The Center for History and Culture of Southeast Texas and the Upper Gulf Coast will host a lecture by art historian and author Alison Lynn Field at 1 p.m., Nov. 6, in the Reaud Administration Building. Field will talk about the movie “Lone Star.”
The film will be screened at 7 p.m. that evening at the Jefferson Theatre in downtown Beaumont. Fields is the director of the University of Oklahoma School of Visual Arts and author of “Lone Star,” a new book about the film.
“Lone Star,” directed by John Sayles, features Matthew McConaughey, Kris Kristofferson, Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Peña and Chandra Wilson. The event will celebrate the movie’s 30th anniversary.
“It’s a murder mystery that takes place on the Texas-Mexico border,” Jimmy Bryan, director of the Center for History and Culture of Southeast Texas and the Upper Gulf Coast, said. “But it’s really a film about generations, family, community and how history can serve as a divisive force between those families, generations and community members.”
The story centers around Sheriff Sam Deeds (Cooper) as he investigates a case involving human remains at an old gun range. In the process, he discovers secrets about his father who was the former sheriff. The film explores the importance of telling all the sides of history, not just one version, Bryan said.
The fictional Texas border town of Frontera is a melting pot of different ethnic groups and the film
explores how racial prejudice can interfere with history, and how history can be misconstrued by generations.
“The central focus is that question of, why is history important, how it divides us, and should it be so important?” Bryan said. “And in some ways, the answer is no. Which as a historian, it’s like, ‘Wait a second. History is important.’ But uncovering not so much the truth, which is a subjective thing — but finding the honest history and finding all the history, not just a single aspect of history.”
Bryan said he plans to host more screenings at the Jefferson.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for students and the community to watch a film in a space that was designed for watching movies,” he said. “And of course, the Jefferson has been upgraded with all the new technologies, so it’s a great professional presentation.”
Sayles’s screenplay was nominated for an Academy Award, a BAFTA award and a Golden Globe in 1996 Academy Award, BAFTA Award, and Golden Globe Award. The film was also nominated for four Independent Spirit awards, with Elizabeth Peña winning Best Supporting Female.
Admission to the lecture is free. Tickets for the screening are $7 with free admission for LU students with ID.
For more information, visit the Center for History & Culture of Southeast Texas and Upper Gulf Coast Facebook page.