'The Man Who Could Work Miracles' offered May 14 by Read a Movie series
The Rehoboth Beach Film Society and the Rehoboth Beach Public Library invite film and literary enthusiasts to a screening of “The Man Who Could Work Miracles” beginning at 4 p.m., Wednesday, May 14, in the upstairs community room at the Rehoboth Beach Public Library. “The Man Who Could Work Miracles” is a delightfully humorous fantasy.
This screening is part of the monthly Read a Movie series in which audience members are invited to read a short story in advance of the screening, and then gather to watch the film version and engage in lively discussion about how the film compares to its original inspiration.
Based on the H.G. Wells short story of the same name, this 1936 British fantasy/comedy explores the wide range of actions taken by a man granted the ability to perform miracles. The short story was originally published in 1898 in The Illustrated London News. In the film adaptation, Roland Young stars as George Fotheringay, who has been given miraculous powers. The story follows him through the discovery of his new abilities and his initial carefree exercise of them, and to his awakening desire to change the world for the better.
H.G. Wells, who also cowrote the screenplay, mixes humor, illusion, and a message in this charming allegory of the ability of humans to direct the future. Roland Young was a very popular British actor in the 1930s, well-known for playing the title role in the “Topper” films of the period, for which he earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Ralph Richardson, another famous British stage and screen actor, is featured as the recipient of several miracles gone wrong.
The popular Read a Movie series meets on the second Wednesday of every month at the Rehoboth Beach Public Library. After the film is screened, the audience shares thoughts about how well - or not so well - the story was expanded to the big screen. The Read a Movie series is open to the public and free. To receive the stories in advance, call the Rehoboth Beach Film Society at 302-645-9095 or call the Rehoboth Beach Public Library at 302-227-8044.
The mission of the RBFS is promoting cinematic arts and providing education and cultural enrichment for the community. The film society sponsors monthly screenings, special events, and the annual Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival (Nov. 5-9, 2014). The Rehoboth Beach Film Society is funded, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information on this series, other events, or to become a member, go to www.rehobothfilm.com or call 302 645-9095.
