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Jackson Center To Host Big Read Film Series  |
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The Robert H. Jackson Center will host a series of three films related to My Antonia as part of The Big Read this winter.
The films, which are free and open to the public, will be shown at 7 p.m. Wednesdays. The schedule includes:
- I Remember Mama on Feb. 17
- O Pioneers on March 3
- Sweet Land on March 24
My Antonia tells the story of a Bohemian immigrant girl who moves to Nebraska with her family and adjusts to a new way of life. All of the titles chosen for the film series have to do with immigrants moving west and adapting to frontier life.
The first film portrays the struggles of a Norwegian immigrant family at the turn of the century in San Francisco. It was based on John Van Druten s play by the same title, which had been adapted from Mama s Bank Account, memoirs by Kathryn Forbes.
I Remember Mama was released in 1948, with a cast including Irene Dunne, Barbara Bel Geddes, Oscar Homolka and Philip Dorn. It was followed by a television series called Mama.
At 134 minutes, critic Leonard Maltin describes it as a bit long, but richly rewarding, with top performances in each and every role.
Based on a Willa Cather novel by the same name, O Pioneers was produced in 1992. Set in America s heartland at the turn of the century, it brings to life the story of men and women who struggled to turn the wilderness into a home.
Rated PG, the film stars Jessica Lange, David Strathairn, Tom Aldredge, Reed Diamond, Anne Heche, Heather Graham, Josh Hamilton and Leigh Lawson. It runs 99 minutes.
Sweet Land, which was originally released as a motion picture in 2005, tells the story of a mail-order German bride who comes to Minnesota to marry a young Norwegian immigrant farmer. They fall in love, but a local minister forbids the marriage because of anti-German sentiment following World War I.
Based on a short story called A Gravestone Made of Wheat by Will Weaver, the film runs 111 minutes and carries a PG rating.
Cast members are Elizabeth Reaser, Tim Guinee, Alan Cumming, John Heard, Alex Kingston, Ned Beatty, Lois Smith and Patrick Heusinger. Smith appears 50 years after her debut in East of Eden.
According to Maltin, Reaser is exceptional, but the whole cast shines.
/The Boston Globe/ described the film as a lovely, old-fashioned farm romance quietly doubling as a commentary on immigration and American identity.
The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest.
SUNY Fredonia is partnering with the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Library System this winter to encourage local residents to read the book, which tells the story of a Bohemian immigrant girl who moves to Nebraska with her family and adjusts to a new way of life.
Activities relating to My Antonia are scheduled throughout February and March. Materials are available at public libraries in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties.
The National Endowment for the Arts presents The Big Read in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in cooperation with Arts Midwest.
The Jackson Center is located at 305 E. Fourth St., Jamestown. For more information, call 483-6646 or Prendergast Library at 484-7135, Ext. 225.
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