Femme Film Fridays: Gilda on 35mm
Film Screening and Discussion
September 23, 2016 7:00pm - 9:30pm
Just arrived in Argentina, small-time crooked gambler Johnny Farrell is saved from a gunman by sinister Ballin Mundson, who later makes Johnny his right-hand man. But their friendship based on mutual lack of scruples is strained when Mundson returns from a trip with a wife: the supremely desirable Gilda whom Johnny once knew and learned to hate.
The relationship of Johnny and Gilda, a battlefield of warring emotions, becomes even more bizarre after Mundson disappears...
Event Details
Join the Bullock Museum for a screening and conversation about Gilda as part of the Femme Film Fridays series, a film series highlighting the cinematic works of women, both behind and in front of the camera. This inaugural season's theme is 'Choices'.
- Included with your ticket is a 6:00 p.m. welcoming reception with a cash bar.
- Film screening from 7:00 p.m.- 8:50 p.m.
- Q&A following the screening with Marjorie Baumgarten, senior editor, lead film critic and film reviews editor at The Austin Chronicle and Kathy Fuller-Seeley, William P. Hobby Professor of Communication in the Department of Radio-Television-Film at the University of Texas at Austin.
- Entrance for this screening will be at the Museum Lobby doors.
Rating: NR
Suggested age: 13+
Starring: Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford, George Macready, Joseph Calleia
Director: Charles Vidor
Producer: Virginia Van Upp
Writers: Marion Parsonnet (screenplay), Jo Eisinger (adaptation), E.A. Ellington (story)
Runtime: 110 min.
Genre: Drama, Film-Noir, Romance
Release year: 1946
Format: 35mm
- Selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2013.
- Hayworth sang the acoustic version of "Put the Blame on Mame" herself.
- Gilda screened in competition at the first Cannes Film Festival.
- 2016 marks the 70th Anniversary of the film.
Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino; 1918-1987) was an American actress and dancer who achieved fame in the 1940s after years of performing and dancing beginning at the age of six. Signing on with Fox early in her career, Cansino shortened her name to Rita Cansino. At the beginning of her career, Cansino was cast as the 'exotic foreigner', but soon had her first speaking role in 1935.
Cansino took on freelance work after her contract was not renewed, married for the first time and was soon signed to a seven-year contract with Columbia Pictures where she took on small roles. Studio head Harry Cohn changed her name to Rita Hayworth, using her mother's maiden name, Hayworth was to make her persona "American." More changes ensued, including her hair color and painful electrolysis treatments to raise her hairline.
Her role as a 'man-trap' in Howard Hawk's film Only Angels Have Wings launched her soon-to-be status as a leading star. Her status as a leading actress soared, and she was 'loaned' to other studios. Cansino became a box-office draw, solidifying her role as one of Hollywood's top actresses. She went on to star in high-budget, successful films with Fred Astaire, a dancing combination described as "absolute magnetism." Cansino's role in Gilda made her into a cultural icon as a femme fatale. Cansino received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress and in 1999 was acknowledged in the American Film Institute's survey as one of the top 25 greatest female stars of classic Hollywood cinema.
In later life, Cansino struggled with Alzheimer's, which would eventually take her life. Cansino is remembered as a talented, vivacious, intelligent and beautiful figure in the cinematic world.
The Texas Spirit Theater located on the Bullock Museum's second floor is one of the most beautiful film experiences in Austin and features multi-sensory special effects such as lightning, rain, and other surprises.
Museum Members enjoy free unlimited IMAX® documentary films, discounts on feature film tickets, free exhibition admission, discounts in the Museum Store, and more. Learn More.
Learn about ticket prices, refund policies, and parking (free after 5 pm). For evening programs, please enter through the Bullock Museum IMAX Theatre.
Presented in partnership with the UT Humanities Institute and #BossBabesATX.
Media sponsorship for Femme Film Fridays is provided by Austin Woman Magazine.
