The Major and the Minor / A Foreign Affair
Part of the UCLA Film & Television Archive screening series Archive Treasures. Learn more at cinema.ucla.edu/events.
Sunday, Jun. 11, 7 p.m.
Free
THE MAJOR AND THE MINOR (1942)
The naiveté and innocence that allows The Major and the Minor to work its endearing spell have dissipated in the ruins of post-war Berlin giving free-range to Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett’s more caustic comic inclinations. The project began as an ask from the U.S. Office of War Information for an anti-Nazi propaganda film for German audiences. Wilder and Brackett delivered instead a romantic triangle between an American Army officer (John Lund), a visiting American congresswoman (Jean Arthur) and a blonde cabaret singer with a dubious past (Marlene Dietrich) that strips away all patriotic pretense in its satirical portrait of postwar love amid the rubble.
A FOREIGN AFFAIR (1948)
War may be in the air but the America of Billy Wilder’s directorial debut is still a place where charming, carefree romances bloom. Ginger Rogers delivers a delightful turn and turn again as a young woman down on her luck in New York who disguises herself as a 12-year-old to save on train fare back home. Ray Milland is the surprisingly unsuspecting Army major who takes her under his protective wing along the way. Complications of little consequence pop up while Wilder and his long-time writing partner Charles Brackett take witty jabs at youth and military cultures alike.
Ticketing: Admission to Archive screenings at the Hammer is free. Your seat will be assigned to you when you pick up your ticket at the box office. Seats are assigned on a first come, first served basis. Box office opens one hour before the event. Questions should be directed to the Archive at programming@cinema.ucla.edu or 310-206-8013.
Member Benefit: Subject to availability, Hammer Members can choose their preferred seats. Members receive priority ticketing until 15 minutes before the program. Learn more about membership.
Parking: Valet parking is available on Lindbrook Drive for $10 cash only. Self-parking is available under the museum. Rates are $8 for the first three hours with museum validation, and $3 for each additional 20 minutes, with a $22 daily maximum. There is an $8 flat rate after 5 p.m. on weekdays, and all day on weekends.
