In conjunction with Cal Poly and the city of San Luis Obispo, the Foundation for the Christopher Cohan Performing Arts Center will present Elia Kazan’s screen adaptation of John Steinbeck’s literary masterpiece, “East of Eden.” The fundraising event will capture the old-fashioned movie experience from the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s.
The movie night affords a rare chance to watch a movie released 55 years ago — and on the hall’s latest piece of technology, a 40-foot movie screen. Moviegoers can also expect free popcorn, old-style movie candy and Coke in glass bottles while raising money to support the Performing Arts Center.
Cory Karpin, the executive director of the foundation, said the hall is the perfect venue in which to show “one of the greatest movies ever made.”
“This is really a unique opportunity that you don’t get to experience,” he said.
Linda Halisky, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, said the event is a chance for the community to support the center, which is a “rich, rich resource for the campus” and will conjure some “food for thought.”
“We have a chance to review (“Eden”) according to contemporary standards — how does the directing, acting, cinematography etc. hold up? Especially for students interested in new media, film, theater, literature, this is a wonderful opportunity to explore the possible continuities between the past and present,” Halisky said.
Jules Hock, the coordinator of the event and a member on the Board of the Foundation for the Performing Arts Center, said his concept for the event is based on the assumption that watching movies in modern theaters lacks substance and said he wants to bring the memories of his youth to life for the community he now calls home.
“Movies back in my day were an adventure. I’d go to the movie theater every week,” he said.
Despite the thousands of classic films from which to choose, Hock said he chose “Eden” because it was filmed locally in Monterey and Salinas.
“There’s an interesting, almost, eerie connection with the Central Coast,” he said.
“Eden” is based on the Cain and Abel story from the Bible, was released in 1955 and takes place in the Salinas Valley around the time of World War I. The story details the lives of two brothers — Cal and Aron — who compete for their father’s love. The film was nominated for seven academy awards and is the only movie starring James Dean released while he was alive.
American novelist John Steinbeck grew up in Salinas, and many of his books are based on personal experiences. He won the Pullitzer Prize in 1940 for “The Grapes of Wrath,” a story about a family’s attempt to make a new life in the West during the Great Depression.
Hock said “Eden” is the “greatest written piece in modern history,” and he wants people to know how valuable Steinbeck is to world culture.
“He is just as important as Shakespeare; they’re both wonderful writers,” Hock said.
The movie starts at 8 p.m.. Tickets are $25 for adults, and rush tickets — an hour before showtime — are $10 for students.