Written on the Wind
Dir: Douglas Sirk
USA, 1956, 99minmins, DCP
Cast: Rock Hudson, Lauren Bacall, Robert Stack, Dorothy Malone
Sirk’s masterpiece is an outlandishly lurid, Freudian family melodrama characteristically stylised to the hilt with garishly expressionist Technicolor visuals. The Hadleys own half the oil in Texas, but the heir to the empire is an alcoholic with fears of sexual impotence, while his sister sleeps around town as a nymphomaniac. The company geologist and a secretary become romantically entangled with the dysfunctional siblings, but desire everywhere remains frustrated and unfulfilled. Sirk’s delirious critique of a capitalist patriarchy undermined by repressed libidinal impulses represents the giddiest heights of cinematic camp, as phallic imagery abound from pistols to oil wells.
Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actress
Hong Kong Arts Centre Louis Koo Cinema (Venue)
Tai Kwun
Chinese Subtitles
Remarks
1. Screenings at Broadway Cinematheque are available at Broadway Cinematheque and website of Broadway Circuit only. For related ticketing information, please refer to www.cinema.com.hk.
2. Screenings at Emperor Cinemas iSQUARE, Emperor Cinemas Times Square and PREMIERE Elements : tickets are available at URBTIX till 5pm one day before respective screening, after which tickets will be available only at the box office of the respective venue on the day of screening, subject to availability.
3. Screenings at HK Arts Centre and M+ Cinema : tickets are available at URBTIX outlets until one hour before the screening, after which tickets are available at URBTIX website and mobile app. On-the-day tickets will also be available at the Self-service Ticketing Kiosk of the respective venue, subject to availability.
4. Unless otherwise stated, all films (except English-speaking films) are subtitled in English.
5. While it is the HKIFFS’s policy to secure the best possible print of the original version for all its screenings, the HKIFFS appreciates its patrons’ understanding on occasions when less than perfect screening copies are screened.
