“The Gaucho” Vaults, Tangos and Seduces Way onto Academy Screen

Beverly Hills, CA (October 16, 2008)— The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will celebrate Hollywood’s first action-adventure star, Douglas Fairbanks, who created the iconic characterizations of Zorro, Robin Hood and The Thief of Bagdad, with a special screening of “Douglas Fairbanks as The Gaucho” (1927) on Thursday, November 6, at 7:30 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater. Fairbanks’ penultimate silent film will be presented with live quintet accompaniment, featuring music composed and conducted by Michael Mortilla, and will be presented by outtakes shot in two-strip Technicolor.

Set high in the Andes Mountains, “Douglas Fairbanks as The Gaucho” presents Fairbanks as a reckless Argentine outlaw whose prowess with pistols, swords and bolas is matched by his ability to tango, scale buildings and seduce women. The film delivers cleverly staged stunts, charismatic flair and the stunning, detailed design that audiences have long associated with a Fairbanks film.

In addition to being regarded as one of silent Hollywood’s greatest stars, Fairbanks also was one of its most respected citizens. He served as the Academy’s first president, and through the organization he helped develop the first university-level film studies curriculum, personally delivering the first lecture in film appreciation at USC. Fairbanks also was a founder of United Artists, and along with his wife Mary Pickford was the first to be immortalized in the Grauman’s Chinese Theater footprint ceremony. His civic leadership and vision for Beverly Hills resulted in the unique cathedral-like design for the waterworks facility that today serves as the Academy’s Fairbanks Center for Motion Picture Study, home to the Margaret Herrick Library.

This screening will present a new print from the Museum of Modern Art.

Tickets to “Douglas Fairbanks as The Gaucho” are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. Tickets are available for purchase by mail, at the Academy box office (Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), or online at www.oscars.org. Doors open one hour prior to the event. All seating is unreserved.

The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills.

For more information call (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org/events.