also a triumph of casting. Alan Arkin as a psychopath adds another great portrait to his diverse gallery of characters. His tormenting of Hepburn, the most likable and sympathetic of film stars, is so heinous we grow deeply invested in her and her fate.
October 2024 CinemaLit - Suspense!
October at CinemaLit explores the delicious, nerve wracking, spine tingling, singular experience of film suspense. Any story carries with it some level of suspense - what’s going to happen next? - but few play with suspense in the extreme. These four films are exceptional in taking our curiosity, dread, and hope to the highest levels. Come sit on the edge of your seat for Double Indemnity (1944), Strangers on a Train (1951), High Noon (1952), and Wait Until Dark (1967).
Matthew Kennedy, CinemaLit’s curator, has written biographies of Marie Dressler, Joan Blondell, and Edmund Goulding. His book Roadshow! The Fall of Film Musicals in the 1960s, was the basis of a film series on Turner Classic Movies. His most recent book, On Elizabeth Taylor: An Opinionated Guide, examines the screen legend's entire career.
“I don't have a favorite film,” Matthew says. "I find that my relationships to films, actors, genres, and directors change as I change over the years. Some don't hold up. Some look more profound, as though I've caught up with their artistry. I feel that way about Garbo, Cary Grant, director John Cassavetes, and others."
“Classic films have historical context, something only time can provide,” Matt observes. “They become these great cultural artifacts, so revealing of tastes, attitudes, and assumptions.”
Mechanics' Institute Members Free
Non-Members $10
Cafe opens at 5:30 pm with wine, beer, sparkling water, juice, and fresh-popped popcorn for sale.
Register with Eventbrite below.
Please note: Photos and/or video may be taken during this event.
CinemaLit Films
