events @ the Library: Film @ the Library Archives

Sizzling Summer Film Series: The Lady Vanishes

Thursday, August 19, 2010
2:00 pm
McManus Room

Enjoy summer Thursdays with a cool drink, a short introduction, and a film as a part of the tenth season of this summer series. The original The Lady Vanishes by Alfred Hitchcock is one of his last British films and stars Michael Redgrave, Paul Lucas, Margaret Lockwood, and Dame May Whitty. Set on a Trans-European train, The Lady Vanishes has been called "the greatest ever comedy-thriller" by the incomparable "master of suspense". (1938, 96 minutes)

Sizzling Summer Film Series: My Architect

Thursday, August 12, 2010
2:00 pm
McManus Room

Enjoy summer Thursdays with a cool drink, a short introduction, and a film as a part of the tenth season of this summer series. This documentary, My Architect, about the late, great architect Louis Kahn (who mentored Frank Lloyd Wright) was made by his son. He travels the world, seeking out his father's magnificent buildings, famous architects, several wives, and other children. Nominated for best documentary. (2003, 116 minutes)

Sizzling Summer Film Series: The Mighty Quinn

Thursday, August 5, 2010
2:00 pm
McManus Room

Enjoy summer Thursdays with a cool drink, a short introduction, and a film as a part of the tenth season of this summer series. Want to see a young Denzel Washington in his break-through role? The Mighty Quinn, set in Jamaica, stars Washington as a police chief whose best friend is accused of murder. His charm and off-beat humor make the film as much a musical and a comedy as a thriller. (1989, 98 minutes)

Sizzling Summer Film Series: Being Julia

Thursday, July 29, 2010
2:00 pm
McManus Room

Enjoy summer Thursdays with a cool drink, a short introduction, and a film as a part of the tenth season of this summer series. In Being Julia, Annette Bening, as a stage star in 1930s London, does a wonderful send-up of a diva. She won the Golden Globe for best actress and was nominated for an Oscar. With Jeremy Irons and Michael Gambon, it's about an amorous folly and magnificent — and totally delicious — revenge. (2004, 104 minutes)

Sizzling Summer Film Series: The Conversation

Thursday, July 22, 2010
2:00 pm
McManus Room

Enjoy summer Thursdays with a cool drink, a short introduction, and a film as a part of the tenth season of this series. At once a suspense film and a character study, Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation was nominated for four Oscars and won the Golden Palm at Cannes. Starring Gene Hackman with Harrison Ford in an early appearance. "One of the best of the decade" said the critics. (1974, 113 minutes)

FILM @THE LIBRARY: Encounter Point

Sunday, May 23, 2010
2:00 pm
McManus Room

The award-winning film Encounter Point moves beyond sensational and canned images to tell the story of an Israeli settler, a Palestinian ex-prisoner, a bereaved Israeli mother, and a wounded Palestinian, who sacrifice their safety, public standing, and homes in order to press for a grassroots movement for nonviolence and peace. (2006, 85 minutes) A discussion will follow facilitated by Rev. Ed Horne, Council Co-Chair, and Winifred Keane, Program Co-Chair, of the Interfaith Council.

Co-sponsored with Interfaith Council.

MovieLine: It’s Complicated

Thursday, May 13, 2010
6:45 pm
McManus Room

Writer/director Nancy Meyers (What Women Want, Something’s Gotta Give, The Holiday) directs Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin in It’s Complicated, a comedy about love, divorce and everything in between. (120 minutes)

SHE LOVES ME Film Festival: You've Got Mail

Monday, May 3, 2010
7:00 pm
McManus Room

In You've Got Mail , Sleepless in Seattle director Nora Ephron brings romance and courtship into the electronic age via e-mail and chat rooms, starring with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. (1998, 119 minutes)

SHE LOVES ME Film Festival is in conjunction with the Westport Country Playhouse's production of the play She Loves Me, with dialogue by Joe Masteroff, music by Jerry Bock, and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, from April 20-May 8. See three classic films with different versions of the same story, a story that clearly has not lost any of its interest from the 1930s (when the original play premiered) to the early sixties (when the musical premiered) to the internet age (with You've Got Mail).

SHE LOVES ME Film Festival: In the Good Old Summertime

Saturday, April 24, 2010
2:30 pm
McManus Room

In the Good Old Summertime is the story of feuding co-workers in a small music shop who do not realize they are secret romantic pen pals. This musical remake of The Shop Around the Corner also features Judy Garland, Van Johnson, S.Z. Sakall, Buster Keaton, and a young Liza Minnelli and was directed by Robert Z. Leonard. (1949, 102 minutes)

SHE LOVES ME Film Festival is in conjunction with the Westport Country Playhouse's production of the play She Loves Me, with dialogue by Joe Masteroff, music by Jerry Bock, and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, from April 20-May 8. See three classic films with different versions of the same story, a story that clearly has not lost any of its interest from the 1930s (when the original play premiered) to the early sixties (when the musical premiered) to the internet age (with You've Got Mail).

MovieLine: Pirate Radio

Tuesday, April 20, 2010
6:45 pm
McManus Room

Pirate Radio is the story of eight DJ's whose love of Rock 'n' Roll changed the world forever. These rogue DJs captivated Britain by playing music that defined a generation and standing up to a government that, incomprehensibly, preferred jazz. The band of rebels is lead by The Count, played by the Academy Award Winning Philip Seymour Hoffman, and also stars Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans, Nick Frost, and Kenneth Branagh. (134 minutes)

SHE LOVES ME Film Festival: The Shop Around the Corner

Thursday, April 19, 2010
7:00 pm
McManus Room

This wonderful Ernst Lubitsch version of The Shop Around the Corner offers James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan in a genial and tender romance, filled with subtle humor and wry character interplay that marked the films of director Lubitsch. (1940, 99 minutes)

SHE LOVES ME Film Festival is in conjunction with the Westport Country Playhouse's production of the play She Loves Me, with dialogue by Joe Masteroff, music by Jerry Bock, and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, from April 20-May 8. See three classic films with different versions of the same story, a story that clearly has not lost any of its interest from the 1930s (when the original play premiered) to the early sixties (when the musical premiered) to the internet age (with You've Got Mail).

Series on Sustainable Living: Creating a Local Foodshed

Tuesday, April 13, 2010
7:00 pm
McManus Room

Local farmers share their knowledge and passion about how to grow, source, and eat real, delicious food closer to home. Speakers include Sal Gilbertie, Amy Kalafa, Dina Brewster, and Annie Farrell.

Co-sponsored with the Green Village Initiative.

FILM @THE LIBRARY: The End of an Era—Westport in the 1950s

Wednesday, April 7, 2010
7:00 pm
McManus Room

See this screening by producer Chuck Tannen of new documentary, The End of an Era—Westport in the 1950s, about Westport after World War II. A time when the town doubled in population, Interstate 95 was just beginning to connect towns and cities, boys and girls attended dance classes at the Y wearing white gloves, and people turned inward seeking prosperity and the "good life." Few suspected that the 1950s were to be the end of an era. (40 minutes) Discussion to follow.

FILM @THE LIBRARY: The End of an Era—Westport in the 1950s

Tuesday, April 6, 2010
2:00 pm
McManus Room

See this screening by producer Chuck Tannen of new documentary, The End of an Era—Westport in the 1950s, about Westport after World War II. A time when the town doubled in population, Interstate 95 was just beginning to connect towns and cities, boys and girls attended dance classes at the Y wearing white gloves, and people turned inward seeking prosperity and the "good life." Few suspected that the 1950s were to be the end of an era. (40 minutes) Discussion to follow.

The film will also be shown on Wednesday, April 7 at 7:00 pm.

Series on Sustainable Living : The Real Dirt of Farmer John

Tuesday, April 6, 2010
7:00 pm
McManus Room

In The Real Dirt on Farmer John (83 minutes), a maverick Midwestern farmer, castigated as a pariah in his community, transforms his farm amidst a failing economy, vicious rumors, and arson. Afterwards, Westport teachers Cecily Duffy (horticulture), Michael Aitkenhead (Environmental Science), and 5th grade teacher Joanne Fasciola speak on growing your own food.

Co-sponsored with the Green Village Initiative.

WHEN COOL WAS HOT! Film Series

Sunday, March 28, 2010
2:00 pm
McManus Room

Enjoy winter Sundays with a hot cider, a short introduction, and a film to highlight the exhibit at the Westport Historical Society, "WESTPORT MODERN: WHEN COOL WAS HOT!"

Hitchcock’s stylish comedy/thriller North by Northwest is set in the luxuriously modern Frank-Lloyd-Wright era and stars Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason. In one memorable scene after another, bewildered ad man Grant is chased cross country by spies who think he is a double agent and by police who think he is an assassin. (1959, 136 minutes)

Library catalog.
Co-sponsored with the Westport Historical Society.

Series on Sustainable Living: Fresh

Tuesday, March 16, 2010
7:00 pm
McManus Room

The film Fresh (2009, 72 minutes) is just that—an upbeat and wonderfully fresh look at our food system and how to make it work better for the health of humans and the planet. Fresh features urban farmer and activist, Will Allen, sustainable farmer and entrepreneur, Joel Salatin, made famous by Michael Pollan’s book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and supermarket owner, David Ball, challenging our Wal-Mart dominated economy, and is a must-see for all who eat!

A discussion will follow, facilitated by Sherri Brooks Vinton, author of The Real Food Revival and the soon-to-be-released Put 'Em Up. Sherri has taught numerous eaters how to support local agriculture with their food choices and will give you the tips and tricks needed to enjoy a more delicious, sustainable dinner.

Co-sponsored with the Green Village Initiative.

Series on Sustainable Living: A Sense of Wonder

Tuesday, March 2, 2010
7:00 pm
McManus Room

Pioneering environmentalist Rachel Carson's love for the natural world, and her fight to defend it, is depicted in this documentary-style film, A Sense of Wonder (2008, 55 minutes). When she published Silent Spring in 1962, the backlash from her critics thrust her into the center of a political mailstrom. The film is an intimate and poignant reflection of Carson’s life as she emerges as America’s most successful advocate for the natural world.

A discussion will follow, facilitated by David Brown, Public Health Toxicologist, Director of Environment and Human Health, Inc., and professor of environmental ethics at Fairfield University, on Rachel Carson’s life and her impact on our lives.

Co-sponsored with the Green Village Initiative.

WHEN COOL WAS HOT! Film Series

Sunday, February 28, 2010
2:00 pm
McManus Room

Enjoy winter Sundays with hot cider, a short introduction, and a film to highlight the exhibit at the Westport Historical Society, "WESTPORT MODERN: WHEN COOL WAS HOT!," from January 24 to May 2.

In The Fountainhead, starring Gary Cooper, Patricia Neal, and Raymond Massey, Ayn Rand’s monumental best-selling book is turned into a bizarre screen triumph as an uncompromising visionary architect struggles to maintain his integrity despite pressures to conform. (1949, 114 minutes)

Library catalog.
Co-sponsored with the Westport Historical Society.

MovieLine: Bright Star

Thursday, February 18, 2010
7:00 PM
McManus Room
Note: This is a rescheduled date from Wednesday, February 3rd

Directed by Jane Campion, Bright Star pays homage to nineteenth century poet John Keats' unstoppable love affair with Fanny Brawne that ended with his tragic death at age 25. Roger Ebert describes it as “visual beauty to match Keats' verbal beauty.” (119 minutes)

OVERCOAT FILM SERIES: Mad Hot Ballroom

Thursday, February 4, 2010
2:00 pm
McManus Room

Enjoy a warm drink, a brief introduction, and a film. Mad Hot Ballroom is a much honored, award-winning documentary about a group of New York City kids who enter a city-wide ballroom dancing contest. The kids are terrific and lovable; you'll cheer them on in this delightful and musical look at what can be done with a little talent and a lot of passion. (2005, 105 minutes) This is the last in the series.

MovieLine: Bright Star

Wednesday, February 3, 2010
7:00 PM
McManus Room

Directed by Jane Campion, Bright Star pays homage to nineteenth century poet John Keats' unstoppable love affair with Fanny Brawne that ended with his tragic death at age 25. Roger Ebert describes it as “visual beauty to match Keats' verbal beauty.” (119 minutes)

WHEN COOL WAS HOT! Film Series

Sunday, January 31, 2010
2:00 pm
McManus Room

Enjoy winter Sundays with a hot cider, a short introduction, and a film to highlight the exhibit at the Westport Historical Society, "WESTPORT MODERN: WHEN COOL WAS HOT!," from January 24 to May 2 in the Betty and Ralph Sheffer Gallery.

William Powell and Carole Lombard star in My Man Godfrey. Set in the Great Depression, men down on their luck and Café Society mix it up in one of the top screwball comedies of all time. Nominated for six Academy awards. (1936, 95 minutes)

Library catalog.
Co-sponsored with the Westport Historical Society.

OVERCOAT FILM SERIES: American Flyers

Thursday, January 28, 2010
2:00 pm
McManus Room

Enjoy a warm drink, a brief introduction, and a film. This is the fourth in the series.

In American Flyers, a young Kevin Costner and Westporter and Staples graduate David Marshall Grant play brothers who enter "the toughest bike race in America." Poignant and beautifully shot, it was written by Steve Tesich, the author of Breaking Away. (1985, 114 minutes)

OVERCOAT FILM SERIES: Monsoon Wedding

Thursday, January 21, 2010
2:00 pm
McManus Room

Enjoy a warm drink, a brief introduction, and a film. This is the third in the series.

Monsoon Wedding is a funny, romantic film from the director of Mississippi Masala (Mira Nair). An Indian family prepares a huge and complex wedding for one of its daughters and celebrates not only the wedding but universal human nature. It won the Golden Lion at Venice and was a Golden Globe nominee. (2001, 113 minutes)

OVERCOAT FILM SERIES: The Stranger

Thursday, January 14, 2010
2:00 pm
McManus Room

Enjoy a warm drink, a brief introduction, and a film. This is the second in the series.

In The Stranger, a member of the War Crimes Commission chases an infamous Nazi to a small Connecticut town. Orson Welles stars and directs in this fast and suspenseful film, which also stars Loretta Young and Edward G. Robinson. It was nominated for an Oscar for its exciting script. (1946, 95 minutes)

OVERCOAT FILM SERIES: The Lives of Others

Thursday, January 7, 2010
2:00 pm
McManus Room

Enjoy a warm drink, a brief introduction, and a film. This is the first of a five part series.

The Lives of Others is a brilliantly done story of an East German dramatist and his actress lover who get caught up in a Scasi net. It won the Oscar for best foreign film of 2006. Exciting and moving, with an ending you'll be talking about for years. (2007, 109 mins.)

MovieLine: Julie & Julia

Tuesday, December 15
6:45 pm
McManus Room

In Julie & Julia, Meryl Streep is Julia Child and Amy Adams is Julie Powell in writer-director Nora Ephron’s adaptation of two bestselling memoirs: Powell’s Julie & Julia and My Life in France, by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme. Based on two true stories, Julie & Julia intertwines the lives of two women who, though separated by time and space, are both at loose ends until they discover that with the right combination of passion, fearlessness, butter, anything is possible. (123 minutes)

Mad About Ad Men Continues with David Bushman of the Paley Center

Monday, December 14
7:30 pm
McManus Room

Enjoy a look at some of the most important, entertaining, and influential ads from 1950 to 2007. From Bob & Ray pitching Piels beer to Apple's Orwellian "1984" to the Osbournes peddling Pepsi, it's a trip down memory lane via Madison Avenue introduced with historical and industry context by David Bushman, Curator for the Paley Center for Media.

Before joining the Paley Center in 1992, David Bushman was senior television editor of Daily Variety in Los Angeles and weekly Variety in New York. He also served as director of programming at TV Land from 1997 to 1998. He has taught and lectured on TV at numerous institutions, but on only one continent. He may be the only person in the world pining for an E-Z Streets reunion.

TEAM Westport: RFK in the Land of Apartheid: A Ripple of Hope

Wednesday, December 9, 2009
7:00 pm
McManus Room

The seventh program in Team Westport's series on Race.

In RFK in the Land of Apartheid: A Ripple of Hope, filmmakers Larry Shore and Tami Gold use never-seen footage to explore the impact of Senator Robert F. Kennedy’s visit to South Africa in 1966 during the worst years of Apartheid. This penetrating documentary makes connections between the South African struggle and the American Civil Rights Movement in the US. Director Larry Shore will be present to introduce the film and answer questions. (2009, 56min.)

Mad About Ad Men: Screening of the Film Art and Copy

Tuesday, December 1
7:00 pm
McManus Room

ART & COPY tells the story of the cultural visionaries who revolutionized advertising with well-remembered ads and slogans. From the introduction of Volkswagen in America to the triumph of Apple Computers, it explores the creative minds behind the most successful and influential advertising campaigns of the 20th century — people who've profoundly impacted our culture, yet are virtually unknown outside their industry. Executive producer, Mary Warlick, who is executive director of One Club Art & Copy (the nation’s foremost non-profit organization for the recognition and promotion of excellence in advertising), will introduce the film and take questions afterward. Film running time 90 minutes.

SPECIAL EVENT: Clips from film Defiance based on book by Nechama Tec

Sunday,November 15
2:00 pm
McManus Room

Westport author Nechama Tec will show clips from the 2008 film Defiance based on her book Defiance: The Bielski Partisans, a riveting history of one group who struggled against the Nazis. Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber starred in the film, and Nechama Tec's son Roland Tec co-produced the film. The largest armed rescue operation of Jews by Jews in World War II, this extraordinary community included both men and women, some with weapons, but mostly unarmed, ranging from infants to the elderly. She reconstructs for the first time the amazing details of how these partisans and their families--hungry, exposed to the harsh winter weather--managed not only to survive, but also to offer protection to all Jewish fugitives who could find their way to them.

Books by Nechama Tec in the Library catalog.
Co-sponsored with the Holocaust Child Survivors of Connecticut.

MovieLine: Whatever Works

Thursday, November 12, 2009
7:00 pm
McManus Room

Directed by Woody Allen, Whatever Works is about a crotchety old man (Larry David) with very extreme views on life. He finds his world has become further complicated after the naive young runaway (Evan Rachel Wood) he has married is tracked down by her straight-laced parents. (2009, 95 minutes)

MovieLine: Sunshine Cleaning

Thursday, September 3
7:00 pm
McManus Room

A single mom (Amy Adams) and her slacker sister (Emily Blunt), find an unexpected way to turn their life around in the offbeat dramatic comedy Sunshine Cleaning. (91 mins)

Teen Flix: Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Monday, August 31
8:30 pm
The Levitt Pavilion

Come and enjoy the great outdoors at the annual outdoor movie series at the Levitt Pavilion! Matthew Broderick stars inFerris Bueller's Day Off, on a high school wise guy determined to have a day off from school, despite of what the principal thinks. (103 minutes)

Co-sponsored by the Westport Public Library, Westport Youth Commission and Toquet Hall. All evenings begin with a special short clip from the Westport Youth Film Festival.

Teen Flix: Zoolander

Monday, August 24
8:30 pm
The Levitt Pavilion

Come and enjoy the great outdoors at the annual outdoor movie series at the Levitt Pavilion! Starring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson, Zoolander becomes an unwitting pawn in a international assassination plot as he searches for meaning in his life at the end of his fashion-modeling career. (89 minutes)

Co-sponsored by the Westport Public Library, Westport Youth Commission and Toquet Hall. All evenings begin with a special short clip from the Westport Youth Film Festival.

Sizzling Summer Film Series:
The Straight Story

Thursday, August 20
2:00 pm
McManus Room

Enjoy summer Thursdays with a cool drink, a short introduction and a film. Starrng Richard Farnsworth (History Boys) and Sissy Spacek, The Straight Story tells the true story of an elderly man who drives 300 miles through the Midwest to see his estranged and dying brother. Directed by David Lynch, it’s the antithesis of his usual bizarre films as Farnsworth's character unfolds and he meets a variety of Americans along the way, “treasures”, as Roger Ebert calls them. 1999. 111 minutes.

Sizzling Summer Film Series:
Cinema Paradiso

Thursday, August 13
2:00 pm
McManus Room

Enjoy summer Thursdays with a cool drink, a short introduction and a film. Set in a small Italian village, Cinema Paradiso has been called a “celebration of youth, friendship and the everlasting magic of the movies.” You’ll find it on any list of the “100 Best Films of All Time”. This original theatre edition won the Academy Award for best Foreign Language Film. 1989. 123 minutes.

Items in the Library catalog.

MovieLine: The Soloist

Tuesday, August 11
7:00 pm
McManus Room

Based on the book of the same name, The Soloist tells the true story of musical prodigy Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx), who dropped out of Juilliard after developing schizophrenia and became a homeless musician on the streets of Los Angeles. A disenchanted journalist (Robert Downey Jr.) sees the bedraggled Ayers one day and an unexpected quest begins. (109 mins.)

The Soloist in the Library catalog.

Teen Flix: Slumdog Millionaire

Monday, August 10
8:30 pm
The Levitt Pavilion

Come and enjoy the great outdoors at the annual outdoor movie series at the Levitt Pavilion! Winner of multiple Oscars, Slumdog Millionaire tells the story of a Mumbai teen who grew up in the slums and becomes a contestant on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" He is arrested under suspicion of cheating. How could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to one of the game show's questions.(120 minutes)

Slumdog Millionaire in the Library catalog.

Co-sponsored by the Westport Public Library, Westport Youth Commission and Toquet Hall. All evenings begin with a special short clip from the Westport Youth Film Festival.

Sizzling Summer Film Series:
The Day of the Jackal

Thursday, August 6
2:00 pm
McManus Room

Enjoy summer Thursdays with a cool drink, a short introduction and a film. In The Day of the Jackal, an assassin of uncommon intelligence, nerve and charm is followed as he attempts to target President Charles De Gaulle in the Paris of 1962. Roger Ebert calls it “one hell of an exciting movie, put together like a fine watch.” Directed by Fred Zinneman, High Noon, it’s a thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat and stars Edward Fox. This 1973 version is not to be confused with the far more violent 1997 remake. 1973. 143 minutes.

Teen Flix: Dark Knight

Monday, August 3
8:30 pm
The Levitt Pavilion

Come and enjoy the great outdoors at the annual outdoor movie series at the Levitt Pavilion! In Oscar-winning Dark Knight, Batman (Christian Bale), Gordon and Harvey Dent are forced to deal with the chaos unleashed by an anarchist mastermind known only as the Joker (Heath Ledger), as it drives each of them to their limits. (152 minutes)

Co-sponsored by the Westport Public Library, Westport Youth Commission and Toquet Hall. All evenings begin with a special short clip from the Westport Youth Film Festival.

Sizzling Summer Film Series:
Big Night

Thursday, July 30
2:00 pm
McManus Room

Enjoy summer Thursdays with a cool drink, a short introduction and a film. Set in the Italian district of Manhattan during the 1950s, Big Night tells the story of two brothers who try to keep their restaurant going against the onslaught of fast food and has a stellar cast: Stanley Tucci, Tony Shalhoub, Alison Janney, Isabella Rossellini, Liev Schreiber and Ian Holm. Roger Ebert said it was “one of the great food films, plus so much more.” 1996. 107 minutes.

Sizzling Summer Film Series:
Mrs. Henderson Presents

Thursday, July 23
2:00 pm
McManus Room

Enjoy summer Thursdays with a cool drink, a short introduction and a film. Mrs. Henderson Presents is the story of a British widow who buys an abandoned theatre in 1942 and keeps it running throughout the blitz in a very unusual way. Starring Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins at the top of their remarkable careers, it’s hilarious at times, bitter-sweet at others, and not to be missed. 2005. 103 minutes.

Library catalog.

Dog Days of Summer: Marley & Me

Monday, July 13
1:00 pm
McManus Room

Based on the hit memoir by John Grogan, Marley & Me chronicles the relationship of John (Owen Wilson) and Jen (Jennifer Aniston) as they face the challenges of marriage, work and starting a family. By their side is their beloved dog, Marley, who can chew through drywall and got kicked out of obedience school. Although some may see Marley as the "world's worst dog," he proves to be the couple's most faithful friend. (120 minutes)

This is the first in the Dog Days of Summer. Check out the other programs on Tuesday, July 21, Thursday, July 23, Tuesday, July 28, Thursday, July 30, and Monday, August 3!

Library catalog.

MovieLine: Gran Torino

Tuesday, June 23
7:00 pm
McManus Room

Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood directs and stars in Gran Torino, his first film role since his Oscar-winning role in Million Dollar Baby. Eastwood portrays an iron-willed and inflexible Korean War vet who is forced by his immigrant Hmong neighbors to confront his long held prejudices. (116 mins)

Library catalog.

Film @ the Library: The Body of War

Wednesday, June 10
7:00 pm
McManus Room

Join Emmy award-winning media personality and executive producer Phil Donahue for a screening and discussion of The Body of War, a feature documentary about the true face of war today, a powerful indictment of the tactical politics that led to the invasion of Iraq and a heartbreaking account of one man's living with the aftermath.

MovieLine: Slumdog Millionaire

Tuesday, May 19
6:45 pm
McManus Room

Winner of multiple Oscars, Slumdog Millionaire tells the story of a Mumbai teen who grew up in the slums and becomes a contestant on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" He is arrested under suspicion of cheating. How could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to one of the game show's questions. (120 minutes)

FILM @THE LIBRARY: The Road Taken ... The Merritt Parkway

Monday, April 20
7:30 pm
McManus Room

Connecticut filmmaker and writer Lisa Seidenberg will be present to discuss The Road Taken …The Merritt Parkway her half-hour documentary on the tribulations of building the highway during the economic hard times of the 1930s. The film is a personal view of the Merritt, combining contemporary footage shot by Seidenberg during the year she worked on the documentary, as well as archival material dating back to the origins of the parkway. (30 mins.)

DVDs will be available for purchase.
YouTube trailer.
Photo credit N. W. Gibbons

MovieLine: Doubt

Thursday, April 16
7:00 pm
McManus Room

Based on the Pulitzer prize-winning play and nominated for five Oscars, Doubt is a story of the quest for truth, the forces of change, and the consequences of blind justice in an age defined by moral conviction. It’s 1964, St. Nicholas School in the Bronx. A charismatic priest (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) is trying to upend the school’s strict customs fiercely guarded by Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep). When Father Flynn pays too much attention to a new student, the sister sets off on a personal crusade to unearth the truth. (104 mins)

NYT review.

MovieLine: Twilight

Wednesday, April 8
6:45 pm
McManus Room

Based on the NYT bestseller, Twilight is a megahit, a modern-day teen love story. Edward is hiding a dark secret; he just happens to be a vampire who has renounced his lifestyle but his passion for his high school Bella could open him to temptation. (122 mins)

NYT review.

Film @ the Library: Pitching Man: Satchel Paige-Defying Time

Wednesday, April 1
7:00 pm
McManus Room

Just in time for opening day of baseball season! Producer/director Craig Davidson will introduce his documentary film Pitching Man: Satchel Paige-Defying Time, on an American Legend and the single most important player in the Negro Baseball League. Serving peanuts and crackerjacks! (55 mins)

MovieLine: Vicky Christina Barcelona

Thursday, March 26
7:00 pm
McManus Room

Directed and written by Woody Allen, Vicky Cristina Barcelona charms with a marvelously well-matched cast and beautiful views of the Spanish city. Recent Oscar winner Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz and Scarlett Johansson star in this story of two girlfriends on a summer holiday in Spain who become enamored with the same painter. (96 mins)

Review.

Film @ the Library: Refusenik

Sunday, March 15
1:30 to 4:30 pm
McManus Room

The Library and the Westport Arts Center present Refusenik, the first retrospective documentary to chronicle the thirty-year movement to free Soviet Jews, showing how a small grass roots effort bold enough to take on a Cold War superpower blossomed into an international human rights campaign that engaged the disempowered and world leaders alike. Told through the eyes of activists on both sides of the Iron Curtain —many of whom survived punishment in Soviet Gulag labor camps — the film is a tapestry of first-person accounts of heroism, sacrifice, and ultimately, liberation. (117 min) Discussion to follow led by Kyle Seaburg, a film teacher at Norwalk High School, and several of his students.

Contact Jaina Lewis at 291-4809 or jlewis@westportlibrary.org for more information.

OVERCOAT FILM SERIES: Best In Show

Thursday, February 5
2:00 pm
McManus Room

Best In Show is a hilarious “mockumentary” by Christopher Guest, with many of his familiar performers. The plot follows five dog owners who take their assorted pets to a prestigious national dog show being held in Philadelphia. The dogs are funny, but their owners are funnier still. (90 mins)

More information.

OVERCOAT FILM SERIES: The Gods Must Be Crazy

Thursday, January 29
2:00 pm
McManus Room

The Gods Must Be Crazy is the story of a Kalahari Bushman's first encounter with civilization in the form of a coke bottle. What he and his tribe think about the discovery makes for a hilarious film and one you'll be laughing at long after you see it. Winning a number of awards for its young director, it has played all over the world, ran for two years at the same theatre in California, and was probably the most memorable film to come out of South Africa when it was released in 1980. (109 mins.)

More information.

MovieLine: Mamma Mia

Tuesday, January 27
6:45 pm: Warm up with favorite songs from the movie
7:00 pm: Movie
McManus Room

Enjoy this special sing-along version of Mamma Mia. Meryl Streep leads an all-star cast in the feature-film adaptation of the beloved musical featuring the music of ABBA. An independent, single mother who owns a small hotel on an idyllic Greek island is arranging the marriage of the spirited daughter she's raised alone and invites her two lifelong best girlfriends from her one-time backing band. But her daughter has secretly invited three guests of her own. On a quest to find the identity of her father to walk her down the aisle, she brings back three men from Donna's past to the Mediterranean paradise they visited 20 years earlier. Also starring Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth. (108 mins.)

OVERCOAT FILM SERIES: The Entertainer

Thursday, January 22
2:00 pm
McManus Room

In The Entertainer, the brilliant Laurence Olivier, plays a seedy vaudevillian, reprising his huge stage success; directed by Tony Richardson. Alan Bates and Albert Finney make their movie debuts, and Joan Plowright, soon to become Ms. Olivier, is featured. (97 mins)

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OVERCOAT FILM SERIES: What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?

Thursday, January 15
2:00 pm
McManus Room

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? Directed by Lasse Hallstrom, with the young Johnny Depp and the young Leonardo Di Caprio playing brothers. A poignant story with memorable performances; DiCaprio was nominated for best supporting actor. (117 mins)

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OVERCOAT FILM SERIES: Sullivan's Travels

Thursday, January 8
2:00 pm
McManus Room

Sullivan's Travels, a Hollywood classic from 1941, starring Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake. This is a brilliant satire which grows more pertinent every year. A unique achievement from the wonderful writer-director Preston Sturges.
(90 min)

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MovieLine: Waitress

Tuesday, October 14
6:00 pm: reception and introduction
6:45 pm: film and discussion
McManus Room

The Library will screen Waitress, starring Keri Russell, a touching film about a cafe waitress who dreams up and bakes wondrous life-enhancing pies. Cafe life is good, but Jenna wants to escape her jealous, abusive husband by winning a pie baking contest. (108 mins.)

NYT review.
Movie site.
Co-sponsored with the Westport Domestic Violence Task Force. For the first time, Silent Witness life-size cardboard silhouettes, which powerfully depict the stories of Connecticut woman who were the victims of abuse, will be on display in Westport along with educational material.
Silent Witness program.

FILM TRIBUTE TO PAUL NEWMAN: The Sting

Friday, October 3
2:00 pm
McManus Room

See The Sting, which won a total of seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Director, and Screenplay. Reunited several years after being paired in 1969's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Paul Newman and Robert Redford proved with The Sting, a delightful 1973 caper film, that their onscreen chemistry was, in cinematic terms, historic. The action is set during the depths of the Depression in Chicago, where small-time grifter Johnny Hooker (Redford) enlists the aid of legendary con man Henry Gondorff (Newman) to mount an elaborate "sting," targeting ruthless New York gangster Doyle Lonnegan played by Robert Shaw, who was responsible for the murder of Johnny's mentor, Luther Coleman, played by James Earl Jones. (135 mins.)

More about the film.

FILM TRIBUTE TO PAUL NEWMAN: The Color of Money

Friday, October 3
10:00 am
McManus Room

See The Color of Money, for which Newman won the Oscar for his role of pool hustler Fast Eddie Felson. Felson finds the young, promising pool player Vincent, played by Tom Cruise, in a local bar. After some hesitation, Vincent accepts and Eddie takes him and Vincent's girlfriend Carmen on a tour through the country to work the pool halls. (119 mins.)

More about the film.

FILM TRIBUTE TO PAUL NEWMAN: Hud

Thursday, October 2
2:00 pm
McManus Room

See the film Hud, inspired by a portion of Larry McMurtry's novel, Horseman Pass By. Newman, who was nominated for an Oscar for best actor, plays Hud Bannon, a young Texas rancher who lives with his cattleman father Homer, played by Melvyn Douglas, and his hero-worshipping nephew Lon. Hud is an amoral, cold-hearted creature; his father, who holds Hud responsible for the death of his other son, tries to imbue Lon with a sense of decency and responsibility to others, but Lon is devoted to Hud and isn't inclined to listen. (112 mins).

More about the film.

FILM TRIBUTE TO PAUL NEWMAN: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Thursday, October 2
10:00 am
McManus Room

Enjoy Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the most successful western ever made at the time of its 1968 theatrical release. Two of the Wild West’s most notorious outlaws were effectively whitewashed in this lighthearted romp, a box-office champion and multiple Oscar winner that marked the first teaming of superstars Paul Newman and Robert Redford. Newman stars as Butch, the quick-witted leader of Old Wyoming’s Hole-in-the-Wall Gang, while Redford portrays the Sundance Kid, a fast-draw artist who serves as Cassidy’s right-hand man but also rivals him for the affections of comely Katherine Ross. (110 mins.)

Sizzling Summer Film Series: Inside Daisy Clover

Thursday, August 28
2:00 pm
McManus Room

Enjoy summer Thursdays with a cool drink, a short introduction and a film. In Inside Daisy Clover, Christopher Plummer and Robert Redford, both with Weston homes, star in the story of a 15-year old tomboy (Natalie Wood), who becomes a Hollywood sensation. It was nominated for three Oscars and three Golden Globes: Ruth Gordon won a Globe for best supporting actress — and Redford won for "Best Newcomer." How's that for a good premonition? 1965. 128 mins.

Movie review.