Sunday Afternoons at the Paradise

Season 77 is lovingly dedicated to our dear friend and longtime board member Frances Blau. Our 10-programme Sunday Matinée Series is sponsored by Susan Murray in honour of Richard Blum and John Butler.

Please save these dates and visit us regularly for further updates on the films, added shorts, and to purchase tickets:

2024

Sunday, January 12th @ 1:30 p.m. – Purchase your tickets here!

REPEAT PERFORMANCE (1947), directed by Alfred L. Werker, starring Louis Hayward, Joan Leslie, and Richard Basehart

On New Year’s Eve 1946, Sheila Page kills her husband Barney. She wishes that she could relive 1946 and avoid the mistakes that she made throughout the year. Her wish comes true but cheating fate proves more difficult than she anticipated.

New Year’s Eve 1946: a woman is standing with a gun over the body of her dead husband. Desperate to undo the circumstances leading up that moment, she gets her wish by going back in time and reliving the year all over again, but learns the dangerous consequences of cheating fate. This thrilling, genre-bending blend of film noir and fantasy is notable for its early use of a time loop as a central plot device. And despite the film’s initial obscurity, this hidden gem has garnered renewed interest and is celebrated for its narrative ingenuity.

DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY (1934), directed by Mitchell Leisen, starring Fredric March, Evelyn Venable, and Gail Patrick

After years of questioning why people fear him, Death takes on human form so he can mingle among the mortals and find an answer. However, events soon spiral out of control as he falls in love with the beautiful young Grazia, the only woman not afraid of him. As he falls in love with her, her father sees him for what he is and begs him to return to his duties. Death must decide whether or not to seek his own happiness or sacrifice it so that Grazia may live.

When The Grim Reaper himself assumes the identity of Prince Sirki (Frederic March), he embarks on a profound journey to discover the beauty and pain of human existence. As he falls in love with the enchanting Grazia (Evelyn Venable), he faces a dilemma that questions the very essence of life and death. March and Venable’s moving performances provide the film’s emotional core, and are unexpectedly poignant, lyrical, and on occasion, gently humorous.

More dates to save in 2025:

Sunday, February 23
Sunday, March 30
Sunday, April 6
Sunday, May 11
Sunday, June 15
Sunday, July 13
Sunday, August 17