Chicago 1927 118min

Director: Frank Urson Starring: Phyllis Haver, Victor Varconi, Eugene Pallette

Live musical accompaniment by jazz specialist Jordan Klapman

“A little cyanide pellet of a story”-@selfstyledsiren

Trash journalism meets media hogging minor celebrity. It could be a headline from today, but it’s all 1920s of prohibition and Al Capone. Roxie Hart is the wild, sexy, jazz-loving, and dress to kill gold-digger who’s put on a very public trial for the murder of her lover. Her lawyer exudes all the charm of a cornered badger- equal parts publicity agent and mob mouthpiece. When Roxie hits the headlines, the courtroom theatrics run amok.

It’s a terrifically entertaining mix of flappers, humour, cynicism, and a scathing condemnation on modern publicity machines working overtime.

The 1927 Chicago was long believed a lost film, but a perfect print survived in Cecil B. DeMille’s private collection leading some historians to believe it was he who actually directed it. Restored in 2006, it has since been widely performed to rapturous audiences. So set your garters to be snapped, a good time in old Chicago will be had!

This film is another example of the number of well-respected women working on major productions throughout their careers. Writer Lenore J Coffee started in 1919 and she remained an in-demand writer until well into the 1950s with an Oscar nomination on her resume. Editor Anne Bauchens worked with Cecil B DeMille from 1915 until the Ten Commandments in 1956, and was nominated for 4 Oscars, winning in 1940.

Tickets: $15 $10 Senior/Student

Co-presented by : The MUFF Society-championing Women in Film

Festival runs April 6-11 +23rd Tickets are available online or at the door