Frist Center host to legendary stars
The Vital Impulses Film Series will present:
Kim Hunter’s “A Streetcar Named Desire” (1951) Sept. 5 at 6:30 p.m. in the Frist Center’s auditorium; Patricia Neal’s “A Face in the Crowd” (1957) will be screened Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. at The Belcourt Theatre in Hillsboro Village; and Celeste Holm’s “Gentleman’s Agreement” (1947) will be shown Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. in the Frist Center’s auditorium. Following the screenings of their respective films, the actresses will participate in a discussion, moderated by noted author and film historian Foster Hirsch, author of “A Method to Their Madness: The History of the Actors Studio.”
Admission to each screening is $6.50. Admission for Frist Center members and volunteers is $3, and admission for seniors and students with valid student identification is $4.50. Tickets for each screening may be purchased in advance at the Frist Center, or by calling 615-244-3327. Tickets are also available at each screening, however seating is limited.
Thursday evening following the discussion, there will be a reception attended by the actresses and Foster Hirsch. Tickets are $35 per person, $40 per couple and $20 for students with valid identification. Reservations are required and may be made by calling 615-744-3327.
As the Vital Forms exhibition highlights the innovations in art and design during the middle decades of the 20th Century, the three films in the Vital Impulses Film Series, offer insight into the political and cultural fabric of American society during the period. These three powerful films also showcase a then-revolutionary acting style: The Method, taught at the famed Actors Studio, of which Elia Kazan was a founder.
While Celeste Holm may be known for her recent appearances in “Three Men and a Baby” and for her co-starring role in the CBS series “Promised Land,” she first appeared in theatre in the early 30s. In addition to her role as Anne in “Gentleman’s Agreement” opposite Gregory Peck, she also appeared in “All About Eve,” “The Tender Trap” and “High Society,” both with Frank Sinatra.
Kim Hunter won the Actress in a Supporting Role Oscar in 1951 for her role in “Streetcar Named Desire,” a role she had originated on Broadway. In the 1950s, Hunter was blacklisted because her name appeared in a pamphlet purporting to list Communist sympathizers. She appeared with Roddy McDowell in the film, “Planet of the Apes,” and made a cameo appearance in “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.”
Patricia Neal, who grew up in Knoxville, burst on the film scene in 1946, following several award-winning theatrical performances. Between 1946 and 1950, she made 13 films, including starring opposite Gary Cooper in “The Fountainhead.” In 1963, she won the Oscar for Actress in a Leading Role for her role in “Hud,” which also starred Paul Newman. In 1968, following a series of strokes that left her partially paralyzed, she returned to the screen in “The Subject Was Roses,” a role that earned her an Academy Award nomination. The Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center in Knoxville is named in her honor.
Foster Hirsch is a professor of film at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York. He is the author of 16 books, including “The Dark Side of the Screen: Film Noir” and “Detours and Lost Highways: A Map of Neo-Noir.”
The Vital Impulses Film Series has been generously supported by the Tennessee Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts, the First Amendment Center and The Belcourt Theatre.
The Frist Center for the Visual Arts, located at 919 Broadway in downtown Nashville, is an art exhibition center dedicated to presenting the finest visual art from local, regional, U.S. and international sources in a program of changing exhibitions. Gallery admission to the Frist Center is free for visitors 18 and under and to Frist Center members. Admission for adults if $6.50, and for seniors and college students with ID, admission is $4.50. Discounts are offered for groups of 10 or more with advance reservation. The Frist Center is open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. through 5:30 p.m.; extended hours Thursdays until 8 p.m.; and Sundays 1-5 p.m. For more information about Frist Center exhibitions, programs and activities, visit online at www.fristcenter.org or call 615-244-3340.
The Belcourt Theatre is located at 2102 Belcourt Avenue in Hillsboro Village, near Vanderbilt University.