York Public Library announces start of free summer film series
YORK VILLAGE - The York Public Library has announced "Sunday Night at the Movies," a series of 12 films to be shown every Sunday evening throughout the summer, from June 24 to Sept. 9.
All screenings will start at 7 p.m., the public is invited and admission is free, though donations are encouraged. Free popcorn will be offered, and beverages and candy will be available for $1.
The first four films are as follows.
"Being There" (1979, PG) will be shown June 24. Directed by Hal Ashby and based on a novel and screenplay by Jerzy Kosinski, this film features Peter Sellers in an Oscar-nominated leading role as Chance, described by Roger Ebert as "gardener who has lived and worked all of his life inside the walls of an elegant Washington townhouse in a decaying inner city neighborhood. He tends his garden. He watches television. Then one day the master of the house dies." The film follows Chance's sometimes-comic encounters with society outside his garden, with television as his only reference. With supporting roles by Shirley MacLaine and Melvyn Douglas (1979 Oscar winner - best supporting actor), Sellers turns in a performance that was the crowning achievement of his career.
"The Illusionist" (2006, PG) is scheduled for July 1. Set in turn-of-the-20th century Vienna, this film tells the story of a common cabinet maker turned magician, Eisenheim (Edward Norton), and Duchess Sophie (Jessica Biel), who meet as children in a chance encounter. Paul Giamatti, in his role as Chief Inspector Walter Uhl, serves as narrator in a tale that weaves royal Austrian intrigue with a fictional Crown Prince Leopold, the spectacular magic career of Eisenheim, and his desire for a forbidden relationship with Sophie. With a musical score by Philip Glass and award-nominated cinematography and costumes, this taut film twists and turns to a surprise finish.
"Seducing Dr. Lewis" (2003, G) will be shown July 8. Written by Ken Scott and directed by Jean-Francois Pouliot, this Canadian film tells the story of a depressed island town, Ste-Marie-La-Mauderne, and its hopes to attract a factory. The corporation's insurance company requires a town doctor, but attempts to lure one are frustrated until Dr. Christopher Lewis (David Boutin), caught in a Montreal traffic incident, makes a deal to spend 30 days in the town. The colorful locals, led by Germain Lesage (Raymond Bouchard), scheme to persuade him to stay - with comic results. The film was shot in Harrington Harbor in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. In French with subtitles.
"Riding Giants" (2004, PG-13) will be shown July 15. Roger Ebert says, "Before seeing ‘Riding Giants,' my ideas about surfing were formed by Gidget movies, Endless Summer, the Beach Boys, Elvis, and a lot of TV commercials. ‘Riding Giants' is about altogether another reality." Writer/director/narrator Stacey Peralta (Dogtown and Z-Boys) incorporates the origins and history of surf culture before unfolding a documentary of big wave surfing. Featuring Laird Hamilton, Greg Noll, Jeff Clark and a host of surfing legends, the film climaxes with scenes of tow-surfing (being drawn by jet skis) the massive waves off the North Coast of Hawaii. The spectacular cinematography will change the way you look at surf and surfing.
This series is made possible by the Library Film Group, which is composed entirely of volunteers. Anyone interested in participating in the Library Film Group is encouraged to contact any group member at the screenings or to leave their name and phone number at the front desk of the library.
The York Public Library is located at 15 Long Sands Road in York. For more information, please call 363-2818.
