21st Classic Film Festival to feature Burt Lancaster in January

Portsmouth Herald
·3 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

OGUNQUIT - Ogunquit Performing Arts has announced the January schedule for its 21st Classic Film Festival, a Sunday afternoon alternative for those whose tastes run to viewing classic films, rather than outdoor sports of snow shoeing, ice skating or cross-country skiing, or when weather conspires to keep us indoors.

Katharine Hepburn starts with Burt Lancaster in "The Rainmaker," which will screen Jan. 8 in the Ogunquit Performing Arts 21st Classic Film Festival.
Katharine Hepburn starts with Burt Lancaster in "The Rainmaker," which will screen Jan. 8 in the Ogunquit Performing Arts 21st Classic Film Festival.

The four January films offer a Burt Lancaster and friends “film festival.” Released between 1956 and 1964, Lancaster is joined by well- known co-stars and supporting actors Lloyd Bridges, Kirk Douglas, David Niven, Fredric March, and actresses Katharine Hepburn, Rita Hayworth, Deborah Kerr, Ava Gardner and Rhonda Fleming. The films range across genres: westerns, romance, comedy, drama, and political thrillers, set in contemporary - of those times- or popular historic contexts. Lancaster plays to type: grifter/con man, attempted political coup leader, duplicitous alcoholic philanderer, and compromised “law man” in pursuit of justice, where the ends justify the means. The portrayal of women in these films plays to types of the times, with emerging glimpses of future women’s roles largely due to the portrayals of the powerful performances of the actresses.

Screened at the Dunaway Center’s community auditorium, 23 School Street, Ogunquit, Maine, Sunday afternoons at 2 p.m on January 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th, the following films are announced:

Jan. 8: The Rainmaker (1956) 

This film, loosely based on the real-life story of rainmaker Charles M. Hatfield, is adapted by N. Richard Nash from his 1954 play. The Rainmaker is set in drought ridden Kansas during the Depression. A grifter/con man (Burt Lancaster) promises to make rain for $100. The price is accepted by a local rancher whose daughter (Katharine Hepburn) remains unmarried and considers herself “plain.” Belief in herself that she is beautiful and belief that rain will come, results in a somewhat surprising ending.

Jan. 15: Seven Days in May (1964) 

This film, based on the political thriller novel of the same name, by authors Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey II, is set in the U.S. at the height of the Cold War/Communist threat. The Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Lancaster) hatches a plot for a military coup against the President (Fredric March) because the President has signed a nuclear disarmament treaty and the Generals fear a sneak Soviet attack. It’s enlightening to view this film (or read the book) in the context of the world order of today.

Jan. 22: Separate Tables (1958) 

This film, based on two one-act plays by Terence Rattigan, is set in Bournemouth, England, at the Beauregard Hotel during the off-season.  Evocative of a “comedy of manners,” the secrets of several of the guests are exposed, setting off a cascade of events, both comedic and dramatic. Revelations result in a shifting of relationships and consequences which will surprise, challenge, and inspire viewers.  The superb cast includes Lancaster, Deborah Kerr, Rita Hayworth, David Niven, Wendy Hiller, and Gladys Cooper.

Burt Lancaster stars with Kirk Douglas in "Gunfight at the OK Corral," which will be screened on Jan. 29 in Ogunquit.
Burt Lancaster stars with Kirk Douglas in "Gunfight at the OK Corral," which will be screened on Jan. 29 in Ogunquit.

Jan. 29: Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) 

This film was loosely based on a 30-second shootout between a lawman and a group of outlaws, which occurred in 1881. The screenplay by Leon Uris was adapted from a 1954 article in Holiday Magazine, entitled “The Killer,” by George Skillin. The unlikely alliance between Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday is portrayed with gusto by frequent film partners Lancaster and Kirk Douglas.  Viewers will find everything western drama offers: love found and lost, pursuit of justice against the odds, secret female gamblers, gunfights, horse chases, etc.

The Sunday afternoon series, offered most weekends from November through May (except designated holidays), is a great opportunity for fellowship with friends and family, and provides antidote to winter’s cabin fever malaise.

Admission, parking, and popcorn are free. For more information www.ogunquitperformingarts.org

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: 21st Classic Film Festival to feature Burt Lancaster in January