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
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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.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
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4K Restoration!
Set in Qing dynasty China, this sweeping romantic drama chronicles the chase for the stolen sword of destiny. Ang Lee’s ravishing masterpiece not only introduced the wuxia martial arts genre to American audiences but also elevated it to new heights of sophistication. You’ll never forget the graceful, gravity-defying action scenes choreographed by the legendary Yuen Woo-ping. The story expertly weaves between adventure, action, drama, and romance thanks to a star-studded cast including Michelle Yeoh and Chow Yun-fat.
Writing in the New York Times in 2023, Brandon Yu credited Lee with “taking B-movie pulp and transforming it into a tragic fable, a feminist story of repression, a heartbreaking love story and a technically groundbreaking action blockbuster.”
Director: Ang Lee (China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, United States). Released: 2000. Length: 120 min. Format: DCP. Language: Mandarin with English subtitles. Image 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. Assisted listening devices.
Friday, September 12, 2025, 7:00 PM – 9:15 PM.
2046
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4K Restoration!
Wong Kar-wai’s loose sequel to In the Mood for Love combines a languorous air of romantic longing with a dizzying time-hopping structure and avant-sci-fi twist. In this film, writer Chow Mo-wan pens a futuristic love story inspired by his many failed relationships with women who drift in and out of his life (and the one who goes in and out of room 2046 down the hall from his apartment).
2046’s dazzling fantasy sequences give Wong and his collaborators license to let their imaginations run wild. Cinematographer Christopher Doyle and editor/costume designer/production designer William Chang Suk-ping provide sumptuous visuals. Together, these masters of cinema propel operatic emotions skyward toward the sublime. (Description adapted from Janus Films.)
Director: Wong Kar-wai (Hong Kong). Released: 2004. Length: 128 min. Format: DCP. Language: Cantonese with English subtitles. Image 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. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Captioning. Assisted listening devices.
Sunday, September 14, 2025, 2:00 PM – 4:15 PM.