Temptations: My Hustler & Mala Noche

My Hustler
Inspired by Jack Smith’s Flaming Creatures, Andy Warhol turned to filmmaking in 1963. Two years later, he had accomplished considerable filmography, and, thanks to My Hustler, a bonafide underground film hit. Factory superstar Paul America leads in the titular role as the object of desire—the film's original title being Temptations—for both the men and the women who are shacked up in a Fire Island beach house.
1965/b&w/67 min./16mm | Scr/dir: Andy Warhol; w/ Paul America, Ed Hood, Joseph Campbell.

Mala Noche
Released four years before Mapplethorpe’s fateful Corcoran Gallery exhibition, Gus Van Sant’s haunting, ragged portrayal of the love affair between Walt, a convenience store clerk, and Johnny, a young Mexican who is in the US illegally, is a little-seen, influential work in the New Queer Cinema canon. Though never given a proper theatrical release, Van Sant’s film was heralded as a landmark in the independent film scene and led to the director being courted by major Hollywood studios.

"A rhapsodic slacker noir pitched on the edge of physical and emotional darkness.”—Nathan Lee, The Village Voice.
1985/b&w/78 min. | Scr/dir: Gus Van Sant; w/ Tim Streeter, Doug Cooeyate, Ray Monge

Please note: Films may not be suitable for all audiences, viewer discretion is advised. 

Bing Theater | Free, tickets required | Tickets: 323 857-6010 or reserve online.