DEC 6 – Turn Every Page

The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb

Friday, December 6, 2024 at 7:00 pm

A Shepherdstown Film Society presentation

Exploration of a famous author-editor relationship

Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Robert Caro (Power Broker, The Years of Lyndon Johnson) and legendary editor Robert Gottlieb have worked and fought together for 50 years, forging one of publishing’s most iconic and productive partnerships. Caro’s The Power Broker, edited by Gottlieb, continues to be a bestseller after 48 years. Now 87, Caro is working to complete the fifth and final volume of his masterwork, The Years of Lyndon Johnson; Gottlieb, 91, waits to edit it. The task of finishing their life’s work looms before them.

Directed by Gottlieb’s daughter, Lizzie Gottlieb, Turn Every Page explores their remarkable creative collaboration, including the behind-the-scenes drama of the making of Caro’s The Power Broker and the LBJ series. With humor and insight, this unique double portrait reveals the work habits, peculiarities and professional joys of these two ferocious intellects. It arrives at the culmination of a journey that has consumed both their lives and impacted generations of politicians, activists, writers and readers, and furthered our understanding of power and democracy.

Year Released: 2022

Rating: PG

Director: Lizzie Gottlieb

Cast: Robert Caro (self), Robert Gottlieb (self), Bill Clinton (self), Conan O’Brien (self) and many more

Runtime: 112 minutes

General admission (“pay what you will”). Reservations encouraged to ensure seating in our 100-seat theater. Doors open 30 minutes before showtime. Online reservations end 2 hours before showtime. Popcorn, candy, soft drinks, beer & wine available for purchase (no outside food or drinks please). Lobby, theater & restroom are wheelchair accessible.


FILM SOCIETY SPONSORS

A BIG THANKS to the sponsors whose generosity helps the Opera House bring this Shepherdstown Film Society selection to the community:

Executive Producers: The Press Room Restaurant & German Street Marketplace Coffee and Candlery

Producers: Lisa and Paul Welch

NOV 8 – The Monk and the Gun

Friday, November 8, 2024 at 7:00 pm

A Shepherdstown Film Society presentation

Political satire set in an exotic place

With the isolated yet idyllic nation of Bhutan on the cusp of modernizing change, an aging lama feels uncertain about the future of his country. He then enlists Tashi, his young disciple, to retrieve two guns from an arms dealer. The innocent Tashi then embarks on a journey inspired by James Bond, where he encounters a cunning American gun collector named Ron.

Year Released: 2024

Rating: PG-13

Director: Pawo Choyning Dorji

Cast: Tandin Wangchuk, Harry Einhorn, Tandin Sonam, Tandin Phubz, Pema Zangmo Sherpa

Runtime: 107 minutes

General admission (“pay what you will”). Reservations encouraged to ensure seating in our 100-seat theater. Doors open 30 minutes before showtime. Online reservations end 2 hours before showtime. Popcorn, candy, soft drinks, beer & wine available for purchase (no outside food or drinks please). Lobby, theater & restroom are wheelchair accessible.


FILM SOCIETY SPONSORS

A BIG THANKS to the sponsors whose generosity helps the Opera House bring this Shepherdstown Film Society selection to the community:

Executive Producers: The Press Room Restaurant & German Street Marketplace Coffee and Candlery

Producers: Tobi and Patrick Moriarty

OCT 4 – Citizen Kane

Friday, October 4, 2024 at 7:00 pm

A Shepherdstown Film Society presentation

Orson Welles’ classic masterpiece.

Alone at his fantastic estate known as Xanadu, 70-year-old Charles Foster Kane dies, uttering only the single word Rosebud. So ends the odyssey of a life…and begins a fabulous tale of the rise to wealth and power, and ultimate fall, of a complex man: A boy abandoned by his parents inherits a fortune, builds a global newspaper empire and aspires to become President of the United States, but he loses everything over an affair with an untalented nightclub singer. This fascinating story unfolds through the eyes of the people important to the tycoon–each showing a different aspect of Citizen Kane.

Frequently regarded as the best American film ever made; winner of an Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Screenplay; and nominated for an additional eight Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor. The story is generally considered to be based on the life of William Randolph Hearst, who fought to prevent the release of the film by RKO, as told in the Golden Globe Award-winning made-for-cable film RKO 281.

Year Released: 1941

Rating: TV-PG

Director: Orson Welles

Cast: Orson Welles, Dorothy Comingore, Joseph Cotten, Everett Sloane, George Coulouris

Runtime: 119 minutes

General admission (“pay what you will”). Reservations encouraged to ensure seating in our 100-seat theater. Doors open 30 minutes before showtime. Online reservations end 2 hours before showtime. Popcorn, candy, soft drinks, beer & wine available for purchase (no outside food or drinks please). Lobby, theater & restroom are wheelchair accessible.


FILM SOCIETY SPONSORS

A BIG THANKS to the sponsors whose generosity helps the Opera House bring this Shepherdstown Film Society selection to the community:

Executive Producers: The Press Room Restaurant & German Street Marketplace Coffee and Candlery

Producers: Sheila and Al Vertino

Producer:  Shepherd University Lifelong Learning

SEP 6 – The Big Lebowski

Friday, September 6, 2024 at 7:00 pm

A Shepherdstown Film Society presentation

One of the funniest comedies ever made!

A slacker known to his friends as “The Dude” gets mixed up in a convoluted kidnapping plot with an eccentric millionaire whose name he shares.

The Big Lebowski received mixed reviews at the time of its release, but reviews have since become largely positive and the film has become a cult favorite, noted for its eccentric characters, comedic dream sequences, idiosyncratic dialogue and eclectic soundtrack. In 2014, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.” (Credit: Wikipedia)

We’ll celebrate the start of the Film Society’s 2024-25 season with a complimentary pre-film party at 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm. Big Lebowski costumes encouraged!

Year Released: 1998

Rating: R

Director: Joel Coen

Cast: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare

Runtime: 117 minutes

General admission (“pay what you will”). Reservations encouraged to ensure seating in our 100-seat theater. Doors open 30 minutes before showtime. Online reservations end 2 hours before showtime. Popcorn, candy, soft drinks, beer & wine available for purchase (no outside food or drinks please). Lobby, theater & restroom are wheelchair accessible.


FILM SOCIETY SPONSORS

A BIG THANKS to the sponsors whose generosity helps the Opera House bring this Shepherdstown Film Society selection to the community:

Executive Producers: The Press Room Restaurant & German Street Marketplace Coffee and Candlery

Producer: Shepherd University Lifelong Learning 

Big Lebowski Pre-Film Reception

Producers: Frank “Doc” McCluskey & Melanie Winter & Shepherdstown Opera House