Name: Ottinger's Berlin Trilogy: Dorian Gray in the Mirror of the Yellow Press
Start: 2025-10-22T19:30:00+01:00
Location: Dove Street South, Bristol

$Ottinger's Berlin Trilogy:\nDorian Gray in the Mirror of the Yellow Press$

(Dorian Gray im Spiegel der Boulevardpresse)
Dir: Ulrike Ottinger, 1984, West Germany, 150 mins, German with English Subtitles, Cert: 18 (CTBA)
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Wed 22 October // 19:30
Tickets: £5
A sinister media mogul sets out to create (and then destroy) the ultimate celebrity in this hyper-stylised, satirical fantasia.
French cinema icon Delphine Seyrig is magnificent as Dr. Mabuse, the conniving head of an international media empire determined to manufacture and then exploit the handsome, young Dorian Gray (played by model Veruschka von Lehndorff). Through stunning visuals, recurring symbolic imagery, and Ottinger's signature baroque excess, the film critiques the seductive decadence of late capitalism and the insatiable appetite of the yellow press, all while offering a feast for the eyes and a challenge to traditional narratives.
In the concluding film of her Berlin Trilogy, Ulrike Ottinger delivers a deliriously queered satire on celebrity culture and capitalism, loosely inspired by Oscar Wilde's classic.
Step into the vibrant, subversive world of Ulrike Ottinger, a visionary of the German New Wave and a true original of queer cinema. This October, we bring her acclaimed Berlin Trilogy to the big screen: a mesmerising journey through Cold War-era Berlin, reimagined as a surreal playground for sexual misfits, time travelers, and glamorous outcasts.
With lavish production design, camp flair, and fearless performances, Ottinger’s films are cathartic expressions of feminine experience, blending radical social commentary with deliriously entertaining cinematic spectacle. Still as bold and boundary-pushing as ever, her vision invites both Ottinger newcomers and long-time admirers to be captivated by her unique vision.