The following is a guest post by Jenny Paxson of the Packard Campus.
Thursday, April 12 (7:30 p.m.)
Storm Center (Columbia, 1956)
The first of three features scheduled to celebrate National Library Week (April 8 – 14); “Storm Center” is the story of a small town librarian (Bette Davis) who stands up to local pressure to remove a controversial book from the shelves on principal, not out of sympathy for its viewpoint. The first film to openly take on the witch-hunt mentality of the McCarthy era, its themes of book banning and censorship remain relevant. Screenwriters Daniel Taradash (who also directed) and Elick Moll were inspired to write the script after hearing President Dwight Eisenhower’s 1953 speech at Dartmouth College in which he warned an anxious America against book burning. The feature will be preceded by the 1945 Oscar nominated short “Library of Congress,” narrated by Ralph Bellamy. 85 min.
Friday, April 13 (7:30 p.m.)
National Treasure (Walt Disney Pictures, 2004)
The Packard Campus Theater continues its celebration of National Library Week (April 8 – 14) with “National Treasure” and its sequel “National Treasure: Book of Secrets,” both of which feature scenes filmed at the Jefferson Building of Library of Congress in Washington D.C. In “National Treasure,” a team of modern-day treasure hunters led by archaeologist Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicolas Cage), search for a chest of riches rumored to have been stashed away by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin during the Revolutionary War. Directed by Jon Turteltaub, the action adventure film also stars Harvey Keitel, Jon Voight, Diane Kruger, Sean Bean, Justin Bartha and Christopher Plummer. Rated PG. 131 min.
Saturday, April 14 (7:30 p.m.)
National Treasure: Book of Secrets (Walt Disney Pictures, 2007)
In this adventure-filled sequel to the 2004 blockbuster “National Treasure,” Nicolas Cage reprises his role as artifact hunter and archaeologist Benjamin Franklin Gates. In this outing, Gates must follow a clue left in John Wilkes Booth’s diary to prove his ancestor’s innocence in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, as well as other clues that point to a massive, global conspiracy. The Library of Congress has a central role in the movie with scenes filmed in the Main Reading Room, the book stacks and other locations in the Jefferson Building. Jon Voight and Harvey Keitel reprise their roles from the earlier film as Ben Gates’ father Patrick and FBI Agent Peter Sadusky respectively, with Helen Mirren on board as Ben’s mother. Rated PG. 124 min.
For more information on our programs, please visit the website at: www.loc.gov/avconservation/theater/.