The Roxie Theater presents A Fuller Life, a multi-film retrospective of an American original, filmmaker Sam Fuller (1911-97), Fri.-Sun., Sept. 23-25. It includes A Fuller Life, a 75-min. showcase of his writings read by notable fans and directed by his daughter Samantha; and several of his 24 feature-length films.
A Fuller Life (2015) Samantha Fuller introduces her dad through a biographical compendium of his writings read by celebrity fans including actor-filmmaker James Franco, actor Jennifer Beals, actor Bill Duke, filmmaker James Toback, actor Robert Carradine, actor Mark Hamill, director Wim Wenders, actor Constance Towers, and writer-director William Friedkin. They bring this iconoclastic artist into sharp relief, even for younger viewers for whom his body of work remains unspooled. The readings are projected against fragments of the millions of feet shot by Sam Fuller over a career that spanned more than half-a-century.
Shock Corridor (1963) Fuller wrote and directed this raw melodrama about a journalist (Peter Breck) who has himself admitted to a mental hospital to get an inside perspective. The gimmick backfires when Breck suffers a mental breakdown. Imaginative cinematography, mostly in B&W, with three color sequences. (both 9/23)
Underworld USA (1961) A man (Cliff Robertson) reacts to the mob murder of his father by undertaking a lifetime plan of vengeance against the thugs responsible. With Dolores Dorn, Beatrice Kay, Robert Emhardt, and Larry Gates.
Pickup on South Street (1953) A pickpocket (Richard Widmark) accidentally acquires secret microfilm that makes him the target of government agents. One of Fuller's best stabs at unmasking a Big Brother world. With a top-notch supporting cast: Thelma Ritter, Richard Kiley, Murvyn Vye and Milburn Stone, the veteran character actor known to millions as Doc Adams on the long-running CBS adult Western Gunsmoke.
The Naked Kiss (1964) This Fuller provocation stars Constance Towers as a one-time rent gal hoping to start a new life in a small town. Fuller pulls out all the stops, engaging us romantically, violently and fearlessly. For a major director he's not afraid to let his sentimental side show through.
The Crimson Kimono (1959) Two LA police detectives attempt to solve the murder of a stripper. Fuller broaches the then-taboo subject of interracial dating and romantic affairs. Bi-racial casting that was highly unusual for the time. With James Shigeta as a Japanese American LA cop, and Anna Lee, Paul Dubov, Gloria Pall. (all four 9/24)