An Actor's Revenge
A uniquely prolific and chameleonic figure of world cinema, director Kon Ichikawa delivered a burst of stylistic bravado with this intricate tale of betrayal and retribution. Set in the cloistered world of nineteenth-century Kabuki theater, the film charts a female impersonator’s attempts to avenge the deaths of his parents, who were driven to insanity and suicide by a trio of corrupt men.
Ichikawa takes the conventions of melodrama and turns them on their head, bringing the hero’s fractured psyche to life in boldly experimental widescreen compositions infused with kaleidoscopic color, pop-art influences, and meticulous choreography. Anchored by a magnificently androgynous performance by Kazuo Hasegawa, reprising a role he had played on-screen three decades earlier, An Actor’s Revenge is an eye-popping examination of how the illusions of art intersect with life. (Description courtesy of Janus Films)
Directed by: Kon Ichikawa. Country: Japan. Released: 1963. Length: 113 min. Format: DCP. Language: Japanese…
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://nmaamatinees.eventive.org/films. Categories: Films. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible. Captioning.
Wednesday, August 13, 2025, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Kung Fu Hustle
This anarchic homage to—and parody of—classic martial arts movies is nonstop action fueled by outrageous special effects. Featuring a cast of legendary Hong Kong action stars, Kung Fu Hustle pits the ragtag denizens of a rundown slum against the dapper and ruthless Axe Gang. With this breakthrough film, director Stephen Chow (Shaolin Soccer, The Mermaid) catapulted from clown prince of Hong Kong to worldwide sensation.
Director: Stephen Chow (Hong Kong, China). Released: 2004. Length: 98 min. Format: DCP. Language: Cantonese with English subtitles. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://anniversaries.eventive.org/films. Categories: Films. After Five. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Captioning.
Friday, September 5, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:45 PM.
In the Mood for Love + In the Mood for Love 2001
Watch the trailer
4K Restorations!
It’s 1962 in Hong Kong: Chow Mo-wan (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) and Su Li-zhen (Maggie Cheung Man-yuk) move into neighboring apartments on the same day. Their encounters are formal and polite—until a discovery about their spouses creates an intimate bond between them. At once delicately mannered and visually extravagant, Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love is a masterful evocation of romantic longing and fleeting moments. The last 25 years of cinema owe much to the stylistic influence of this film, from its aching musical soundtrack to the exquisitely abstract cinematography by Christopher Doyle and Mark Lee Ping-bin. (Description adapted from Janus Films.)
Director: Wong Kar-wai (Hong Kong). Released: 2000. Length: 98 min. Format: DCP. Language: Cantonese with English subtitles.
Followed by In the Mood for Love 2001
This short film precursor similarly evokes the mystery of transient, unexpected connections in the modern city. Even on a miniature canvas, Wong Kar-wai…
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://anniversaries.eventive.org/films. Categories: Films. Accessibility: Captioning. Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, September 7, 2025, 3:30 PM – 5:30 PM.
Sansho the Bailiff
When an idealistic governor disobeys the reigning feudal lord, he is cast into exile. His wife and children are left to fend for themselves and eventually wrenched apart by vicious slave traders. Under Kenji Mizoguchi’s dazzling direction, this classic Japanese story became one of cinema’s greatest masterpieces, a monumental, empathetic expression of human resilience in the face of evil. (Description courtesy of Janus Films)
Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. Country: Japan. Released: 1954. Length 124 min. Format: DCP. Language: Japanese with English subtitles. Image Courtesy of Janus Films.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://nmaamatinees.eventive.org/films. Categories: Films. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, September 10, 2025, 2:00 PM – 4:05 PM.