Southern Miss Gulf Park Features Fall 2014 Film Series: The Open Road and the American Frontier

The Department of English on The University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf Park Campus will present a Fall 2014 film series titled “The Open Road and the American Frontier” with the first screening and discussion on Oct. 23. The series explores various responses to the closing of the American frontier.

The films in the series are:

• George Roy Hill's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), screening on Oct. 23, the movie documents the end of the Old West. Dr. Damon Franke will introduce the movie; a discussion will follow.
• John Ford's The Grapes of Wrath (1940) screening on Oct. 30, adapts John Steinbeck's Dust Bowl novel and shows how the open road holds promise and escape. Dr. Will Watson will introduce the movie; a discussion will follow.
• Alison Ellwood and Alex Gibney's Magic Trip (2011) screening on Nov. 3, is a documentary primarily composed of actual footage of Ken Kesey's travels with the Merry Pranksters in his bus Furthur. Dr. Jerry Giddens will introduce the movie; a discussion will follow.
• Peter Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show (1971) screening on Nov. 13, is a beautifully filmed nostalgia piece examining the end of an era in a small frontier town. Dr. Rebecca Powell will introduce the movie; a discussion will follow.

All films will be screened at 7 p.m. in Room 204 of the Gulf Coast Library on the Southern Miss Gulf Park Campus in Long Beach. Refreshments will be provided by the College of Arts and Letters. The screenings are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Damon Franke at 228.214.3361 or by email at damon.frankeFREEMississippi.