Sundays

All About Bette: The Films of Bette Davis

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2015-10-04 @ 7:00 PM

Of Human Bondage

(John Cromwell, 1934) · After four years of studying painting with no results, Philip Carey (Leslie Howard) decides to attend medical school in London instead. There, he falls in love with waitress Mildred Rogers (Bette Davis), a cruel woman who finds his romantic attention unwelcome and runs off with another man. Just when Philip begins to find happiness elsewhere, he finds himself hopelessly bonded to Mildred yet again. 35mm print courtesy of of the Library of Congress.

runtime: 83 min format: 35mm

 

2015-10-11 @ 7:00 PM

The Petrified Forest

(Archie Mayo, 1936) · At the edge of Arizona's Petrified Forest, Gabrielle Maple (Bette Davis) helps her father and grandfather run a roadside diner, though she dreams of painting in France, where her mother lives. After finding a kindred soul in a drifting former writer played by Leslie Howard, Gabrielle finds herself and the diner caught hostage by notorious gangster Duke Mantee (Humphrey Bogart's first major role). 35mm print courtesy of the Library of Congress.

runtime: 82 min format: 35mm

 

2015-10-18 @ 7:00 PM

Jezebel

(William Wyler, 1938)
Beautiful and strong-willed, Southern belle Julie Marsden (Bette Davis) takes pride in flouting the rules of antebellum New Orleans. However, Julie’s spoiled and haughty attitude soon drives a wedge between her and her fiancé, successful young banker Preston “Pres” Dillard (Henry Fonda), and she runs the risk of losing him for good. Marking the beginning of the most successful period in Davis’ career, Jezebel also earned Davis her second Academy Award.

runtime: 104 min format: 35mm

 

2015-10-25 @ 7:00 PM

Dark Victory

(Edmund Goulding, 1939) · Young Long Island heiress Judith Traherne (Bette Davis) enjoys a life of luxury and pleasure, but her hedonistic days come to an end when she’s diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Oblivious to the fact that she has just months to live, Judith falls in love with her doctor, Dr. Frederick Steele (George Brent), and the two become engaged. But when she finds out the truth about her condition, Judith will need to decide how she’ll choose to live out her final days.

runtime: 104 min format: DCP

 

2015-11-01 @ 7:15 PM

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex

(Michael Curtiz, 1939) · An aging Queen Elizabeth I (Bette Davis) falls in love with the much younger Earl of Essex (Errol Flynn), but his popularity and ambition pose a threat to her rule. With the situation exacerbated by the behind-the-scenes machinations of Lady Penelope Grey (Olivia de Havilland), who is also in love with Essex, Elizabeth must ultimately come to a decision between her love and her duty. 35mm print courtesy of the Library of Congress.

runtime: 106 min format: 35mm

 

 

2015-11-08 @ 7:00 PM

The Letter

(William Wyler, 1940) · One tropical night, a man is killed on a Singaporean rubber plantation. The murderer, Leslie Crosbie (Bette Davis), claims she acted in self-defense, a testimony the court buys. But Leslie’s lawyer, Howard Joyce (James Stephenson), is suspicious about her: what will he do when he comes across a letter which supports those suspicions? Davis is cool and reserved, but Stephenson steals the screen in this tense noir. 35mm print courtesy of the Library of Congress.

runtime: 95 min format: 35mm

 

2015-11-15 @ 7:00 PM

Now, Voyager

(Irving Rapper, 1942) · A passionate love story and one of Bette Davis’ most famous ‘women’s pictures’, this romantic drama stars Davis as Charlotte Vale, an unattractive spinster who has lived under the thumb of her domineering mother all her life. Under the care of psychiatrist Dr. Jaquith (Claude Rains), Vale undergoes a remarkable transformation, recovering her confidence and independence, and develops an ill-fated romance with married architect Jerry Durrance (Paul Henreid).

runtime: 117 min format: 35mm

 

2015-11-22 @ 7:00 PM

All About Eve

(Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1950) · In perhaps her most famous role, Bette Davis plays Margo Channing, a Broadway star insecure about having just turned forty. After a performance one night, Margo takes in the eponymous Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter), a young fan with nowhere else to go. However, Eve soon proves far less innocent than she first seems. All About Eve became the first film to receive 14 Academy Award nominations, and the only film to receive four female acting nominations.

runtime: 138 min format: 35mm

 

2015-11-29 @ 7:00 PM

The Man Who Came to Dinner

(William Keighley, 1942) · After injuring his hip on the icy steps in front of the Stanley’s home, Sheridan Whiteside, infamously abrasive critic, subjects the family to his constant complaints and meddling over the Christmas holiday. His schemes include a plan to kill the burgeoning romance between his assistant Maggie Cutler (Davis) and local reporter Bert Jefferson. Hilarious and fast-paced, the film shows Davis in a rare comedic setting. 35mm print courtesy of the Library of Congress.

runtime: 112 min format: 35mm

 

2015-12-06 @ 7:00 PM

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

(Robert Aldrich, 1962) · After years of jealousy and resentment, sisters and aged former actresses Blanche (Joan Crawford) and ‘Baby’ Jane Hudson (Bette Davis) now live together in the same mansion. Beginning to suffer from mental illness, Jane begins to torment Blanche, who is confined to a wheelchair in her room, culminating in disaster for the two sisters. The film’s sibling rivalry is fierce and tense, intensified by the actresses’ own infamous rivalry with one another.

runtime: 134 min format: 35mm

 

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