FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: July 16, 1999
Contact: Margot Gerber
Tel.: 323/461-2020 ext. 115
AMERICAN CINEMATHEQUE PRESENTS A TRIBUTE TO THE LEGENDARY DIRECTOR
OF THE BLACK CAT AND DETOUR WITH
STRANGE ILLUSIONS: THE FILMS OF EDGAR G. ULMER
Daughter Ariane Ulmer Cipes in-person, plus brand new 35 mm prints of
BLUEBEARD,
THE WIFE OF MONTE CRISTO and THE STRANGE WOMAN
August 4 - 15, 1999
HOLLYWOOD – The American Cinematheque presents STRANGE ILLUSIONS: THE FILMS OF EDGAR G. ULMER (August 4-15, 1999), a tribute to Edgar G. Ulmer (1904 -1972), the legendary director of THE BLACK CAT and DETOUR at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. An extraordinary master of light and shadow, Expressionist wunderkind and permanent Hollywood outlaw, Ulmer has gained a reputation as one of the most innovative and resourceful low-budget filmmakers in cinema history. Peter Bogdanovich said of Ulmer, "Nobody ever made good pictures faster or for less money than Edgar G. Ulmer." After working with some of his fellow Austro-German emigrs like Lang, Lubitsch, Murnau, von Stroheim and Siodmak as a production designer, Ulmer spent a brief career at Universal where he directed the awesome, Bauhaus-inspired THE BLACK CAT (1934) before plunging into the zero-budget world of Poverty Row studios like PRC ("It had a nice family feeling, not too much interference" -- Ulmer). Working in every imaginable genre feverish noirs and thrillers (DETOUR, BLUEBEARD), baroque sci-fi (THE MAN FROM PLANET X), black musicals, Yiddish dramas (GREEN FIELDS, THE LIGHT AHEAD), Army training shorts and venereal disease films, Ulmer turned budgetary limitations on their head, using "dreamlike super-impositions, twisted perspectives, Dutch angles and stilted CALIGARI-like sets" (Michael Henry Wilson). His best pictures are odd, relentless gems, carved out of pure imagination. This series was made possible by Ulmer’s tireless champion, daughter Arianne Ulmer Cipes, who is helping to restore her father’s legacy through the Edgar G. Ulmer Preservation Corp. All screenings are at the newly renovated Lloyd E. Rigler Theatre at the historic Egyptian (6712 Hollywood Boulevard between Highland and Las Palmas) in Hollywood.
Wednesday, August 4, 1999
The Wednesday, August 4th program begins at 8:00 PM with a double feature that starts with a screening of a brand new 35 mm print of BLUEBEARD (1944, PRC, 73 min.), the story of frustrated painter and puppet-master John Carradine, who roams the fog-bound streets of Paris strangling innocent women, in this macabre masterpiece. "I was very much influenced at the time by Grand Guignol -- which took me 20 years to get out of my system!" -- Ulmer. Print courtesy of the Cinematheque Francaise. Next, is a screening of a restored 35 mm print of STRANGE ILLUSION (1945, PRC, 80 min.). Ulmer’s inspired remake of Hamlet stars James Lydon as a young man tormented by dreams of his dead father until he realizes that too-suave Warren Williams is out for his mother’s money, and has himself committed to a mental institution to prove his case. "Few cared that Ulmer had chosen the most impossible of terms, and had functioned as a true artist" -- Myron Meisel.
Discussion following with Arianne Ulmer Cipes and BLUEBEARD puppeteer Bob Baker.
Thursday, August 5, 1999
The Thursday, August 5th program begins at 8:00 PM with a double feature of
new 35 mm prints of Ulmer's ultra-rare Yiddish films. First is GREEN FIELDS
(1937, 95 min.), co-directed with Jacob Ben-Ami. Ulmer’s first Yiddish
picture (lovingly restored by the National Center for Jewish Film) is a
luminous, Chagall-like portrait of a Talmudic scholar (Michael Goldstein)
whose spirit is restored when he visits the countryside. Next is THE LIGHT
AHEAD (1939, 94 min.) starring David Opatoshu and Helen Beverly as a
crippled young man and his blind sweetheart living in the impoverished
Eastern European shtetls. Lost for years until it was rediscovered by the
National Center for Jewish Film, LIGHT AHEAD emerges as one of Ulmer’s major
Expressionist works. "A haunting poem of metaphysical dread and Jewish
suffering" -- Bret Wood.
Friday, August 6, 1999
The Friday, August 6th program begins at 7:00 PM with a screening of a
restored 35 mm print of the Ulmer classic, THE BLACK CAT (1934, Universal,
65 min.). Cat-fearing Bela Lugosi pursues devil-worshipping Boris Karloff
through his crazed, Bauhaus-on-acid mansion, sitting atop the bodies of
thousands of WW I vets. "Every time I had Karloff come in the door, he
would open it and say ‘Here comes the heavy.’ He was a very lovely man." --
Ulmer. Following at 8:45 PM is a double feature beginning with a brand new
35 mm print of THE WIFE OF MONTE CRISTO (1946, PRC, 78 min.), an
entertaining yarn about the Count’s resourceful wife (the stunning Lenore
Aubert) who steps in as a Masked Avenger and saves plague-stricken Paris
from a web of bogus drug-peddlers. "The only one that took two weeks to
shoot was WIFE OF MONTE CRISTO, because that was a BIG picture" -- Ulmer.
Next is, THE PIRATES OF CAPRI (1949, Edgar G. Ulmer Preservation Corp/Kyra
Pahlen, 94 min., in which Scarlet Pimpernel-clone Louis Hayward plays a
court fop by day and the avenging pirate Scirocco by night. Ulmer’s
breathless swashbuckler features a score by future Fellini-composer Nino
Rota.
Saturday, August 7, 1999
The Saturday, August 7th program begins at 4:00 PM with a screening of the
only surviving print of CARNEGIE HALL (1947, 134 min.) in which Ulmer lines
up the greatest classical talents of the day -- from conductors Leopold
Stokowski and Fritz Reiner, to pianist Artur Rubinstein and legendary
violinist Jascha Heifetz to tell the story of a boy-who-wants-to-play-jazz-against-mother’s-wishes.
Following at 6:45 PM is a screening of the noir B-movie classic DETOUR (1946, 70 min.).
Hitchhiking to Hollywood, loser Tom Neal takes several wrong turns and ends
up on the expressway to hell -- Ann Savage plays the vixenish vagabond who
ushers him there. She ends up paying a stiff toll herself. Discussion
following with actress Ann Savage and Arianne Ulmer Cipes, moderated by
Eddie Muller. Following at 8:45 PM, is an Ultra-Ulmer Sci-Fi Double Feature
beginning with THE MAN FROM PLANET X (1951, MGM/UA, 70 min.) with Margaret
Field. Ulmer’s hallucinatory sci-fi flick stars Robert Clarke as a reporter
investigating the alien invasion of the Scottish moors where he runs smack
into scheming scientist William Schallert. "A U.F.A. fantasia filled with
expressionist tropes -- the spaceship that blinks like a jack-o’-lantern,
the lonely castle on the blasted moor" -- J. Hoberman, Village Voice. Next
is, DAUGHTER OF DR. JEKYLL (1957, 71 min.), a doom-laden quickie in which
werewolf-to-be Gloria Talbott finds out her dad was the notorious Dr. Jekyll
much to the alarm of boyfriend John Agar and the local villagers. "Anyone
who loves cinema must be moved by THE DAUGHTER OF DR. JEKYLL" -- Andrew
Sarris. Discussion following with MAN FROM PLANET X star Robert Clarke.
Sunday, August 8, 1999
The Sunday, August 8th program begins at 4:00 PM with HANNIBAL (1960,
Warner Bros., 103 min.), a costume epic starring Victor Mature as the
Carthaginian general who tackles Rome with 12,000 extras and a herd of
elephants. Back in 1960, Variety said of the film, "HANNIBAL contains
enough sheer spectacle, gore and quasi-historical action to excite those
still willing to meet such films on their own primitive level." Following
at 6:15 PM is a double feature beginning with the US Premiere of a restored
35 mm print of PEOPLE ON SUNDAY (MENSCHEN AM SONNTAG) (1929, 59 min.). A
true landmark in film history, this neo-realist story of a young taxi-driver
and his girlfriend on a Sunday outing was co-directed by Ulmer with friend
Robert Siodmak, scripted by Billy Wilder, and photographed by the great
Eugen Schfftan with the help of Fred Zinnemann. Our thanks to the British
Film Institute for allowing us to screen this brand-new print of the film
with English-intertitles. Next is, a restored 35 mm print of DAMAGED LIVES
(1933, 69 min.). When young husband Lyman Williams strays from the path, he
and wife Diane Sinclair end up getting a venereal disease lecture, in Ulmer’
s suitably-deranged anti-syphilis film (made for the American Social Hygiene
Society). DAMAGED LIVES was widely banned in the U.S. but it led to Ulmer
directing the even-stranger THE BLACK CAT the next year at Universal.
Wednesday, August 11, 1999
The Wednesday, August 11th program begins at 8:00 PM with a double feature
beginning with CLUB HAVANA (1945, Films Around the World, 62 min.). Ulmer’s low-budget
hybrid of GRAND HOTEL and noir fatalism stars DETOUR’s Tom Neal as yet
another unlucky schlemiel trying to escape the dreamlike Club Havana. "I
adored making CLUB HAVANA -- I loved it! I had no script ..." -- Ulmer.
Filmed in deep chiarascuro by Ulmer’s favorite cameraman Eugen Schfftan.
Next is, MOON OVER HARLEM (1939, 80 min.) with Bud Harris and Cora Green.
Shot in four days in a cigar warehouse, Ulmer’s black gangster/musical was
light years ahead of its time. Look for jazz great Sidney Bechet blowing
clarinet. "In MOON OVER HARLEM I tried for the first time what was later
called the Rossellini style: we didn’t use actors, we used real people, and
they were very natural" -- Ulmer.
Friday, August 13, 1999
The Friday, August 13th program begins at 7:00 PM with BEYOND THE TIME
BARRIER (1960, MGM/UA, 75 min.). High-testosterone pilot Robert Clarke
pushes his jet past 5,000 mph and finds himself catapulted into a crumbling,
plague-ridden Utopia of Tomorrow. Shot at a futuristic exhibit at the Texas
State Fairgrounds (along with THE AMAZING TRANSPARENT MAN), TIME BARRIER
co-stars Ulmer’s daughter as the villainous Markova. "The mutants were
basically rubber bathing caps on these poor people’s heads!" -- Arianne
Ulmer. Discussion following with actress Arianne Ulmer Cipes. Following at
9:00 PM is a double feature beginning with a screening of a brand new 35 mm
print of THE STRANGE WOMAN (1946, 100 min.). Black widow Hedy Lamarr lures
suitors George Sanders and Gene Lockhart to destruction and drives stepson
Louis Heyward to suicide before God tracks her down, in Ulmer’s fascinating
portrait of avarice and depravity in 1820’s America. Followed by, HER
SISTER’S SECRET (1946, Films Around the World, 85 min.). The most
Ophuls-like of Ulmer’s films (he used future LETTER FROM AN UNKNOWN WOMAN
cameraman Franz Planer), HER SISTER’S SECRET stars Nancy Coleman as a
pregnant young woman who switches identities with New York sister Margaret
Lindsay to protect her unborn child from shame.
Saturday, August 14, 1999
The Saturday, August 14th program begins at 6:00 PM with a double feature
which starts with Ulmer’s rarest film THE NAKED VENUS (1958, 74 min.).
Daughter Arianne stars as a lawyer defending the rights of nudists
everywhere. Then the judge demands to see evidence! Long credited to
"Gaston Hakim" as director, NAKED VENUS screens here in the only surviving
35 mm. print! Next is, GIRLS IN CHAINS (1943, PRC, 70 min.). Sold on the
title alone, GIRLS IN CHAINS is a detective yarn/bad gal picture starring
Arline Judge as a reform school teacher working with detective Roger Clark
to ferret out a killer. Discussion following with NAKED VENUS co-star
Arianne Ulmer Cipes. Following at 9:15 PM, is a double feature beginning
with a screening of a rare 35 mm. print of MURDER IS MY BEAT (1955, Warner
Bros., 77 min.). Next to DETOUR, this is Ulmer’s finest noir. Police
detective Paul Langton finds himself sucked into a chaotic whirlpool of
blackmail, missing persons and torched corpses while fighting for the
innocence of gal-pal Barbara Payton. Next is, THE NAKED DAWN (1955,
Universal, 82 min.). One of Ulmer’s personal favorites, NAKED DAWN stars Arthur Kennedy as an aging
Mexican bandido who draws a young farmer (Eugene Iglesias) and his wife into
a inescapable circle of deceit, regret and absolution. "Ulmer loved both:
the saints and the pariahs." -- Michael Henry Wilson.
Sunday, August 15, 1999
The Sunday, August 15th program begins at 4:00 PM with a screening of a rare
35 mm print of RUTHLESS (1948, 104 min.). "I’m going far, fast and alone,"
snarls Grade-A heel Zachary Scott, taking revenge on the world for being
abandoned by his mother. Diana Lynn co-stars as the unlucky girl who falls
for Scott’s charms, with poisonous Sydney Greenstreet as the snake who
finally stops him cold, in Ulmer’s brilliant, over-the-top version of
CITIZEN KANE. Print courtesy of the British Film Institute. Discussion
following with Edgar Ulmer’s wife and frequent collaborator, Shirley Castle
Ulmer. Following at 6:30 PM is a double feature that begins with a rare 35
mm print of THE AMAZING TRANSPARENT MAN (1960, MGM/UA, 60 min.) in which
former Army major James Griffith springs vicious con Douglas Kennedy so he
can steal nuclear material for scientist Ivan Triesault’s invisible-ray
machine -- the rest is film history. Released on a 1960 double-bill with
GET OUTTA TOWN. Followed by, the uncut European version of THE CAVERN (1965,
100 min.), a claustrophobic, psychological nailbiter in which six soldiers
and one woman (the radiant Rosanna Schiaffino) are trapped for months in an
underground munitions dump. Ulmer’s last picture and a fitting swan-song to
one of Hollywood’s wildest, most prolific careers. With standout
performances by John Saxon, Brian Ahern and a young Larry Hagman.
The Edgar G. Ulmer Preservayion Corp. is a non-profit, Public Benefit
Corporation 501 (3) committed to the preservation and propagation of the
work of independent, pioneering filmmakers. For more information phone or
fax 818.789.2477 or e-mail aucipes@aol.com
A complete calendar/flyer listing of these films has been mailed to you.
BLACK & WHITE PHOTOS AND PRESS KITS ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST
WE DO NOT HAVE GUARANTEED PRESS PASSES TO PUBLIC SCREENINGS. IT IS
RECOMMENDED THAT YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE ADVANCE PRESS SCREENINGS.
REQUESTS FOR PRESS TICKETS TO PUBLIC SCREENINGS MUST BE IN WRITING AND
SHOULD BE FAXED TO 323.461.9737 ATTN: MARGOT GERBER, 24 HOURS PRIOR TO SHOW
TIME.
ADVANCE PRESS SCREENINGS WILL BE SCHEDULED FOR SOME TITLES. MOST FILMS WILL
ALSO BE AVAILABLE ON VIDEOTAPE (NTSC) AT THE OFFICES OF THE AMERICAN
CINEMATHEQUE CALL 323.461-2020 ext. 115 or 116 TO SCHEDULE SCREENINGS.
Tapes Available:
THE WIFE OF MONTE CRISTO
MOON OVER HARLEM
THE MAN FROM PLANET X
NAKED VENUS
BEYOND THE BARRIER
DETOUR
THE BLACK CAT
GREEN FIELDS
THE LIGHT AHEAD
THE PROGRAM IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.
Upcoming at the American Cinematheque:
Sleep (LA Premiere of new independent feature) – August 12
Twisted Hollywood Shorts – August 25
The Basement & The Kitchen (LA Premiere of new independent feature) - August 26
The Films of Natalie Wood – September 2 – 12
The Films of Russ Meyer – September 16 - 25