The Secret Cinema is known for presenting classic films of all genres-from B-films to mega-budget Hollywood classics to obscure shorts, always in 16mm film-never video! Jay Schwartz, founder of Secret Cinema, curates a special series of films specifically for the Penn Museum in 2011-2012. Join us for what
promises to be unique adventures in foreign lands, and free popcorn! Free with Museum admission. Free with your PennCard.
Wednesday, September 21, 6:00 pm
The Mummy (1932)
The dead will rise in this masterpiece of vintage cinema, featuring the iconic Boris Karloff as Im-Ho-Tep, a doomed high priest whose mummified remains are accidentally revived, freeing him to chase his lost love through the ages.
Boris Karloff stars as Im-Ho-Tep, a doomed high priest from ancient Egypt whose mummified remains are accidentally revived during an archeological expedition, freeing him to chase his lost love through the ages. The atmospheric first, and clearly best entry in this durable horror series was also the first directorial effort for Karl Freund. Previously the cinematographer of such legendary German expressionist films as Metropolis and The Last Laugh, he later became chief cameraman for Desilu Productions (I Love Lucy). The script was written by Philadelphia native John L. Balderston, a former journalist who had covered the opening of King Tut's tomb. Legendary make-up artist Jack Pierce's incredible design for Karloff famously took eight hours each day to apply.
Wednesday, October 19, 6:00 pm
Secret Cinema: The Thief of Baghdad 1924
The Thief of Baghdad, 1924, silent with live musical accompaniment by Don Kinnier Douglas Fairbanks (Senior), one of the greatest American movie stars of the silent era, enjoyed one of his best-remembered roles in this exciting and beautiful fantasy/adventure based on the Arabian Nights stories. He plays the ever-sunny Ahmed the Thief, who attempts to steal the heart of a beautiful princess after entering the Palace of the Caliph by magic rope and enduring a series of tests, ranging from the Caverns of Fire to the Flight of a Thousand Stairs. One of the most opulent films of its era (costing a then-record two million dollars), Thief of Baghdad is still magical, thanks to William Cameron Menzies' majestic fairy-tale art direction and Raoul Walsh's fast-paced direction. And, of course, the luminescence of its charismatic star, who early in his film career authored a best-selling book of philosophy called Laugh and Live.
Wednesday, November 16, 6:00 pm
Charlie Chan in Egypt, 1935
Swedish-born Warner Oland stars in this evocative early entry in the long-lived Charlie Chan series, which finds the proverb-quoting Chinese sleuth travelling to Cairo (via airplane and mule). There he investigates missing ancient treasures and a murdered archeologist whose body is discovered inside a sarcophagus. The film effectively combines mystery and horror genre elements, and its plot about stolen antiquities landing in European museums touches on the then little-discussed subject of museum ethics. Conversely, the film is rich in dated depictions of race, most strikingly so in the character of Chan's slow-paced comic sidekick, played by notorious black character actor Stepin Fetchit. Film historian William K. Everson wrote that Charlie Chan in Egypt was "easily the best" in the Chan series: "Effective use of background music, good set design, and superb camerawork created some genuinely nightmarish sequences which are still chilling today." Oland did not use makeup to appear Asian, and attributed his appearance to Mongolian blood in his heritage, passed through his Russian mother. It was said that Chinese often mistook him for one of their own.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012, 6:00 pm
Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness, 1927
Before they dreamed up that oversized ape, King Kong's creators Merian C.
Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack filmed this amazing semi-documentary film, which was, along with the team's earlier Grass, an early example of the adventure-exploration movie. Chang is not only the obvious prototype for their later masterpiece, King Kong, but a terrifically entertaining film in its own right. Shot entirely on location in Siam under dangerous conditions, the film tells the story of a farmer and his family who have settled a small patch of land on the edge of the jungle. Their existence is a constant struggle against the many wild animals around thembear, tigers, and evenchangs! The climactic elephant stampede remains one of the most exciting scenes in cinema history. "It's still the best picture I ever made."Merian C. Cooper, 1966
Join us for "P.M. @ PENN MUSEUM" Wednesday evenings!