Michael Curtiz was not just the man who made Casablanca.Nor, as Curtiz specialist Adam Feinstein argues in this talk, did he ‘lose his touch’ in the 1950s (as many film historians claim), after his heyday in the 1930s and 1940s. This presentation will first trace Curtiz’s fascinating life: his mysterious beginnings in Budapest; the early, formative silents in Europe; his tangled emotional life (at least two marriages - the reasons for doubts over the precise number will be explained - and several illegitimate children) and his arrival in Hollywood.

Rather than then focusing on Curtiz’s well-known successes - Captain Blood, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Angels with Dirty Faces, Mildred Pierce - Feinstein will attempt to demonstrate why the reputation of later, neglected movies, deserves serious reassessment. He will use clips from the 1950s films to reinforce this view. These include: The Breaking Point (one of the finest of all Curtiz’s films); Jim Thorpe - All American (featuring a powerhouse performance by Burt Lancaster); The Scarlet Hour (possibly the ‘last classic film noir’); The Proud Rebel and The Hangman(two very different and highly unusual Westerns) andKing Creole (Elvis Presley’s best screen performance).

Refreshments will be available in our licenced cafe/bar.