Event

A FACE IN THE CROWD

Wednesday, May 25 at 7:30pm
Members $9 / Public $13 / Includes BOOK SIGNING & RECEPTION

Join us as we examine the life and impact of one of the most
influential and controversial American filmmakers, ELIA KAZAN

More timely now, perhaps, than when it was first released in 1957, Elia Kazan's rarely-screened
A Face in the Crowd explores the dangerous manipulative power of pop culture. Scripted by
Budd Schulberg, Larry "Lonesome" Rhodes (Andy Griffith, in a brilliant performance) is not your
"typical" folksy guitar strummer. Promoted to national fame by Patricia Neal, he turns out to be a
megalomaniacal rat bastard. The film turns apocalyptic as Rhodes exploits his power to sway the
masses, helping to elect a reactionary presidential candidate. The parodies of television commercials
and opinion polling were cutting edge in their day, and there are some startling, near-documentary
sequences shot on location in Arkansas. The extraordinary supporting cast is led by Walter Matthau & Lee Remick. USA, 1957, 125 min.

Post-screening dicsussion will be led by LISA DOMBROWSKI, editor of Kazan Revisited.