The Day of the Locust

Our latest Film Studies series will feature short, 25 minute introductions by film historian and curator Donald Brackett, followed by the screenings and a brief audience talkback.

The Day of the Locust (Paramount, 1975, 144 minutes) is a satirical historical drama based on Nathanael West’s famous novel. In the midst of the Depression of the 1930s, Hollywood shines like a beacon to all the helpless people scattered across the city. In one crumbling apartment block, a blond bombshell (Karen Black) aspires to be an actress, an artist (William Atherton) looks for legitimacy, and a child actor performs a gross homage to Mae West. Cockfights and poverty prevail out of the glow of show business. Introverted accountant “Homer Simpson” (Donald Sutherland) watches as society collapses under greed and ambition. Screening here in a new restored DCP which showcases the stellar contributions of DP Conrad Hall, costume designer Ann Roth, and production designer Richard Macdonald. Director John Schlesinger and screenwriter Waldo Salt had previously teamed up Midnight Cowboy.

All films will screen again, without the talk.

Donald Brackett, a Vancouver-based film critic and historian who writes about the art and craft of movies and their place in our pop culture, is the author of many articles and essays on the subject, as well as being the guest-curator of several film programs for Cinematheque. He is the author of several related books, the most recent being Double Solitaire: The Films of Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder, which explored their collaborative impact on the golden age of Hollywood.