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The Prowler / La bestia debe morir

A man frightened by a hand that is emerging from the ground.
March 3, 2023 - 7:30 pm


Admission is free. No advance reservations. Free tickets must be obtained on a first come, first served basis at the box office, where seating will be assigned.


Titles with Notable Restoration Histories

Excavating cinematic treasures hidden by circumstance, adversity or injustice is at the core of archival work. The preservation histories behind tonight’s films suggest how that work seldom exists in a vacuum, relying on collaboration, particularly at an international level, in order to raise awareness of forgotten films, and to preserve the artistry of their creators.—Yesenia Perez


Preservation funding provided by the Film Noir Foundation and The Stanford Theatre Foundation

The Prowler

U.S., 1951

Set in a shadowy post-war Los Angeles, The Prowler focuses on a wealthy, neglected housewife (Evelyn Keyes) who spends her evenings alone, with only her husband's voice on the radio for company. When she's startled by a peeping tom, a calculating cop (Van Heflin) answers the call, turning her ordered life upside down. An independent production with a history embroiled in post-war paranoia, The Prowler suffered the fate of many orphaned films—studios failed to preserve it to the point that only one deteriorating print remained. Writer Dalton Trumbo (credited as Hugo Butler) and director Joseph Losey would both be blacklisted during the House Un-American Activities Committee investigations.

35mm, b&w, 92 min. Director: Joseph Losey. Screenwriter: Dalton Trumbo, Hugo Butler. With: Van Heflin, Evelyn Keyes.

Restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive.

Preservation funding provided by the Film Noir Foundation

La bestia debe morir

The Beast Must Die, Argentina, 1952

In La bestia debe morir, Uruguayan director Román Viñoly Barreto explores the haunting story of a writer grieving the murder of his young son, and the chilling transformation that follows as he embarks on a quest for vengeance. Played by the film’s co-writer, Narciso Ibáñez Menta, Felix Lane ingratiates himself with those closest to his son’s killer, and employs his expertise as a mystery novelist to devise the perfect crime. Using negatives from the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (MALBA) for its restoration, La bestia debe morir exemplifies the international collaborations capable of reviving exceptional but overlooked works at risk of becoming definitively lost.

DCP, b&w, in Spanish with English subtitles. 95 min. Director: Román Viñoly Barreto. Screenwriter: Román Viñoly Barreto, Narciso Ibáñez Menta. With: Narciso Ibáñez Menta, Guillermo Battaglia, Laura Hidalgo.

Restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive, in collaboration with Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires.