Nana (35mm)

(Jean Renoir, France 1926, 115 min., 35mm)

Here it is, the very first film ever projected on the Dryden's screen, drawn from the novel by Emile Zola, and appropriately, the first great work of one of cinema's masters, Jean Renoir. Catherine Hessling, the director's wife, stars as a courtesan and one-time Second Empire actress whose capricious charm attracts men with a nearly irresistible force. But beware, this beauty is a dangerous one, and if she wills your downfall, look out. Hailed as one of the first modern French films.

Live piano accompaniment by Philip C. Carli.