SECRET MOVIE CLUB presents
KUROSAWA DEEP DIVE SERIES! Friday, July 9, 2021
LOCATION: The Secret Movie Club Theater, 1917 Bay Street, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90021
*Please note entrance/parking is actually in the back of the building. Make a right on Wilson Street, then a right behind the building. We’re the first set of black steps after the big gate. We’ll have staff to help guide/park you.
745pm I LIVE IN FEAR (1955, co-wri/directed by Akira Kurosawa, Janus, 103mns, 35MM)
10pm THE LOWER DEPTHS(1957, co-wri/directed by Akira Kurosawa, Janus, 125mns, 35MM)
IMPORTANT NOTES:
**WE ARE NOW OBSERVING THE EASED HEALTH PROTOCOLS PUT OUT BY THE COUNTY AS OF 6/15/21
***ALL GUESTS WILL BE TAKEN THROUGH PROTOCOLS PRIOR TO ENTERING THEATER SO EVERYONE CAN HAVE A FUN AND SAFE TIME.
HOW TO:
1)PLEASE PURCHASE ALL TICKETS FOR FOLKS IN YOUR “HOUSEHOLD” AT THE SAME TIME. THIS WILL HELP US KNOW HOW TO LAY OUT THAT NIGHT’S SEATING PLAN. So for example, if you are attending in a group of 3 people all of whom will be sitting together, please purchase ALL 3 TICKETS at the same time.
For the time being, we are capping the maximum “household” number to 4 tickets/4 people who can sit next to each other.
2)PLEASE BRING AND BE READY TO WEAR A PROPER MASK AT ALL TIMES INSIDE THE THEATER. All folks not yet fully vaccinated MUST wear their masks when not eating/drinking concessions for their safety.
3)PRE-ORDER ANY CONCESSIONS OR MOVIE MERCHANDISE you would like from the additional Add-Ons. You can pick up all concessions & merchandise at our tables in our lobby prior to the screening.
We will be able to sell concessions & merchandise at the theater. But it will make everything much quicker and easier if you pre-order!
4)PLEASE BE AWARE THAT ANYONE EXHIBITING COVID OR FLU LIKE SYMPTOMS AT THE DOOR, WILL BE OFFERED COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS TO A FUTURE SHOW AND ASKED TO RETURN WHEN HEALTHY. So please, if you’re feeling sick, just write us at community@secretmovieclub.com and we’ll offer your complimentary tickets to a future screening when you’re healthy. Let’s all do our part to beat this thing so we can go back to the complete movie going experience!
Tonight, we unofficially (or heck, maybe it's officially) return to our love of Akira Kurosawa by showing two of his great, fascinating movies from the 1950's on 35mm!
Nobody before or since has had a run like Akira Kurosawa. Even his "minor" works are better than 99.9% of the greatest works of most moviemakers.
Case in point, we do a deep dive tonight into two of his lesser seen but no less fascinating/cinematically brilliant works starring Toshiro Mifune.
First up is the stunning, shocking I LIVE IN FEAR. Made just after SEVEN SAMURAI, I LIVE IN FEAR tells the story of a complicated older businessman (Mifune in his 30's playing late 60's in one of the great "older man" performances of all time) who wants his entire family to move to South America to avoid what he fears is the impending nuclear holocaust when the USSR and USA attack each other.
While all those around him think these are the ravings of an old man descending into senility, we see very clearly that the Old Man understands just how close the world is to the brink of nuclear war. The movies ends on one of Kurosawa's greatest final shots of all time.
We follow this up with Kurosawa's adaptation of Gorky's Russian play The Lower Depths about homeless, near homeless, down on their luck folks who all share the same alleyway/flop house as they try to transcend the horrible poverty, bad times they have all fallen upon.
Mifune returns again as a violent, tempermental angry man who tries his best to improve his situation but finds fate, pettiness, human cruelty are all against him. A beautiful unbearably moving film about humanity's need to see homeless, down on their luck folk as no different than any of us save for bad turns that could befall any of us. A powerful, stunning movie.
Best always,
Craig Hammill
35mm Secret Movie Club Founder.Programmer
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FOR OUR IN-DOOR THEATER SCREENINGS
REFUNDS:
We can offer refunds up to 24 hours before showtime. Please request a refund through Eventbrite and we will process ASAP. After that, no refunds. Sorry.
However if something last minute comes up and you can’t make the screening, for whatever reason, just write us at: community@secretmovieclub.com and we’ll offer you complimentary tickets to a future screening.
WHY ARE THE TICKET PRICES HIGHER THAN NORMAL?
In order for us to re-open, maintain health protocols and screen movies on 35MM, we need to temporarily raise our ticket prices. We apologize.
However, if you could look at this as partially helping the Secret Movie Club Theater re-open, make the improvements as we go to turn this into the amazing movie watching, movie making center we know it can be, we would be eternally grateful.
As we can increase capacity, we will IMMEDIATELY LOWER ticket prices.
If you could look at this as all of us being in this together, we WILL remember your kindness.
HELPFUL SECRET MOVIE CLUB (1917 Bay Street, 2nd Floor, LA, CA 90021) THEATER PARKING TIPS:
We recommend that you park just outside our theater. Remember our theater is actually in a beautiful street art alleyway in the back of the 1917 Bay Street building. You get to our entrance by taking a right on Wilson, then a right behind the building. We are the first set of black steps on the right after the big gate.
We will have a staff member on duty to monitor all cars parked in the street-art alleyway at our entrance.
There is also a parking lot at the corner of Mateo and Violet Street, just 2 blocks from our theater, which costs $7 per car.
HOW WILL OUR STAFF MAKE SURE THE THEATER IS AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE:
We will have staff in the theater at all times who make sure everyone is wearing masks and obeying protocols. We will have signage at entrance, markings at concessions, restrooms, etc so folks keep 6 ft distance at all times.
Anyone not observing safe protocols will kindly be asked to leave. On top of this, we’ll be making announcements at the head of each screening to make sure everyone understands the rules & regs!
HOW CAN WE STAY ON TOP OF NEWLY ANNOUNCED 35MM SCREENINGS, EVENTS, ETC?
You can follow us on Facebook: @secretmovieclub35mm or Instagram/Twitter: @secretmovieclub
You can also subscribe to our weekly email newsletter by writing us at community@secretmovieclub.com and using the header “SUBSCRIBE ME TO NEWSLETTER”.
HOW CAN I CONTACT YOU IF I HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS:
You can always email us at community@secretmovieclub.com with any other questions, concerns, thoughts, recommendations.