Moontide

press release: USA | 1942 | 35mm | 94 min.

Director: Archie Mayo; Cast: Jean Gabin, Ida Lupino, Claude Rains

In his first performance in a Hollywood production, acclaimed French actor Gabin plays Bobo, a free-spirited wanderer who docks in a Pacific seaside town. After a night of drunken debauchery, Bobo awakens on a strange barge wearing the cap of a dead man. Afraid he has committed the crime, Bobo prepares to skip town but is delayed when he falls in love with Anna (Lupino), whom he rescues from drowning herself in the surf. Less like typical film noir and more similar to Gabin’s French poetic realism vehicles like Quai des brumes and Remorques, Moontide places emphasis on the flamboyantly romantic over pessimistic fatalism. Several sequences were overseen by legendary director Fritz Lang who, when he didn’t get along with Gabin, was replaced by Mayo.

After a nearly 16-month hiatus, big screen movies are making their comeback at the UW Cinematheque’s regular venue, 4070 Vilas Hall! Beginning Wednesday June 30, the Cinematheque will commence six weeks of free screenings beginning with Leo McCarey’s Make Way for Tomorrow, a classic tearjerker that was originally scheduled for April 2020. The summer lineup includes canonized comedies, action blockbusters, international thrillers, contemporary gems from Asia, the complete American works of French superstar Jean Gabin, a three-film salute to Charles Bronson in honor of his centennial, and more!

Summer programming will take place on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday evenings and all feature films will be screened from original or archival 35mm prints. Admission, as always, is free and open to the public. Seating will be limited and socially distanced according to current UW-Madison policies. When possible, additional showtimes have been added to accommodate more viewers. All Cinematheque screenings are free and open to the public.