Play Fair at Starz

A A A Comments By Cory Casciato Thursday, Mar 11 2010

The 1985 cult film The Legend of Billie Jean is the story of a small-town girl (Helen Slater) who runs into a world of trouble when her unwavering belief that what's "fair is fair" puts her in conflict with a variety of powerful men. One the surface, it's a simple ’80s period-piece tale of teenage rebellion, complete with an anthemic Pat Benatar theme song. Dig deeper, and it reveals itself to be a feminist retelling of the 1811 novella Michael Kohlhaas, a tale of seeking justice despite tremendous personal cost that was a favorite of Franz Kafka’s. Either way, it's a criminally underexposed movie that has yet to be released on DVD despite a strong following. “One of the things I like doing for the Watching Hour [series] is bringing back films you can't easily find on DVD," says Keith Garcia, programming manager for Starz FilmCenter. "I always remember this feeling dangerous to me as a kid. It just seemed rebellious, like everyone in it was going to end up in trouble or dead."

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See Billie Jean at 10 p.m. tonight or tomorrow night at Starz, in the Tivoli building on the Auraria campus. Tickets are $9.75, with discounts available for students, seniors and Denver Film Society members. For info, visit www.denverfilm.org or call 303-595-3456.
Fri., March 12, 10 p.m.; Sat., March 13, 10 p.m., 2010

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