Marrying for love may be a fairly modern practice. It wasn't so long ago that people chose their partners to secure financial stability or social status. Some still do. Whether ambitious, greedy or just plain practical, the characters in these films pursue class climbing romances where true love is optional. Tonight, we pair Rainer Werner Fassbinder's tragic drama Fox and His Friends (1975) with Zalman King's steamy softcore romance Two Moon Junction (1988). 

Fox and His Friends @ 19:00

Fox (Rainer Werner Fassbinder) is a working class, gay carnival performer living on the margins of West German society. When he suddenly wins the lottery, Fox attracts a new class of friends and a broke bourgeois boyfriend (Peter Chatel) who wants Fox's fortune to maintain his lifestyle. Writer-director Fassbinder's brilliant, bitterly comic drama looks at love tainted by toxic class relations. Fassbinder's sensitive portrayal of the doomed Fox, and his unsentimental depiction of gay life, make this a troubling, tragic tale of emotional and economic exploitation. 

Directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1975, West Germany, 123 minutes. In German with English subtitles. 

Two Moon Junction @ 21:30

Just a few days before her arranged marriage to a rich bore, sheltered Southern belle April (Sherilyn Fenn) falls for Perry (Richard Tyson), a hunky carnival worker. As passions flare, April considers fleeing her gilded cage and running off with Perry. The forbidden romance triggers a violent backlash from her powerful family, forcing April to choose between tradition and love. Two years before Audrey Horne used her tongue to tie a knot in a cherry stem, Fenn steamed up the screens in this shamelessly hot (and a little bit silly) erotic drama. Director Zalman King brings a bold style and a bit of visual wit (spot the phallic symbols!) to this camp classic of 80s late night cable. He also takes care to fill the frame with Fenn's shirtless co-star, making this a steamy spectacle for all. Check out the trailer, if you're someplace private. 

Directed by Zalman King, 1988, USA, 104 min. In English. 

Bar opens @ 18:30.
Admission is free, but donations are welcome.