THE PROWLER / ACE IN THE HOLE

ABOUT THE EVENT:

7:30pm | Introduction by Eddie Muller

7:40pm | THE PROWLER

9:15pm | Intermission

9:25pm| Introduction by Alan K. Rode and Eddie Muller

9:35 | ACE IN THE HOLE

Start times are approximate.

ABOUT THE FILMS:

THE PROWLER, Dir. Joseph Losey, 92 Min, Ivy Video, USA

Originally released May 23, 1951

Losey’s greatest American film, from a script by legendary screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, is resurrected in all its bleak splendor in this 35mm restoration by UCLA Film & Television Archive, the first film ever rescued by the Film Noir Foundation. Materialistic cop Webb Garwood (Heflin) stalks a lonely, affluent Los Angeles housewife (Evelyn Keyes) and decides to win her love in the time-honored noir tradition: by knocking off her husband. Intense performances by the two leads drive this Cain-style tale of adultery, which was audacious and disturbing for its time. Don’t miss this opportunity to see one of the rarest—and most unusual—of all films noir in its original 35mm glory!

FORMAT: 35mm

35mm preservation print courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive; preservation funding provided by the Film Noir Foundation.

ACE IN THE HOLE, Dir. Billy Wilder, 111 Min, Paramount, USA

Originally released July 4, 1951

On its release, critics called this the most bitter, cynical, mean-spirited movie ever made. It still might hold the honor. What’s certain is how scarily prescient Wilder’s tale of media manipulation (originally released as THE BIG CARNIVAL) turned out to be. Kirk Douglas is stupendously rotten as a disgraced reporter reclaiming the spotlight by prolonging the plight of a trapped miner. Jan Sterling is unforgettable as the miner’s less-than-compassionate wife. It may not feature many of the tropes and iconography of classic noir, but its withering depiction of human nature and American culture is as pitch-black as any film of the era. A genuine masterpiece.

FORMAT: 35mm