Sat, Dec 14’s screening of THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER kicks off with a 30-minute presentation, The Wonder of Jimmy Stewart, by Sarah Childress, Lecturer in Motion Pictures at Belmont University.

Attendance at the presentation is free with your film ticket—and includes hot chocolate. The Wonder of Jimmy Stewart starts at 12pm. Film starts at 12:30pm. (Both presentation and film are in our 1966 Hall.)

About the film:
Alfred Kralik (James Stewart) and Klara Novak (Margaret Sullavan) are employees at Matuschek and Company, a leathergoods shop in Budapest. They’re constantly at odds with each other, butting heads and disagreeing on almost everything. But both are enamored of their respective pen pals, who serve as welcome distractions in their lives. What they don’t know is that they’re actually each other's correspondent—and they’ve fallen in love through their letters.

About the discussion:
James Stewart is an icon of 20th century America. Star of THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER and IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE —both on the Belcourt’s screen this month —Stewart gave life to some of the most memorable characters in film history. While celebrating the wonder of his legendary career, this 30-minute presentation also examines his performances to glean insights into how his films reflected the ideals, beliefs and values of particular historical moments. Stewart changed with the times, yet one characteristic remained his hallmark, both on-and off-screen: his vulnerability. This presentation will explore how Stewart embodied the changes in the country, while also considering how vulnerability was central to his artistry and continuing appeal.

About the speaker:
Sarah Childress has also played many roles in her life. She parlayed an International Studies degree from Emory University into a ten-year advertising career, working with ESPN, the Discovery Channel, Capital One, the Coca-Cola Company, and Delta Air Lines, among others. When the boutique agency she worked for disbanded in 2004, Sarah packed her bags and headed to Vanderbilt, where she discovered a talent for analyzing images and helped found the FLiCX and International Lens programs. After receiving her Ph.D. in English with a concentration in Film Studies, she took off for Maine in 2010, where she taught Cinema Studies courses at Bowdoin College. The Maine winters proved too cold and too long, so she returned to Nashville in 2016, when she began teaching in Belmont’s Motion Pictures Department, while also starting a management and marketing agency that represents musicians like Ian McDonald, Jeff Berlin and David Sancious.