More than 40 years after it was released, hearing Steppenwolf’s “Born To Be Wild” during the opening credits of “Easy Rider” is still an exhilarating cinematic experience. Times have changed, of course, but motorcycles and rock ’n’ roll always will be cool.
Which is one of the reasons why The Grand in Ellsworth chose “Easy Rider,” along with three other films, to kick off its revamped film program. The Rebel Hollywood Film Festival started last Saturday, with the Dennis Hopper-Peter Fonda classic “Easy Rider” and the late-60s Jack Nicholson film “Five Easy Pieces” screening nightly through Nov. 25. From Nov. 26 to Dec. 1, the festival continues with “The Last Picture Show” and the little-seen “The King of Marvin Gardens.”
The new film program once again sets the stage for The Grand to be a hub for great film in eastern Maine. Film programming has been sporadic in recent years for a venue that, ironically, was once primarily a movie theater. Projector troubles meant screenings came mostly to a halt. But a big technology upgrade in 2009 meant The Grand could show both live high-definition broadcasts, such as from the Metropolitan Opera and the National Theatre of London, and digital films again. With that in consideration, The Grand decided to change their film programming to focus less on weekly screenings and more on special events.
The new director of the film program, Robin Jones, envisions semiregular screenings of both new releases and cinematic classics, usually as a mini-film festival or in conjunction with another event.
“The Rebel Hollywood series is our big kick-off event, for something that we hope will become a consistent forum for film in this part of the state,” said Jones, who moved from Virginia to Maine with his family in the summer of 2009. “Nothing can replace the feeling of sitting in a darkened space with a bunch of strangers, all experiencing a story together. And The Grand is a beautiful place in which to do that.”
Before he lived in Virginia, Jones resided in Los Angeles, where he helped run a movie theater that specialized in screenings of classic films. His knowledge of movies in general and the movie-house business specifically brought him very quickly to The Grand, a place that has been looking to bring back its film program full force.
“The goal is not only to do really high quality programming, but to involve the community on a deeper level,” said Jones. “We want to work with local organizations and businesses to plan things that benefit everybody.”
The opening night of the Rebel Hollywood festival included an array of giveaways: A DVD that features all four movies was donated by the Criterion Collection video distribution company, Bull Moose Music in Bangor contributed the “Easy Rider” soundtrack, and a motorcycle jacket came from Friend & Friend in Ellsworth.
The Rebel Hollywood screening highlights the beginning years of that era in Hollywood, when young, edgy directors, screenwriters and actors began making films that more directly engaged the world around them.
“‘Easy Rider’ was a really game-changing film, because it was made for a really, really low budget, and made a huge, huge profit. It changed Hollywood. These movies came in and just kind of swept the old out, and brought in the new,” said Jones. “You really had a six- to seven-year period in which all these great films were made, from ‘Easy Rider’ through ‘The Godfather’ up to ‘Raging Bull.’ And then ‘Jaws’ and ‘Star Wars’ came out and it changed again.”
It also highlights how far film technology has come. Many classic films have been remastered, so the picture quality is perfect and the sound is crystal clear — unlike the sometimes grainy, choppy nature of 35 millimeter.
“Some of the people who are going to come see ‘Easy Rider’ haven’t seen the movie since they saw it in a drive-through theater when it came out,” said Jones. “The restoration of these movies is incredible. You can’t imagine how much better it sounds now.”
After Rebel Hollywood, The Grand will screen Bing Crosby’s holiday classic “White Christmas,” Dec. 21-23. For the week between Christmas and New Year’s, The Grand will host another mini-film festival, showing two recent rock documentaries. “Who is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talking About Him?) will be shown Dec. 26-30, and “Do It Again,” a documentary about one man’s efforts to reunite legendary British rock band The Kinks, will be shown Dec. 31-Jan. 2.
After that, The Grand is planning a live simulcast of the Oscars, and a film festival to coincide with the Camden Conference, set for Feb. 18-20 and for which The Grand is a satellite location. The theme of the conference this year is “The Challenges of Asia,” so Jones hopes to show two or three classic films directed by Akira Kurosawa. Later in the year, a festival to benefit the Downeast Rail Heritage Preservation Trust will feature movies about trains.
“There are so many possibilities out there,” said Jones. “And it’s going to be a whole lot of fun.”
“Five Easy Pieces” will be shown at 5 p.m. through Nov. 25, and “Easy Rider” will be shown at 7 p.m. through Nov. 25. “The King of Marvin Gardens” will be shown at 5 p.m. Nov. 26-Dec. 1, and “The Last Picture Show” will be shown at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 26-Dec. 1. For information, visit www.grandonline.org.
