July 22, 2003

Gone With the Wind Ends MASS MoCA's Season of Moonlit Movies

(North Adams, Mass.) 1939 could be considered the apex of Hollywood's spectacular golden age. In that year the winner of seven Oscars was Gone With the Wind, staring Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh. Enduring to become one of America's greatest, historical epic films, Gone With the Wind has endeared generations of viewers. Based on Margaret Mitchell's record-holding book, the movie is a richly textured experience with something for everyone. This classic film will be screened outdoors on the largest screen in Berkshire County at MASS MoCA on Friday, August 22, at 8:30 P.M. where Hollywood stars meet a starlit sky.

The milestone film received tremendous accolades, more than any previous films to date: thirteen nominations and eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (Victor Fleming), Best Actress (Vivien Leigh), a posthumous Best Screenplay, Best Color Cinematography, Best Interior Decoration, Best Film Editing, and Best Supporting Actress (Hattie McDaniel - the first time an African-American had been nominated and honored). Max Steiner also delivers a full, sweeping score of music that awes the senses and unifies the script in music.

At the heart of Gone With the Wind lies the tale of Scarlett O'Hara, who survives and thrives through a series of disasters. The fickle, early-widowed Scarlett matches wits with Rhett Butler as she battles her feelings for him while the Union and Confederate armies battle each other. Her story is told with sweeping outdoor shots portraying images of the Old South - a green pasture with horses grazing, a river at night, magnolias, a mill constructed from bricks, peaceful Southern plantations, the city of Atlanta, and more.

Linda Shearer, director of the the Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA) will introduce the film, in conjunction with the August 30 opening of the exhibition Kara Walker: Narratives of a Negress at WCMA. Known for her black paper-cut silhouettes, Walker has quickly become one of the most important voices of her generation. Her images depict Civil War-era scenes filled with visual stereotypes, sex, violence, and disquieting power relationships. One of the pieces in the exhibition is Gone: An Historical Romance of a Civil War as it Occurred Between the Dusky Thighs of One Young Negress and Her Heart. This cut-paper mural looms larger than life, stretching 50 feet in length, and Walker's elegant black silhouettes provide a stark contrast against the white wall. According to Holland Cotter of The New York Times, Walker has created a "nightmare version of antebellum gentility and slavery, a Gone With the Wind set in Gomorrah."

Lickety Split will be open to serve dinner and snacks starting at 7:30 P.M. when the doors open. There will also be a full bar. In case of rain, the film will move indoors where the Hunter Center will have been transformed into a full movie palace.

Tickets to Gone With the Wind are $6.50. MASS MoCA and WCMA members get 10% off. Tickets are available through the MASS MoCA Box Office located on Marshall Street in North Adams from 10 A.M. until 6 P.M. daily. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111 during Box Office hours or online at www.massmoca.org.

MASS MoCA, the largest center for contemporary visual and performing arts in the United States, is located off Marshall St. in North Adams on a 13-acre campus of renovated 19th-century factory buildings.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Katherine Myers
(413) 664-4481 x8113
katherine@massmoca.org