The Film Stage is showcasing an extremely rare director’s cut of Abel Ferrara’s Cat Chaser at the Roxy Cinema on November 30.

      Many filmmakers view piracy as a threat to their livelihoods. However, Abel Ferrara has a more nuanced perspective: “All you need to see them is the internet. Go find the torrents. That’s my main distributor.” While I have paid to see many of his films in theaters or at home, his assertion that “they’re all on there” comes with a notable exception for completists: Cat Chaser. Ferrara's 1989 adaptation of Elmore Leonard can be found (legally) somewhat easily, but the only publicly accessible version is half the length of the original; any director’s cut is held by Anthology Film Archives, which screened it in 2014 and again during a Museum of Modern Art retrospective in 2019, but not since then.

      However, utilizing the limited power I possess, I’ve arranged for the three-hour cut of Cat Chaser to be shown at the Roxy Cinema on Sunday, November 30, thanks to Ferrara and Anthology’s support. Although this film is less frequently viewed and seldom discussed among Ferrara fans, it represents a significant turning point. To fully understand its importance, however, you would need to do some research; in his recent memoir Scene, Ferrara reflects on the experience in relation to the enjoyable dinners and substantial payment a studio job provided, while also mentioning that the loss of a film in editing drove him to insist on final cut for all his future projects. As Cat Chaser symbolizes an intriguing what-if scenario in the career of one of American cinema’s notable filmmakers, the screening on November 30 offers a unique opportunity to view it from a different perspective.

      Tickets are now available for purchase. We eagerly anticipate exploring it with you.