4 May 7:30 pm
rvacc reels presents

east of eden (15)

This screening marks our first event as an international fringe festival partner for the National Steinbeck Centre, California, a partnership we wish to develop over the next few years.

East of Eden is particularly relevant to us, as Steinbeck’s novel East of Eden references the writer’s family ancestry, the hardships of emigration, and particularly the dominant character of Samuel Hamilton, based in name and it seems, personality, on Steinbeck’s real maternal grandfather who left their homeland of Ballykelly to forge a new life in America in 1847. In his first major cinematic role, James Dean stars as Cal, a young man living in the Salinas Valley (incidentally, where Steinbeck’s family settled) who feels he must compete against overwhelming odds to win the love and admiration of his strong, domineering father, Adam. Frustrated at every turn, internal family tensions mount with tragic consequences. Also starring Raymond Massey and Julie Harris, the film set the precedent for Dean playing the role of tortured young man and won an Oscar in 1956.

The film will be preceded by a short discussion on Steinbeck’s article ‘I Go Back to Ireland’ which was published in 1952 in Collier’s Magazine and documents the famous author’s visit to his ancestral homeland of Ballykelly.

Admission £4

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