March
30–April 5 Two or Three Things I Know
About Her…
F, M, Tu, Th: 7p, 9p; Sa, Su, W: (1p), 3p, 5p, 7p,
9p
Directed by Jean-Luc Godard
Featuring Marina Vlady
1967, 90 min; In French with new English subtitles ‘SCOPE; NEW 35MM
PRINT!
The “her’ of the title refers to two
objects: Juliette, a woman who resides in one of Paris’s
drab suburbs, and the capital city itself. Using a
fragmented narrative style that mirrors Juliette's
clipped existence, Godard looks at a day in the life
of Juliette and the cast of Parisian women that revolves
around her. The film is in many ways a summing up
of Godard’s concerns and techniques from that
decade in which he single-handedly redefined the avant-garde.
The widescreen photography by legendary Godard collaborator
Raoul Coutard has been restored with its diamond bright
colors of late 60s haute kitsch.
April
6-7PFA at the Castro MODERNIST MASTER: MICHELANGELO
ANTONIONI
The Castro presents
two of ten features from the Pacific Film Archive’s
retrospective of the career of this most elegant proponent
of cinematic modernism—all visually compelling
and still amazingly resonant.
“Would it be too
much to simply say, ‘Go see them all’?
This is the kind of retro that can make . . . the
enlightened out of the curious.”—Time
Out N.Y.
The Castro Theatre acknowledges
the generous support of Cinecittà Holding Film
Archive, Rome; the Istituto Italiano di Cultura; and
the Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley, in the organization
of this series For details of the complete Antonioni
retrospective screening at PFA March 2–April
22 visit: bampfa.berkeley.edu.
Program notes: Pacific
Film Archive
April
6
F 8p: Story of a Love Affair (Cronaca
di un amore)
Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni
Cast: Lucia Bosè, Massimo Girotti
1950, 110 mins; In Italian with English Subtitles
In Milan, a sparklingly lurid cityscape, an industrialist
hires a private eye to investigate his young wife
Paola’s (Bosè) past. The investigation
turns up a former lover, Guido (Girotti), and the
possibility of the lovers’ implication in the
death of Guido’s girlfriend. Antonioni’s
first feature owes much to James M. Cain, but he turns
a torrid love story into a tale of free-floating anxiety
and inevitable corruption in postwar industrial society.
(Copy printed from materials restored by Associazione
Philip Morris-Progetto Cinema.)
April
7
Sa 8p: Il grido (The Cry) Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni
Cast: Steve Chochran, Alida Valli, Betsy Blair
1957, 102 mins; In Italian with English Subtitles
In this wonderful early work, Antonioni returns
to “the landscape I remember from my childhood,”
the desolate vistas of the Po Valley, to film a study
of a man who, deserted by his mistress, sets out with
his little daughter in search of peace of mind and
a new life. However, the image of his lover and the
failure of their union never leave him.
April 7–8 Sing-A-Long West Side Story
Sa: 2p only!; Su: 2p, 7p
Directed by Robert Wise & Jerome Robbins
Cast: Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn,
Rita Moreno, George Chakiris
1961, approx 180 mins total,
‘SCOPE
This interactive presentation of the 1961 Romeo
and Juliet street-gang musical classic has been customized
with on-screen lyrics for all the songs so that audiences
can sing along! Hosts Laurie Bushman & Joe Collins
will introduce each performance and warm up the audiences’
vocal chords to sing such favorites as “Maria”,
“Tonight”, “Somewhere”, “America”
and “I Feel Pretty”.
In addition to belting out the tunes, goody bags
will be handed out to everyone and audience members
can add to the fun by dressing up as a favorite character
from the film, with prizes to be awarded for the best
costumes at each performance.
Advance Tickets are available on www.ticketweb.com
$15 adult, $10 senior/child
April
9 THEATRE CLOSED
April
10 Who’s Afraid of
Virginia Woolf?
Tu 7p, 9:30p
Directed by Mike Nichols
Cast: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, George Segal,
Sandy Dennis
1966, 131 mins
April
11-12PFA at the
Castro MODERNIST MASTER: MICHELANGELO
ANTONIONI
The Castro presents
two of ten features from the Pacific Film Archive’s
retrospective of the career of this most elegant proponent
of cinematic modernism—all visually compelling
and still amazingly resonant.
“Would it be too
much to simply say, ‘Go see them all’?
This is the kind of retro that can make . . . the
enlightened out of the curious.”—Time
Out N.Y.
The Castro Theatre acknowledges
the generous support of Cinecittà Holding Film
Archive, Rome; the Istituto Italiano di Cultura; and
the Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley, in the organization
of this series For details of the complete Antonioni
retrospective screening at PFA March 2–April
22 visit: bampfa.berkeley.edu.
Program notes: Pacific
Film Archive
April
11
W 8p: Blow-Up
Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni
Cast: David Hemmings, Vanessa Redgrave, Sarah Miles
1966, 110 mins
For his first English-language film, Antonioni set
a metaphysical mystery in the world of fashion, and
the movie itself was the talk of the swingingest parties
of 1966. Photographer Hemmings snaps images of Redgrave
and an older man apparently trysting in a London park;
later, analyzing the eyelines, scrutinizing the grain,
he believes he sees evidence of murder, but finds
that the harder you look, the less you know.
April
12
Th 8p: Zabriskie Point
Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni
Cast: Mark Frechette, Daria Helprin, Rod Taylor
1970, 112 mins, ‘SCOPE
Lured to Hollywood, Antonioni set about coolly redefining
California dreaming. MGM may have hoped for some marketable
sex from the counterculture plotline involving a tight-jeaned,
plane-thieving rebel and a leggy hippie child, but
Antonioni amusingly appears more aroused by the landscapes—the
urban realm and the desert mirages of Death Valley,
all cued to Pink Floyd and Jerry Garcia—and
the realities of the radical ‘60s. NOT
ON DVD
April
13 “MiDNiTES FOR MANiACS”presents “ARE YOU GOIN”
TO PROM” TRIPLE FEATURE! Hosted By Jesse Hawthorne Ficks ALL THREE FILMS for only $10.00!
Asking someone to “go with you” to Prom
was (is) one of the most horrifying memories from
High Skool. Many just skipped the whole embarrassing
event altogether. So here’s your chance to ask
that certain someone to Prom. (And I wanna hear about
how creative your propositions were!)
F
7:30p: Pretty In Pink
Directed by Howard Deutch, Written by John Hughes
Containing: Molly Ringwald, John Cryer, Andrew McCarthy,
James Spader, Andrew “Dice” Clay, Kristy
Swanson, Gina Gershon & Harry Dean Stanton.
1986, 96 mins
We kick our Prom Night off with that ancient 80’s
battle: The Yuppies vs. The New Wavers. As the kooky
Duckman does his best to win the heart of fellow off-beat,
post-punk grrrl Andie, the “major appliance”
Blaine attempts to prove to his scummy friends that
there’s more to love than hawt cars & Blonde
bimbos. With the red-headed charm of Ringwald, the
dramatic romanticism of Cryer, and the soft-spoken
words of McCarthy (not to mention the sleeze-drenched
scenes of Spader-man), nothing captures late-80s High
Skool Hollywood better than this. And beware, there’s
gonna be some ‘80s Teen-trailers that will be
as much fun as the feature!
9:45p: Carrie
Directed by Brian DePalma Containing: Sissy Spacek,
Piper Laurie, Amy Irving, William Katt, Nancy Allen,
John Travolta, P.J. Soles; 1976, 98 mins
Combining
female empowerment, witch mythology, young adult novels
and some good ol’ fashioned T&A, Stephen
King’s first novel makes for the perfect big
screen, blood-drenched, fright-fest. Carrie White’s
(Spacek) good-natured innocence is put to the ultimate
test by some of the most deliciously mean-spirited
characters you ever did see. And even with the help
of her Gym teacher and “The Greatest American
Hero” (Katt), Carrie’s nightly battles
with her over-bearing mother (Laurie) and the random
cruelty from principals, students and neighborhood
boys punctuates just how hellish High Skool can truly
be. Come on out and support poor “Creepy Carrie”
from all the meanies in the world!
11:59p (midnite): Prom Night Directed by Paul Lynch
Containing Jamie Lee Curtis, Leslie Nielsen, Casey
Stevens, Anne Marie-Martin
1980, 90 mins
We
round out the night with this Canadian knockoff of
John Carpenter’s Halloween, which packs quite
a punch with it's ominous camera angles, brutal deaths
and bitchin’ soundtrack. As the teens are hunted
down by an axe-wielding maniac for a childhood crime
they all committed, Jamie Lee Curtis will be awarded
(by me) the Prom Queen crown for being totally sexy
and for her show-stopping Disco dancing routine. Here’s
your chance to see a true Stalker classic before the
official remake disgraces theatres later this year.
Plus, there’s gonna be some killer trailers
from obscure Stalker films before the film!
MiDNiTES FOR MANiACS
programming & notes by Jesse Hawthorne Ficks
Advance Tix available at www.ticketweb.com
or at the Castro Theatre box office. Please contact
Jesse at www.midnitesformaniacs.com or email him at
freekyfridays@gmail.com
April
14GENE KELLY DOUBLE
FEATURE
Sa 3p, 7p: Singin’ in the Rain
Directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen; Cast: Gene
Kelly, Donald O’Connor, Debbie Reynolds; 1952,
103 mins
1p, 5:05p, 9:05p: On the Town
Directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen; Cast: Gene
Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Betty Garrett, Ann Miller; 1949,
98 mins
April
15FRED ASTAIRE/GINGER
ROGERS DOUBLE FEATURE
Su 3p, 7p: Top Hat Directed by Mark Sandrich; Cast: Fred Astaire,
Ginger Rogers, Edward Everett Horton; 1935, 100 mins
1p, 5p, 9p: Swing Time
Directed by George Stevens
Cast: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Victor Moore, Helen
Broderick
1936, 103 mins
April
16DOUBLE FEATURE
M 7p: Chicago
Directed by Rob Marshall; Cast: Renée Zellweger,
Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah,
John C. Reilly; 2002, 113 mins
9:15p: Pennies from Heaven
Directed by Herbert Ross
Cast: Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters, Jessica Harper,
Christopher Walken, Vernel Bagneris; 1981, 108 mins
April
17ABBOTT & COSTELLO
& THE ANDREWS SISTERS DOUBLE FEATURE
Tu 3:30p, 7p: Buck Privates
Directed by Arthur Lubiun
Cast: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, The Andrews Sisters;
1941, 84 mins
5:15p, 8:45p: In the Navy
Directed by Arthur Lubiun
Cast: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Dick Powell, Claire
Dodd, The Andrews Sisters 1941, 86 mins
April
18-19PFA at the
Castro MODERNIST MASTER: MICHELANGELO
ANTONIONI
The Castro presents
the final two of ten features from the Pacific Film
Archive’s retrospective of the career of this
most elegant proponent of cinematic modernism—all
visually compelling and still amazingly resonant.
“Would it be too
much to simply say, ‘Go see them all’?
This is the kind of retro that can make . . . the
enlightened out of the curious.”—Time
Out N.Y.
The Castro Theatre acknowledges
the generous support of Cinecittà Holding Film
Archive, Rome; the Istituto Italiano di Cultura; and
the Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley, in the organization
of this series For details of the complete Antonioni
retrospective screening at PFA March 2–April
22 visit: bampfa.berkeley.edu.
Program notes: Pacific
Film Archive
April
18
W (2p), 4:30p, 7p, 9:30p: The Passenger
Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Maria Schneider, Jennie Runacre
1975, 123 mins
Nicholson portrays a London journalist, Locke, sent
to cover a rebellion in North Africa. When a man dies
in the next hotel room, Locke embraces the man’s
globetrotting, increasingly mysterious persona, only
to find himself pursuing not the man’s life,
but his death. This penetrating political thriller,
set in the Sahara, in Gaudi’s Spain, and in
Munich, “remains a great, bizarre film, full
of beauty, mystery, and riddles with no answers.”—Chicago
Tribune
April
19
Th 8p: Identification of a Woman
(Identificazione di una donna)
Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni
Cast: Tomas Milian, Christine Boisson, Daniela Silverio
1982, 128 mins; In Italian with English Subtitles
A love story, a mystery, even a bit of science fiction,
IDENTIFICATION centers around an improbability: Niccolo,
a film director, is searching for both the perfect
star for “a film in the form of a woman,”
and the perfect woman in his life. He finds two such,
the inscrutable Mavi (Silverio) and the more penetrable
Ida (Boisson). But improbability becomes irony, for
it seems a perfect woman does not need an Antonioni
man. NOT ON DVD
APRIL
20-25 LEGENDARY COMPOSER:
ENNIO MORRICONE
In honor of his recent
lifetime achievement Oscar, we present
a collection of il Maestro’s best
scores from the over 400 he has composed
to date.
April
20DOUBLE
FEATURE
F 7p: White Dog
Directed by Samuel Fuller; Cast: Kristy
McNichol, Paul Winfield, Burl Ives, Jameson
Parker, Lynne Moody 1981, 90 mins,
BRAND NEW 35MM PRINT!
Fuller and Curtis Hanson wrote this
intriguing, powerful, and inspired critique
of racism. McNichol plays an actress who,
on discovering her adopted dog attacks
people with black skin, seeks the aid
of a black-skinned “de-programmer”.
Winfield has given his greatest performances
in buried treasures and this film ranks
with the best. Morricone’s edgy
score compliments Fuller’s pulp
cinema attack to perfection. RARE!!
NEVER released theatrically, on VHS, or
DVD!!
8:50p: U Turn
Directed by Oliver Stone Cast: Sean Penn,
Nick Nolte, Jennifer
Lopez, Powers Boothe, Billy Bob Thornton,
Claire Danes, Joaquin Phoenix, Jon Voight;
1997, 125 mins
In this neo-noir blood fest, a drifter
(Penn) becomes entangled with a femme
fatale (Lopez) and her husband (Nolte)
after his car breaks down in their small
Arizona town. Adding to this, the town
is populated by various psychopaths intent
on using Penn for their own nefarious
purposes. Morricone rolls with the punches
being alternately erotic, hypnotic, paranoid,
or just plain silly.
April
21DOUBLE
FEATURE
Sa 1:15p, 6:25p: Once
Upon a Time in the West
Directed by Sergio Leone Cast: Charles
Bronson, Henry Fonda, Claudia Cardinale,
Jason Robards, Gabriele Ferzetti 1968,
165 mins, ‘SCOPE
No western has ever come close to this
one. In this frontier epic, a mysterious
stranger joins forces with a notorious
desperado to protect a beautiful widow
from a ruthless assassin. Mysterious pasts
and the strength of loyalties are explored
amid lightning fast gun battles and stylish
vistas. Story by Dario Argento, Bernardo
Bertolucci and Leone; indelible score
by Morricone.
4:20p, 9:30p: Four
Flies on Grey Velvet
Directed by Dario Argento Cast: Michael
Brandon, Mimsy Farmer, Jean-Pierre Marielle,
Bud Spencer 1971, 104 mins,
‘SCOPE
Brandon
is a musician caught in a living hell
when an unknown killer who witnessed him
killing another stalker stalks him. Highlighting
this visual tour-de-force is a variety
of eccentric supporting characters in
the least seen and hardest to find of
Argento’s early work. Morricone’s
eloquent score provides moments of touching
beauty, quiet despair and proto-Goblin
rock. NEVER
AVAILABLE ON VHS OR DVD!
April 22DOUBLE FEATURE
Su 1:30p, 6:15p: Duck You Sucker
Directed by Sergio Leone Cast: Rod Steiger,
James Coburn, Romolo Valli 1971, 157 mins,
‘SCOPE,
NEW 35MM PRINT!
Coburn
is an IRA explosives expert on the run
in Mexico, Steiger is an amoral Mexican
bandit, and together they find themselves
knee-deep the Mexican Revolution. Leone’s
least known film begins as a comic adventure,
which later reveals emotional complexity
through an epic sweep beyond his previous
work. Scenes extraordinary in their visual
scope are punctuated by sparse use of
dialogue and heavily reliance on a typically
weird and wonderful Morricone score. Uncut
restored version. NOT
ON DVD
Su 4:30p, 9:15p: The
Big Gundown
Directed by Sergio Sollima Cast: Lee Van
Cleef, Thomas Milian 1966, 90 mins,‘SCOPE
In his first starring role, Van Cleef
is a bounty hunter offered political office
by a rail baron—IF he successfully
hunts down the Mexican child murderer/rapist
Milian. They two meet up with a plethora
of diverse characters during the course
of the manhunt and Van Cleef soon questions
his mission. Widely considered “the
best non-Leone Western”, Morricone’s
soundtrack is a dominant force—as
ever— sending shivers up the spine.
NOT ON DVD
April
23DOUBLE
FEATURE
M 7p: The Battle of Algiers
Directed by Gillo Pontecorvo Cast: Brahim
Haggiag, Jean Martin, Saadi Yacef, Samina
Kerbash, Fusia El Kader; 1966, 125 mins
In Arabic and French with English subtitles
Still possessing astonishing relevance
today, this is the startlingly realistic
re-creation of the bloodiest revolution
in modern history. Shot in the streets
of Algiers in documentary style using
untrained actors, the film vividly recreates
the tumultuous guerrilla uprising against
the occupying French in the 1950s. Morricone’s
relentlessly pulsating score was truly
groundbreaking.
9:25p:
The Mission
Directed by Roland Joffé Cast:
Robert De Niro, Jeremy Irons, Ray McAnally,
Aidan Quinn, Cherie Lunghi, Liam Neeson
1986, 126 mins, ‘SCOPE
Based on the events of the Treaty of
Madrid in 1750, De Niro plays a mercenary
turned priest embroiled in a hopeless
power struggle between the Vatican and
Portuguese slave drivers. Serving the
Rain Forest Indians he once enslaved,
he reverts to his warrior instincts to
prevent impending genocide. Morricone
initially suggested a music score would
intrude upon the film’s impact but
went on to compose his most haunting work.
Winner of the Cannes Film Festival’s
1986 Palm d’Or.
April 24DOUBLE FEATURE
Tu 7p: Investigation
of a Citizen Above Suspicion
Directed by Elio Petri; Cast: Gian Maria
Volonté, Florinda Bolkan; 1970,
112 mins, NEW
35MM PRINT! In Italian with English
subtitles
Long
un-screened story of a respected police
inspector who commits a crime and deliberately
leaves clues just to find out how big
is his reputation of "a citizen above
suspicion". Petri has fashioned a
daring combination of giallo crime film,
political allegory and black comedy, featuring
Morricone at his most delirious. NOT
ON DVD
Tu 9:15p: A Quiet Place
in the Country
Directed by Elio Petri Cast: Franco Nero,
Vanessa Redgrave, Georges Géret
1969, 106 mins; In Italian with English
subtitles
To escape his strange visions, an avant
garde artist (Nero) decides to flee Milan
with his lover (Redgrave) to a secluded
villa, just outside Venice. But it seems
the ghost of a young girl haunts this
quiet place. Petri realizes many genuinely
chilling moments, as the artist becomes
unable to distinguish fantasy from reality.
Morricone’s disorienting score,
one of his own personal favorites, will
leave you dazed and confused. NOT
ON DVD
April
25DOUBLE
FEATURE
W 2:35p, 7p: Days of
Heaven
Directed by Terrence Malick Cast: Richard
Gere, Brooke Adams, Sam Shepard, Linda
Manz; 1978, 95 mins
A love triangle on a Texas wheat farm
in the year 1916 sets the stage for this
awe-inspiring masterpiece. Summing up
a Malick film with words is pretty much
needless, since the central pillars his
work are its cinematography and soundtrack.
Days of Heaven is a story strongly reliant
on biblical and mythological tradition,
executed in total defiance of Hollywood
convention. Morricone’s exquisite
score is enhanced by a mesmerizing rendition
of Saint-Saeans’ “The Aquairum”.
4:30p, 8:55p: Arabian
Nights
Directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini; Cast:
Ninetto Davoli, Franco Citti, 1974, 131
mins; In Italian with English Subtitles
Pasolini’s
directorial career hit a lavish high point
with this conclusion to his “Trilogy
of Life.” The film consists of a
series of brief narratives interwoven
into the story of a young man’s
search for his beloved slave girl, who
has been kidnapped, and her search for
him. The stunning visual settings, which
were shot on location in Ethiopia, India,
Nepal, Yemen, and Iran, give the proceedings
a strange, hallucinatory edge. The sparse
beauty of Moricone’s score provides
a lyricism that makes the film a wonder
to delve through.
Reminder - Parking is very limited
around the Castro District. Street parking is available
along with two small parking lots. Please leave yourself
extra travel time for parking for prompt arrival at
the theatre. San Francisco city residents are advised
to use public transportation available from all points
of the city to the Castro District.
Copyright
2005-2007 The Castro Theatre - All Rights Reserved
March
30–April 5
April
6
April
7
April
10
April
11
April
12
F
7:30p: 
Combining
female empowerment, witch mythology, young adult novels
and some good ol’ fashioned T&A, Stephen
King’s first novel makes for the perfect big
screen, blood-drenched, fright-fest. Carrie White’s
(Spacek) good-natured innocence is put to the ultimate
test by some of the most deliciously mean-spirited
characters you ever did see. And even with the help
of her Gym teacher and “The Greatest American
Hero” (Katt), Carrie’s nightly battles
with her over-bearing mother (Laurie) and the random
cruelty from principals, students and neighborhood
boys punctuates just how hellish High Skool can truly
be. Come on out and support poor “Creepy Carrie”
from all the meanies in the world! 
We
round out the night with this Canadian knockoff of
John Carpenter’s Halloween, which packs quite
a punch with it's ominous camera angles, brutal deaths
and bitchin’ soundtrack. As the teens are hunted
down by an axe-wielding maniac for a childhood crime
they all committed, Jamie Lee Curtis will be awarded
(by me) the Prom Queen crown for being totally sexy
and for her show-stopping Disco dancing routine. Here’s
your chance to see a true Stalker classic before the
official remake disgraces theatres later this year.
Plus, there’s gonna be some killer trailers
from obscure Stalker films before the film! 
April
14
April
15
April
16
April
17
April
18
April
19
April
20
Jennifer
Lopez, Powers Boothe, Billy Bob Thornton,
Claire Danes, Joaquin Phoenix, Jon Voight;
1997, 125 mins
April
21
Brandon
is a musician caught in a living hell
when an unknown killer who witnessed him
killing another stalker stalks him. Highlighting
this visual tour-de-force is a variety
of eccentric supporting characters in
the least seen and hardest to find of
Argento’s early work. Morricone’s
eloquent score provides moments of touching
beauty, quiet despair and proto-Goblin
rock. 
Coburn
is an IRA explosives expert on the run
in Mexico, Steiger is an amoral Mexican
bandit, and together they find themselves
knee-deep the Mexican Revolution. Leone’s
least known film begins as a comic adventure,
which later reveals emotional complexity
through an epic sweep beyond his previous
work. Scenes extraordinary in their visual
scope are punctuated by sparse use of
dialogue and heavily reliance on a typically
weird and wonderful Morricone score. Uncut
restored version. 
April
23
9:25p:
April
25
Pasolini’s
directorial career hit a lavish high point
with this conclusion to his “Trilogy
of Life.” The film consists of a
series of brief narratives interwoven
into the story of a young man’s
search for his beloved slave girl, who
has been kidnapped, and her search for
him. The stunning visual settings, which
were shot on location in Ethiopia, India,
Nepal, Yemen, and Iran, give the proceedings
a strange, hallucinatory edge. The sparse
beauty of Moricone’s score provides
a lyricism that makes the film a wonder
to delve through.