Nathaniel BellFriday, March 9
The Adventures of Robin Hood swoops into the Billy Wilder Theater to restore a measure of innocence to the jaded moviegoer. Splendidly operatic in style and resplendent in its Technicolor trappings, the film endeared Errol Flynn to a Depression-era audience and secured his place in the Hollywood pantheon. Director Michael Curtiz replaced William Keighley when Warner Bros. decided that the action needed more oomph, and the film certainly doesn't lack for excitement, particularly during the climactic swordfight with Basil Rathbone. UCLA Film & Television Archive is pairing it with Flynn's American debut, The Case of the Curious Bride, as part of its tribute to Curtiz. Alan K. Rode will sign copies of his new Curtiz biography in the lobby prior to the screening. UCLA's Billy Wilder Theater, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood; Fri., March 9, 7:30 p.m.; $10. (310) 206-8013, cinema.ucla.edu.
Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom; Credit: Focus Features
Sunday, March 11
A new series at the American Cinematheque's Aero Theatre pairs several of Wes Anderson's films with their cinematic precedents. This provides an excellent opportunity to revisit Moonrise Kingdom, a tale of adolescent love that ranks among the decade's finest achievements. The real draw of the evening, though, is a faded 35mm print of S.W.A.L.K. (aka Melody), Waris Hussein's 1971 romance, which has accumulated a sizable cult following in several foreign countries. This early screenplay by Alan Parker features Mark Lester (of Oliver! fame) as a smitten 12-year-old, and a soundtrack by a pre-disco Bee Gees. Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica; Sun., March 11, 7:30 p.m.; $12. (323) 466-3456, americancinemathequecalendar.com.
Cry ‘Havoc’; Credit: MGM
Tuesday, March 13
LACMA pays tribute to actor and activist Marsha Hunt with a screening of Cry 'Havoc', a WWII drama that follows the plight of a group of army nurses caught up in the retreat of Bataan. Margaret Sullavan, Ann Sothern and Joan Blondell headline an all-female cast drawn from the MGM stock company, and it's worth it just to see them all together in the Philippine jungle, especially when the foliage is photographed by the great Karl Freund. LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Mid-Wilshire; Tue., March 13, 1 p.m.; $4. (323) 857-6000, lacma.org.
Wednesday, March 14
The American Cinematheque and the Greg Proops Film Club celebrate Hairspray, the 1988 pop musical that became a Broadway hit, which in turn led to a 2007 remake. The original can hold its own against American Graffiti as a nostalgic look at the 1950s, although the decade never looked quite so alien as under John Waters' exaggerated, satirical gaze. Despite the grotesque period distortions, the film is generous and big-hearted in its characterizations and social crusading. The Egyptian Theatre will screen a 35mm print, preceded by a live half-hour podcast by comedian Greg Proops. Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; Wed., March 14, 7:30 p.m.; $12. (323) 466-3456, americancinemathequecalendar.com.
An Evening With Vanessa Renwick; Credit: Echo Park Film Center
The Echo Park Film Center presents An Evening With Vanessa Renwick, a program featuring a generous selection of shorts — 13 in all — by the Oregon-based artist and filmmaker. Renwick has been working steadily as a multimedia experimentalist since the early 1980s, and her work covers a wide range of topics, usually from an outsider's perspective. This is a rare opportunity to experience the work of a radical underground talent whom Todd Haynes referred to as a “pioneer.” Echo Park Film Center, 1200 N. Alvarado St., Echo Park; Wed., March 14, 8 p.m.; $5. (213) 484-8846, echoparkfilmcenter.org. —Nathaniel Bell
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