On October 1, Netflix will release Zoe Kazan’s adaptation of John Steinbeck’s masterpiece East of Eden. The seven-episode series features a formidable cast led by Florence Pugh as the indelible antihero Cathy Ames, whose life is intertwined with the lives of generations of men from the Trask family (including Christopher Abbott as Adam and Mike Faist as Charles) as the characters live out the darker side of the California dream. The series arrives over 70 years after the 1955 film adaptation starring James Dean - directed by Elia Kazan, Zoe’s grandfather - focused solely on the book’s final section.

That family connection to the material, as well as her own abiding love for the novel, made adapting East of Eden a deeply personal and resonant experience for Zoe Kazan. To celebrate the captivating results of her work, the Paris Theater is proud to present The Monster in All of Us: The Films Behind East of Eden, a week-long repertory film series curated in collaboration with Zoe Kazan showcasing films across cinema history that were key inspirations for Kazan throughout her creative process.

Kazan has always been drawn to the character of Cathy Ames – whose enigmatic nature and uncommon sense of agency fascinated her. Many of the films in this series provided inspiration to Kazan as she unfolded more of Cathy’s character out of Steinbeck’s text, including the complex women contained in the performances of Jane Fonda in Klute, Barbara Stanwyck in Stella Dallas, or Scarlett Johansson in Under the Skin. Kazan even found guidance in something Steinbeck once wrote about Cathy in his reflections on writing the novel: “They will forget I said she was bad. And they will hate her because while she is a monster, she is a little piece of the monster in all of us.”

The Monster in All of Us will include a special, free screening of East of Eden episodes 1, 2 & 3 at the Paris Theater, followed by a Q&A with Zoe Kazan on Saturday, October 3. Later that evening, Kazan will introduce a 35mm presentation of the 1955 film adaptation of East of Eden, directed by Elia Kazan and starring James Dean, Raymond Massey, and Jo Van Fleet in an Academy Award®-winning performance as Cathy. 

Zoe Kazan will also give special in-person introductions to a 35mm presentation of Klute on Friday, October 2 at 6:45 PM and to Alfred Hitchcock’s Notorious on Sunday, October 4 at 5:45 PM.

Select screenings will feature pre-recorded introductions from Zoe Kazan, discussing how each film influenced her work on the series.