Event

THE MIRACLE MAN in 35mm

Presented and projected by the Northwest Chicago Film Society.

THE MIRACLE MAN
Directed by Norman Z. McLeod 1932
A whip-smart gang of New York grifters (Sylvia Sidney, Chester Morris, Ned Sparks, and John Wray) have one sweet swindle going until a fatal clash with lascivious landlord Boris Karloff ruins their plans. Fleeing the cops, Morris hides out in the seaside paradise of Meadville, California, home to a beloved faith healer known universally as the Patriarch (Hobart Bosworth). Sensing the potential for the scam of the century, Morris summons his confederatesbut will they still accede to the scheme after the Patriarch makes the crippled walk again? Aside from being a gonzo gangster yarn and a memorable piece of white-hot entertainment in its own right, THE MIRACLE MAN holds great interest as a phantom artifact of film history: it's a remake of an enormously popular 1919 film that has vanished but for a few fragments. The original version gave Lon Chaney a star-making turn as the double-jointed con man known as the Frog; if Chaney was anywhere near as impressive in that role as John Wray comes off in the 1932 rendition, we've lost something very special indeed. (KW)
85 min Paramount Pictures 35mm from Universal

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ABOUT THE NORTHWEST CHICAGO FILM SOCIETY

The Northwest Chicago Film Society makes rare and classic films available to local audiences in their original formson 35mm and 16mm motion picture film. Our screenings spotlight the restoration efforts of archives, studios, and private collectors, as well as the experience of seeing films projected in a theater with an audience.

Through program notes, blog entries, and introductory remarks before each screening, the Northwest Chicago Film Society endeavors to bring new notions of the cultural and material history of cinema to the public. The Northwest Chicago Film Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. It was founded in 2011.