Delight in Jean-Luc Godard’s A Woman Is a Woman, a playful and unconventional homage to the American musical and a bold experiment in the language of cinema presented in a new 4K restoration!
The film follows Angela (Anna Karina), a vivacious Parisian striptease artist who desperately wants to have a child. However, her boyfriend Émile (Jean-Claude Brialy) is reluctant, leading Angela to flirt with his best friend Alfred (Jean-Paul Belmondo) in an attempt to provoke jealousy and perhaps find a willing father. Blending humor, romance, and self-aware cinematic tricks, Godard deconstructs genre conventions with his signature jump cuts, bold color compositions, and fourth-wall-breaking dialogue.
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Our Hallucinations series continues with Isao Fujisawa’s Bye Bye Love, a poignant Japanese road movie that captures the spirit of youthful rebellion and existential searching.
The film follows Utamaro, a disillusioned young drifter, who crosses paths with Giko, a mysterious and gender-fluid wanderer. Together, they embark on a journey across Japan, engaging in petty crimes and forging an intense, complicated relationship as they attempt to escape both the law and the constraints of societal expectations. As their journey unfolds, Utamaro is forced to confront his own notions of identity, love, and freedom, leading to moments of deep introspection and emotional reckoning.
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1940’s Dance, Girl, Dance, directed by Dorothy Arzner, is a groundbreaking and feminist-tinged drama that explores the struggles of women in the entertainment industry.
The film follows Judy O’Brien (Maureen O’Hara), a classically trained ballet dancer with dreams of artistic success, who finds herself working alongside the bold and ambitious Bubbles (Lucille Ball), a brassy burlesque performer. As their careers take divergent paths — Judy yearning for legitimacy while Bubbles embraces the spotlight — the two women become rivals in both dance and love, particularly over the affections of a wealthy playboy (Louis Hayward).
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The shopping mall becomes a dance hall in 1986’s Golden Eighties, a vibrant and stylized musical closing out our Chantal Akerman Month series.
The film follows a group of sales clerks, customers, and shop owners whose romantic entanglements unfold in a world of brightly lit storefronts and choreographed musical numbers. At the center of the story is a love triangle involving a young woman torn between a stable but dull suitor and a passionate but unreliable lover, reflecting themes of longing and disillusionment.
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Chantal Akerman Month winds down with 1982’s Toute Une Nuit, a hypnotic, atmospheric portrait of longing and fleeting connections over the course of a single summer night in Brussels.
The film unfolds as a series of vignettes depicting strangers, lovers, and lonely individuals moving through dimly lit streets, cafés, and apartments, engaging in brief encounters—some passionate, some melancholic, some wordless. Akerman’s poetic, observational style turns these ephemeral moments into a deeply immersive and evocative cinematic experience.
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Up next in our Chantal Akerman Month series is Je Tu Il Elle, her 1974 feature film debut.
The movie follows a young woman (played by Akerman herself) as she withdraws into solitude, rearranging her sparse room, writing and rewriting letters, and engaging in mundane rituals of self-imposed confinement. Eventually, she leaves and hitches a ride with a truck driver, sharing a series of charged yet distant interactions before arriving at the home of a former lover, where the film culminates in an intense, extended love scene.
Stripped of conventional narrative structure, Je Tu Il Elle is a raw and minimalist meditation on loneliness, longing, and the fluidity of relationships, showcasing Akerman’s bold, uncompromising vision.
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At Long Last Longworth comes to an end with one of the great films from the 1930s, Ernst Lubitsch’s Trouble In Paradise!
Widely considered one of Lubitsch’s best works, Trouble In Paradise epitomizes the elegance and charm of pre-Code Hollywood with its sharp dialogue, playful innuendo, and sophisticated narrative. Fans of romance, comedy, heist capers, sparkling dialogue, clever plot twists, and a satirical look at the world of high society and criminal sophistication are bound to have a great time!
The story follows a thief named Gaston Monescu and a pickpocket named Lily that are partners in crime and love. Working for perfume company executive Mariette Colet, the two crooks decide to combine their criminal talents to rob their employer. Under the alias of Monsieur Laval, Gaston uses his position as Mariette’s personal secretary to become closer to her. However, he takes things too far when he actually falls in love with Mariette, and has to choose between her and Lily.
At Long Last Longworth is a week-long guest programming takeover by author, critic, podcaster, and certified Frida Cinema favorite Karina Longworth. We gave her a promt for four different films: one of her “all-timers” (Trouble In Paradise), her favorite flop (At Long Last Love), a movie she thinks needs to be re-examined (Arizona Dream), and a movie she loves from her childhood (The Wizard Of Oz). Before each screening, there will be an exclusive introduction pre-recorded by Ms Longworth, with the exception of At Long Last Love, which will have an in-person conversation after the screening!
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At Long Last Longworth continues with a very rare screening the 1993 film Arizona Dream!
Johnny Depp plays Axel Blackwell, a young man from New York City who is sent to Arizona to attend the wedding of his uncle Leo (Jerry Lewis), a car salesman who lives in the desert. While there, Axel finds himself tangled up in the eccentric lives of the people around him, including a passionate, somewhat unstable woman named Elaine (Faye Dunaway) and her stepdaughter, Grace (Lili Taylor), who has an unusual obsession with the idea of flying. Axel’s journey becomes a surreal exploration of freedom, longing, and the bizarre connections that people form in their lives.
Directed by Emir Kusturica and featuring an evocative soundtrack by Goran Bregović, the film strikes the perfect tone between a whimsical detachment and an almost-otherworldly feel. Set against the stark, colorful backdrop of the Arizona desert, it’s a perfect choice for those who enjoy a mix of whimsical fantasy and deep, introspective character studies.
At Long Last Longworth is a week-long guest programming takeover by author, critic, podcaster, and certified Frida Cinema favorite Karina Longworth. We gave her a promt for four different films: one of her “all-timers” (Trouble In Paradise), her favorite flop (At Long Last Love), a movie she thinks needs to be re-examined (Arizona Dream), and a movie she loves from her childhood (The Wizard Of Oz). Before each screening, there will be an exclusive introduction pre-recorded by Ms Longworth, with the exception of At Long Last Love, which will have an in-person conversation after the screening!
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At Long Last Longworth, a week-long guest programming takeover of The Frida Cinema by author, critic, and podcaster Karina Longworth kicks off by celebrating 50 years of Peter Bogdanovich’s seldom screened At Long Last Love, starring Burt Reynolds, Madeline Kahn, and Cybill Shepherd! Stick around after the screening for an in-person discussion with Karina Longworth herself!
The film follows four socialites that unexpectedly clash: heiress Brooke Carter runs into gambler Johnny Spanish at the race track while playboy Michael O. Pritchard nearly runs into stage star Kitty O’Kelly with his car. Backstage at Kitty’s show, it turns out she and Brooke are old friends who attended public school together. The foursome do the town, accompanied by Brooke’s companion Elizabeth, who throws herself at Michael’s butler and chauffeur Rodney James.
At Long Last Longworth is a week-long guest programming takeover by author, critic, podcaster, and certified Frida Cinema favorite Karina Longworth. We gave her a promt for four different films: one of her “all-timers” (Trouble In Paradise), her favorite flop (At Long Last Love), a movie she thinks needs to be re-examined (Arizona Dream), and a movie she loves from her childhood (The Wizard Of Oz). Before each screening, there will be an exclusive introduction pre-recorded by Ms Longworth, with the exception of At Long Last Love, which will have an in-person conversation after the screening!
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Jump into the fantastical world of time travel with original The Time Machine (1960), followed by the documentary The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal, following the life and times of its director! Stick around for the intermission as we discuss both films with the producer/director of the documentary, Mr Arnold Leibovit!
Experience the groundbreaking special effects and visionary storytelling of George Pal, one of the most innovative filmmakers of his time. The Time Machine — a thrilling adaptation of H.G. Wells’ timeless novel — takes you on an unforgettable adventure through time, where a daring inventor (Rod Taylor) uses his fantastic creation to travel into the far-flung future. Witness an incredible journey that bridges centuries in vivid Technicolor, and marvel at Pal’s imaginative world-building, which set the standard for future sci-fi cinema.
Then, go behind the scenes with The Fantasy Film World of George Pal, a documentary celebrating the creative genius behind such classics as War of the Worlds and The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao. Before E.T. and Star Wars, there was George Pal. The documentary covers the five-decades life and career of the Academy Award-winning producer-director whose vision and groundbreaking works continue to inspire the filmmakers of today. Presented are interviews with the stars and filmmakers whose lives he touched, along with famous movie scenes, rare footage, and original artist’s renderings.
Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind double feature that brings both the magic of the past and the fantasy of the future together in a way only George Pal can deliver!
This screening is a exclusive arrangement with Warner Brothers Motion Pictures. Thank you to them for making it possible!
Doors – 2:00PM
The Time Machine – 3:00PM
Intermission + Q&A – 5:00PM
The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal – 5:30PM
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