FILM | Angel of Fire: Kahlo, Mexico, and Film | ¡Que viva Mexico!

Angel of Fire: Kahlo, Mexico, and Film
July 31–August 30
Phyllis Wattis Theater
Angel of Fire presents powerful and provocative films exploring Frida Kahlo’s involvement in the cultural and political landscape of Mexico, as well as her complex personal relationships. It includes work by major international filmmakers (such as Sergei Eisenstein and Luis Buñuel), classics of Mexican cinema, and a sampling of the many documentaries that have taken Kahlo as their subject. Films are in Spanish with English subtitles unless otherwise noted.

¡Que viva Mexico!
Sergei Eisenstein, 1931/1979, 85 min.
Saturdays, August 9 and 16, 1 p.m.
Thursday, August 14, 7 p.m.
Hollywood was never a natural home to Eisenstein, and with several projects rejected, it took little to persuade him to follow Upton Sinclair south to create a film celebrating Mexico’s culture, history, and revolution. The documentary—a hugely ambitious project ranging from ancient Mayan civilization to the Spanish invasion to the 1930s—ran out of funds and was abandoned. The unedited material remained in Sinclair’s hands in the United States, and was carefully assembled into this version of ¡Que viva Mexico! in 1979. The result is one of the most beautiful documentaries ever made.

Tickets are available at the museum (no surcharge) or through http://www.sfmoma.org/tickets (surcharge applies).

$5 general; free for SFMOMA members or with museum admission (requires a free ticket, which can be picked up in the Haas Atrium). Double features: films offered on the same date are included in one ticket.