"DETROIT FILM THEATRE's 35th anniversary season opens January 16th with the brilliant new restoration of Max Ophüls's 1955 masterpiece Lola Montès. For his first film in color and the widescreen process known as CinemaScope, Max Ophüls chose a romantic and suitably tragic subject; an epic portrait of Lola Montès, the dancer, courtesan, and mistress of composers and kings, whose ascension to extraordinary fame across 19th century Europe was followed by a heartbreaking fall from grace. Conceived as a meditation on time and the evanescence of fortunes, Ophüls fashioned a visionary film; the culmination of his art and pinnacle of his directing career. He gave everything to this movie, perfecting his unique style which blends absolute technical precision with the delicacy and fragility of a lace Valentine. Unseen in this complete version for decades, Lola Montès has been described by Village Voice film critic Andrew Sarris as "the greatest film of all time."Lola Montès will be shown in the spectacularly restored, 1,100-seat Detroit Institute of Arts Auditorium on Friday and Saturday, January 16th and 17th at 7:00 and 9:30, and on Sunday, January 18th at 2:00 and 4:15.
The 2:00 Sunday performance will feature an introduction to the film by DIA film curator Elliot Wilhelm that begins at 1:30.
The Winter 2009 DFT season features a number of important premieres and retrospective selections, including this year's Academy Award® Nominated Short Films (Feb. 6); Harvard Beats Yale 29-29, the acclaimed new documentary about the greatest college football game of all time (Feb. 20), the electrifying Italian crime saga Gomorrah (Feb 27), new prints of François Truffaut's The 400 Blows and Shoot the Piano Player (March 20)."