 Exceptional, Inspirational, and Determined: Favorite Biographical Films of the Famous is the theme of this year’s summer film viewing and discussion series at the Glendale Main Library. Film scholar, Jeannie Berg returns for a seventh year with the popular, free Reel Talk Film Series.
Berg, who has taught cinema studies at local colleges and universities for the past eleven years, will lead viewings and discussions of five “biopics” or biography films at the Glendale Main Library auditorium. The cinema screenings are at 1 p.m., starting June 2 and will continue on consecutive Saturdays through June 30.
“Biopics have been popular since the golden age of film,” says Berg. “They are the classic human interest stories that show us how ordinary people can do extraordinary things. While we are moved and inspired by these mythical characters, we are compelled to explore their triumphs and mistakes through film in order to understand and connect with them on a universal level.”
Berg has taught at Glendale Community College, Collins College, Scottsdale Community College, ASU and NAU. She has also previously taught screenwriting, television and theatre courses, and has hosted film discussion events across the valley.
Her knowledge of film comes from her extensive study of cinema and her experience working in the movie industry. She has an M.A. in Mass Communications with an emphasis in Film and Screenwriting from California State University, Northridge and worked for Warner Bros. Studios in Los Angeles before moving to Phoenix. She has hosted Glendale Public Library’s Reel Talk summer series since 2006.
This year's schedule is:
June 2: The Miracle Worker (1962) – Anne Bancroft, Patty Duke, Victor Jory. Directed by Arthur Penn. Twenty-year-old Annie Sullivan struggles to teach the blind, deaf, and mute seven-year-old, Helen Keller, to communicate with a world she can neither see nor hear. Patty Duke won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her raging, grasping and desperately isolated Helen. Anne Bancroft won the Best Actress Oscar for this strenuous role. Not Rated: 107 minutes. |
June 9: Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980) – Sissy Spacek, Tommy Lee Jones. Directed by Michael Apted. Sissy Spacek won the Academy Award for her moving portrayal of country-western singing legend, Loretta Lynn. Married at thirteen-years-old with four children by age twenty, she nonetheless began a rewarding yet harrowing career that kept her on a relentless highway. Tommy Lee Jones shines as her husband/manager Mooney, who guides his wife’s career with a loving, but sometimes overpowering hand. “PG” Rating: 125 minutes. |
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 June 16: My Left Foot (1989) – Daniel Day-Lewis, Brenda Fricker, Ray McAnally. Directed by Jim Sheridan. Based on his autobiography, My Left Foot is the fascinating portrait of Christy Brown, an Irishman afflicted with cerebral palsy who, with the support of his mother triumphed over the crippling condition to become one of Ireland’s foremost literary figures and artists. “R” Rating: 98 minutes.
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June 23: Rudy (1993) - Sean Astin, Ned Beatty, Charles S. Dutton, Lili Taylor, Robert Prosky. Directed by David Anspaugh. The uplifting true story of how one young man, Rudy Ruettiger, refuses to limit his dreams or bow to reality as he pursues his lifelong goal - - to wear the uniform, if only for one down, of the Notre Dame football team. “PG” Rating: 112 minutes. |
 June 30: A Beautiful Mind (2001) – Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Paul Bettany. Directed by Ron Howard. This film, based on the true story of John Forbes Nash, Jr. – a math prodigy able to solve nearly impossible problems – shows his rise and fall through a harrowing time of schizophrenia. Nash made an astonishing discovery early in his career, but before he could take on the trappings of international fame he found himself on a painful journey of self-discovery. This internal struggle lasted many years as Nash walked the tightrope of madness and genius and ultimately triumphed in this true story of human survival. With the help of his wife and colleagues he went on to win the Nobel Prize. “PG-13” Rating: 135 minutes.
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For more information about this free program, call 623-930-3573.
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