Opening Night

75th Anniversary of Ford's Golden Year -1939 – and Screening of Stagecoach at Dublin's historic SAVOY Cinema

The John Ford Ireland Symposium Opening Night celebrates the 75th anniversary of Ford's Golden Year of 1939 at Dublin's historic SAVOY Cinema with a a special Presentation reflecting on this monumental time in Hollywood, followed by the Screening of the classic Western from that year, Stagecoach, starring the indomitable John Wayne.

The year 1939 in Motion Pictures is widely considered to be the greatest year in the history of Cinema, with an outstanding number of films released in that year now considered all-time classics; from beloved blockbusters Gone With the Wind and The Wizard of Oz to one of cinema's most poignant and tragic love stories in Wuthering Heights to Shirley Temple at her child star peak in The Little Princess to the powerful sentiment at the heart of Mr Smith Goes to Washington, and more.

Among these, John Ford stood tall and unique in making not one, but three major films in 1939; the Westerns Stagecoach and Drums Along the Mohawk and the historical drama Young Mr. Lincoln. All three films received Academy Award nominations that year, with 10 in total, Stagecoach eventually winning two.

Stagecoach was Ford's first located at Monument Valley and is the film which launched the forty-year collaborative relationship between John Ford and John Wayne.

Stagecoach has been called a "perfect film" by director Orson Welles, who watched it forty times while making his own classic Citizen Kane and it continues to receive acclaim today, included on the American Film Institute's Top 10 Westerns list of all time. It was added to the US National Film Registry in 1995, and most recently, was named one of 15 Most Influential Classic Movies by Turner Classic Movies.

John Wayne's children, Marissa and Ethan Wayne will attend this event, along with John Ford's grandson, Dan Ford.

Author Scott Eyman, who has just published the most definitive and highly acclaimed book on John Wayne recognising him as the most beloved American Actor of all time, will also be in attendance (he also wrote a major book on Ford). Scott will participate at the Symposium in a public interview on Saturday 7th June at the Gresham Hotel.

'A perfect film' Orson Welles

Friday 6th June, 8pm The Savoy Cinema

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www.johnfordireland.org

The John Ford Ireland Symposium takes place in Dublin from 6-8 June 2014, with a three day focus on film and filmmaking, inspired and informed by the timeless work of legendary Irish-American director John Ford