In conjunction with the exhibition “Sarah Morris: Odysseus Factor” running from March 24, 2018 to June 17, UCCA presents “Shadowy Machinations,” a screening series inaugurated by Morris’ studio’s namesake, Alan J. Pakula’s The Parallax View, followed by the next and final film in Pakula’s Political Paranoia trilogy, All the President’s Men, and Roman Polanski’s Chinatown.
The Parallax View (1974) and All the President’s Men (1976) are the second and third installments of American director Alan J. Pakula’s Political Paranoia trilogy. Both films focus on political conspiracies, with the latter film based on the Watergate scandal that took place in the US in the early 70s. Robert Towne, who also worked on the screenplay for The Parallax View, was the screenwriter for Roman Polanski’s neo-noir thriller Chinatown. The film was nominated for numerous Oscars and Golden Globes, with Towne winning Best Screenplay. Towne is also the subject of one of Morris’ films playing in UCCA’s Great Hall.
Ticketing:Free
May 6 (Sun) 15:30-17:15 The Parallax View
May 6 (Sun) 16:00-18:30 All the President’s Men
May 27 (Sun) 16:00-18:15 Chinatown
The Parallax View
Director: Alan J. Pakula
Year: 1974
Duration: 102 minutes
Country: United States
Language: English with Chinese subtitles
Synopsis: In The Parallax View, the second film in director Alan J. Pakula’s Political Paranoia trilogy, newspaper reporter Joe Frady (Warren Beatty) discovers a vast conspiracy involving the Parallax Corporation while investigating a senator's assassination. Determined to find out the truth, he decides to enroll in the Parallax Corporation’s mysterious training institute.
All the President’s Men
Director: Alan J. Pakula
Year: 1976
Duration: 138 minutes
Country: United States
Language: English with Chinese subtitles
Synopsis: All the President’s Men is the final installation of Pakula’s Political Paranoia trilogy. In the run-up to the 1972 elections, Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward covers what seems to be a minor break-in at the Democratic Party National headquarters. He is surprised to find top lawyers already on the defense case, and the discovery of names and addresses of Republican fund organizers on the accused further arouses his suspicions. The editor of the Post is prepared to run with the story and assigns Woodward and Carl Bernstein to it. They find the trail leading higher and higher in the Republican Party, and eventually into the White House itself.
Chinatown
Director: Roman Polanski
Year: 1974
Duration: 130 minutes
Country: United States
Language: English with Chinese subtitles
Synopsis: In a legendary performance, three-time Academy Award winner Jack Nicholson stars as private eye Jake Gittes. Hired by a mysterious woman to investigate Hollis Mulwray, the chief engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Gittes' sleuthing brings him into contact with Mulwray's wife (Academy Award winner Faye Dunaway), a stunning socialite with secrets of her own. As a determined Gittes delves deeper he soon realizes that even the City of Angels has a dark side.