Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
SPOTLIGHTS
Burden of Dreams in 4K, presented by Werner Herzog Sat, Sep 7 | 7:30pm | DGT Los Angeles Restoration Premiere
From the depths of the world’s largest collection of movie trailers at the Academy Film Archive, this program unearths and reassembles the cult classic thrills and chills of pre-show entertainment— presented entirely on 35mm film. These retro horror trailers span decades of suspense, from artfully macabre camp monstrosities to deranged slashers calling from inside the house. To avoid fainting, keep repeating it’s only a trailer… only a trailer… only a trailer. Programmed and note by Academy Film Archive Film Preservationists Cassie Blake and Tessa Idlewine. Total program runtime: 70 min. Creature from the Black Lagoon in 3D Sat, Oct 26 | 7:30pm | DGT Part of the museum's all-day Monster Mash! A group of scientists exploring the Brazilian Amazon discover a terrifying creature, a “Gill Man,” who becomes infatuated with the female member of their team, putting all their lives in danger. Producer William Alland claimed to have received the inspiration for the film from a dinner party story told by legendary cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa. The classic horror film reunited several key participants from Universal’s 3D hit It Came from Outer Space (1953), including Alland, actor Richard Carlson, writer Harry Essex, and director Jack Arnold. With its evocative 3D cinematography, unexpected eroticism, and the superbly designed creature suit, the film spawned two sequels and was a major inspiration for Guillermo del Toro’s 2017 Oscar winner The Shape of Water . Programmed by K.J. Relth-Miller. Note by Robert Reneau. DIRECTED BY: Jack Arnold. WRITTEN BY: Harry Essex, Arthur Ross. STORY BY: Maurice Zimm. WITH: Richard Carlson, Julie Adams, Richard Denning, Antonio Moreno. 1954. 79 min. USA. B&W. English. 3D. DCP.
In 1979, American independent filmmaker Les Blank (1935–2013) embarked on a journey with longtime friend and fellow filmmaker Werner Herzog into the jungles of Iquitos, Peru, to capture the lengthy production of Herzog’s troubled epic Fitzcarraldo (1982). The project—beleaguered by tense local politics, nervous financial backers, crew injuries, and an illness that led to Jason Robards dropping out of the lead role—took Herzog almost five years to complete. Throughout the production, Blank’s camera effortlessly and unobtrusively captures his friend’s Sisyphean struggle against time, the elements, his collaborators, and himself. Blank’s famously poetic eye for the quotidian focuses less on the daily grind of the doomed production and more on the small details that make up the world of this behind-the-scenes portrait. Considered one of the best films about filmmaking of all time, Burden of Dreams offers a sometimes harrowing, sometimes dryly humorous commentary on the complicated
experience of fulfilling an artistic vision. Programmed and note by K.J. Relth-Miller.
DIRECTED BY: Les Blank. WRITTEN BY: Michael Goodwin (narration). WITH: Werner Herzog, Klaus Kinski, Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards. 1982. 95 min. USA. Color. English, Spanish, German. 4K DCP. Digitally restored by Les Blank Films (Harrod Blank, Anthony Matt, Paul Cope, Maureen Gosling). Audio restoration and 5.1 mix by Endpoint Audio (Nick Bergh). Don’t Go into the Vault: An Academy Film Archive Trailer Show in 35mm Sat, Oct 12 | 7:30pm | TMT Stark terror that strikes in the dark! Cold fear that grips the heart! Raw shock that sears the mind!
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