MASS MoCA's Moonlit Movies Series
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| Badlands, $7, July 31, 9 PM, Courtyard C |
The MASS MoCA Bar will feature a Bloody Mary in honor of the film. Inspired by one of the most infamous crime sprees in American history, Badlands is a film of extraordinary splendor and intellect featuring early break-out performances by Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek.
Loosely based on the 1958 murder spree committed by Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate in South Dakota's frigid, severe landscape called the Badlands, the film focuses on the lives and love of 25-year-old garbage man and social outcast Kit Carruthers (Martin Sheen), who is proud of his cowboy boots and faint resemblance to James Dean, and fifteen-year-old Holly Sargis (Sissy Spacek) who doesn't have much interest in anything except her dog and baton-twirling until she meets Kit. Her father, an overprotective widower, will not allow the relationship to blossom, even after Kit informs him of his proper intentions. This refusal enrages Kit and triggers a killing spree across the upper Midwest - by the end more than half a dozen people have been shot to death by Kit, usually at point-blank range.
The film has a vaguely familiar feeling, referencing other couple-killing films such as Bonnie and Clyde and Gun Crazy, but Malick's unusual and complex approach sets the film apart. Tim Dirks of Greatest Films Review explains, "What could have just been another story about delinquents on the run was turned into something extraordinary ... A uniquely lyrical story of violence and teenage myths." Malick conveys a simple, uninvolved story and packages it in a film that makes no effort to render judgments about the characters or events presented.
Extremely understated and low-key, the footage of abandoned high plains and spare landscapes is as detached as the characters portrayed. Jam-packed with enlightening cinematography, a wistful voiceover, and twists in both plot and style, Badlands earned Terrence Malick immediate recognition as a talented director.
The films for this year's Moonlit Movies series have all been inspired by Badlands: New Horizons in Landscape currently on view in the galleries. All characterized by dramatic landscapes or a specific sense of place, the other films in the series are Out of Africa on Thursday, August 7, North by Northwest on Thursday, August 14, and Bagdad Café on Thursday, August 28.
A full bar, snacks, and Herrell's ice cream (freshly made daily at MASS MoCA by Lickety Split) are all available before and during the screening. Doors open at 8 for anyone wishing to enjoy the moonlight and a beverage before the show.
Tickets for Badlands are $7. MASS MoCA members receive a 10% discount. Tickets are available through the MASS MoCA Box Office located off Marshall Street in North Adams, open from 10 AM to 6 PM every day. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413-662-2111 during Box Office hours or purchased on line at www.massmoca.org
