About the Program:
The Art Deco Society of New York's series, Mondays at the Movies Cinema Chat, transports you back to the 1930s, when Americans found relief from the stress of everyday life by escaping into Hollywood’s glamorous dream worlds. In these unique events, experts in the golden age of cinema will screen and discuss wonderful 1930s and 40s escapist fantasies with ADSNY’s audience.
Register today to join us for this online event, in which the co-authors of Screen Deco: A Celebration of High Style in Hollywood, Howard Mandelbaum and Eric Myers, return to screen and discuss MGM's A Free Soul (1931).
In this pre-Code drama, sparks fly when Norma Shearer, the impulsive daughter of an attorney, begins an affair with dashing gangster Clark Gable, whose display of brutish magnetism elevated him to stardom in this film! Strikingly gowned in revealing pre-Code outfits; Shearer inspired Photoplay magazine to write: “Her clothes are breathtaking in their daring. But you couldn’t get away with them in your drawing room.” As if the clothing and actors weren't steamy enough, we will also see how suggestions of passion in the boudoir made this one of the year's big hits.
Following the screening, Mandelbaum and Myers will discuss how, in addition to this film being Clark Gable's first major on-screen role, Lionel Barrymore won an Oscar for the role of a wealthy alcoholic attorney unable to control his free-living daughter, and Norma Shearer was also Oscar-nominated.
ADSNY's Mondays at the Movies Cinema Chat will include:
- An introduction of the film by Howard Mandelbaum and Eric Myers
- The film screening
- A 10-minute intermission to refill your popcorn
- An in-depth exploration of the film by Howard Mandelbaum and Eric Myers
- A Q&A with the audience
Even though this event will be online, it will include a live film screening and presentation that you will be able to see directly on your computer screen, tablet, or mobile device, as well as a Q&A session with participants, just like the format of our in-person talks.
About the Speakers:
Howard Mandelbaum and Eric Myers are the authors of Screen Deco: A Celebration of High Style in Hollywood and Forties Screen Style: A Celebration of High Pastiche in Hollywood. Mandelbaum is the co-founder, with Carlos Clarens, of Photofest, a library of images of the performing arts. Myers is the author of the biography Uncle Mame: The Life of Patrick Dennis. A former film publicist with credit on over sixty feature films, he is now a literary agent, delighting in bringing other authors to print.
Registration:
How to Register for ADSNY's Web-based programs:
- Click the gold Register button located to the left of the "About the Program" section
- Enter the requested information in the registration form and follow the instructions to pay online and complete your registration
- In a few moments, you will receive an email confirmation of your registration
- Several days before the program, you will receive an email with the link and password to join your Zoom event
For more information on Zoom, check out our How-to webpage
If you are having difficulty registering for this program please check the settings on your web browser to make sure that cookies and cross-site tracking are enabled. We recommend registering for programs through a desktop. If you need further assistance registering for this event, please email Info@ArtDeco.org, let us know which events you would like to register for, and we will send you an invoice.
If you have a Household Membership and would like to take advantage of the reduced member ticket for both members, each ticket will need to be purchased separately under the name and email address of each member. If you are having difficulty, please email Info@ArtDeco.org, let us know which events you would like to register for, and we will send you an invoice.
All ticket sales are final. Sorry, there are no refunds or exchanges.
