French films arrive at LACMA, American Cinematheque, New Beverly

It’s time to brush up on your French, because several theaters are in the Gallic way this weekend.
Film Independent at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art kicks off its monthlong “French Film Fridays” at the Leo S. Bing Theater with a double bill of Jean-Luc Godard’s 1963 “Contempt” with Jack Palance, Brigitte Bardot and Fritz Lang as himself, and Francois Truffaut’s Hitchcockian 1969 “Mississippi Mermaid,” with Catherine Deneuve and Jean-Paul Belmondo. www.lacma.org

The American Cinematheque’s Aero Theatre in Santa Monica celebrates the 50th anniversary of one of Truffaut’s masterworks, “Jules and Jim,” with Oskar Werner, Jeanne Moreau and Henri Serre, and Godard’s “Vivre Sa Vie,” with Anna Karina, who was married to the director from 1961 to 1967. www.americancinematheque.com

Julien Duvivier’s 1937 romantic film noir, “Pepe le Moko,” starring the legendary Jean Gabin in the title role, screens Friday and Saturday at the New Beverly Cinema, along with the Gilo Pontecorvo’s Oscar-winning 1966 Italy/Algerian production “The Battle of Algiers.” https://newbevcinema.com

INTERACTIVE: Classic Hollywood star walk

The American Cinematheque’s “Mayan Calendar Countdown” series features two version of Richard Matheson’s “I Am Legend” on Thursday evening at the Egyptian Theatre: 1971’s “The Omega Man” with Charlton Heston and 1964’s “The Last Man on Earth,” with Vincent Price. On Saturday, the Egyptian hosts the 2012 Viscerea Film Festival, which features horror shorts, the feature “Among Friends” and a tribute to Mary Lambert, who directed “Pet Sematary.” Sunday’s offerings are two films starring Lea Thompson: 1987’s “Some Kind of Wonderful,” penned by John Hughes and directed by Howard Deutsch, who married Thompson, and 1983’s “All the Right Moves,” one of Tom Cruise’s early hits. Both Thompson and Deutsch will appear at the screening. www.americancinematheque.com

UCLA Film & Television Archive’s latest series, “The Films and Legacy of Antonio Reis and Margarida Cordeiro,” celebrates the artistry of the Portuguese director Reis and his psychologist wife Cordiero, who directed the four films with her husband. The series begins Friday at the Billy Wilder Theater with 1976’s “Tras-os-Montes,” with 1985’s “Ana” set for Saturday. Two early Ernst Lubitsch talkies, restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive, are on tap for Sunday afternoon at the Wilder. Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald in her film debut headline Lubitsch’s witty 1929 musical, “The Love Parade.” The second bill is Lubitsch’s third sound feature, 1931’s pre-code comedy “The Smiling Lieutenant,” with Chevalier, Claudette Colbert and Miriam Hopkins. www.cinema.ucla.edu

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ summer screening series “The Last 70mm Film Festival,” commences Monday at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater with Stanley Kramer’s 1963 comedy epic, “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World,” starring Spencer Tracy and practically every comedian in Hollywood at the time. Several cast members will be on hand for a pre-screening discussion, including Jonathan Winters, Mickey Rooney and Barrie Chase. The academy’s Oscars Outdoors series in Hollywood continues Friday evening with John Ford’s 1939 masterwork, “Stagecoach,” which took a young John Wayne out of B movies and made him a major star. Eddie Murphy’s 1996 version of Jerry Lewis’ 1963 classic “The Nutty Professor” screens Saturday evening with guests that include co-producer James D. Brubaker, makeup artist Rick Baker, writer Barry Blaustein and editor Don Zimmerman. www.oscars.org

Anna May Wong’s final silent film, “Piccadilly,” which was made in England in 1929, screens Wednesday at the Cinefamily at the Silent Movie Theatre. E.A. Dupont was the director. A young Ray Milland can be seen as an extra. www.cinefamily.org

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