Overview of Cinema Supper Club
Cinema Supper Club is the confluence of three related events: a dinner, an art exhibit, and a film presentation, all at the Legion of Honor. The evening begins with a gourmet meal in the Legion Café . . . or with a stroll through the featured exhibition, followed by dinner.
The evening ends with a feature film examining the life of an artist or a thematically related topic. On the night we attended (summer 2007) the film was Moulin Rouge -- John Huston's biopic of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec -- shown in the spacious and lovely Florence Gould Theater. Future cinematic subjects include El Greco, Caravaggio, and Vincent van Gogh.
The Legion Cafe
We opted for the earliest dinner seating but additional times are available prior to the screening.
Rembrandt to Thiebaud: A Decade of Collecting Works on Paper was open to visitors throughout the dinner hours, allowing for some flexibility between eating and viewing.
The structure of the evening, with the film screening at 8p, affords you time to wander through the displayed works, and to enjoy the magic-hour setting of the Legion Cafe before the sun descends over Lands End.
The tables are set in white, and, weather permitting, the patio doors open to infuse the space with a San Francisco summer breeze. If that sounds idyllic, on the evening we attended, it was -- although one can never make promises about San Francisco weather.
The Cuisine
The rotating menus pay tribute to the home countries of the various masters, with France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands represented.
Our dinner menu, although small (four main entrees), was suitable for a number of palates. The dishes ranged from lamb to seafood to a vegetarian pasta, all accompanied by one of two starters. Our choices, from appetizer to dessert, were -- without exception -- excellent. Wines are available by the bottle or by the glass, and the bar serves cocktails as well.
Taking Visitors to Cinema Supper Club
For summer visitors, the Cinema Supper Club is a unique way to showcase San Francisco's physical beauty in the context of a cultural and dining excursion. The Legion's stunning location in Lincoln Park, overlooking passage to the Golden Gate, can be jaw-dropping magic when the weather cooperates.
With a bit of extra time before dinner, you can take a short walking tour of the area around the Legion of Honor, view The Holocaust Memorial and embrace the view from the golf course to the Pacific, where a monument (a gift from Osaka to San Francisco) commemorates the arrival of the first Japanese naval ship in San Francisco Bay.
Update: The current Cinema Supper Club series (July/August 2008) features the exhibition Women Impressionists: Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassatt, Eva Gonzales, Marie Bracquemond.
From Summer 2007: Rembrandt to Thiebaud: A Decade of Collecting Works on Paper
More that 250 works comprise Rembrandt to Thiebaud, the Cinema Supper Club's featured exhibit celebrating works acquired by the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts (the Fine Arts Museums' department of prints, drawings and photographs).
Throughout the evening, docents are on hand to answer questions and offer commentary on the various works. The exhibit ties together the diverse strokes of classic masters like Rembrandt, with those of pop art icons such as Andy Warhol and, of course, Wayne Thiebaud.
Rembrandt's etching shares space with Miro's wood cut illustrations, Glen Baxter's cartooning art, and photographic images like Christopher Morris's poignant "White Horse in Baghdad" -- a stark and poignant representation of the Iraq war.
Rembrandt to Thiebaud: A Decade of Collecting Works on Paper runs through October 7, 2007.
The Theater
The Florence Gould Theater -- opened in 1924 and restored in 1987 -- provides a number of comfortable vantage points, and is a roomy space to relax for the duration of the film. Seats in the back offer box-style sections with a bit more intimacy and leg room. The theater also offers regular cinema-style rows and seats, as well as wheelchair access with two companion spaces.
Cinema Supper Film Schedule - Summer 2008
Cinema Supper Club takes place every Thursday evening this summer, through August 21.
- July 10: Vertigo
- July 17: The Conversationl
- July 24: What's Up Doc?
- July 31: So I Married an Axe Murderer
- August 7:Harold and Maude
- August 14:The Game
- August 21:Bullitt
See the Cinema Supper Club Calendar for additional film details.
Cinema Supper Club Details
When: Thursday evenings through August 21, 2008
Dinner: First seating at 6:00p, reservations recommended - made separately 415-750-3600
Films: Films screen at 8p
Tickets:$20 ($10 for members) includes exhibit and film - dinner pricing is separate
Driving and Parking
See the Legion of Honor on a Map of the Outer Richmond neighborhood.
There is ample parking at the Legion of Honor and along El Camino Del Mar.
Driving directions to the Legion of Honor
Public Transportation
Muni bus route #18 stops directly in front of the Legion of Honor. You can also reach the Legion using bus route #1, route #2 and route #38. The Legion of Honor website has details on how to reach the museum from the stops on these routes.
If you're new to San Francisco or unfamiliar with the Muni system, see this Guide to Muni and BART for information on navigating the city's public transit.