Highlights of this week’s film events, revivals, festivals and series.
Family Flicks The Marx Brothers’ 1933 comedy masterpiece Duck Soup is chockablock with slapstick, but the themes of the political satire run deep and surprisingly topical. The marvelous Margaret Dumont co-stars as the millionaire widow who finances the political shenanigans. Younger children will enjoy the physical humor and gags; older children might be ready for a post-movie talk on the implications of nationalism. Directed by Leo McCarey, who added the oft-imitated mirror scene. UCLA Film & Television Archive, Billy Wilder Theater, Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, (310) 443-7000. Sept. 24,11 a.m. Free. www.cinema.ucla.edu/events/family-flicks
The Apu Trilogy The first film in the series, Pather Panchali (1955), by the then-unknown Bengali director Satyajit Ray, took more than two years to film because of budget constraints. It immediately earned awards from prestigious film festivals and critics’ groups, allowing Ray to finance the other films in the seminal coming-of-age trilogy, Aparajito (1956), and Apur Sansar (1958). Shot in spectacular black and white, the trio stands as a masterpiece of social realism and screen in restored archival 35 mm prints. Ravi Shankar scored the films. American Cinematheque, Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, (323) 461-2020. Sept. 24.5 p.m. $15; $13 for Cinematheque members. www.americancinematheque.com
Harris & Kubrick: Genius Takes Two The series celebrates the early collaborations of producer James B. Harris and director Stanley Kubrick as well as the men’s solo ventures. The series begins with Harris and Kubrick’s second collaboration, the World War I drama Paths of Glory (1957). Kirk Douglas plays the principled French colonel caught between his corrupt and ambitious superiors (Adolphe Menjou and George Macready) and three innocent privates randomly chosen to face a firing squad for cowardice. Despite being based on a true incident, the film was banned for decades in several European countries. A discussion with Harris follows this and the other screenings in the series. American Cinematheque, Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica, (323) 461-2020. Paths of Glory, Sept. 28,7:30 p.m. The Killing (1956) and The Bedford Incident (1965), Sept. 29,7:30 p.m.; Lolita (1962) and Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), Sept. 30,7:30 p.m.; Boiling Point (1993) and Cop (1988), Oct. 1,7:30 p.m. $12; $8 for Cinematheque members. www.americancinematheque.com
Hollywood Home Movies LA/LA Randy Haberkamp, the managing director of preservation programs for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, hosts this compilation of rarely seen home movies from Latino and Latina stars of Hollywood Golden Age. The program includes clips of a party at Dolores Del Rio’s Santa Monica home; Cesar Romero at a picnic; Desi Arnaz entertaining troops with the USO; and Lupe Velez on location. Old Town Music Hall, 140 Richmond St., El Segundo. (310) 322-2592. Sept. 24,7 p.m. $10 (no credit cards). www.oldtownmusichall.org
Two Films by Lourdes Portillo The filmmaker will be on hand for a screening of her and Susana Muñoz’s 1985 Academy Award-nominated documentary Las Madres: The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo about the mothers of “the disappeared” who protested in the main square of the Monserrat barrio of central Buenos Aires. The victims of the so-called dirty war numbered in the thousands. The madres’ peaceful but persistent protests drew international attention to the widespread human rights violations in Argentina. Preceded by Portillo and Nina Serrano’s 1979 short Después de Terremoto. A discussion with Portillo will follow. Hammer Museum, Billy Wilder Theater, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, (310) 443-7000. Sept. 27,7:30 p.m. Free. hammer.ucla.edu
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