'Hawthorne in Hollywood' Film Series

How many can say they’ve seen the movie, “The House of the Seven Gables,” at The House of the Seven Gables? If not, the time has come to remedy that gaping lapse in hipness. All are invited to a fun film series at The House of the Seven Gables that features three movies made from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s iconic novels including “The House of the Seven Gables.” This community film series runs from August 1 through October 4. Showtime is 6:30 p.m. Those who purchase a POP! Pass will receive admission to all three of the movies along with a good supply of popcorn and soft drinks for each movie. The POP! Pass is $25 for members and $40 general admission. Individual tickets are $15 general admission and $12 for members. Thursday, August 1, 6:30 p.m. “The House of the Seven Gables” 28-minute animation released in 2018 Directed by Ben Wickey; starring David Frankham and Jonathan David Dixon. See the 2018 animation and meet filmmaker Ben Wickey. His award-winning stop-animation short has been on the festival circuit for the past year. Wickey, 24, is a Rockport, Massachusetts, filmmaker and illustrator, and a recent graduate from the California Institute of the Arts. He is also the animation director for “Gorey,” an upcoming documentary about the last days of author/illustrator Edward Gorey, as well as the illustrator of Ki Longfellow's “The Illustrated Vivian Stanshall,” a book about the life and times of one of Britain's most celebrated and eccentric comic musicians.

Thursday, September 5, 6:30 p.m. The House of the Seven Gables (1940) This critically acclaimed 1940 version of the gothic romance, “The House of the Seven Gables,” stars George Sanders, Margaret Lindsay and Vincent Price at his best. Here’s what the prolific movie blogger Jeffrey Anderson, Combustible Celluloid, wrote in 2018: “Though ghosts are at the edges of the story, and though Price has one of the darkest and most commanding roles of his early years (he was usually a milquetoast), this is not exactly a horror movie. It is about greed and evil, though, and the way that greedy and horrible men inevitably ascend to power, and it's about delicious revenge.” 3 ½ out of 4 stars Bonus: A showing of Vincent Price’s 1990 half-hour narrated tour of The House of the Seven Gables will kick off the evening’s tribute to Hawthorne in Hollywood.

Friday, October 4 at 6:30 p.m. The Scarlet Letter (1926) The great Swedish director Victor Sjöström delivered his silent film interpretation of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter” in 1926, two years before the director’s most celebrated film, “The Wind” — considered by many to be among the greatest silent films ever made. “Movie Classics” blog maintains that Sjöström’s “Scarlet Letter” is also a silent film masterpiece. He used Frances Marion, screenwriter, and Lillian Gish and Lars Hanson, starring actors, in both movies. The Gables will honor this silent film with a special piano accompaniment by Peter Krasinski. After the film, Nancy Schultz, professor of English at Salem State University, will lead a conversation with the audience. Co-sponsors: Creative North Shore; Creative Collective MA, Cape Ann Cinema & Stage