Film Series – Full Series purchase
January 6, 2026 @ 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
THESE TICKETS ARE FOR PURCHASE OF THE ENTIRE FILM SERIES AT THE QUAM
Beat the dead-of-winter blues with seven relaxed evenings viewing and
discussing quality films at a historic venue facilitated by retired educator, Bob Thornley.
Get beyond “I liked” or “I didn’t like” the film. Learn and discuss basic filmmaking techniques and thematic/symbolic methods used by filmmakers to enhance meaning.
Films 1-4 have been chosen by the facilitator; films 5-7 will be chosen by participants from a list offered by the facilitator.
Film 1—Places in the Heart (1984) : Set in 1936 in Waxahachie Texas, this is a realistic film with a twist which tells the story of Edna Spaulding, a recently-widowed mother of two played by Sally Field, struggling to hold her family together and keep her family farm out of foreclosure. Field is joined by an exemplary supporting cast, including John Malkovich, Danny Glover, Amy Madigan, Lindsay Crouse, and Ed Harris. Places received seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, and won two: Best Actress (Field) and Best Original Screenplay for writer/director,
Robert Benton.
Film 2—Dead Poets Society (1989): Set at a prestigious preparatory boarding school in New England during the 1950s, Dead Poets Society portrays the work of unconventional teacher, John Keating (played by Robin Williams), who tries to inspire his students to be independent, free thinkers amid the stultifying repression that surrounds them. Dead Poets received Academy Award Nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor (Williams), Best Director (Peter Weir) and won for Best Screenplay (Tom
Schulman). “Often cited by viewers as one of the most inspirational films of all time.”—The Guardian
Film 3—Casablanca (1942): Arguably one of the greatest American films ever made, Casablanca is set in French Morocco at the height of WWII. It finds American saloon owner, Rick Blaine, playing both sides against the middle . . . both in the love triangle in which he is embroiled as well as the geopolitical conflict that he can’t avoid. The film stars Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and Paul Henreid and was nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning for Best Film, Best Director (Michael Curtiz) and Best Screenplay (Julius Epstein and Howard Koch) “I find it never grows over-familiar. It plays like a favorite musical album; the more I know it, the more I like it.”–Roger Ebert
Film 4—The Shawshank Redemption (1994): Shawshank was written and directed by Frank Darabont, based on the 1982 Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. The film tells the story of banker Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), who (though he maintains his innocence throughout) is sentenced to life in Shawshank State Penitentiary for the murders of his wife and her lover. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards, but received none. However, since its initial box office and critical reception struggles, the film has steadily risen in stature
and now often appears near the top of many lists of the best films ever made. Superbly acted by Robbins, Morgan Freeman, and a multitude of excellent supporting actors, Shawshank is a powerful epic tale of perseverance in the direst of circumstances and the inspiring strength of true and genuine friendship.
Tickets available at the door – Walk-ins welcome!
