(Chatham, NY, June 27, 2024) — The historic single-screen Crandell Theatre will bring a bit of the English countryside to Chatham’s Main Street in July with the continuation of its Jane Austen Summer Matinee Series. Featuring beloved film adaptations of the author’s work, the series will screen matinees of Emma. and Pride & Prejudice on two Saturdays in July at 1 pm. To reserve Jane Austen Summer Series tickets, visit https://staging.crandelltheatre.org/.
About the Films
Emma. (2020): Come see the softer sides of Anya Taylor-Joy and Mia Goth, and the sillier sides of Josh O’Connor and Bill Nighy, in this colorful remake by Director Autumn de Wilde. O’Connor (My Chimera, Challengers), who filmed this role just before he debuted in his BAFTA-nominated role as Prince Charles on The Crown, is terrific as the handsome and shifty Mr. Elton. Taking a page from the Emma-update Clueless, the Oscar-nominated costumes here are eye-popping, as are the sets.
Why the period in the title? “Because it’s a period film,” de Wilde told a reporter after the film’s debut. Screens on July 13.
Watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsOwj0PR5Sk
Pride & Prejudice (2005): Jane Austen’s classic novel about misread cues, matched wits, societal rules and impossible love finds the perfect pitch in Director Joe Wright’s hands. For starters, his exceptional ensemble cast is more than the sum of their parts. The chemistry between willful, opinionated Elizabeth Bennett (Keira Knightley) and Mr. Darcy (Succession‘s Matthew Macfadyen) practically oozes off the screen. Tom Hollander’s creepy Mr. Collins and Brenda Blethyn’s unfiltered Mrs. Bennett bring the comic relief. Rosamund Pike is perfect as Elizabeth’s gentle sister Jane, as is a young Carey Mulligan, in her first film role. Above all, the late, great Donald Sutherland’s wise, wistful and loving Mr. Bennett, written to perfection by Austen, is a father figure for the ages.
“Seeing this splendid version of Pride & Prejudice can be hazardous to your health,” said Jami Bernard of The New York Daily News upon the film’s release. “There’s a very real danger of swooning.” Screens on July 27.
Watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dYv5u6v55Y
About the Crandell
The Crandell Theatre in Chatham, NY, is one of a few community-based, nonprofit theaters in the United States devoted to film and one of fewer than one hundred single-screen movie theaters nationally. Since 2010, Crandell Theatre, Inc. has raised more than $1 million to purchase the historic theater and make needed repairs. The current Crandell board is engaged in a multimillion-dollar campaign to renovate and restore the area’s oldest, largest, single-screen theater and enhance the moviegoing experience for generations to come. For more information, visit crandelltheatre.org, or call 518-392-3445.