Double bill ends series

An unusual offering concludes the current fall series of Movies at the Library on Tuesday, December 8 at 7 p.m. For the first time, there will be two films that have one major similarity, that of silence.


The first is the much-acclaimed 1922 documentary, “Nanook of the North.” It is the work of Robert J. Flaherty, chronicling one year in the life of an Inuit Eskimo family in Alaska. Flaherty has been criticized by purists who complained that he composed the sequences of the film in advance and tended to overplay the harsh realities of Eskimo life. 


By the same token, there is no disagreement that this film is a masterpiece of its time. Simple and profound, it paved the way for the great documentarians of the 20th century. And the film has survived as a realistic and moving account of Inuit life, its stark truths and its beauty. Nowhere has black and white been so colorful. The film is 79 minutes in length.


In contrast, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” is only 28 minutes long. Directed by Robert Enrico, it is in color and the few lines of dialogue are in French. It won the Best Film Award at Cannes where it was premiered in 1962 and won the 1964 Academy Award for Best Short Subject. It is also notable as the only film to be presented in Rod Serling’s famed television series, “The Twilight Zone,” that was not produced specifically for that series.


The film is based on a short story by Ambrose Bierce about a man accused of trying to sabotage a bridge during the American Civil War. He is caught and sentenced, and as the film begins, is about to be hanged from Owl Creek Bridge. Much of the movie takes place in the condemned man’s mind, his escape and return to his beloved wife and child.


It is for this story that Ambrose Bierce is best known. It and the film demonstrate his distinctive style, which includes dark imagery, vague references to time, limited description and war-themed topics. 


The film is truly unforgettable. Don’t miss these two great films.