Transatlantic

June 11: Redstone Theater

June 18: Bartos Screening Room

Dir. William K. Howard. 1931, 78 mins. Archival 35mm. With Edmund Lowe, Greta Nissen, Myrna Loy, John Halliday, Jean Hersholt. James Wong Howe paired for the first time with frequent collaborator Howard for this ensemble dramatic thriller set entirely on a transatlantic ocean-liner where the high seas aren’t nearly as dangerous as the passengers, conspiring and interfighting over fortunes made and lost. Transatlantic features jaw-dropping wide angles and deep focus lensing a full decade before Citizen Kane. “The art director was Gordon Wiles and we argued constantly,” Wong Howe told historian Alain Silver. “I wanted to shoot with a wide-angle lens and see the ceilings and to carry the focus back as far as I could. Mr. Howard sided with me and Wiles had to change a lot and went over his budget. But he was happy in the end because he won an Oscar for art direction.” Restored by The Museum of Modern Art and The Film Foundation with funding provided by The George Lucas Family Foundation.

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.