The Melbourne Cinémathèque & ACMI present
City of Lost Souls
When
Wed 7 Dec 2022
This riotous and massively ahead-of-its-time intersectional queer-punk musical has gone on to greatly influence transgender politics. Centred around a squalid Berlin burger joint and the ragtag group of multiracial Americans, of a range of gender identities and sexual persuasions, who work there, prodigious activist-filmmaker von Praunheim’s underground classic is equal parts Paul Morrissey-Andy Warhol, John Waters and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, with lashings of satirical Cold War intrigue, searing political commentary, and regular demolitions of the fourth wall. Punk rock icon Jayne County – in a gloriously unrestrained performance – and legendary drag performer Angie Stardust lead the cast, many playing themselves.
Also screening on Wed 7 December
Program
Genre Nonconformity and East Side Stories: Decentering the Musical Part 1
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) – Wed 7 Dec, 7pm
City of Lost Souls (1983) – Wed 7 Dec, 8.50pm
The Lure (2015) – Wed 14 Dec, 7pm
The Legend of the Stardust Brothers (1985) – Wed 14 Dec, 8.45pm
The Hop Pickers (1964) – Wed 21 Dec, 7pm
Singing on the Treadmill (1974) – Wed 21 Dec, 8.45pm
About the program
The movie musical, while intermittently revived in the mainstream affections, has long been associated with the golden age of Hollywood between the 1930s and the 1960s. This season demonstrates that the musical has also flourished away from this perceived American “centre” – while still existing in dialogue with it – throughout the subsequent decades.
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.
