Événement

SLIFF - Siren of the Tropics & The Other Josephine

Siren of the Tropics (La sirène des tropiques)

Mario Nalpas, France, 1927, 86 min.

Friday, Nov. 16, 7 p.m., Webster U./Moore

As part of double bill celebrating native St. Louisan Josephine Baker, SLIFF features the radiant star's first film, the silent "Siren of the Tropics," with live musical accompaniment by the Poor People of Paris. Marquis Sévéro, a rich, lazy Parisian, wants to divorce his wife so that he can marry his goddaughter Denise. But Denise loves André, an engineer employed by the marquis. Filled with jealousy, the marquis sends André to the Antilles and instructs Alvarez, his manager at the site, to prevent the engineer from ever returning to France. When André breaks up Alvarez's attempt to rape Papitou (Baker), a beautiful native girl, she becomes devoted to André and works to protects him against Alvarez's schemes. With live musical accompaniment by the Poor People of Paris.

Shown with The Other Josephine (Documentary Feature, see below)

Sponsored by Mary Strauss

The Other Josephine

Philip Judith-Gozlin, Germany, 2011, 64 min., French & English

Friday, Nov. 16, 8:30 p.m., Webster U./Moore

Native St. Louisan Josephine Baker remains justly famous for her scandalous Danse sauvage and her banana skirt, but the woman born Freda Josephine MacDonald was far more than an erotic dancer during her eventful life, Baker was also a film star, singer, decorated member of the French Resistance, civil-rights activist, and adoptive mother to a large multicultural family. Beginning her career as a street-corner dancer in St. Louis, Baker moved first to New York during the Harlem Renaissance and then to Paris, where her massive popularity prompted Ernest Hemingway to declare Baker "the most sensational woman anyone ever saw." This new documentary co-written by her son Brian Bouillon-Baker, who also serves as on-screen guide offers an intimate portrait of Baker, including a visit to her hometown and interviews with friends, family members, and fellow artists. With director Judith-Gozlin.
Shown with The Siren of the Tropics, with live musical accompaniment by the Poor People of Paris (see Narrative Features).
Sponsored by Mary Strauss