In keeping with the spirit of Italian Heritage Month and the return of Italian Day on the Drive (which returns to our neighbourhood on Sunday, June 11!) join us at the Rio Theatre on Wednesday, June 14 for a special screening of director Giuseppe Patroni Griffi‘s newly restored Italian oddity IDENTIKIT (aka, “The Driver’s Seat”) starring Elizabeth Taylor. We will be joined by celebrated genre programmer, critic, producer, and “House of Psychotic Women” author Kier-La Janisse for an intro of this legendary camp classic.

In what remains the most obscure, bizarre, and wildly misunderstood film of her entire career—and perhaps even 1970s Italian cinema—IDENTIKIT (aka THE DRIVER’S SEAT) stars Elizabeth Taylor as a disturbed woman who arrives in Rome to find a fragmented city. From there, Taylor navigates autocratic law, leftist violence, and her own increasingly unhinged mission to find the most dangerous liaison of all. Academy Award® nominee Ian Bannen (THE OFFENCE), Mona Washbourne (THE COLLECTOR) and Andy Warhol co-star in this hallucinatory neo-noir, which was photographed by three-time Oscar® winner Vittorio Storaro (APOCALYPSE NOW, THE LAST EMPEROR).

New restoration in 4K Severin Films!

“… rivals the likes of ‘Valley of the Dolls’ or ‘Mommie Dearest’ with its wild, no-holds-barred over-the-top lunacy.” (Film Threat)

“Playing with non-linear storytelling and perception, this chaotic human study works thanks to a strong, believable performance by Elizabeth Taylor. Regardless of how little sense some of this movie makes, Taylor is phenomenal.” (Morbidly Beautiful)

Wednesday, June 14
Doors 6:15 pm  | Movie 6:45 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Advance tickets HERE

In 2012 Kier-La Janisse published ‘House of Psychotic Women’, billed as “an autobiographical topography of female neurosis in horror and exploitation films.” It soon became one of the most “vital” (Tim Lucas, Video Watchdog) and “astonishing” (Daily Grindhouse) genre tomes of all time, with beloved actress and singer Molly Ringwald saying she “devoured this compelling, surprising, and moving book.”

IDENTIKIT “The Driver’s Seat” (Giuseppe Patroni Griffi, 1974 / 102 min  / Italian and German with English subtitles / 18A) A woman with an existential threat flies to Rome on a reckless quest, ostensibly on a search for love but for death.

*Minors OK. Must be 19+ w/ID for bar service.
*Rio Theatre Groupons and Rio Theatre passes are OK for any single film screening only. Please redeem at the box office.
*Online sales end an hour before showtime; unless otherwise noted, tickets are always available for purchase at the box office prior to showtime. All Rio Theatre tickets are final sale. Our box office is typically open 30 minutes before showtime. All seating is General Admission; please arrive 20-30 minutes prior to showtime to ensure great seats and time for treats.
*If you are looking to redeem either a Rio Theatre gift certificate or Groupon to any regular Rio Theatre screening: You can either email us in advance <[email protected]> and give us a “heads up,” or do it at the box office prior to showtime. (We seat 400+ people and our regular screenings are very rarely at capacity – you should not have issues being admitted.)