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The Assignation

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The assignation.

1953 Directed by Curtis Harrington

Long considered lost, The Assignation was Curtis Harrington's first color film. It was shot in Venice, Italy, and follows a masked figure through the labyrinthine canals of the city, building to a spectacular climax.

Director Director

Curtis Harrington

Producer Producer

Writer writer, editor editor, composer composer.

Ernest Gold

Original Language

Spoken language.

No spoken language

8 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Joe

Review by Joe

A mysterious cloaked and masked figure traverses the canals of Venice to keep an appointment with a beautiful woman. Fellas, this man is down bad!

Jay D 's Watching

Review by Jay D 's Watching ★★★

Journeys end in lovers meeting.

Grant McLanaghan

Review by Grant McLanaghan

In this sombre romance, told with narrative opacity, Harrington conjures up the atmosphere of an ersatz Poe story. Shot entirely on location in and around the Venice canals and in colour, it’s further enhanced by concise editing and a rather lovely score. All in all, very impressive for a micro-budgeted film of this vintage.

Chance

Review by Chance ★★

Well, I thought this might be another Edgar Allan Poe adaptation from Curtis Harrington, but it's not. I don't know what this is, and whoever wrote the synopsis really doesn't know what a spectacular climax is!

AntoniusBlock7

Review by AntoniusBlock7 ★★★½ 2

For such a concise film, with the barest sketch of a plot and coming in at just 8 minutes, most of which is a gondola ride in Venice, the feeling this produced in me was lasting. Ostensibly it’s quite simple: a man(?) dressed for carnival with black cape and white mask carries a single red rose to an (unmasked, uncostumed) woman who seems to expect him.

Taking somewhat literally, is the giving of oneself in a relationship inherently unequal, with one person always more guarded/cloaked, and the other annihilating themself at least a little bit more to be involved? Or has timeless Death traveled slowly but surely through the canals of a timeless and beautiful city to make the most…

Fernando Pelaez Rovalo

Review by Fernando Pelaez Rovalo ★★½ 1

Death rides boat. Death meets lady. The end.

Timcop

Review by Timcop ★★★★

Eyes Wide….WHUT??

Chicago Drifter

Review by Chicago Drifter ★★★½ 4

Like recently found discarded second unit extra footage for Don’t Look Now, in a cool way.

Dave

Review by Dave ★★★

Death rides a boat.

Manny Liotta

Review by Manny Liotta

Curtis Harrington smokes crack, confirmed. Why the fuck have I never been to Venice, Italy yet????? I’m a fake Italian piece of shit.

Craig J. Clark

Review by Craig J. Clark

A figure clad in black with a white mask bearing a red rose takes a gondola ride through the canals of Venice and I am here for every minute of it.

Evan B

Review by Evan B ★★★

not much going on here narratively (just Death making a flower delivery via boat in Italy), but I suppose this short conjures enough ominous, alluring imagery to make it worth a watch

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The Assignation

1953, Drama, 8m

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The Curtis Harrington Short Film Collection

the assignation curtis harrington

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The Assignation

The Assignation (1953)

Long considered lost, The Assignation was Curtis Harrington's first color film. It was shot in Venice, Italy, and follows a masked figure through the labyrinthine canals of the city, building to a spectacular climax.

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Long considered lost, The Assignation was Curtis Harrington's first color film. It was shot in Venice, Italy, and follows a masked figure through the labyrinthine canals of the city, building to a spectacular climax.

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The Assignation

THE ASSIGNATION

Long considered lost, “The Assignation” was Curtis Harrington’s first color film. It was shot in Venice, Italy, and follows a masked figure through the labyrinthine canals of the city, building to a spectacular climax.

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The Surreal Films of Curtis Harrington

Still from Night Tide, 1961, courtesy Phoenix Films

Still from  Night Tide , 1961, courtesy Phoenix Films

As we continue to engage with art remotely, LACMA’s Assistant Curator for Film, Adam Piron will recommend a biweekly selection of new and classic films that provide a distilled focus on filmmakers, performers, and genres available to stream from home. Film has an important place at LACMA and we believe in its role as a point of connection, education, and comfort for our audiences and members.

There’s a dreamlike quality that’s infused in what we’ve slowly been calling our new reality. It’s difficult to completely define, partially because we’re in the midst of it and partially because there are new edges of fear to everyday life that emerge through the daylit haze. If there’s a realm of cinema that explores these nebulous borders and their madness, then its king can be no other filmmaker than Curtis Harrington.

Known today as a pioneer of New Queer Cinema, Harrington first gained recognition for his student films in the immediate post-WWII cultural shifts. He quickly became known for his gothic and surreal aesthetic, one that poetically balanced illusion and atmosphere. With that, he became a major figure in American Avant Garde Cinema of the 1940s and 50s where his contemporaries and collaborators were the likes of Kenneth Anger and Maya Deren. This led to his 1961 feature debut, Night Tide , starring Dennis Hopper, followed by a number of fine chamber horror gems starring his idols Simone Signoret, Debbie Reynolds, and Shelley Winters.

As part of FILM at LACMA’s Stay at Home Film Series, we will be doing a live stream screening of Curtis Harrington’s Night Tide on LACMA’s YouTube channel on Friday, April 17 at 7:30 pm PST/10:30 pm EST. Harrington’s surreal thriller stars Dennis Hopper as an aimless sailor mesmerized by a young woman who acts as a mermaid in a sideshow on the Venice boardwalk—and may in fact be a siren herself. Initially praised by Italian and French critics in 1961, and later released by Roger Corman, Harrington’s debut also features the atmospheric cinematography of an uncredited Floyd Crosby ( High Noon ) and the West Coast jazz of David Raksin ( Laura ). Night Tide was restored in 2008 by the Academy Film Archive with support from The Film Foundation and Curtis Harrington.

Join our viewing party on Twitter at #NightTideLACMA with our Film Curator Adam Piron (@adam_piron).

Recommended Viewing:

Night Tide (1961, 84 mins.): Live Stream screening (Friday, April 17, 2020 at 7:30 pm PST)

The Curtis Harrington Short Film Collection , includes: "Fragment of Seeking" (1946, 16 mins.) "Picnic" (1948, 22 mins.) "On the Edge" (1949, 6 mins.) "The Assignation" (1953, 8 mins.) "The Wormwood Star" (1955, 10 mins) "Usher" (2002, 38 mins.)

Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (1972, 91 mins.)

Ruby (1977, 85 mins.)

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the assignation curtis harrington

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COMMENTS

  1. ‎The Assignation (1953) directed by Curtis Harrington • Reviews, film

    The Assignation 1953 Directed by Curtis Harrington Synopsis Long considered lost, The Assignation was Curtis Harrington's first color film. It was shot in Venice, Italy, and follows a masked figure through the labyrinthine canals of the city, building to a spectacular climax. Remove Ads Crew Details Genres Director Curtis Harrington Producer

  2. The Assignation (1953)

    The Assignation (1953) *** (out of 4) I'm not going to call this early film from Curtis Harrington a masterpiece but it's extremely effective in its own quiet way. We see a man wearing a mask and a black cloak going through the canals of Venice but at first we don't know what his plan is.

  3. Curtis Harrington

    Gene Curtis Harrington (September 17, 1926 - May 6, 2007) was an American film and television director whose work included experimental films, horror films and epidoes of television series. [1] He is considered one of the forerunners of New Queer Cinema. [2] Life and career [ edit] Early life [ edit]

  4. The Assignation (1953)

    Long considered lost, "The Assignation" was Curtis Harrington's first color film. It was shot in Venice, Italy, and follows a masked figure through the labyrinthine canals of the city, building to a spectacular climax. Share Synopsis Long considered lost, "The Assignation" was Curtis Harrington's first color film.

  5. The Assignation

    The Assignation Photos Movie Info Director Curtis Harrington's first color film follows a masked figure through the labyrinthine canals of Venice, Italy. Genre: Drama Original Language:...

  6. The Curtis Harrington Short Film Collection

    Curtis Harrington, widely regarded as one of the important avant-garde directors of the 1940's, ... THE ASSIGNATION (1953, 8 mins.) Long considered lost, this was Harrington's first color film. It was shot in Venice, Italy, and not unlike Fragment of Seeking, follows a masked figure through the labyrinthine canals of the city, building to a ...

  7. The Assignation (1953)

    Long considered lost, The Assignation was Curtis Harrington's first color film. It was shot in Venice, Italy, and follows a masked figure through the labyrinthine canals of the city, building to a spectacular climax.

  8. The Curtis Harrington Short Film Collection (Deluxe Combo DVD/Blu-ray

    The Assignation (1953, 8 mins.) Long considered lost, this was Harrington's first color film. It was shot in Venice, Italy, and not unlike Fragment of Seeking, follows a masked figure through the labyrinthine canals of the city, building to a spectacular climax.

  9. The Curtis Harrington Short Film Collection

    The Assignation (1953) - Long considered lost, this was Harrington's first color film. ... BLU-RAY HERE Curtis Harrington is widely regarded as one of the most important avant-garde directors of the 1940s, as well as an early influential figure in what would come to be known as 'New Queer Cinema.' This publication is a joint effort ...

  10. The Assignation streaming: where to watch online?

    Curtis Harrington . The Assignation (1953) Watch Now . Filters. Best Price . Free . SD . HD . 4K . Streaming in: 🇺🇸 United States . Stream. Notify me. The Assignation is not available for streaming. Let us notify you when you can watch it. Something wrong? Let us know! Watchlist. Seen. Like. Dislike.

  11. The Assignation (1953)

    Director: Curtis Harrington; star 5.4. From 8 Ratings. 5.9 . Summary. Long considered lost, The Assignation was Curtis Harrington's first color film. It was shot in Venice, Italy, and follows a masked figure through the labyrinthine canals of the city, building to a spectacular climax. Watch The Assignation Online.

  12. Watch The Assignation

    THE ASSIGNATION follows a masked figure through the labyrinthine canals of Venice, Italy, building to a spectacular climax. Directors Curtis Harrington Genres International, Arthouse Subtitles None available This video is currently unavailable to watch in your location Add Add Add to Watchlist Add to Watchlist

  13. The Assignation

    Long considered lost, The Assignation was Curtis Harrington's first color film. It was shot in Venice, Italy, and follows a masked figure through the labyrinthine canals of the city, building to a spectacular climax. The Assignation - watch online: streaming, buy or rent.

  14. The Assignation (1953)

    Curtis Harrington. Stati Uniti, 1953. Drammatico, Corto. 8. Trama. Long considered lost, "The Assignation" was Curtis Harrington's first color film. It was shot in Venice, Italy, and follows a masked figure through the labyrinthine canals of the city, building to a spectacular climax. ...

  15. The Assignation

    Long considered lost, The Assignation was Curtis Harrington's first color film. It was shot in Venice, Italy, and follows a masked figure through the labyrinthine canals of the city, building to a spectacular climax.

  16. The Assignation

    Director Curtis Harrington's first color film follows a masked figure through the labyrinthine canals of Venice, Italy.

  17. The Assignation

    The Assignation. Directed by: Curtis Harrington. ... To rate, slide your finger across the stars from left to right.

  18. The Assignation (1953)

    Long considered lost, The Assignation was Curtis Harrington's first color film. It was shot in Venice, Italy, and follows a masked figure through the labyrinthine canals of the city, building to a ...

  19. The Surreal Films of Curtis Harrington

    The Curtis Harrington Short Film Collection, includes: "Fragment of Seeking" (1946, 16 mins.) "Picnic" (1948, 22 mins.) "On the Edge" (1949, 6 mins.) "The Assignation" (1953, 8 mins.) "The Wormwood Star" (1955, 10 mins) "Usher" (2002, 38 mins.) Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (1972, 91 mins.) Ruby (1977, 85 mins.)

  20. The Assignation (S) (1953)

    The Assignation (S) is a film directed by Curtis Harrington with . Year: 1953. Original title: The Assignation. Synopsis: Long considered lost, THE ASSIGNATION was Curtis Harrington's first color film. It was shot in Venice, Italy, and follows a masked figure through the labyrinthine canals of the city, building to a spectacular climax.

  21. Picnic (Short 1949)

    Short Drama Beginning in the reality of American middle-class life, PICNIC portrays the idealistic dream-quest of the protagonist, from which he is finally cast off. Director Curtis Harrington (a film by) Stars Isabel Harrington (uncredited) Raymond S. Harrington (uncredited) See production, box office & company info Add to Watchlist 7 User reviews