Join the Long Beach Opera Cinema at the Art Theatre on Saturday, December 6 for free mimosas and a rare chance to see Simon Signoret in the compelling French masterpiece, Thérèse Raquin: The Adultress, Marcel Carné’s 1953 adaptation of Émile Zola’s realist novel.

LeChatNoirThose who see the film will have a heartier understanding of Tobias Picker’s Thérèse Raquin, showing at the Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro on January 24 and February 1.

“If you watch the film, you’ll come away with a better understanding of the plot so that, come time for the actual opera, you will be able to better understand the motivations of the main characters and how the music illuminates these motivations,” explained Derek Purdy, Marketing Coordinator for the Long Beach Opera. “You’ll have context. Definitely read the original Zola, too … it’s short and a great, quick read.”

After one drink or three, the film’s lush, romantic, schmaltzy fare may seem more like a rousing party than a study in French film, however francophiles, movie nuts, and day-drinking enthusiasts alike can relish in the guilty nature of the characters. As a sort of pre-game, if you will, to the upcoming opera, Carné’s adaptation is a necessary preview.

Purdy said, “The opera dives right into the action of the story and forgoes much of the Raquin family history included in the original Zola. The film takes place south of Paris instead of Paris proper, and the characters, action and setting have a more rural quality to them. Our production also plays with the details. For instance, the action will be set in a dingy, dark back alley in Paris just after the First World War.”

According to Purdy, Picker’s score is aligned with Zola’s focus on the animalistic, guilty nature of the characters. “The music is frenzied, brooding, chaotic (at times) and incredibly, almost greedily, passionate,” he said.

Doors open at 10:30AM and the film begins at 11:00AM. The Art Theatre will provide the mimosas and the Long Beach Opera will provide coffee. You can purchase tickets for both the film and the opera here.

Asia Morris is a Long Beach native covering arts and culture for the Long Beach Post. You can reach her @hugelandmass on Twitter and Instagram and at [email protected].