A still from the film Greed, which will screen at the Greater St. Louis Humanities Festival this April.
The theme for the second annual Greater St. Louis Humanities Festival is something that affects everyone, says Director of Cinema St. Louis Cliff Froelich: money.
“It’s a subject that affects all of our lives in varying ways, particularly during the four or five year stretch where we’ve had a persistent economic downturn,” Froelich says. “We felt money would an appropriate subject to address.”
The Greater St. Louis Humanities Festival, which runs April 4, 5 & 6, will explore the topic through films, drama, art, history, and even music.
The festival started a year ago with Gerald Early, the former director of the Center of Humanities at Washington University, spearheading the festival’s creation. "The festival offers the opportunity for our city to celebrate the humanities and how much they contribute to the high quality of our civic life," says Early. "I was inspired by the Chicago Humanities Festival and I thought it would be great for St. Louis to do it too."
For one of the events, Froelich’s Cinema St. Louis has partnered with the Webster University Film Series to show the silent film, Greed. Jonathan Rosenbaum, who wrote a small book on greed, will introduce the film and hold a discussion about it afterward. Rats & People Motion Picture Orchestra will do a live performance of its own original score to the film during the screening.
Froelich says Greed fit within this year’s theme for three major reasons. First, the film is an adaptation of the novel McTeague by Frank Norris.
“So we’re involving multiple humanities here in the sense that we start with literature, and then we have a film adaptation by Erich von Stroheim,” Froelich says. “Then we decided if we get the film we could add another element by adding live musical accompaniment. Music is another aspect of the event…it immensely enhances the experience.”
Froelich adds that the film “shows how lives get contorted by money and the acquisition of it and the hoarding of it.” And lastly, Froelich says Greed itself was a “victim of commercial consideration.” Stroheim’s original film was an eight-hour adaptation of the novel, true to Norris’ work. But, Froelich said, MGM didn’t believe an eight-hour film would earn the company enough revenue. MGM shortened the film to its current, edited version, “undermining the original artistic intent," says Froehlich.
Greed will play at Webster University on Saturday, April 6 at 7 p.m.
Another film that will screen at Webster University is Double Indemnity, a fim noir about insurance fraud. After the screening on Thursday, April 4, best-selling crime novelist Scott Phillips will lead a Q&A. then, on April 5, the St. Louis Repertory Theatre’s artistic director, Steven Woolf, and Webster University English professor Meg Sempreora will hold a panel before the Rep’s play of the story. All Humanities Festival events are free except the Rep’s production of Double Indemnity.
Another highlight of the festival will be a presentation by Louis Hyman on Friday, April 5 at 2 p.m. at Washington University. Hyman wrote the book, Debtor Nation: The History of America in Red Ink. He will address the issue of debt in a way that is easy for people to understand, Froelich says.
Huffington Post writer, cultural journalist, and "CultureGrrl," blogger Lee Rosenbaum will discuss art markets and art collecting on Friday, April 5 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Contemporary Art Museum. Her talk will center around the financial threat museums are facing.
Other events include:
• A literary reading and analysis from the author of Dear Money, Martha McPhee and book critic Heller McAlpin. This will take place on Friday, April 5 at 10 a.m. at University of Missouri-St. Louis.
• The play Metamorphoses by Mary Zimmerman will be presented by the Prison Performing Arts’ Alumni Theatre Company. Three scenes will be acted out, “Midas,” “Erysichthon and Ceres” and “Baucis and Philemon.” The most memorable story is that of Midas who turned everything he touched to gold. “Metamorphoses” will take place on Saturday, April 6 at 11 a.m. in the St. Louis Public Library Central Library’s auditorium.
• Joel Rhodes, author of A Missouri Railroad Pioneer, and Colin Gordorn, author of Mapping Decline: St. Louis and the Fate of the American City will discuss how leaders in government and business can change the vibrancy of Missouri communities. This event will take place on Saturday, April 6 at 2 p.m. at the Missouri History Museum.
For more information about The Greater St. louis Humanities Festival please visit mohumanities.org/the-greater-st-louis-humanities-festival/ or call 314-781-9660.
