NYS Writers Institute sponsors film festival on the work of legendary Hollywood director William A. Wellman

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William A. Wellman, legendary Hollywood director

• William Wellman Jr., author of "Wild Bill Wellman: Hollywood Rebel" (2015)
• Wellman.jacket.jpg

ALBANY, NY (01/15/2015)(readMedia)-- Over the course of the Spring 2015 semester, the New York State Writers Institute will present a "William A. Wellman Film Festival" featuring five films by the legendary Hollywood director, and an appearance by his son, William Wellman, Jr. All films will be screened on Fridays at 7:30 p.m. in Page Hall on the University at Albany downtown campus, 135 Western Ave., Albany. Films will include THE PUBLIC ENEMY (1931) on January 30, NOTHING SACRED (1937) on February 20, BEAU GESTE (1939) on February 27, YELLOW SKY (1948) on March 27, and the silent WINGS (1927) with live musical accompaniment on April 24. On Friday, May 1 at 7:30 p.m. in Page Hall, the director's son, William Wellman, Jr. will discuss Wild Bill Wellman: Hollywood Rebel (2015), his monumental new biography of his father.

A giant in the motion picture industry from the Silent Era to the 1950s, Wellman displayed a remarkable range of styles and interests over the course of his long and prolific career. His 82 films include history's first Academy Award winner for Best Picture, WINGS (1927), as well as such iconic films as A STAR IS BORN (1937), THE OX-BOW INCIDENT(1943), and THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY (1954). The schedule for the festival follows:

January 30 (Friday): THE PUBLIC ENEMY

Film screening - 7:30 p.m., Page Hall, 135 Western Avenue, Downtown Campus

Directed by William A. Wellman (United States, 1931, 83 minutes, b/w)

Starring James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Edward Woods

Two young hoodlums seek fame and fortune in the Chicago Underworld in this classic American gangster film. An early soundie based on an unpublished novel by two former street thugs turned screenwriters, the film earned an Oscar nomination for "Best Writing."

February 20 (Friday): NOTHING SACRED

Film screening - 7:30 p.m., Page Hall, 135 Western Avenue, Downtown Campus

Directed by William A. Wellman (United States, 1937, 77 minutes, color)

Starring Carole Lombard, Fredric March, Charles Winninger

This beloved gem of the screwball comedy genre features the verbal fireworks of screenwriter Ben Hecht. A woman wrongly compensated by her employer for a misdiagnosed case of radium poisoning decides to accept the money anyway and spend it on one grand "last hurrah."

February 27 (Friday): BEAU GESTE

Film screening - 7:30 p.m., Page Hall, 135 Western Avenue, Downtown Campus

Directed by William A. Wellman (United States, 1939, 112 minutes, b/w)

Starring Gary Cooper, Ray Milland, Robert Preston

In this all-time classic action-adventure film, three brothers under suspicion of theft run off to join the French Foreign Legion. At a remote desert fort in North Africa they struggle to survive a siege in which they are hopelessly outnumbered.

March 27 (Friday): YELLOW SKY

Film screening - 7:30 p.m., Page Hall, 135 Western Avenue, Downtown Campus

Directed by William A. Wellman (United States, 1948, 98 minutes, b/w)

Starring Gregory Peck, Anne Baxter, Richard Widmark

In this highly original Western shot in Death Valley, a prospector and his tomboy daughter attempt to protect their secret gold mine when six fugitive bank robbers appear on the scene.

April 24 (Friday): WINGS

Film screening - 7:30 p.m., Page Hall, 135 Western Avenue, Downtown Campus

Directed by William A. Wellman, (United States, 1927, 144 minutes, b/w, silent with live musical accompaniment by Mike Schiffer)

Starring Clara Bow, Charles "Buddy" Rogers, Richard Arlen

A former flying ace with the French Foreign Legion during World War I, director William Wellman used his familiarity with aviation to craft this silent film about two fighter pilots in love with the same woman. The first Oscar-winner for Best Picture, and the only silent to win an Oscar prior to THE ARTIST in 2011, the film dazzled contemporary audiences with its innovative flying footage and aerial combat scenes.

May 1 (Friday): William Wellman, Jr., author and actor

Reading and discussion on the work of film director William A. Wellman - 7:30 p.m., Page Hall, 135 Western Avenue, Downtown Campus

William Wellman, Jr. is the author of Wild Bill Wellman: Hollywood Rebel (2015), a biography of his father, director William Wellman, a giant of the motion picture industry from the Silent Era to the 1950s. Drawing on his father's unpublished letters, diaries, notes, and unfinished autobiography, the new book presents the first full portrait of the man. A notable character actor in his own right, Wellman Jr. is also the author of The Man and His Wings (2006), about the making of his father's silent masterpiece.

For additional information, contact the Writers Institute at 518-442-5620 or online at http://www.albany.edu/writers-inst.

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