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“Red Heroine,” showing Sunday at Farnsworth Gallery in Rockland, is a silent 1929 movie and the oldest surviving example of the kung-fu genre.Courtesy photo

WHAT'S COMING UP WHERE EVENINGSTAR www.eveningstarcinema.com Friday: "Capitalism: A Love Story." If you agree with what Michael Moore's selling (and I do), see this before the Internet starts tearing his "filmmaking" tactics to shreds. FRONTIER CAFE www.explorefrontier.com Today to Wednesday: "Unmistaken Child." Lama Konchog followers unite! Also: "It Might Get Loud." My Jack White hate has thus far steered me away from this documentary. Will Jimmy Page bring me back? Time will tell. PATRIOT NICKELODEON THEATER www.patriotcinemas.com Now showing: "Paper Heart." Avoid this hipster mockumentary like the plague. Not funny, not insightful, not interesting. Charlyne Yi needs to leave Earth, stat. MOVIES AT THE MUSEUM www.portlandmuseum.org Today to Saturday: "Soul Power." The music-focused sequel to the great "When We Were Kings."

— By JOSH KATZ

I love the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland. Got a lot of good memories of the place, from the museum's architecture and design to the Wyeth collection, to, most importantly, the unbelievably cool elevator on the premises. It's got a freaking bench in it! Few elevators maximize rider comfort to such an extent.

About equal is my love of kung-fu movies. Some say the bad genre entries outweigh the good ones. Artistically, I'd agree, but I love all of them regardless. Anyone criticizing the tropes of the genre (the oft-poor dubbing, the inane plots, the over-reliance on the zoom lens) is missing the point -- kung-fu movies exist to put joy on the screen. They're the pizza of movies.

Now, life often diabolically positions one love against another, so it's always a relief when passions dovetail. Case in point: on Sunday, as part of the Farnsworth's Flix Mix series (which shows art flicks and brings in culture/film experts for introductions and Q&As), you can see "Red Heroine" at the Strand Theatre in Rockland. It's a silent kung-fu flick from 1929. It's not the first-ever example of the genre, but it is the oldest surviving example, the only remaining piece of a 13-part serial.

For those leery of the whole B&W silent-y aspect, I'd like to assuage fears. Check this -- it's about a young girl who learns martial arts from an old hermit named White Monkey in order to avenge her grandmother's death. It's got invading armies and ninja weapons and "Crouching Tiger"-style flying, and because it's silent, it's done without crappy dubbing.

This is the Rosetta Stone for kung-fu fans, the template that's influenced everything from "The 36th Chamber of Shaolin" to the underrated "Fearless." Barring the innovations they make in cinema action sequences, kung-fu movies rarely merit any historical significance. By virtue of its age alone, "Red Heroine" has a leg up.

Tickets are $13 for members and $15 for non-members. That may seem steep, but you're getting a lot of entertainment for your money. The Boston-based group Devil Music Ensemble will be providing the score, and Strand manager/house historian Elizabeth McLeod will be presenting. So make an excuse to go to Rockland on Sunday.

Josh Katz is a freelance writer who lives in Portland.