Here’s the calendar of events coming up at the Wolfsonian Museum in Miami Beach beginning tonight…
Friday, August 1, 7pm
CONTINENTAL OP STORIES by Dashiell Hammett (1923-1930)—This collection of short stories features a tough, unsympathetic detective named Continental Op—a memorable character who became the prototype for generations of crime fiction heroes.
SUMMER FILM SERIES
CINEMATIC DETOURS: ROAD MOVIES
The “road movies” genre has much to tell us about national identity. The films in our annual summer series, while depicting the personal crises and transformations of their characters, offer us a valuable lens into the culture and times in which they were produced. The films are screened each Thursday in August at 7pm and introduced by University of Miami film studies scholars. Presented with the Cultural Services of the Embassy of France/Miami Chapter at the Consulate General. Free for members and students; $10 all others.
Thursday, August 7, 7pm
THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940, USA, John Ford, 100 min, b&w, 16mm)—An Okie family that loses its farm during the Great Depression takes to the road, traveling Route 66 as migrant workers. They journey from the Dust Bowl to California in search of work and opportunity. One of the first movies included in the National Film Registry and based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by John Steinbeck.
Thursday, August 14, 7pm
GUN CRAZY (1949, USA, Joseph Lewis, 86 min, b&w, 16mm)—This low-budget “B” noir depicts a deadly crime spree perpetrated by a newly married Second World War veteran fixated on guns and a female six-shooter who’s an ex-carnival performer. The pair go together like “guns and ammunition.” The film, noteworthy for remarkable location shooting, includes a celebrated bank heist sequence that plays out in one long take. Deemed “culturally significant” by the United States Library of Congress in 1998, it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
Thursday, August 21, 7pm
TWO LANE BLACKTOP (1971, USA, Monte Hellman, 103 min, b&w, DVD)—A time capsule of Route 66 during the pre-Interstate Highway era, this poetic and minimalistic cult classic has a reputation as one of the greatest American road movies of all time. The film’s controversial story is about a race driver and a mechanic who live on the road in their 1955 Chevy, encounter a mysterious hitchhiker, and end up in a cross-country race going east on Route 66.
Thursday, August 28, 7pm
PIERROT LE FOU (1969, France, Jean Luc Godard, 110 min., French with English subtitles, DVD)—This film is the tale of the unorthodox life of Pierrot, the annoying nickname given to unhappily-married Ferdinand Griffon by his babysitter/ex-girlfriend, Marianne Renoir. He leaves his wife and children and flees with Marianne only to find himself chased by Algerian gangsters in a traveling crime spree from Paris to the Mediterranean. Like much pop art of the time, the film uses visuals drawn from cartoons and employs an intentionally garish visual aesthetic based on bright primary colors. Copresented with the Consulat général de France á Miami.
TOUR
Friday, August 29, 6pm
DECO AND DESIGN TOUR—This two-hour adventure begins with a walking tour of the Art Deco District, then moves inside to explore The Wolfsonian’s collection. The tour focuses on New Deal architecture and the exhibition A Bittersweet Decade: The New Deal in America, 1933-43, on view at The Wolfsonian. Presented with the Miami Design Preservation League. Limited to 20. RSVP and advance ticket purchase required by August 25: 305.535.2644 or education@thewolf.fiu.edu. Tour begins and ends at The Wolfsonian. $10 for members; $20 all others.
TOURS
Each Thursday and Friday, 6pm
Consider how an array of historical, cultural, and political trends inspired design of the machine age with a guided exhibition tour each Thursday and Friday night at 6pm. Friday tours are free.
