From the Seattle Art Museum:
SAM presents three films that spotlight the comic
brilliance of Richard Pryor (1940-2005). Tickets for all three films:
nonmembers $20, SAM members $17. Tickets for individual films: $7.
February 5
Silver Streak
(Arthur Hiller, 1976). Gene Wilder, Jill Clayburgh, Patrick McGoohan, Scatman Crothers. In 35 mm, color, 113 min.
In this Hitchcock-style comic thriller Silver Streak, Pryor tries to teach uptight businessman Gene Wilder how to “move like a black man.”
Whatever humor Silver Streak had in 1976 has leeched away in time. It was never more than the race version of Some Like It Hot, a better movie by light years.
February 12
Blue Collar
(Paul Schrader, 1978). Yaphet Kotto, Harvey Keitel, Ed Begley Jr. In 35 mm, color, 114 min.
Blue Collar features Pryor’s best acting performance as a fed-up auto worker who helps rob his bosses.
Great movie, but it has nothing to do with Pryor’s comedy. It’s a crime story, and he burns through it.
February 19
Richard Pryor Live on the Sunset Strip
(Joe Layton, 1982). Cinematography by Haskell Wexler. In 35 mm, color, 82 min. Rated R for language.
Richard Pryor Live on the Sunset Strip gives us Pryor’s artistry as a stand-up comic as he transmutes personal problems into improvisational narratives that groove like jazz riffs.
If you’re looking for the comic brilliance, go to this one.
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