“The romantic roundelay, linking fine emotions with fine lingerie, is shadowed by the brutality of Soviet tyranny.” - Richard Brody, New Yorker
“This one is neither crude clowning nor crude prejudice, but a literate and knowingly directed satire which lands many a shrewd crack about phony Five Year Plans, collective farms, Communist jargon and pseudo-scientific gab.” - Whittaker Chambers, TIME Magazine
Tuesday, September 3, 6:00 p.m. | Banned in the Soviet Union, Greta Garbo plays a Communist special commissioner assigned to monitor comrades stationed in Paris to sell czarist jewelry. Western luxuries and charming men threaten her loyalty to the system (and landed her an Academy Award nomination). Director Ernst Lubitsch (TROUBLE IN PARADISE, DESIGN FOR LIVING) was one of the most successful emigres from Germany, known for his wit and his ability to mix comedy and politics.
Awards & Nominations
Nominee - Best Picture, Best Actress in a Leading Role (Greta Garbo), Best Original Screenplay, Academy Awards
Propaganda and Counterculture Lecture Series: From the intricate relationship between propaganda, colonialism, imperialism, and globalization we will investigate the complexities of official politics and grassroots movements. This series offers a unique exploration of how film shapes and reflects the socio-political landscapes of our world. Presented in collaboration with the School of the Art Institute’s Art History, Theory, and Criticism Department. Lecturers: Jennifer D. Lee, Mechtild Widric. Read more
Members can purchase a Propaganda and Counterculture Lecture Series Pass and see six series films with six free popcorns for $45. Not a member? Renew or join here.
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The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu