Secret Ceremony Uncovered

By Rob Christopher in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 8, 2012 4:40PM

When a film screening gets canceled due to print availability issues it's usually pretty crummy. But in this case, Doc Films has made a damn good replacement: in lieu of Joseph Losey's The Go-Between on Sunday, Secret Ceremony will be shown. It's also directed by Losey, and it's probably the weirdest, kinkiest 60's film you've never seen. Well, here's your chance.

Starring Elizabeth Taylor, Mia Farrow, and Robert Mitchum, the movie's setup sounds like something out of Polanksi. (More on that in a minute). Taylor, a whore, meets child-like Farrow by chance one day on a bus. Taylor resembles Farrow's dead mother, and Farrow resembles Taylor's dead daughter. They move in together and begin a twisted game of role playing that grows increasingly ominous. Throw into the mix creepy child molester Mitchum, and you've got one really really bizarre film, which (understandably) baffled audiences when it was initially released. Seen today, it’s actually not as campy as it sounds, thanks to director Losey's pokerfaced handling of the far-out story and remarkably believable performances by all. Taylor even gets to show off some mod 60's fashions by Christian Dior.

Back to Polanksi. Farrow starred in Rosemary's Baby the same year; what a double feature!

The screening is Sunday, February 12 at 7 p.m. General admission is $5; Doc Films is located in the Max Palevsky Cinema in Ida Noyes Hall at The University of Chicago, 1212 East 59th Street