Hell’s Heroes (35mm)

Director William Wyler’s first major film is a version of a story popularized by John Ford and John Wayne as 3 Godfathers twenty years later. After robbing the bank in New Jerusalem, three outlaws (Charles Bickford, Raymond Hatton, and Fred Kohler) flee into the desert, with a sandstorm separating them and the posse. With their water supply nearly exhausted, the three come across a wagon with a pregnant woman inside. Dying as she gives birth, she makes the men promise to take the baby back to New Jerusalem. Struggling across the arid landscape, these three new godfathers seek redemption in an act of heroism. With religious allusions throughout, this film is a wonderful holiday treat.

Live piano accompaniment by Dr. Philip Carli.