The Docks of New York

February 18 screening features live piano accompaniment by Makia Matsumura

Dir. Josef von Sternberg. 1928, 75 mins. 35mm print courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive. With George Bancroft, Betty Compson, Ogla Baclanova. Steam engine stoker Bill Roberts (Bancroft, bronzed in grease and soot) seeks seedy relief from his infernal labors in the dancehalls and saloons along the fog-enshrouded waterfront of lower New York. There, he quickly falls for tough-talking bar wench Mae (Compson) after rescuing her from drowning herself off the docks. Sternberg’s sensational film was a major production for Paramount, a follow-up to the director’s surprise 1927 smash Underworld that was specifically engineered to showcase the studio’s brightest talents alongside its newly anointed star director, including cinematographer Harold Rosson (The Wizard of Oz), art director Hans Dreier (Sunset Boulevard), and screen idol Bancroft. Though Bancroft would receive an Oscar nomination that same year for his performance in Sternberg’s next film Thunderbolt and both Rosson and Dreier would go on to receive multiple nominations and awards throughout their careers, this expressionist masterpiece, now considered one of the last great American silents, received no recognition in its year. 

Tickets: $15 / $11 senior and students / $9 youth (ages 3–17) / discounted for MoMI members ($7–$11). Order tickets. Please pick up tickets at the Museum’s admissions desk upon arrival. All seating is general admission. Review safety protocols before your visit.