Please join us for a free Screwball Comedy Film Series at Brooks Library. On Wednesday September 24th at 2 pm, come and see Paramount’s first collaboration between director Mitchell Leisen and screenwriting duo Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder.
The film merges Brackett and Wilder’s early emphasis on repartee and masquerade with ex-costume designer Leisen’s flair for high style and sophistication. Continuing through November 12th, (on select Wednesdays) the Brattleboro Film Festival and Brooks Memorial Library will present FREE afternoon screenings of nine Hollywood classic screwball comedies from Tinseltown’s Golden Era. 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.
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. 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 will also be posted on the Library’s events’ bulletin boards.
Location Meeting Room, 2nd Floor. For more information contact us by phone at 802-254-5290 ext 0, by email at info@brookslibraryvt.org, or on the web at brookslibraryvt.org. Brooks Memorial Library, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT 05301. This event is free and open to all.
