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Chazen Museum of Art | Sunday Cinematheque at the Chazen: Fortress
January 30, 2022 @ 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Stuart Gordon
FORTRESS
USA | 1993 | 35mm | 91 min.
Director: Stuart Gordon
Cast: Christopher Lambert, Loryn Locklin, Kurtwood Smith
In a dystopian 2017, the U.S. government has limited families to one child per female, no exceptions. Arrested after daring to conceive a second time, Brennick (Lambert) and his wife, Karen (Locklin), are imprisoned in a high-tech maximum security prison run by a sadistic and cybernetically “enhanced” Warden (Smith). Now, the couple must attempt an escape before Karen gives birth. Highly imaginative and consistently witty, director Gordon’s sci-fi action gem was an enormous hit outside of the U.S.
FORTRESS
USA | 1993 | 35mm | 91 min.
Director: Stuart Gordon
Cast: Christopher Lambert, Loryn Locklin, Kurtwood Smith
In a dystopian 2017, the U.S. government has limited families to one child per female, no exceptions. Arrested after daring to conceive a second time, Brennick (Lambert) and his wife, Karen (Locklin), are imprisoned in a high-tech maximum security prison run by a sadistic and cybernetically “enhanced” Warden (Smith). Now, the couple must attempt an escape before Karen gives birth. Highly imaginative and consistently witty, director Gordon’s sci-fi action gem was an enormous hit outside of the U.S.
At the Chazen: Stuart Gordon Retrospective, Part One
Born and raised in Chicago and educated at UW Madison, Stuart Gordon (1947-2020) turned to movie storytelling after nearly two decades of acclaimed theatrical productions that were frequently outlandish and sometimes controversial. Gordon’s cinematic oeuvre was similarly championed for a colorful visual style, themes that celebrated working class underdogs, and stories driven by flamboyant villains who are typically authority figures abusing their power. A horror and science-fiction genre specialist, Gordon also made a few movies that are not easily categorizable. This first section of our year-long Stuart Gordon retrospective highlights three fun and futuristic sci-fi action vehicles, Fortress, Robot Jox, and Space Truckers, plus Gordon’s 2004 David Mamet adaptation, Edmond. The series will continue with more screenings at the 2022 Wisconsin Film Festival, and on the Cinematheque calendar later this year. All of the 35mm prints for this series are courtesy Wisconsin Center for Film & Theater Research.