A COUPLE OF COPPOLAS
THE COTTON CLUB ENCORE
- Sat., Sep. 17 | 7:00 PM4070 Vilas Hall
Abandoning her husband, pregnant Natalie (Knight, in her finest performance) begins an aimless drive across America, picking up the mentally disabled Kilgannon (Caan) along the way. Coppola’s last directorial effort before taking on The Godfather, this surprising, moody, and fascinating road movie presents a sensitive portrait of a real woman and her problems. It’s also a great showcase for future Corleone clan members Duvall, who plays a highway cop, and the late, great Caan. New 4K restoration.
- Sat., Sep. 24 | 7:00 PM4070 Vilas Hall
The real-life, white gangster-owned Harlem nightclub that allowed only black performers on stage but refused customer entry to people of color provides the backdrop for the fictional story of the ascending careers of musician Dixie Dwyer (Gere) and dancer Sandman Williams (Hines) from the late 1920s into the early 1930s. Marked by a troubled, controversial production history and modest box-office receipts upon its original release, The Cotton Club can now be appreciated as the most entertaining and satisfying of Coppola’s 1980s movies. The co-screenwriter/director has re-edited the film and inserted several sequences never seen before, including a performance of “Stormy Weather” by the magnetic McKee. Coppola’s impeccable flair for casting and discovering new talent is evident when listing the supporting cast: Diane Lane, Nicolas Cage, Bob Hoskins, Fred Gwynne, Maurice Hines, James Remar, Jennifer Grey, Gwen Verdon, Joe Dallesandro, Woody Strode, Laurence Fishburne, Tom Waits, and Giancarlo Esposito.