True-to-life films to play DPL
From October 19, 2010:
Danville Public Library launches “Real Vs. Reel” movie series on November 8 with CITIZEN KANE
Following the success of its “Great Books to Great Films” and “Movies About Movies” film discussion series, the Danville Public Library is presenting a third series, “Real vs. Real: Movies Based on True Stories,” starting in November and running through April 2011. As with the previous series, screenings are scheduled for the second Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in the library’s first floor meeting room, with brief discussion afterward facilitated by library staff. All showings are free and open to the public, and no registration is required. Several of the movies will take advantage of the library’s new high-definition projection system and screen on Blu-ray. The new equipment and new series are made possible from grants provided by the Danville Library Foundation.
Schedule
November 8: CITIZEN KANE (1942) – Based on the life of early 20th-century media tycoon William Randolph Hearst, this is consistently ranked the greatest film of all time in international critics’ polls. Triple-threat Orson Welles – who directed and co-wrote the script – plays Charles Foster Kane, the Hearst-inspired title character.
December 13: ROCKY (1976) – This crowd-pleasing boxing drama won the Best Picture Oscar of 1976 and launched a 30-year franchise. Then-unknown writer/actor Sylvester Stallone based his screenplay on a real-life David vs. Goliath boxing match between rookie fighter Chuck Weppner and world champion Muhammad Ali in 1975. The film spawned many sequels of varying quality, but the original remains the best. Shown in high-definition.
January 10, 2011: SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (1957) – Burt Lancaster stars as vindictive Broadway gossip columnist J.J. Hunsecker, based on real-life journalist Walter Winchell – probably the most powerful media icon of his day. The acerbic script by Ernest Lehman and Clifford Odets is full of memorable quotes, but just how accurate the film is to Winchell’s life remains the subject of debate. Tony Curtis co-stars in one of his best early roles.
February 14, 2011: HOOSIERS (1986) – A rousing movie with regional ties. Danville native Gene Hackman stars in this uplifting sports film about the 1953-1954 state championship season of the Milan, Indiana high school varsity basketball team. A cast of appealing young actors are joined by veterans Hackman, Barbara Hershey, and Dennis Hopper. Shown in high-definition.
March 14, 2011: A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951) – Theodore Dreiser’s novel An American Tragedy, based on the Chester Gillette/Grace Brown murder case of 1906, was adapted twice for the screen: in a little-known 1931 version, and 20 years later in this all-star production directed by George Stevens and featuring Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, and Shelley Winters. The film won six Oscars and a slew of other awards.
April 11, 2011: THE FUGITIVE (1993) – Continuing March’s true-crime theme, we present this box office hit inspired by the 1960s David Janssen television show, which was in turn based on the 1950s murder trial of Dr. Sam Sheppard. Sheppard was accused of killing his wife, a crime he claimed was committed by an intruder, and his trial became a media circus. Shown in high-definition.
For more information or to view a full schedule of the films, visit the series’ Web site at www.danville.lib.il.us/real.htm, or contact the Audiovisual Department at (217) 477-5224. The Library is located at 319 N. Vermilion St. in Danville, IL. Library hours are Monday-Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday-Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Any one may use the library’s materials and services in the building without a library card. Persons wishing to borrow library materials must obtain a library card. The library honors cards from all Illinois public libraries.
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