Bradley County’s salute to the 50th anniversary of the filming of “Wild River” continues next week with the Elia Kazan Film Festival.
The three films to be screened — “Gentlemen’s Agreement,” “A Streetcar Named Desire” and “On the Waterfront” — won a total of 15 Academy Awards for the acclaimed director, but the festival’s organizer said that’s not the sole reason for their inclusion.
“One of the reasons I chose these films was not just because of their award-winning status but because they provide insight in understanding Kazan,” said Bryan Reed, history professor at Cleveland State Community College and president of the Bradley County Historical Society.
“Kazan’s pictures were made for the big screen, and you can’t capture the power of his art on a television set,” he said. “To be appreciated fully, they need to be viewed in a movie setting like we are providing at this film festival.”
Reed will lead a discussion of the films following each screening, presented one each night Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.