Lowell and the silver screen
If you are like most people, chances are that you have, or will at one point in your life be sitting at home on a boring afternoon. Maybe you begin thinking about how people have changed over the decades when you come across The Three Stooges on TV and say “Hey, this is awesome! I wonder what other great films existed in the 1930s.” People interested in finding out will be in luck when the third annual Lowell Film Festival takes place this weekend, showcasing some of Hollywood’s biggest films of the 1930s.
The title of this year’s film festival is Hollywood and the Great Depression: 10 cent Entertainment during Difficult Times. At various locations throughout downtown Lowell and UMass Lowell, students can experience a wide variety of films during the era of the Great Depression free of charge.
The event will feature names such as Charlie Chaplin, Bette Davis, Clark Gable, Boris Karloff and Claudette Colbert. The film festival opens on Thursday April 8 at the Lowell National Historic Park Visitor Center, where Jezebel (1938), starring Lowell’s own Bette Davis, will be shown at 7 p.m. The Athenian Corner Restaurant will host a celebration of the opening night of the festival at 5:30 p.m. with special guests, music, food and drinks.
Friday will feature Jimmy Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) at 7 p.m., followed at 10 p.m. by the classic thriller, Frankenstein (1931).
The busiest day of the event will take place on Saturday, where the films The Grapes of Wrath (1940), Snow White (1937), Modern Times (1936), It Happened in One Night (1934) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935) will be shown throughout the course of the day from 1pm until the end of the final showing at 10 p.m.
In addition to the main film screenings, downtown Lowell restaurant Dharma Buns Sandwich Company will host late night showings of movies and keep their kitchen open late as well. Students can enjoy some food and see Woody Allen’s homage to 20’s and 30’s films, Shadows and Fog (1991) on Friday at midnight. Saturday at midnight, students can see the controversial cult classic, Freaks (1932). Local diners will also feature breakfast meal deals and cocktail specials during the festival weekend.
While the festival is free and run by volunteers, students interested in donating to the Lowell Film Festival can do so on line or in person. For more information, complete time listings for the movies, locations, parking locations and directions, visit lowellfilms.org.
The film festival is presented by the Cultural Organization of Lowell, in partnership with UMass Lowell, Massachusetts Cultural Council and Lowell Film Collaborative, with the Lowell National Historical Park, 119 Gallery and the Pollard Memorial Library are venue partners for the event.
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