The Shepherdstown Film Society is pleased to announce its spring 2012 series. This season continues the partnership with the Scarborough Society of Shepherd University. This partnership gives the Shepherdstown Film Society the financial support it needs to maintain its commitment to show free films for Shepherd students and faculty, and the Shepherdstown community.
Six films will be presented, starting on January 20 and running through April 20. Three films from three different decades comprise the spring theme "Almost Oscar – films nominated for Best Picture." Two films are presented in conjunction with Shepherd University programs. Our sixth film will be a special contribution to Shepherdstown’s 250th anniversary celebration by the film society and Scarborough Society’s partnership.
All films will be shown on Fridays. All showings are at 7:00 p.m. in Shepherd University's Reynolds Hall. As with all the Society's films, admission will be free and each showing will be followed by a discussion. An opening night reception at The Men’s Club will kick off the series from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Friday, January 20.
More information on each film can be found on the Society’s website at www.shepherdstownfilmsociety.org. The film schedule will be as follows:
January 20: "The Last Picture Show"
February 3: "Atlantic City"
February 17: "Catch a Fire"
March 2: "Matewan"
April 6: "Good Night, and Good Luck"
April 20: "The Piano"
Details of the films follow below, in the order in which the films are being shown:
January 20 "The Last Picture Show" (USA, 1971, 118 minutes, directed by Peter Bogdanovich). Filmed in black and white and set in the high windy plains of West Texas, "The Last Picture Show" explores the hopes and doubts of a group of high schools students coming of age in the early 1950s in a town that is losing hope. In addition to a Best Picture nomination, it received Oscar wins for best supporting actress and actor and five other nominations. Rated R for sexuality, nudity and language.
February 3: "Atlantic City" (Canada/France, 1981, 104 minutes, directed by Louis Malle). Like a fading beauty, Atlantic City is seeking a facelift in the late 1970s with legal gambling as a source of finance for the operation. Burt Lancaster plays a small time numbers runner who must adjust to the changes being wrought in his town. In addition to a Best Picture nomination, it received four other Oscar nominations. Rated R for language, violence and drug use.
February 17: "Catch a Fire" (France/UK/South Africa, 2006, 98 minutes, directed by Phillip Noyes). This film follows one man’s transformation during the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa – from apolitical acceptance to armed struggle. This is a special presentation in conjunction with Shepherd University’s Common Reading and Black History Month programs and is co-sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs. Rated PG-13 for language and violence.
March 2: "Matewan" (USA, 1987, 135 minutes, directed by John Sayles). Writer and director John Sayles brings his individual style to tell a tale of the struggle to unionize the coal fields of southern West Virginia. Using motifs typical of the western film – the laconic sheriff, the hired guns and the climactic shoot out – the film pits local miners against outside scabs and enforcers and local traditions against outside ideas. West Virginia’s own Hazel Dickens lends her voice and music to ground us in those verdant, isolated hollows. This is a special presentation in celebration of Shepherdstown’s 250th anniversary. Rated PG-13 for violence. Post-film discussion led by Davitt McAteer, Shepherdstown resident and former Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health at the Department of Labor.
April 6: "Good Night, and Good Luck" (USA, 2005, 93 minutes, directed by George Clooney). The fear and intimidation engendered by the anti-communist crusades of Senator Joseph McCarthy and others are the background to this exploration of Edward R. Murrow’s assertions of press freedoms using his television broadcasts as a bully pulpit. Murrow also developed the radio program "This I Believe" which became the basis for this year’s Common Reading Program book selection. This is a special presentation in conjunction with Shepherd University’s Common Reading Program. Rated PG. Post-film discussion led by Todd Cotgreave, Manager of the campus radio station WSHC-89.7 FM.
April 20: "The Piano" (Australia/ New Zealand/France, 1993, 121 minutes, directed by Jane Campion). Jane Campion wrote and directed this saga of an arranged marriage that takes a young Scotswoman (Holly Hunter) and her beloved piano to the primitive world of mid-19th century New Zealand. A harsh environment and a harsh husband await her. In addition to a Best Picture nomination, it received Oscar wins for best actress, best supporting actress and best screenplay and four other nominations. Rated R for sexuality. Post-film discussion led by Dr. Rachel Ritterbusch, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of English and Modern Languages at Shepherd University.
For further information about the Society and its films, visit their website or contact Lisa Welch at 304-876-1837 (email lmwelch@frontiernet.net) or Mina Goodrich at 304-876-2159 (email larrymina@aol.com).