The Unknown Man of Shandigor

press release: New Restorations

Switzerland | 1967 | DCP | 90 min. | French with English subtitles

Director: Jean-Louis Roy; Cast: Daniel Emilfork, Howard Vernon, Serge Gainsbourg

In this marvelously surreal 60s Euro oddity - part Dr. Strangelove, part Alphaville - the unforgettable Emilfork (The City of Lost Children) stars as crazed scientist Herbert Von Krantz, who’s invented a device to sterilize all nuclear weapons called “The Annulator.” A mad herd of rival spies are desperate to get their hands on the device, including legendary French singer Gainsbourg as the leader of a sect of bald, turtleneck-wearing assassins. Director Roy’s exotic camera obscura of Cold War paranoia, filmed in arresting black and white, also includes Gainsbourg performing his deranged jazz-lounge song, “Bye Bye Mr. Spy.” Hard to see after its 1967 Cannes debut and never released in the U.S., L’inconnu de Shandigor will be screened in a new 4K restoration

Screenings mostly take place at 4070 Vilas Hall, 821 University Avenue. Once-a-month Sunday afternoon screenings take place at the Chazen Museum of Art, 750 University Avenue. In accord with current UW Madison policies, masks are required for entry to our venues. All Cinematheque screenings are free and open to the public. Please visit our website for a complete listing of programs and descriptions from September 3 through December 18.

In addition to new copies of several restored movies showcased in our other series, Fall Cinematheque calendar is robust with one-off screenings of new digital preservations of several exciting titles from throughout international cinema history, including Luis Buñuel’s pitch-black satire The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz; Melvin Van Peebles’ produced-in-France debut feature The Story of a Three Day Pass; Jean-Louis Roy’s Swiss Cold War oddity, The Unknown Man of Shandigor; and two featurettes by one of Senegal’s leading cinematic voices, Djibril Diop Mambety.