Milwaukee Film celebrating Harley-Davidson's 115th Anniversary with Milwaukee Motorcycle Film Festival
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Milwaukee Film is celebrating the Harley-Davidson 115th Anniversary through the Milwaukee Motorcycle Film Festival, featuring four films highlighting motorcycle culture’s rich history.
The mini film festival will take place at the Oriental Theatre over Labor Day weekend.
The lineup includes Marlon Brando’s classic The Wild One, a rare technicolor 35mm print presentation of cult classic Psychomania, and MFF2013 alum 12 O’Clock Boys. In addition, a special screening of the documentary Sugar and Spade will include a Q&A with the filmmaker and special guests plus live accompaniment by guitarist Rocco DeLuca.
For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit orientaltheatremke.com.
FILMS
(USA | 2014 | DCP | Director: Lotfy Nathan)
Screening date & time: 8/31 @ 7PM
MFF2013 alum! An engrossing look at the allure and danger of the 12 O’Clock Boys, an urban dirt-bike gang in inner-city Baltimore named for the gravity-defying wheelies they pop. We follow 12-year-old Pug, whose only aspiration is to join them; he sees the gang’s members as male role models while describing their exploits in boastful, poetic terms. Capturing thrilling footage of this subculture in action as bikers weave through poverty-stricken neighborhoods and run afoul of police, 12 O’Clock Boys creates a comprehensive vision of the ways in which street gangs can foster a sense of community and belonging that social safety nets haven’t for Baltimore’s youth.
Psychomania
(UK | 1973 | 35mm | Director: Don Sharp)
Screening date & time: 8/31 @ 9:40PM
35mm! Meet the Living Dead: a co-ed biker gang terrorizing a small English village by chasing cars of the road, buzzing pedestrians, and sporting atrocious haircuts. When their long-haired leader discovers the secret of eternal life, he willingly commits suicide in belief that he’ll come back from dead. Through spectacularly schlocky effects and ghoulish ambient score, Psychomania is a 70’s cult classic that brings together the best of zombie horror and biker classics!
The Wild One
(USA | 1953 | DCP | Director: Laslo Benedek)
Screening date & time: 09/01 @ 3PM
The original outlaw biker film and an absolute classic of youth in rebellion, the singular Marlon Brando stars as iconic motorcycle gang leader Johnny in this 1953 masterpiece that helped define the biker-film genre. Capturing the culture clash and paranoia of the 1950’s on film, The Wild One sees a seemingly idyllic town driven to the edge of insanity when a wayward gang of outlaws decides to set up shop. Things go from bad to worse as rival gangs move in and the local Sheriff’s (Robert Keith) daughter (Mary Murphy) catches the bikers’ attention, landing in the middle of a fight between order and chaos.
Sugar and Spade
(USA | 2017 | DCP | Director: Mark MacInnis)
Screening date & time: 9/01 @ 5:30PM
Guests in attendance! Live accompaniment! A special one-night-only presentation featuring a live musical accompaniment by Rocco Deluca and the filmmaker in attendance!
“Spade” George and Austin “Brown Sugar” are two life-long friends, brought together in the late ’60s by their mutual love for powerful custom built motorcycles. From Brooklyn to San Francisco, they’ve been front and center in the fast paced biker world of guns, girls, gas, and the occasional run in with the law. Even though they found themselves living on opposite coasts, their deep bond has been constant. These early iconoclasts have given their lives to the unique American chopper culture, with the phenomenal pictures and sensational stories to prove it. Each exemplifies in his own way what’s best about these exotic machine builders and their way of life. Being among the first African-American chopper riders in NYC, and inspiring the next generation is only part of the story. Now, they’ll finally be reunited after 30 years in the city where it all began.