Beginning Wednesday, July 9th and continuing through November 12th, the Brattleboro Film Festival and Brooks Memorial Library will present free afternoon screenings of nine Hollywood classic screwball comedies from Tinseltown’s Golden Era.
A film by renowned Director Preston Sturges whose comedies mix the sensibilities of “a lowbrow aristocrat” with a that of a “melancholy wiseguy” will kick-off the five month-long series on July 9th at 2 p.m. in the library’s Meeting Room on the 2nd Floor. Brattleboro Film Festival Advisory Board member Tim Metcalfe and journalist Tom Bedell will host post-screening discussions in the library’s Meeting Room covering a wide range of topics related to the screwball comedy era, filmmaking and Hollywood trivia in general.
Eight other comedies will screen on select Wednesdays through mid-November. The screwball comedy genre came to life during the Great Depression when Americans needed escape and class warfare was at an all-time high. The finest writers, directors and actors of the 20th century created these iconic films that present the issues of the day in a farcical manner while, for the first time in filmmaking history, showcasing women as extraordinary comedians who combine the qualities of being smart, sexy and in charge.
The films chosen for the Library’s screwball comedy series have topics that seem as timely today–given recent headlines–as they were in the pre-World War II era in which they were made. Brooks Memorial Library Director Jerry Carbone conceived of the idea after reviewing feedback forms submitted by attendees of the Library’s successful Film Noir series that concluded in April of this year.
Due to licensing restrictions please call the library at 802-254-5290 to get the titles, or register for the library’s eNews at brookslibraryvt.org to receive a pdf of the flyer for the series. Flyers with titles will also be posted on the Library’s events’ bulletin boards. Brooks Memorial Library Meeting Room. Check brookslibraryvt.org or call 802-254-5290 for more information.
