Événement

NOIR CITY 20: UNFAITHFULLY YOURS / THE VELVET TOUCH

Unfaithfully Yours (1:00)
Originally released November 5, 1948
20th Century-Fox. 105 minutes
Written, produced, and directed by Preston Sturges
As film noir swept over late-1940s Hollywood, Preston Sturges created the first full-length parody of the genre with this mordantly hilarious tale of a jealous orchestra conductor (Rex Harrison) envisioning three distinct plots to murder his supposedly unfaithful wife (Linda Darnell). Turning The Postman Always Rings Twice into uproarious comedy takes only a few tweaks and twists for this genuinely brilliant auteur. Side-splitting farce is made even funnier by Harrison's demonically deadpan portrayal of the megalomaniacal would-be murderer.

The Velvet Touch (3:15)
Originally released August 25, 1948
RKO Radio Pictures [Warner Bros.] 100 minutes
Screenplay by Leo Rosten
Produced by Frederick Brisson
Directed by Jack Gage
Following the success of 1947's A Double Life, in which Ronald Colman played a murderous Broadway actor, Rosalind Russell took her only trip into Dark City as Valerie Stanton, a revered Broadway actress who accidentally kills her producer (and former lover) during an argument. Valerie's thespian talents help cover up the crime, but when her archrival (played by Claire Trevor) becomes the prime suspect, will Valerie's guilty conscience prevail? A wonderful, if rarely screened, backstage thriller.

All FNF proceeds from festival ticket sales aid the foundation's mission of rescuing and restoring noir films.

CURRENT GRAND LAKE THEATRE HEALTH PROTOCOL: Wearing an antiviral mask is optional but recommended in high-density situations such as ticket/concession/restroom lines and when an auditorium is highly occupied.