MFF2008: Rita Hayworth in 3-D!
For the seventh year running, I got to host the festival's annual Saturday morning 3-D screening. This year's offering, 1953's Miss Sadie Thompson, was a rare treat. Only shown in 3-D for about a week upon its original release, it offered one of Hollywood's enduring sex symbols, Rita Hayworth, in a film that suggested it wasn't just audiences that fell for her allure. Poor Jose Ferrer's character, an uptight moralist convinced that only he knows what is right and what is wrong, didn't stand a chance against Rita's charms!
Although not exactly enlightened in its treatment of either South Seas islanders (the film is set on a tropical atoll near New Caledonia) or what moral compasses are really meant to gauge, Miss Sadie Thompson proved great fun for the 200 or so people who showed up. Kudos, once again, to The Charles' John Standiford and the festival's Jed Dietz and Skizz Cyzyk, who studiously hunt down the few remaining 3-D prints for this annual eye-popping cinematic experience.
Maybe we'll get Jane Russell and The French Line next year!
Comments
Chris- I was one of the attendees and REALLY appreciated the Three Stooges short prior to Miss Sadie Thompson...it was no Gorilla At Large but close..:)
Posted by: Don | May 4, 2008 10:44 AM
Althought I didn't attend this screening, I saw the new 3D print of Miss Sadie Thompson at the Egyptian in Hollywood about 3 years ago. I found it the most amazing filmic preservation of any of Hollywood's sex goddess. We're lucky to have this 3D map of her beauty. I looked at Rita's face and was mesmerized by her modern, sculpted beauty...and when she sings and dances, her whole mystique gripped me and left quite an impression. Highly recommended. Glad they are screening it!
Posted by: Alex | May 4, 2008 9:41 PM