INSPIRATIONAL LIVES: BIOGRAPHICAL FILMS ABOUT EXTRAORDINARY INDIVIDUALS

Wednesdays, July 9-August 6, 2014 - 1:00 PM
Barrington Library Auditorium

The first day of summer has already come and gone, and as we put graduations and Father's Day celebrations behind us, and look forward to enjoying fresh strawberries during their all-too brief season as the Fourth of July fast approaches, it's a good time to start planning our recreational activities for the season. Picnics anyone? A swim in the ocean or a refreshing sailboat cruise? Attendance at a baseball game? There are so many possibilities for enjoyment during a time of year that can seem as fleeting as the "in season" for strawberries that I mentioned above.

I've got one more recommendation for you. Why not seek solace from the heat and humidity and join me on five consecutive Wednesday afternoons in the air-conditioned comfort of the Barrington Library auditorium, for a movie lecture series called Inspirational Lives: Biographical Films About Extraordinary Individuals?

I've gathered a handful of films that look at individuals who faced challenges and obstacles in their lives: the blind deaf-mute Helen Keller, who learned to thrive once her dedicated teacher, Annie Sullivan, broke through the barriers that isolated the girl (The Miracle Worker); Sir Thomas More, who followed his conscience by refusing to endorse King Henry VIII's plan to separate from the Roman Catholic Church--exemplifying the principle of "the courage of one's convictions" (A Man For All Seasons).

Karen Blixen, a Danish woman who wrote under the pseudonym Isak Dinesen, endured the infidelities of her husband, and years of hard work trying to run a successful coffee plantation in early 20th-century Kenya (Out of Africa); James Braddock was a Depression-era light heavyweight boxing contender whose career seemed to be derailed by an injury, until fate gave him a second chance (Cinderella Man).

And then there's Johnny Cash, who rose from humble beginnings in Arkansas to a career as arguably one of the greatest country music performers of our time, dealing with all of the temptations and pitfalls that can come with fame, including drug dependency and infidelity (Walk the Line).

Like all of us, these men and women had to find their own way, in a world that often dealt them cruel blows. That they were able to surmount these travails serves as a testament to the strength of the human spirit. Self-determination. Courage. When necessary, the willingness to let others help us.These are all traits that, hopefully, we can find within ourselves.

Let's make a date to meet in the library's auditorium. One o'clock. Wednesdays. Together, let's be inspired by the lives that we see depicted up on the screen.

Doug Swiszcz
Librarian & Film Enthusiast

Here's the rundown:

July  9 - The Miracle Worker - Patty Duke, Anne Bancroft. (1962 - Black & white - 106 min. - unrated)

July 16 - A Man For All Seasons - Paul Scofield, Robert Shaw, Wendy Hiller, Orson Welles. (1966 - Color - 120 min. - unrated)

July 23 - Out of Africa - Meryl Streep, Robert Redford. (1985 - Color - 161 min. - rated PG, for sexuality, profanity, violence involving animals, and smoking and drinking)

July 30 - Cinderella Man - Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger, Paul Giamatti. (2005 - Color - 144 min. - rated PG-13, for intense boxing violence and some language)

Aug.  6 - Walk the Line - Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon. (2005 - Color - 136 min. - rated PG-13, for language, thematic material, and depiction of drug dependency)