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Home , Albert Brooks, Barry Primus, Cathy Moriarty, Errol Flynn, Fay Wray, Gangs of New York

BAMcinématek presents Under the Influence: Scorsese/Walsh, a 12- series pairing works with their inspirations from ’s seminal oeuvre, Mar 12—26

Opens with Walsh’s Regeneration, featuring live piano by acclaimed accompanist Steve Sterner

The Journal is the title sponsor for BAMcinématek and BAM Rose Cinemas.

Brooklyn, NY/Feb 12, 2014—From Wednesday, March 12 through Wednesday, March 26, BAMcinématek presents Under the Influence: Scorsese/Walsh, pairing six Scorsese classics with their inspirations from Raoul Walsh’s seminal oeuvre. The still-undervalued Walsh’s lean, mean portraits of , knack for evoking gritty urban locales, and assured handling of white- knuckle action provide a virtual template for modern-day maestro (and avowed Walsh admirer) Martin Scorsese’s work. Viewed side by side, the of these two iconic auteurs reveal a fascinating and ongoing creative dialogue across the generations.

One of the great action directors of the studio era, Raoul Walsh was the swaggering, manly-man artist behind some of the best movies to star , , and . ―Walsh’s explosive outcast characters were bigger than life,‖ said Martin Scorsese, whose own violent, masculine oeuvre is just as full of explosive outcasts. ―Their lust for life was insatiable, even as their actions precipitated their tragic destiny. The world was too small for them.‖ Walsh was ―probably Scorsese’s single most important influence,‖ wrote critic Dave Kehr (Moving Image Source), even if Scorsese’s debts to , , and other filmmakers have been more widely acknowledged over the years. Indeed, Walsh’s influence upon Scorsese is so consistent that his filmography provides a sort of hidden road map through Scorsese’s body of work. Under the Influence: Scorsese/Walsh aligns some of each directors’ key films as a way of illustrating the many homages paid within.

Walsh, a rugged sailor and cowboy and the son of a prominent Irish-born clothier, had little in common biographically with the working-class Italian-American Scorsese. But Scorsese, a child of City's Little , connected emotionally to Walsh’s authentic evocation of the city’s teeming street life. Walsh shot his early feature Regeneration (1915—Mar 12) in the actual slums of Five Points, framing a melodramatic redemption story (street kid turned gang leader falls for pretty social reformer) in a stark, ―beautifully atmospheric‖ (Manohla Dargis, ) style that emphasizes the unglamorous faces and locations. (2002—Mar 26) is set 50 years earlier, but Scorsese meticulously recreated the same rough-and-tumble lower milieu on the soundstages of Cinecittà as the backdrop for the epic rivalry between the terrifying Bill the Butcher (Daniel Day Lewis) and plucky Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio). Fighting over a pretty ingénue as well as control over their territory, Bill and Vallon enacted an archetypal Hollywood scenario across Scorsese’s astonishing Hell-on-Earth canvas, which looks and feels as much like a or a medieval epic as a traditional film.

The competing fire brigades in Gangs of New York are a tip of the hat to a morbidly funny sequence in Walsh’s unclassifiable pre-Code wonder The (1933—Mar 25), a rollicking of anarchy and bad behavior in which a debauched tavern keeper (,

uninhibited as ever) and a scheming con man () compete for the hearts and minds of their vivacious polyglot community. Reveling in pre-Code political incorrectness, The Bowery ―balances a gleeful fascination with the thornier sides of human nature with aw-shucks sentimentality and biting wit‖ (, The New York Sun), and Walsh never passes judgment on this pair of scoundrels, who (like many of his characters, and Scorsese’s) were actual historical figures.

Walsh’s affinity for individualism, as distinguished from ’s or ’ emphasis on family and community, gives his filmography a modern resonance. Walsh’s films are always ―willing to go with the instincts of their wayward loners‖ (David Thomson), and so are Scorsese’s. Repeating a pattern evident in Regeneration and The Bowery, Scorsese often made his heroes and villains opposite sides of the same coin—doppelgangers with similar backgrounds but varying levels of morality and violence. So it is in (1973—Mar 13), in which tragedy looms over the friendship between a repressed Catholic mafioso () and a pugnacious loose cannon (); and in Casino (1995—Mar 23), Scorsese’s epic chronicle of organized crime in Vegas, in which a master mobster (De Niro) is undone by his indulgence of an incorrigibly vicious enforcer pal ().

If gangsters are almost synonymous with Scorsese, they were also key to Walsh, who revisited their milieu periodically across a span of decades. ―An epic poem of a gangster flick‖ (Elliott Stein, ) and in Scorsese’s words, a ―twisted Horatio Alger story,‖ (1939—Mar 24) offered a sociopolitical take, depicting trench mates turned rival bootleggers James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart as men of promise disenfranchised by and the . (1949—Mar 17) turned to psychology, fashioning gangster Cody Jarrett (Cagney) as a migraine-addled, mother-fixated psychopath. Cagney’s uninhibited, career-best performance surely inspired De Niro’s turn as , the unhinged vigilante (―You lookin’ at me?‖) at the center of Scorsese’s failed-city symphony (1976—Mar 16), which Janet Maslin of The New York Times called ―brilliantly acted and rhapsodically beautiful‖.

Scorsese’s sourcing of Walsh extended beyond the gangster genre. Laced with Gershwin and Kern- Hammerstein tunes, The Man I Love (1947—Mar 18) combines romance, music, and as only a master director could, as torch singer ―Petey‖ Brown () divides her affections between two unworthy men, sleazy lounge lizard Robert Alda and morose pianist Bruce Bennett. Walsh’s unique film provided the template for New York, New York (1977—Mar 19), in which it’s clear that temperamental sax player De Niro is the only man for chanteuse —but will they stay together? Scorsese shot the ending both ways and picked one at the last minute, after a chaotic production that swerved away from noir and toward the essence of MGM’s musicals (check out the climactic, gigantic musical-within-a-musical number) and permitted the stars to improvise some wonderfully alive banter: the opening V-E day sequence, in which De Niro turns on the charm and Minnelli shoots down one pick-up line after another, is a high water mark.

Seemingly generations apart in style, both directors’ boxing biopics take an acute interest in the ways that class and celebrity, as much as pugilistic prowess, shape their title characters’ lives. As breezy as the off- hand confidence of its star, Errol Flynn, Gentleman Jim (1942—Mar 14) chronicles the rise of and turn- of-the-century fighter James J. Corbett, while Scorsese’s (1980—Mar 14 & 15) anatomizes the fall of World War II-era champ Jake LaMotta through De Niro’s unforgettable, physically transformed star turn. The straightforward deep focus presentation of Gentleman Jim’s Corbett-John L. Sullivan fight and the pure of Raging Bull’s famous ring scenes, choreographed like dance moves and filled with tiny blood-and-sweat details, take different routes to the same destination—an unflinching depiction of the sport’s punishing brutality.

For press information, please contact: Lisa Thomas at 718.724.8023 / [email protected] Hannah Thomas at 718.724.8002 / [email protected]

Under the Influence: Scorsese/Walsh Schedule

Wed, Mar 12

7:30pm: Regeneration Live accompaniment by Steve Sterner

Thu, Mar 13 4:30, 7, 9:30pm: Mean Streets

Fri, Mar 14 2, 4:40, 9:45pm: Raging Bull 7:15pm: Gentleman Jim

Sat, Mar 15 7, 9:45pm: Raging Bull

Sun, Mar 16 4:30, 7, 9:30pm: Taxi Driver

Mon, Mar 17 4:30, 7, 9:30pm: White Heat

Tue, Mar 18 4:30, 7, 9:15pm: The Man I Love

Wed, Mar 19 4:30, 7:30pm: New York, New York

Sun, Mar 23 2, 5:30, 9pm: Casino

Mon, Mar 24 4:30, 7, 9:30pm: The Roaring Twenties

Tue, Mar 25 7, 9:15pm: The Bowery

Wed, Mar 26 4:30, 7:45pm: Gangs of New York

Film Descriptions All films in 35mm unless otherwise noted.

The Bowery (1933) Directed by Raoul Walsh. With Wallace Beery, George Raft. In the 1890s, surly saloon owner (Beery) dukes it out with nemesis (and Bridge jumper) Steve Brodie (Raft), plays father figure to a ragamuffin street urchin (), and woos sweet Lucy Calhoun (). Walsh colorfully evokes the rambunctious melting- pot atmosphere of Gay '90s New York in this very pre-Code (and very un-PC) . 35mm archival print Tue, Mar 25 at 7, 9:15pm

Casino (1995) 178min Directed by Martin Scorsese. With Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, . Scorsese’s blistering ode to obsessive ambition charts the Mafia’s inextricable role in the glamour and brutality of Las Vegas. Through the eyes of gambling prodigy Sam ―Ace‖ Rothstein, the film depicts the mob’s tight grip on Sin City’s casino scene throughout the , followed by its swift loss of control in the 1980s. Featuring a hallucinatory opening title sequence courtesy of Saul and , a soundtrack overflowing with vintage pop hits, and an Oscar-nominated performance by Sharon Stone, this epic

depiction of American greed and corruption—slightly misunderstood and under-appreciated upon its release—is now ripe for reconsideration. Sun, Mar 23 at 2, 5:30, 9pm

Gangs of New York (2002) Directed by Martin Scorsese. With Leonardo DiCaprio, , Daniel Day-Lewis. Scorsese harks back to the freewheeling New York of Walsh’s The Bowery for this epic saga of gang wars in mid-19th-century Manhattan. Daniel Day-Lewis gives a tour-de-force performance as the foppish Bill the Butcher, leader of the Protestants, who clash bloodily with the newly arrived Irish immigrants. Scorsese spectacularly recreates Old New York as ―a Brueghel painting come to life‖ (A.O. Scott, The New York Times). Wed, Mar 26 at 4:30, 7:45pm

Gentleman Jim (1942) 104min Directed by Raoul Walsh. With Errol Flynn, , , Alan Hale. Walsh meticulously conjures the salty atmosphere of late-1800s in this engaging, though highly fictionalized, biopic of Irish-American boxing legend ―Gentleman Jim‖ Corbett (dashingly played by Errol Flynn in one of his finest roles). Shot in rich deep focus, the punishing, climactic slugfest between Corbett and John L. Sullivan is a precursor to the sinewy, sweaty fight scenes of Raging Bull. 35mm archival print from the collection of George Eastman House. Fri, Mar 14 at 7:15pm

The Man I Love (1947) 96min Directed by Raoul Walsh. With Ida Lupino, Robert Alda, Andrea King, . Bathed in a smoky jazz club atmosphere, this haunting noir melodrama stars Ida Lupino as husky-voiced torch singer Petey Brown, who takes a job at a nightclub owned by an sleazy small-time mobster (Alda). Walsh’s unfairly overlooked gem provided the inspiration for Scorsese’s New York, New York. Co- presented by Warner Archive Collection. Tue, Mar 18 at 4:30, 7, 9:15pm

Mean Streets (1973) 112min Directed by Martin Scorsese. With Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, , Amy Robinson. Scorsese took Walsh’s portraits of ethnic gangsterism and brought them stunningly up to date in his breakthrough feature. Capturing the lawlessness-reigns atmosphere of 1970s Manhattan with a breathless, vérité energy, Mean Streets follows two sons of Little Italy: Charlie (Keitel), a reluctant Mafioso tormented by Catholic guilt, and Johnny Boy (a riveting young De Niro), his unhinged cousin whose temper threatens to explode at any moment. Thu, Mar 13 at 4:30, 7, 9:30pm

New York, New York (1977) 155min Directed by Martin Scorsese. With Liza Minnelli, Robert De Niro, , . Scorsese’s lavish -set mash note to the classic Hollywood musical stars Liza Minnelli as a singer engaged in a stormy romance with a saxophonist (De Niro). The show-stopping musical numbers (highlighted by Liza, channeling mother Judy, belting out the title song) are counterbalanced by unsparingly raw scenes of a dissolving marriage. Wed, Mar 19 at 4:30, 7:30pm

Raging Bull (1980) 129min Directed by Martin Scorsese. With Robert De Niro, , Joe Pesci, . Robert De Niro is raw physicality incarnate in the form of Italian-American boxer Jake LaMotta— driven seemingly by the divine, but unable to confine his battles to the ring—in one of the most visceral performances ever committed to celluloid. Raging Bull is the definitive Scorsese-De Niro collaboration, shot in lustrous black and white, with the swirling deliriousness of the fight sequences set to the driving rhythms of ’s brilliant editing. DCP Fri, Mar 14 at 2, 4:40, and 9:45pm Sat, Mar 15 at 7, 9:45pm

Regeneration (1915) 72min Directed by Raoul Walsh. With Rockliffe Fellowes, Anna Q. Nilsson, William Sheer, John McCann. Filmed on location on the Bowery, Walsh’s early gangster saga (one of the very first) captures the hardscrabble life of ’s immigrant population with vivid . Irish hood Owen Conway (Fellowes) rises from petty thug to gangland chief, but gets a shot at redemption in the form of a social welfare-minded society girl (Nilsson). Several Walsh hallmarks are in place here, particularly the muscular handling of violent action. 35mm archival print, Preserved by The Museum of with support from the Celeste Bartos Fund for . Wed, Mar 12 at 7:30pm Live piano accompaniment by Steve Sterner.

The Roaring Twenties (1939) 106min Directed by Raoul Walsh. With James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, , . Cagney and Bogart are World War I army buddies who get drawn into the bootlegging racket when they realize job prospects in civilian life are slim. Martin Scorsese called The Roaring Twenties the ―last great before the advent of film noir… I’d like to think that comes out of the tradition of something as extraordinary.‖ Mon, Mar 24 at 4:30, 7, 9:30pm

Taxi Driver (1976) 113min Directed by Martin Scorsese. With Robert De Niro, , , . Between fares, increasingly unhinged cabbie Travis Bickle (De Niro) haunts 42nd St. porno houses, develops an infatuation with a nice-girl political aide (Shepherd), and vows to clean up the cesspool that is 1970s New York City. Scorsese’s expressionist urban nightmare courted controversy for its shocking violence (even after he de-saturated the blood-spattered climax to get an R rating)—but didn’t stop it from winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes that year. Sun, Mar 16 at 4:30, 7, 9:30pm

White Heat (1949) 114min Directed by Raoul Walsh. With James Cagney, , Edmond O'Brien, Margaret Wycherly. “Made it, ma! Top of the world!” Gangster psychopath and mama’s boy Cody Jarrett (Cagney) inevitably tumbles, but first he must claw his way up there with a string of daring heists. Cagney’s combustible, ferocious energy lights up every frame of Walsh’s rough, tough, and ultra-Oedipal crime classic. Mon, Mar 17 at 4:30, 7, 9:30pm

About BAMcinématek The four-screen BAM Rose Cinemas (BRC) opened in 1998 to offer Brooklyn audiences alternative and independent films that might not play in the borough otherwise, making BAM the only performing arts center in the country with two mainstage theaters and a multiplex cinema. In July 1999, beginning with a series celebrating the work of , BAMcinématek was born as Brooklyn’s only daily, year-round repertory film program. BAMcinématek presents new and rarely seen contemporary films, classics, work by local artists, and festivals of films from around the world, often with special appearances by directors, actors, and other guests. BAMcinématek has not only presented major retrospectives by major filmmakers such as , Manoel de Oliveira, Shohei Imamura, (winning a National Film Critics’ Circle Award prize for the retrospective), Kaneto Shindo, Luchino Visconti, and , but it has also introduced New York audiences to contemporary artists such as Pedro Costa and Apichatpong Weerasethakul. In addition, BAMcinématek programmed the first US retrospectives of directors Arnaud Desplechin, , Hong Sang-soo, and, most recently, Andrzej Zulawski. From 2006 to 2008, BAMcinématek partnered with the Sundance Institute and in June 2009 launched BAMcinemaFest, a 16-day festival of new independent films and repertory favorites with 15 NY feature film premieres; the fifth annual BAMcinemaFest ran from June 19—28, 2013.

Credits

The Wall Street Journal is the title sponsor of BAM Rose Cinemas and BAMcinématek.

Steinberg Screen at the BAM Harvey Theater is made possible by The Joseph S. and Diane H. Steinberg Charitable Trust.

Pepsi is the official beverage of BAM.

Brooklyn Brewery is the preferred beer of BAMcinématek.

BAM Rose Cinemas are named in recognition of a major gift in honor of Jonathan F.P. and Diana Calthorpe Rose. BAM Rose Cinemas would also like to acknowledge the generous support of The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation, The Estate of Richard B. Fisher, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Brooklyn Delegation of the New York City Council, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts, Bloomberg, and Time Warner Inc. Additional support for BAMcinématek is provided by the Coolidge Corner Theatre Foundation, The Grodzins Fund, The Liman Foundation and Summit Rock Advisors.

Special thanks to Anne Morra & Mary Keene/MoMA Film Preservation Center; Joe Reid & Caitlin Robertson/ Fox; Kristie Nakamura/Warner Bros. Classics; Chris Chouinard/Park Circus; Mark McElhatten/; Daniel Bish/George Eastman House; Christopher Lane & Michael Horne/ Repertory; Matt Patterson/Warner Archive Collection; Paul Ginsburg/Universal.

General Information

BAM Howard Gilman House, BAM Rose Cinemas, and BAMcafé are located in the Peter Jay Sharp building at 30 Lafayette Avenue (between St Felix Street and Ashland Place) in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn. BAM Harvey Theater is located two blocks from the main building at 651 Fulton Street (between Ashland and Rockwell Places). Both locations house Greenlight Bookstore at BAM kiosks. BAM Fisher, located at 321 Ashland Place, is the newest addition to the BAM campus and houses the Judith and Alan Fishman Space and Rita K. Hillman Studio. BAM Rose Cinemas is Brooklyn’s only movie house dedicated to first-run independent and foreign film and repertory programming. BAMcafé, operated by Great Performances, offers a bar menu and dinner entrées prior to BAM Howard Gilman Opera House evening performances. BAMcafé also features an eclectic mix of spoken word and live music for BAMcafé Live on Friday and Saturday nights with a bar menu available starting at 6pm.

Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5, Q, B to Atlantic Avenue – Barclays Center (2, 3, 4, 5 to Nevins St for Harvey Theater) D, N, R to Pacific Street; G to Fulton Street; C to Lafayette Avenue Train: Long Island Railroad to Atlantic Terminal – Barclays Center Bus: B25, B26, B41, B45, B52, B63, B67 all stop within three blocks of BAM Car: Commercial parking lots are located adjacent to BAM

For ticket information, call BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100, or visit BAM.org.