Edna Ferber, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of twelve novels over a fifty-year career, found many of her works being adapted for film, as early as 1918. Her writing often focused a compassionate and curious eye on Midwestern American life. Her sixth novel, Cimarron, a story of the Oklahoma land rush, was the basis for the film of the same name, which became the fourth film ever to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. In her book Giant Love: Edna Ferber, Her Best-Selling Novel of Texas, and the Making of a Classic American Film, her great-niece, Julie Gilbert relates Ferber’s life and career, particularly as it applies to the challenges of making the epic Best Picture-nominated Giant. Ms. Gilbert will be on-hand for the screening of Giant to talk about her aunt, the book, and the film.
Dates and Titles:
March 3: Cimarron (Wesley Ruggles, US 1931, 123 min., 35mm)
March 19: Come and Get It (Howard Hawks, US 1936, 99 min., 35mm)
April 2: Show Boat (James Whale, US 1936, 113 min., 35mm)
April 3: Giant (George Stevens, US 1956, 201 min., 35mm)
Events in this Series
Come and Get It (16mm)
Giant Love: Edna Ferber Only a year after publication, Edna Ferber’s latest novel was turned into a romantic drama by master director Howard Hawks.
Cimarron (35mm)
Giant Love: Edna Ferber Voted the outstanding production (Best Picture) for 1930/1931, Cimarron stampeded its way to the podium like Ben-Hur’s chariots rolling over the competition in 1959, and Titanic swamping every other picture in 1997.