My Twisted Valentine, Barbican Centre
Sometimes the best Valentine's Day film aren't the most romantic... at the Barbican, films such as Les Biches and Gun Crazy provide an antidote to the on-screen soppiness on elsewhere
Les Biches - Valentine's Day screening, Barbican Centre
Erotic, louche, daring, taboo-breaking and breath-taking cult-classics... So many Valentine's Day screenings in London tend not to be of these kinds of films. Things are different at the Barbican, where a series of vintage movies showcase everything electric and transgressive about love and lust. For those wanting a more edgy Valentine's experience on the run-up to V-Day, Mala Noche and The Secret of Dorian Gray should provide some campy, pulpy satisfaction.
The Secret of Dorian Gray (1970) – 11 Feb, 2pm
If there wasn't already an incredibly trashy Italian sexploitation version of The Picture of Dorian Gray, starring a blonde demigod called Helmut Berger, then you'd have to direct one immediately to make everything right in the world. Silk scarves and six-packs ripple in this gloriously over-the-top update.
Book tickets here.
Gun Crazy (1950) – 11 Feb, 4pm
The alternative title for Gun Crazy is 'Deadly is the Female', which should tell you all you need to know about this film noir. It's been preserved by America's Library of Congress for being 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant', but that's not why you're going to see it; you're going to see it because it's the best young-lovers-on-a-crime-spree film, featuring a character called Clyde, that isn't actually Bonnie and Clyde.
Book tickets here.
Les Biches (1968) – 12 Feb, 4pm
Involving a bisexual love-triangle that ends with the proper application of a poisoned dagger, Les Biches ended up being New Wave director Claude Chabrol's most popular film. One critic praised Chabrol's 'sheer hedonistic relish for the medium [of film]' – pure cinematic pleasure, then.
Book tickets here.
Mala Noche (1986) – 14 Feb, 7pm
Gus Van Sant – the director of My Own Private Idaho, Good Will Hunting, and Milk – made his debut with this gritty, punchy film shot in gorgeous stark black-and-white. It certainly has more cineaste-hipster credentials than the other films on this list, but it's not afraid to get down and dirty, being irresistibly grungy as well as downright cool. Well, what better plans have you got for Valentine's Day?
Book tickets here.
The Secret of Dorian Gray (1970) – 11 Feb, 2pm
If there wasn't already an incredibly trashy Italian sexploitation version of The Picture of Dorian Gray, starring a blonde demigod called Helmut Berger, then you'd have to direct one immediately to make everything right in the world. Silk scarves and six-packs ripple in this gloriously over-the-top update.
Book tickets here.
Gun Crazy (1950) – 11 Feb, 4pm
The alternative title for Gun Crazy is 'Deadly is the Female', which should tell you all you need to know about this film noir. It's been preserved by America's Library of Congress for being 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant', but that's not why you're going to see it; you're going to see it because it's the best young-lovers-on-a-crime-spree film, featuring a character called Clyde, that isn't actually Bonnie and Clyde.
Book tickets here.
Les Biches (1968) – 12 Feb, 4pm
Involving a bisexual love-triangle that ends with the proper application of a poisoned dagger, Les Biches ended up being New Wave director Claude Chabrol's most popular film. One critic praised Chabrol's 'sheer hedonistic relish for the medium [of film]' – pure cinematic pleasure, then.
Book tickets here.
Mala Noche (1986) – 14 Feb, 7pm
Gus Van Sant – the director of My Own Private Idaho, Good Will Hunting, and Milk – made his debut with this gritty, punchy film shot in gorgeous stark black-and-white. It certainly has more cineaste-hipster credentials than the other films on this list, but it's not afraid to get down and dirty, being irresistibly grungy as well as downright cool. Well, what better plans have you got for Valentine's Day?
Book tickets here.
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| What | My Twisted Valentine, Barbican Centre |
| Where | Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS | MAP |
| Nearest tube | Barbican (underground) |
| When |
11 Feb 17 – 14 Feb 17, 2pm 11 Feb; 4pm 11 Feb; 4pm 12 Feb; 7pm 14 Feb |
| Price | £9.50 |
| Website | Click here to book tickets |