THE CLARK TO SHOW OSCAR-WINNING 1946 FILM THE YEARLING

For Immediate Release

July 18, 2013

WILLIAMSTOWN, MA—The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute will screen director Clarence Brown’s adaptation of Marjorie Kinnan Rawling’s 1938 novel The Yearling on July 29 at 3 pm. This free screening is part of the Clark’s ongoing Homericana film series, which highlights films that complement the life and times of Winslow Homer. The Clark is currently showing the exhibitionWinslow Homer: Making Art, Making History.

The Yearling is a classic and touching coming-of-age tale about family ties and responsibility set in the late nineteenth century in rural Florida, where a family of pioneers attempts to make a new home for themselves after the end of the Civil War. Gregory Peck stars as Ezra “Penny” Baxter, a former Confederate soldier turned homesteader, while Jane Wyman plays Ora, Ezra’s wife. Their eleven-year-old son Jody (Claude Jarman, Jr.) adopts a young fawn one day as a pet, which he names Flag. As Flag gets older, however, Jody must come to terms with the fact that his pet endangers his family’s chances of survival.

Peck won the Golden Globe in 1946 for his portrayal of Ezra and was nominated for the Oscar for best actor. Wyman was also nominated for the Oscar for best actress, but lost to Olivia de Havilland, who won for her role in To Each His Own. The film did, however, receive the Oscar for best cinematography, and the thirteen-year-old Jarman won a special Juvenile Oscar for his work as Jody. Jarman was one of only twelve child actors to receive this award before it was discontinued in 1960.

About the Clark

Set amidst 140 acres in the Berkshires, the Clark is one of the few major art museums that also serves as a leading international center for research and scholarship. The Clark presents public and education programs and organizes groundbreaking exhibitions that advance new scholarship. The Clark’s research and academic programs include an international fellowship program and conferences. Together with Williams College, the Clark sponsors one of the nation’s leading master’s programs in art history. The Clark receives support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

The Clark is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The galleries are open daily in July and August (open Tuesday through Sunday from September through June), 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is $15 June 1 through October 31; free November through May; and free year-round for Clark members, children 18 and younger, and students with valid ID. For more information, visitclarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303. The Clark’s library is closed for renovation through September 3, 2013.

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