AFI FEST 2011 Announces Pedro Almodóvar-Curated Film Retrospective; Includes ‘Le Cercle Rouge,’…

By  · Published on October 25th, 2011

AFI FEST 2011 Announces Pedro Almodóvar-Curated Film Retrospective; Includes ‘Le Cercle Rouge,’ ‘Eyes Without a Face,’ and ‘The Killers’

For what’s looking to be the last official programming announcement from this year’s AFI FEST presented by Audi, the fest has revealed their special film retrospective as curated by Guest Artistic Director Pedro Almodóvar. The filmmaker has put together a program of five films (including one of his own) to form an essential cross-section of horror films and thrillers.

Almodóvar’s picks include his own Law of Desire, saying that the film is “a fundamental title in my career…I don’t think I’d change a single shot, and not because it’s perfect but because I recognize myself in all of them…It’s true that my palette has darkened and, in the case of the latest film, the humor has almost disappeared. Fortunately I’ve changed sufficiently so that no one can accuse me of repeating myself, but I’m still the same.” The film’s screening will take place on Monday, November 7, and Almodóvar and star Antonio Banderas (also the star of that “latest film” Almodóvar mentions, the magnetic The Skin I Live In) will introduce the film, and it will be followed by a “conversation” about the auteur’s career.

AFI FEST will run from November 3rd through the 10th in Hollywood, with all screenings taking place at The Chinese, the Chinese 6 Theatres, and the Egyptian Theatre. The best part? Tickets for all screenings are free (and available starting this Thursday, October 27). Even with parking fees in Hollywood, that’s still cheaper than a movie ticket. The complete schedule grid is now online for the festival, which you can check out HERE. After the break, check out the full list of the films that Pedro Almodóvar himself has put together for the festival.

GUEST ARTISTIC DIRECTOR PEDRO ALMODÓVAR’S FILM SELECTIONS

LE CERCLE ROUGE: The “red circle” of fate ensnares Alain Delon in Jean-Pierre Melville’s austere masterpiece about a Paris heist gone terribly wrong. DIR Jean-Pierre Melville. CAST Alain Delon, André Bourvil, Gian Maria Volontè, Yves Montand, Paul Crauchet, Paul Amiot, Pierre Collet, André Ekyan, Jean-Pierre Posier, François Périer. France.
Saturday, November 5, 4:00 p.m., Rigler Theatre, Egyptian

EYES WITHOUT A FACE: Haunting, lyrical and elegant, EYES WITHOUT A FACE offer us Dr. Génessier (Pierre Brasseur), one of the greatest “mad doctors” in all of cinema. DIR Georges Franju. SCR Pierre Boileau, Thomas Narcejac, Jean Redon, Claude Sautet. CAST Pierre Brasseur, Alida Valli, Edith Scob, François Guérin, Juliette Mayniel, Alexandre Rignault, Béatrice Altariba, Charles Blavette, Claude Brasseur. France.
Saturday, November 5, 1:30 p.m., Rigler Theatre, Egyptian

THE KILLERS: Director Robert Siodmak turns Hemingway’s six-page short story into a beautiful, tough, tragic thriller starring Burt Lancaster as an ex-boxer who can’t outrun his fate. DIR Robert Siodmak. SCR Anthony Veiller from the short story by Ernest Hemingway. CAST Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner, Edmond O’Brien, Albert Dekker, Sam Levine, Vince Barnett, Virgina Christine, Jack Lambert. USA.
Monday, November 5, 4:00 p.m., Rigler Theatre, Egyptian

LAW OF DESIRE: A 25th anniversary screening of Pedro Almodóvar’s early masterpiece, a twisted love story featuring explosive performances from Antonio Banderas and Carmen Maura. DIR/SCR Pedro Almodóvar. CAST Eusebio Poncela, Carmen Maura, Antonio Banderas. Spain.
Almodóvar and Banderas will introduce the film. A conversation about Almodóvar’s career, moderated by John Hopewell, Chief International Correspondent at Variety, will precede the film.
Monday, November 7, 7:00 p.m., The Chinese

NIGHTMARE ALLEY: Tyrone Power gives a mesmerizing performance as an ambitious carnival barker with a fifth-rate circus in this terrifying and moving film noir classic. DIR Edmund Goulding. SCR Jules Furthman. CAST Tyrone Power, Joan Blondell, Coleen Gray, Helen Walker, Taylor Holmes, Mike Mazurki, Ian Keith. USA.
Wednesday, November 9, 4:30 p.m., Rigler Theatre, Egyptian