It’s Great to Be Alive and more

It’s Great to Be Alive

1933. USA. Directed by Alfred L. Werker. In Fox’s frisky pre-Code sex comedy, Brazilian matinee idol Raúl Roulien croons his way through a plague of “masculitis” to become the last man on Earth. While a team of women scientists, led by Edna May Oliver, scramble to invent a synthetic surrogate for the world’s male population, a cigar-chomping lady gangster (Dorothy Burgess) hatches a plot to kidnap the reformed Lothario and auction him off to the highest bidder. 69 min.

6 Hours to Live

1932. USA. Directed by William Dieterle. Brought back to life, Warner Baxter has only six hours to find his killer—and bring about world peace—in this proto-noir sci-fi film, newly preserved in 35mm by MoMA from its unique Fox nitrate materials. William Dieterle, a veteran of German Expressionist acting, enlisted the great cinematographer John Seitz to imbue the film with the kind of otherworldly mysticism that would later make his Portrait of Jennie so unforgettable. 72 min.