Though New York moviegoing is (sort of) getting back to normal, we’ve only now filled one of the biggest spots: Metrograph have announced a return of their theater and commissary on October 1, while Metrograph At Home programming will continue through their site and Metrograph TV app.
The lineup, currently handled by new programmer-at-large Nellie Killian, doesn’t seem to have missed a step: there’s the cool factor of Żuławski’s Possession restored in 4K, the auteurist cred of a four-film Eastwood series, new releases like Bulletproof and Labyrinth of Cinema, the high art of an Amos Vogel tribute—precisely what we’ve missed for, God help us, 18 months.
Health and safety guidelines can be found here, and a highlight of October programming below.
Opens October 1
Possession (1981)
New 4K Restoration of Andrzej Żuławski’s Hallucinatory Masterpiece
Banned upon its original release in 1981, Andrzej Żuławski’s stunningly choreographed nightmare of a marriage unraveling is an experience unlike any other. Starring Isabelle Adjani (Cannes Best Actress 1981) and Sam Neill and featuring an iconic pulsating score, visceral imagery, and some of the most haunting performances ever captured on screen, Possession is cinematic delirium at its most intoxicating. A Metrograph Pictures release.
Complimenting the run, Metrograph will present a program of some of the most iconic cinematic divorces, from An Unmarried Woman to Desert Hearts; a double bill of films featuring Sam Neill; and two films by collaborators and Possession devotees Amy Seimetz and Kate Lyn Sheil.
October 1 -9
Eastwood x 4 To commemorate the release of Cry Macho, Metrograph presents four of the master’s greatest films: Breezy, A Perfect World, Sudden Impact, and White Hunter, Black Heart.
Opens October 2
Isabel Sandoval Selects
Isabel Sandoval in person! Titles include Sandoval’s debut feature Lingua Franca, her Miu Miu short Shangri-La, and Fassbinder’s Ali: Fear Eats the Soul.
Opens October 9
Saturday Afternoon Cartoons Archivist, historian, and distributor Tommy José Stathes joins us for a program of rare prints of early animated films from his collection.
October 13-20
Amos Vogel Centennial Metrograph presents a 4-program series focusing on Amos Vogel’s long out-of-print 1974 book Film as a Subversive Art, newly-revised and published by Film Desk Books. The series is comprised of a wide variety of films subversive in form and content, touching on once-forbidden subjects and representing the new consciousness emerging while Vogel was composing the book. Titles include Zorns Lemma, Kusama’s Self-Obliteration and Diary of a Shinjuku Thief. Guest programmed by Herb Schellenberger.
October 13-19
Get Crazy An antidote to this last year of isolation, or a horrific glimpse into the world of sweaty parties, big crowds, and intimate gatherings we are about to re-enter? Titles include Cold Water, The Exterminating Angel, House Party, The Leopard, Project X, The Reluctant Debutante, and more.
October 13-19
Deep Blues (1991)
New Restoration of Robert Mugge’s Essential Music Documentary While some successful blues acts sell out arenas and tour around the world, many of the best blues artists remain relatively unknown. Music scholar Robert Palmer (author of the eponymous book that inspired the film), filmmaker Robert Mugge, and musician Dave Stewart take an intimate look at these lesser-known yet phenomenal artists, showcasing incredible music from talented players who have never been signed to major labels, but represent the very heart of the blues itself. A Film Movement release.
Opens October 15
Radio On (1979)
New Restoration of Christopher Petit’s Rare and Reflective British Road Movie London DJ Robert (David Beames) embarks on a road trip from London to Bristol to investigate the recent death of his brother in Christopher Petit’s debut feature, soundtracked by a remarkable collection of art rock, punk and new wave. As radio newscasts and strangers on the road address the dire state of Britain’s Winter of Discontent, Petit deftly melds stylistic, narrative and documentary elements to craft an undeniably eerie and reflective mood that casts a hypnotic spell on the viewer. A Fun City Editions release.
Opens October 15
Le Navire Night (1979)
New Restoration of Marguerite Duras’ Rumination on Love and Desire With Le Navire Night, Duras explores the matrix of love, desire and language in her characteristically oblique and experimental style. The film’s lovers are never allowed to meet in person, instead carrying out their conversations over the phone, using unlisted phone lines leftover from the German occupation of Paris. At once dreamlike, intimate and fundamentally anonymous, Le Navire Night challenges the conventional relationship between sound, image and narrative. An Icarus Films release.
Opens October 20
Labyrinth of Cinema (2019)
The Final Film from Japanese Master Nobuhiko Obayashi The final film by Nobuhiko Obayashi finds the late director returning to the subject of Japan’s history of warfare following the completion of his “War Trilogy,” which ended with Hanagatami. A breathless cinematic journey through Japan’s past, Labyrinth of Cinema finds Obayashi using every trick in his book to create an awe-inspiring, visually resplendent anti-war epic that urges us to consider cinema as a means to change history. A Crescendo House release.
Ongoing Throughout 2021
EAI at 50 To celebrate the essential video art distributor’s 50th anniversary, Metrograph and EAI have partnered for the rest of 2021 to present a series of programs highlighting the organization’s incredible catalogue and role in the history of artists’ moving image work.
Opens October 22
Sisters with Transistors (2021)
Lisa Rovner’s Captivating Portrait of the Women Who Pioneered Electronic Music Narrated by legendary multimedia artist Laurie Anderson, Lisa Rovner’s superb documentary showcases the music of and rare interviews with female electronic pioneers Clara Rockmore, Delia Derbyshire, Daphne Oram, Éliane Radigue, Maryanne Amacher, Bebe Barron, Suzanne Ciani, Pauline Oliveros, Laurie Spiegel, and Wendy Carlos. The run will be complemented by a series of films scored by the women featured in the film. A Metrograph Pictures release.
Opens October 25
Lives of Performers Dedicated to one of cinema’s most enduring themes, Lives of Performers highlights films about actors, dancers, and musicians: the spectacle of the stage and the complexities of life out of the spotlight. Titles include All Desire, An Actor’s Revenge, Around a Small Mountain, The Band Wagon, Center Stage, Gold Diggers of 1933, The Golden Coach, Jane B par Agnes V, Jo Jo Dancer Your Life is Calling, Lola Montes, Opening Night, Perfect Blue, The Red Shoes, Spettacolo, Story of Last Chrysanthemums, To Be or Not To Be, Unfaithfully Yours, and more.
October 27
Lucy Dacus Presents
Intro by Lucy Dacus In celebration of Lucy Dacus’s third studio album Home Video, Metrograph and Matador Records have partnered to present two films with personal and thematic ties to her work: The Beaches of Agnes and Amarcord.
Opens October 29
Bulletproof (2020)
Todd Chandler’s Gripping Meditation on Violence in American SchoolsBulletproof explores the complexities of violence in American schools by looking at the ways we try to prevent it. Traveling across the United States, the film observes longstanding school rituals like homecoming parades, morning announcements, and basketball practice alongside newer traditions like lockdown drills, teacher firearms training, and metal detector screenings, weaving together these moments in a cinematic meditation on fear, violence, and the meaning of safety. A Grasshopper Film release.