SECRET MOVIE CLUB presents
Part of our PARTNERSHIPS ARE BEAUTIFUL Series, Thursday, November 10, 2022
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.
8pm VIRIDIANA (1961, dir. Luis Buñuel, Janus, Mexico/Spain, 90mns, Digital)
Special Note: We are doing this screening in partnership with @somoselcine (somoselcine.org) because partnerships are beautiful! From time to time, we’ll partner with a sibling cinema organization to bring everyone a great movie and great night. Because in our opinion. . .the world works better when everyone is rooting for each other.
Tonight, Somos El Cine and Secret Movie Club are proud to join up to host a screening of what may be director Luis Bunuel’s absolute best movie. At least in this programmer’s humble opinion. And that’s Viridiana.
Viridiana tells the story of young novice Viridiana about to take her vows to be a nun in Spain when her Uncle, Don Jaime, asks her to return to the family estate. There, Viridiana is forced to confront realities she was able to avoid in the nunnery. Her Uncle lusts after her and asks her to dress up like his deceased wife. His illegitimate son Jorge arrives and Viridiana finds herself sexually attracted to the young man.
Trying to re-connect with her commitment to God, she invites a host of homeless beggars to the home with the good hearted intention of providing them room and board. But when she leaves to handle business one day, the beggars indulge in an orgy and riotous party that once and for all forces Viridiana to reckon with the gap between her ideals and the reality of the world.
Bunuel’s genius for sneaking subversive content past the censors reaches its zenith here as he made a wildly blasphemous and confrontational movie (though he didn’t consider it so) right under the nose of fascist dictator Franco in Spain. When the movie took the world by storm, Franco was embarrassed that Bunuel had been able to do what no other Spanish filmmaker had done since the dictatorship-make exactly the kind of free speech movie Franco strove hard to suppress.
The movie also traffics in Bunuel’s lifelong commitment to pointing out the hypocrisies of the Catholic Church and much of organized religion. As this Programmer often likes to point out, Bunuel’s movies are paradoxically key for anyone who has strong faith or spiritual beliefs. They pose tough questions anyone who wants to be a believer in a tough and rough world need to confront.
Bunuel might not like to hear that (he was a lifelong atheist) but as a believer, this Programmer loves Bunuel’s cinema for the challenges and insight it poses into how the world often really operates.
Come watch this world classic.
Best always,
Craig Hammill
Secret Movie Club Founder.Programmer
*Please note that though we strive to always show titles on 35mm film if advertised, we may have to screen digitally if the print we receive is in such bad shape or if we don't receive the print in time because of a shipping delay. We will do our best to alert the audience. When this does occur, we will offer each ticket holder who chooses not to attend a complimentary ticket to a future event in exchange. (Disclaimer: Good for 90 days – Future screening must have available tickets, cannot be a fundraiser, and must be comparably priced)
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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 to us before showtime: community@secretmovieclub.com and we’ll offer you complimentary tickets to a future screening, good for 90 days. (Disclaimer: Future screening must have available tickets, cannot be a fundraiser, and must be comparably priced)
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.
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 CAN WE STAY ON TOP OF NEWLY ANNOUNCED 35MM SCREENINGS, EVENTS, ETC?
You can follow us on Instagram/Twitter: @secretmovieclub or Facebook: @secretmovieclub35mm
You can also subscribe to our weekly email newsletter at secretmovieclub.com or by writing to 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.