Dan's Papers Film Festival

By Janine Cheviot

Dan's Papers is proud to present the 2007 They Made the Movie Here Film Festival, a consecutive three-week series featuring films that either take place on Long Island or were filmed here. The movies were selected by Hollywood Film Critic, Guy De Fraumeni, who is also an Oscar and Film Festival Movie Judge. The festival will be held, once again, at The Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center, located at 76 Main Street in Westhampton Beach. Admission is free, no reservations are needed and refreshments will be served. Sarah Halsey will host the film festival and viewers will have the chance to voice their opinions, comments and thoughts after the screening.

The first film featured in the series is Blood and Sand, which will be shown on April 21 at 3 p.m. The film is a 1922 classic produced by Paramount, starring Rudolph Valentino as Juan Gallerdo, the son of a poor widow from the suburbs of Seville. Juan becomes a nationally acclaimed matador, against his mother's wishes for him to choose a safer profession, such as that of a shoemaker, as his late father did. Juan goes on to marry his virtuous childhood sweetheart, Carmen, played by Lila Leet, but after meeting and falling in love with the Marquis' temptress daughter, Dona Sol, played by Nita Naldi, Juan finds himself in a compromising situation that threatens to jeopardize his marriage and status in society. The film also displays a subplot, involving a local outlaw whose career is paralleled to Juan's throughout the movie by the village philosopher. This silent black and white film, accompanied by music, gave Rudolph Valentino one his most celebrated roles. Based on the 1909 Spanish novel by Vincente Blasco Ibanez, Blood and Sand is set in Spain, but was produced on Long Island.

On April 28 at 3 p.m., the film festival will present Compromising Positions, starring Susan Sarandon as Judith Singer, a Long Island housewife and former Newsday reporter, who is trying to escape her mundane suburban life. When a philandering dentist, with whom she was having an affair, is murdered, Judith becomes involved in the investigation. There are numerous suspects, including all the women he had "one-on-one" sessions with. Judith herself is a suspect, and becomes increasingly attracted to the detective working on the case, which inevitably puts more strain on her marriage. Judith's main goal is to solve the case, so she can write an article about it and get her journalism career back on track. The film is loosely based on the novel by Hamptonite Susan Isaacs.

The last film in the series is Wall Street, which will be shown on May 5 at 3 p.m. Charlie Sheen stars as Bud Fox, a role that won him an Oscar for Best Actor. Fox is a Wall Street stockbroker in the early 1980's. The film gave viewers a glimpse into the greedy, fast, moneyed life that stockbrokers led. In the movie, Fox is desperate to meet stock market guru Gordon Gekko, played by Michael Douglas. Gekko is a powerful, ruthless broker, whose Southampton home is featured in the film.

The Dan's Papers "They Made the Movie Here" Film Festival has been running for over 10 years and is sponsored in part by The Suffolk County Film Commission. Come down and bring your friends and family, stroll the shops, eat at the restaurants and see an enjoyable movie with a local flair.

For more information call Dan's Papers at 631-537-0500 or The Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center at 631-288-1500. Box office hours are Wed.-Sun. 12-6 p.m. Schedule subject to change.