Film: The Book Shop

On Saturday, September 29th at 7 pm, The Grand celebrates National Banned Book Week with a screening on the giant Coastal Eye Care Screen of a critically acclaimed film about the effect of books on a community and its citizens, “The Bookshop.” Co-sponsored by Blue Hill Books in honor of National Banned Books Week. England, 1959. Free-spirited widow Florence Green (Emily Mortimer) risks everything to open a bookshop in a conservative East Anglian coastal town. While bringing about a surprising cultural awakening through works by Ray Bradbury and Vladimir Nabokov, she earns the polite but ruthless opposition of a local grand dame (Patricia Clarkson) and the support and affection of a reclusive book loving widower (Bill Nighy). As Florence’s obstacles amass and bear suspicious signs of a local power struggle, she is forced to ask: is there a place for a bookshop in a town that may not want one? Based on Penelope Fitzgerald’s acclaimed novel and directed by Isabel Coixet (“Learning to Drive”), “The Bookshop” is an elegant yet incisive rendering of personal resolve, tested in the battle for the soul of a community. Blue Hill Books will be on hand in the lobby, selling copies of both Penelope Fitzgerald’s international best-seller and the banned books featured in the film. (2018. UK. 1 hr, 53 min. Directed by Isabel Coixet. PG.) Tickets for this General Admission presentation are $8 for Adults, $7 for Seniors/Students (15 and under) and $6 Grand Members. For more information on this or other Grand events, please call the box office at 207-667-9500 or visit The Grand website at www.grandonline.org or follow The Grand on Facebook.