Film Screenings / Programs / Retrospectives
RUSS MEYER & ROGER EBERT
February 21 – February 23
As a follow-up to our popular Russ Meyer retrospective this past summer, we present a three-film program that doubles as both a sequel to the earlier series and a special tribute to Roger Ebert, who passed away last year. Though Ebert was of course known primarily for his profoundly influential career as a film critic and TV personality, he proved he could walk the walk as well as talk the talk by contributing peerless screenplays for two of Meyer’s greatest films, the justly celebrated BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS and its unjustly neglected follow-up, BENEATH THE VALLEY OF THE ULTRA-VIXENS (as well as working on the dialogue for Meyer’s 1976 film, UP!). This weekend we’ll be bringing back the immaculate 35mm print of DOLLS, and presenting special screenings of ULTRA-VIXENS and UP! (both of which were missing from the earlier retrospective) – a celebration of the unlikely but glorious creative partnership between Meyer and Ebert, who were (and, wherever they are, hopefully remain) “breast” of friends.
Special thanks to Janice Cowart (Russ Meyer Trust), Mark Johnson (Harvard Film Archive), and Caitlin Robertson & Joe Reid (20th Century Fox).
