AFI Silver Classic Film Weekend: RED-HEADED WOMAN + Introduction by film historian David Stenn

Date and Time for this Past Event

• Saturday, Jun 15, 2024  1:30pm - 2:45pm

Location

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Event Category

In-Person

About

"Pre-Code: Sex and Censorship" electrifies the first AFI Silver Classic Film Weekend. Immerse yourself in the thrilling era of pre-Code cinema, a fleeting moment from the late 1920s to 1934 when films defied convention before the Hays Code stifled Hollywood's boldness. These movies, lighthearted or dramatic, showcased complex women and flawed heroes struggling against social injustice, and unflinching explorations of sex, ambition and crime. Witness legendary stars ignite the screen: Clara Bow, James Cagney, Barbara Stanwyck, Cary Grant, Jean Harlow, Joan Blondell, Spencer Tracy, Warren William, Anna May Wong and Josephine Baker. Festival guests, including film historians Richard Koszarski, Steven C. Smith, Farran Smith Nehme, Katie Gee Salisbury and David Stenn, will introduce each film.
RED-HEADED WOMAN
Introduction by film historian David Stenn, author of “Bombshell: The Life and Death of Jean Harlow”

This pre-Code humdinger finds Jean Harlow (sporting red tresses for a change) as a girl from the wrong side of the tracks determined to break into high society. Not satisfied after seducing her boss (Chester Morris) and stealing him away from his wife (Leila Hyams), she sets her sights on a wealthy tycoon (Henry Stephenson). Wildly veering from cheerful comedy to dark melodrama, the pre-Code follies on display include much contemplation of ladies in frilly undergarments, marital infidelity and unrepentant sex. Harlow gives "the sexiest performance in screen history" – Leonard Maltin.