The legendary film noir “Mildred Pierce” (1945), for which Joan Crawford earned her only Academy Award, will be screened as the next feature in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ series “Oscar Noir: 1940s Writing Nominees from Hollywood’s Dark Side” on Monday, June 14, at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. The film will be introduced by screenwriter Callie Khouri (“Thelma & Louise,” “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood).”
Film producer Bruce Edwin, who studied motion picture including films noir at Columbia College of Chicago states, “Noir is one of the best styles of all film. Its emphasis is on strong story driven plots, often from hard boiled pulp fiction novels by writers such as Raymond Chandler. It has more realism than many other films of its early time, and evolved from German Expressionism with stroboscopic lighting, scenes within a scene, and psychological influences at play. ‘Mildred Pierce’ is one such masterpiece which helps define the genre.”
At 7 p.m. the noir cartoon short “The Super Snooper” (1952), starring Daffy Duck, and the episode “Death Takes the Wheel” from the 1941 serial “Adventures of Captain Marvel” will be screened as part of the evening’s pre-feature program.
“Oscar Noir” is a summer-long series featuring 15 film noir classics from the 1940s, all of which were nominated in writing categories. Including “Mildred Pierce,” there are 11 screenings remaining in the series.
Tickets to individual evenings are only $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. They may be purchased online at www.oscars.org, by mail, in person at the Academy during regular business hours or, depending on availability, on the night of the screening when the doors open at 6:30 p.m.
The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For more information, call (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org.
