Williamstown - The "10 Distinctive Directors Under 50: Discovering the Direction of Film for the Decades Ahead" film series continues at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute on most Fridays at 4 p.m. through September 9. The series celebrates great filmmakers born since 1955, the founding year of the Clark. Films, held in the auditorium, are free and open to the public. All films are rated R.
Kicking off the August films on August 5 will be Great Expectations (1998, 111 minutes). Alfonso Cuaron navigates masterfully from Mexican originals to English literary adaptations, transposing the Dickens masterpiece to present day Key West and Manhattan. Ethan Hawke as Pip, now a painter (paintings by Francesco Clemente), and Gwyneth Paltrow, Anne Bancroft, and Robert DeNiro represent Estella, Miss Havisham, and Magwitch.
Together (2000, 106 minutes, Swedish with subtitles) will be shown on August 19. Lukas Moodysson casts an amused but sympathetic eye on a Stockholm commune in the 1970s, a hippie stew of idealism and ideology spiced by dashes of idiosyncrasy and desire, in which it is discovered that love is never altogether free. Frank and funny about sex and politics, the film demonstrates that family is where you find it.
August 26 will feature The Virgin Suicides (1999, 97 minutes). Directed by Sofia Coppola, who established herself as a major talent with Lost in Translation, but promised much with this first effort, this film is an adaptation of Jeffrey Eugenides' elegiac novel of love and death among teenagers in suburbia. With Kristen Dunst as one daughter and Kathleen Turner as the mother of five, this is a film of family from a distinguished film family.
In What's Cooking? (2000, 109 minutes) on September 2 Gurinder Chadha brings a multicultural brio to her orchestrations of communities in flux. Best known for Bend it Like Beckham, here she takes a panoptic look at an assorted group of Los Angeles families getting ready for the trial of Thanksgiving. Alfre Woodard leads a diverse and delightful cast.
Concluding the series on September 9 will be Welcome to Sarajevo (1997, 102 minutes), directed by Michael Winterbottom. The film examines the war in Bosnia and the siege of its cosmopolitan capital. Woody Harrelson is an American journalist working with British reporters to get to the heart of the breaking story.
Along with the film series, the Clark is celebrating its 50th anniversary with special exhibitions such as Jacques-Louis David: Empire to Exile, The Clark: Celebrating 50 Years of Art in Nature, and 50 Favorites, all currently on view. This fall, the Clark will draw on its extensive collection of works by Winslow Homer to present Winslow Homer: Making Art Making History, on view from October 9, 2005 to January 16, 2006.
The Clark is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The galleries are open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in July and August (closed Mondays September through June). Admission June 1 through October 31 is $10 for adults, free for children 18 and under, members, and students with valid ID. Admission is free November through May. For more information, call 413-458-2303 or visit www.clarkart.edu.
Calendar listings:
Friday, August 5: As part of the "10 Distinctive Directors Under 50: Discovering the Direction of Film for the Decades Ahead" film series at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Great Expectations (1998, 111 minutes) will be shown at 4 pm. The films are free. 225 South Street, Williamstown, MA 01267, 413-458-2303, www.clarkart.edu.
Friday, August 19: As part of the "10 Distinctive Directors Under 50: Discovering the Direction of Film for the Decades Ahead" film series at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Together (2000, 106 minutes, Swedish with subtitles) will be shown at 4 pm. The films are free. 225 South Street, Williamstown, MA 01267, 413-458-2303, www.clarkart.edu.
Friday, August 26: As part of the "10 Distinctive Directors Under 50: Discovering the Direction of Film for the Decades Ahead" film series at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, The Virgin Suicides (1999, 97 minutes) will be shown at 4 pm. The films are free. 225 South Street, Williamstown, MA 01267, 413-458-2303, www.clarkart.edu.
Friday, September 2: As part of the "10 Distinctive Directors Under 50: Discovering the Direction of Film for the Decades Ahead" film series at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, What's Cooking (2000, 109 minutes) will be shown at 4 pm. The films are free. 225 South Street, Williamstown, MA 01267, 413-458-2303, www.clarkart.edu.
Friday, September 9: As part of the "10 Distinctive Directors Under 50: Discovering the Direction of Film for the Decades Ahead" film series at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Welcome to Sarajevo (1997, 102 minutes) will be shown at 4 pm. The films are free. 225 South Street, Williamstown, MA 01267, 413-458-2303, www.clarkart.edu.
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Public Health Advisory Issued for Pontoosuc Lake
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Blue-green algae blooms have been observed at Pontoosuc Lake and a public health advisory has been recommended by the state Department of Public Health for the lake in both Pittsfield and Lanesborough.
As this bloom may present harmful health effects for users of the lake, the Pittsfield Health Department issues the following directives for this waterbody for people and pets until further notice:
Do not swim.
Do not swallow water.
Keep animals away.
Rinse off after contact with water.
Warning signs are being posted around the lake.
Blue-green algae, also known as Cyanobacteria, occur naturally in lakes and ponds throughout Massachusetts. These microscopic organisms are components of the aquatic food chain. In ordinary circumstances, Cyanobacteria cause no apparent harm. However, warmer water temperatures and high nutrient concentrations may induce a rapid increase in their abundance. This response is commonly called a “bloom” because algal biomass increases to the extent that normally clear water becomes markedly turbid.
Harmful health effects from the bloom can result through skin contact with the algae tainted water, swallowing the water, and when airborne droplets are inhaled. Pets are especially prone to the health effects not only through skin contact, but also by ingesting significant amounts of the toxin by licking their wet fur after leaving the water.
To protect yourself and your family from any harmful effects of this blue-green algae bloom, residents and visitors are advised to avoid contacting water that has a noxious odor, appears green throughout (sometimes referred to as looking like pea soup), or that has mats, films or scums accumulating on the surface.
Until further notice we recommend avoiding these high-risk activities:
Any contact with the water including swimming, diving, playing, or wading
Drinking, or allowing animals to drink the water
Water sports, e.g. water skiing, wake boarding, wind surfing, jet skiing, tubing
Other activities that pose a moderate risk to health include:
Fish consumption
Canoeing
Rowing
Sailing
Kayaking
Paddle boarding
Motor boating
The health outcomes of concern are:
Irritations of the skin, eyes or ears
GI problems like vomiting and diarrhea
Muscle cramps
In extreme cases nerve or liver problems
If you or your pet accidentally come in contact with algae tainted water, thoroughly rinse off with clean water.
If you experience any of the symptoms of blue-green algae exposure (listed above), contact your health care provider or call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. If your pet experiences symptoms, contact your veterinarian immediately.
Regular monitoring of lake conditions will occur moving forward until bloom dissipates. The community will be notified of the bloom dissipation at that time. The rescinding of the public health advisory will only occur after two successive samples, collected a week apart, demonstrate cell counts or toxin levels below the state guideline values.
For more information or questions, contact the Pittsfield Health Department at 413-499-9411.
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