A MASQUE OF MADNESS

Monday, November 10
4:00pm

A MASQUE OF MADNESS

Cine-X 2013 / Austria / 80 minutes / Format: DCP
Director: Norbert Pfaffenbichler Cast: Boris Karloff Print Source: Sixpack Films

Boris Karloff was most known for his defining role in the classic 1931 film Frankenstein, but in reality his acting career spanned from 1908 to 1969 and ranged from silent cinema to his last role in the underrated film Targets. A Masque of Madness is a retrospective of Karloff’s long career, but it’s also much more. Surreal in scope, this highly imaginative film combines countless clips from Karloff’s cinematic trajectory and forms them into a fantastic vision that mirrors David Lynch at his most dreamlike. From black & white to color, silent to sound, Karloff’s familiar image washes over us as we watch him age from young to old and back again, all the while a storyline magically materializes that could be defined as a meditation on aging or a stab at solving the mysteries of life. Strangely compelling and highly watchable, A Masque of Madness is a creative triumph that defines cinematic experience.