(William A. Wellman, US 1937, 111 min., 35mm)
A fresh-faced farm girl goes to Hollywood and becomes a star, but her rise to the top is accompanied by heartbreak and tragedy. The second of four versions of this Tinseltown myth is arguably the best, featuring brilliant dramatic work by Janet Gaynor as the rising young star and Fredric March as her alcoholic actor husband. This original Technicolor nitrate print will dazzle your eyes.
A note about nitrate film:
Discontinued around the mid-20th Century due to its highly flammable nature, nitrate film stock - the combination of a silver nitrate base and orthochromatic or panchromatic emulsion – provided a shimmering, luminous motion picture experience for moviegoers during the entire first half of movie history. One of only a handful of venues in the world that is still safely equipped to show 35mm nitrate prints, the Dryden Theatre is occasionally able to re-introduce audiences to this special kind of cinema magic with classic films from our vaults or other leading archives. Because no nitrate film stock is being produced today, these rare screenings of vintage prints may represent your only opportunity to experience this distinctive aesthetic visual pleasure.
