Nothing says Merry Christmas quite like a sleazy hood portrayed by Richard Widmark pushing a woman in a wheelchair down the stairs - and San Francisco film buffs will get just that on December 16 with this year's Noir City Xmas extravaganza.
The sixth annual Winter Wonderland of sheer dread starts with The Reckless Moment, one of two 1949 noirs - the other being Caught - directed by Max Ophuls with diabolical skill. Noir queen and noted femme fatale of Fritz Lang movies Joan Bennett stars as a suburban matriarch, responding to a family spinning out of control by plunging into a vortex of blackmail, paranoia and murder.
READERS, PLEASE NOTE: do NOT watch the following YouTube clip and still compilation from The Reckless Moment if it turns out you have both never seen this movie and will be at tomorrow night's program. It is quite the spoiler.
Science fiction and classic television aficionados will note that Geraldine Brooks, the actress who portrays the wild, fast, loose and generally pretty darn reckless daughter in this movie later turns up in several episodes of The Outer Limits.
Not to be outdone, the Ophuls opus will be followed by Kiss Of Death, directed by Henry Hathaway and produced as a vehicle for good guy star Victor Mature, but now primarily known for the bad guy exploits of the baddest of bad guys, sneering psychopath Tommy Udo, played with raging insanity by Richard Widmark.
Tickets are available online via Brown Paper Tickets. For more info, check out the Noir City and Castro Theatre websites.
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