The Melbourne Cinémathèque & ACMI present
April, April!
When
Wed 7 Sep 2022
When a prince sends an order to the social-climbing owner of a noodle factory (Erhard Siedel) it triggers a chain reaction of mistaken identities, wild misunderstandings and hilarious deceptions. Sirk’s rarely screened first feature, made at UFA, is “a deliciously funny screwball farce” (Tom Ryan). The film features two musical numbers but is also musical in a poetic sense, with its 'upstairs-downstairs' depiction of bourgeoisie and servants forming “a contrapuntal household symphony” (Katie Trumpener).
Also screening on Wed 7 September
Program
"Life's parade at your fingertips": Douglas Sirk
All I Desire (1953) – Wed 24 Aug, 7pm
Imitation of Life (1959) – Wed 24 Aug, 8.45pm
All That Heaven Allows (1955) – Wed 31 Aug, 7pm
A Time to Love and a Time to Die (1958) – Wed 31 Aug, 8.40pm
Shockproof (1949) – Wed 7 Sept, 6.30pm
April, April! (1935) – Wed 7 Sept, 8pm
Boefje (1939) – Wed 7 Sept, 9.35pm
About the program
Best known as the director of a string of lavish Hollywood melodramas made for Universal Pictures in the 1950s, Douglas Sirk’s (1897–1987) feature-film career spanned almost 40 films between 1935 and 1959. He was a successful theatre director in Weimar Germany prior to transferring his passion and critical eye to the silver screen, moving from Nazi Germany to the United States in the late 1930s.
Plan your visit
Read our COVIDSafe visitor guidelines, information on accessibility, amenities, transport, dining options and more.
About Melbourne Cinémathèque
Australia's longest-running film society, Melbourne Cinémathèque screens significant works of international cinema in the medium they were created, the way they would have originally screened.
Melbourne Cinémathèque is self-administered, volunteer-run, not-for-profit and membership-driven.
