The Moving Image Source Calendar is a selective international guide to retrospectives, screenings, festivals, and exhibitions.
Descriptions are drawn from the calendars of the presenting venues.
-
Josef von Sternberg: The Exotic and the Decadent
January 21–March 17, 2012 at
Cinematheque at University of Wisconsin
, Madison, WI
One of cinema's singular visionaries, Josef von Sternberg masterminded some of the most idiosyncratic Hollywood entertainments of the 1920s and '30s. Famous for meticulously concocting exotic locales on Paramount's back lot, Sternberg used breathtaking imagery to tell wry, knowing tales of doomed love. The director pursued total control over his projects, often acting as uncredited writer, cinematographer, and editor, ensuring that each frame bore his unmistakable personal stamp. Although justly celebrated for his visual style, Sternberg was also among the first directors to fully grasp the power of sound, as exemplified in the proto-noir talkie Thunderbolt. This retrospective also contains one of Sternberg's great silent films (The Docks of New York), six of von Sternberg's canonical, matchless collaborations with Marlene Dietrich, and two adaptations of literary classics (Crime and Punishment and An American Tragedy).
Featured Works:
The Docks of New York (1928); Thunderbolt (1929); Morocco (1930, pictured); The Blue Angel (1930); An American Tragedy (1931); Blonde Venus (1932); Shanghai Express (1932); The Scarlet Empress (1934); Crime and Punishment (1935); The Devil Is a Woman (1935); The King Steps Out (1936)
Program information:
