Two films from old-time Hollywood this week that will make you think, “No, they don’t make them like that anymore.”
Midnight (1939) ● Thursday, September 18 at 7:30 p.m.
A wily American showgirl (Claudette Colbert) masquerades as a Hungarian royal in Paris, where she’s hired by a French aristocrat (John Barrymore) to seduce his wife’s playboy suitor. But can she stop herself from falling in love with a handsome but poor Parisian cabbie (Don Ameche)? Black & white, 94 min. (Film)
“Midnight” was added to the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry in 2013. For more about the film, see this essay.
Underworld (1927) ● Friday, September 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Boisterous gangster kingpin Bull Weed (George Bancroft) rehabilitates his former lawyer (Clive Brook) from his alcoholic haze, but complications arise when he falls for Weed’s girlfriend (Evelyn Brent). The film launched director Josef von Sternberg’s eight-year collaboration with Paramount Pictures. Silent, with live musical accompaniment by Ben Model. Black & white, 80 min. (Digital)