Programmed February 2023

Douglas Sirk Rarities

Though best known for the subversive, extravagantly stylized color melodramas he directed in the 1950s, Douglas Sirk’s brilliance was not limited to his work in Technicolor, as seen in these equally rich, relatively unsung black-and-white gems made during the same period. Featuring a moody mystery set in a nunnery ( Thunder on the Hill ), a pair of bold anti–family values melodramas starring the formidable Barbara Stanwyck ( All I Desire , There’s Always Tomorrow ), and an expressionistically sordid portrait of death-chasing stunt fliers ( The Tarnished Angels ), these Sirk deep cuts display the intricate mise-en-scène and slashing irony that define the filmmaker’s finest work.

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