What’s happening at Harbor Theater this fall
Harbor Theater in Boothbay Harbor has an exciting program planned for the month of September and beyond. Major films, independent films, documentaries, and special events will start Saturday, Sept. 1 and continue through the fall and winter. The theater will be open seven days a week until late September.
“Christopher Robin” will open Labor Day weekend and play through Sept. 6. The new Disney film stars Ewan McGregor as the adult Christopher, and a band of delightful stuffed animals. As he seems to have lost his way in the adult world, Christopher meets up with Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, and the whole gang who offer the same comfort, love, and wisdom they did when he was a child. It is a nostalgic look back for those over 65, and great for kids of all ages. Rated PG.
“The Puzzle” opens Friday, Sept. 7 for a week-long run. A frustrated suburban housewife (played by Kelly Macdonald) who has a talent for assembling jigsaw puzzles sneaks away from her suburban town and goes to New York City, where she finds a partner (Irrfan Khan) for a puzzle tournament in Atlantic City. As she experiences independence for the first time, she begins to view her value and the pieces of her own life in a whole new light.
Glenn Close and Jonathan Pryce in “The Wife.”
Opening Friday, Sept. 14, Glenn Close stars in “The Wife.” Playing a long-suffering and supportive wife of a Nobel Prize-winning author, Close is dazzling in her struggle to always be one step behind her husband at the same time she longs to be acknowledged for herself and her own talents. While Close has been up for an Oscar eight times, she has never won. Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair says, “Full of fury in ‘The Wife,’ she might have the competitive edge this year. Whatever happens, it will be a thrill to watch.”
Sept. 15 is the deadline for signing up for the Classic Film Series, running six Thursdays at 4 p.m. from Oct. 18 through March 21. Pick up a brochure at the theater or write info@boothbaycinema.org for an application form. Subscriptions are prepaid: $50 for 6 films, $45 for members. Subscribers get to pick the films. This is in response to many requests for classic movies. Harbor Theater responds!
Sunday, Sept. 16, at 4 p.m., the theater will host a showing of “Evolution of Organic,” a film about the beginnings of organic farming in California. Organic foods and snacks will be served with wine and cheese at a reception after the screening. This documentary, by Mark Kitchell (of SEED) and narrated by Frances McDormand, is being shown to recognize the importance of organic farming to all of us in Maine. Tickets are $10 at the door, and $8 for members and children.
Bill Nighy and Emily Mortimer in “The Bookshop.”
“The Bookshop” runs Sept. 21-26. In 1959, Florence Green (Emily Mortimer), a free-spirited widow, opens a bookshop in a historic house in the sleepy seaside town of Hardborough, England. She is soon selling enlightening works like Nabakov’s “Lolita,” which enrages a local imperious artistocrat (Patricia Clarkson) who decides to drive this young entrepreneur out of town. Bill Nighy, as a book-loving widower, steps in to try to save the book shop and its owner. Enthusiastic crowds enjoyed this film at opening night of the Maine International Film Festival in Waterville this summer.
Emma Thompson stars in “The Children Act.”
The last film in September will be “The Children Act,” starring Emma Thompson, opening Sept. 28. Based on Ian McEwan’s book about a lawyer concerned over the case of a young Jehovah’s Witness in need of a blood transfusion, her angst increases as her relations with her husband also become a struggle. Thompson, as always, is in top form.
A scene from “The Shepherdess of the Glaciers.”
Finally, we end the month with a bang-up celebration of our first year as a nonprofit with a members free event on Sunday, Sept. 30, 4-6 p.m. Meet Director Stanzin Dorjai at a wine-and-cheese reception before the showing of “The Shepherdess of the Glaciers,” a film about his sister, a sheep and goat herder who lives alone in the high Himalayas of northern India. Gorgeous scenery combine with a wonderful story of independence and resilience.
Stanzin, who grew up with his sister in a small village near Ladakh, was also a goat herder himself until the age of 14, when he was sent away to school. He is now a well-known climate change expert for India. He will be at the theater in person to introduce the film and will stay afterwards for a question-and-answer session.
Join us for this free special event. Members must RSVP to members@boothbaycinema.org before Sept. 20. If there are extra seats available after that date, tickets for the public will be sold at the door for $10 (no member discounts).
From November through June, Harbor Theater will be hosting monthly Exhibitions on Screen, a British art series on Fridays at 2 p.m. The films focus on art exhibits in the world’s leading museums and art galleries, immersing the audience in the world’s best-loved art and artists, with insights from leading historians and art critics. Intertwined with artist biographies and exclusive behind-the-scenes footage from the galleries, the films are informative, accessible, and entertaining. Topics this year at Harbor Theater include: Nov. 9, Degas; Jan. 11, Canaletto and Venice; Feb. 8, young Picasso; March 8, Cezanne, April 12, Rembrandt; and June 7, Van Gogh and Japan. Tickets at the door are $10 for adults, and $8 for members.
For more information, go to boothbaycinema.org or facebook.com/boothbaycinema, or call 633-0438. Harbor Theater is a nonprofit cinema located at 185 Townsend Ave., at the junction of Routes 27 and 96, in Boothbay Harbor, across from Hannaford Supermarket.
