
June 14 - Spellbound (2002), 96 minutes, directed by Jeffrey Blitz, starring Angela Arenivar, Neil Kadakis, and Ashley White.
This engaging documentary follows eight young Americans who seek to win the brutally competitive National Spelling Bee. As we follow them through their daily lives, and to the championships in Washington, DC, Spellbound becomes about much more than an annual contest. With intimate access to home, family, and school, the film comments on community, privilege, race, economics, geography, and education. By the time the spellers reach Washington, we’re invested in them, and the event comes with edge-of-your-seat suspense. Wrote film critic Farah Cheded: “An endearing use of the sports documentary format to celebrate child geniuses… An alternately emotional, funny, and always gripping watch.”
June 2024 CinemaLit - Documentaries: The Real and Surreal
June at CinemaLit features four outstanding and eclectic documentaries. Together they represent the great range of subjects available to the genre. Join us for The Cockettes (2002), Spellbound (2002), Umberto Eco: A Library of the World (2022), and Television Event (2020).
Matthew Kennedy, CinemaLit’s curator, has written biographies of Marie Dressler, Joan Blondell, and Edmund Goulding. His book Roadshow! The Fall of Film Musicals in the 1960s, was the basis of a film series on Turner Classic Movies. His most recent book, On Elizabeth Taylor: An Opinionated Guide, examines the screen legend's entire career.
“I don't have a favorite film,” Matthew says. "I find that my relationships to films, actors, genres, and directors change as I change over the years. Some don't hold up. Some look more profound, as though I've caught up with their artistry. I feel that way about Garbo, Cary Grant, director John Cassavetes, and others."
“Classic films have historical context, something only time can provide,” Matt observes. “They become these great cultural artifacts, so revealing of tastes, attitudes, and assumptions.”
Mechanics' Institute Members Free
Non-Members $10
Cafe opens at 5:30 pm with wine, beer, sparkling water, juice, and fresh-popped popcorn for sale.
Register with Eventbrite below.
Please note: Photos and/or video may be taken during this event.
CinemaLit Films
