Co-presented with the UCLA Film & Television Archive
Adapted from the classic children’s novel of the same name by Russell Hoban, The Mouse and his Child has been unfairly neglected as a misfit film since its release. A musical animated feature that nevertheless channels many of the darker, philosophical themes of its source, it is also a classic in its own right and deserving of wider attention. The father and son of the title are mechanical toy mice, connected at the hands, who embark on a wondrous, perilous quest to become self-winding after a toy shop accident sends them to a landfill. Helped and harried by a menagerie of creatures, including an evil rat (voiced by Peter Ustinov) who enslaves broken toys for his nefarious plots, father and son ultimately succeed in their journey, but not before the impressionistically drawn film touches on the nature of existence, the limits of infinity and the rigors of experimental theater. An odd one this is, but it’s also not to be missed. (1977, 35mm, color, 83 min. DIR: Charles Swenson)
ALL HAMMER PUBLIC PROGRAMS ARE FREE. Seating is on a first come, first served basis. Hammer members receive priority seating, subject to availability. Reservations not accepted, RSVPs not required.
FAMILY FLICKS
The UCLA Film & Television Archive and the Hammer Museum have teamed up for a matinee screening series of new and classic family-friendly films from around the world.