The Gilded Age ended in the early 1900’s but its descendants did not cease their decadent ways. The Great Gatsby (filmed at the Rosecliff mansion) is the direct continuation of the Gilded Age with all its aimless excess. High Society traces jubilant socialites at the Newport Jazz Fest in the 1950’s. Reversal of Fortune shows a darker underbelly of the upper crust, and Grey Gardens chronicles the real lives of the relatives of Jackie Onassis, a society figure Newport knows well.

Perfect films to take you straight to the top of high society on a summer afternoon. Prosecco will be sold and complimentary treats will be served at each screening. It may not be puttin’ on the Ritz, but it’s the best $12 ticket in town!

The Lineup

Friday, August 5th 4:30 Reversal of Fortune (1990)

One of Newport’s most infamous true tales of criminal intrigue among the upper social tier of town, Reversal of Fortune not only takes place right here, but vividly entertains us. Jeremy Irons won the Best Actor Academy Award in 1990 for his performance as the maybe matricidal Claus. You’ll recognize many glorious locations around town as the movie was shot on location in Newport. – Start your weekend with a jolt of mystery that’s both ritzy and local! 

Saturday, August 6th 4:30 Great Gatsby (1974)

Relive The Great Gatsby as we take you back to the Twenties when romance seemed so divine. A longstanding tradition for the JPT, this year we play Gatsby as part of our After The Gilded Age Series. Nick Carraway,  a young Midwesterner living on Long Island, finds himself fascinated by the mysterious past and lavish lifestyle of his landlord, the nouveau-riche Jay Gatsby. He is drawn into Gatsby’s circle, becoming a witness to obsession and ultimately, tragedy. The original 1974 film was filmed at Rosecliff Mansion right here in Newport, Rhode Island.

Friday, August 12th   4:30 Grey Gardens(1975)

This film explores the daily lives of two aging, eccentric relatives of Jackie Kennedy Onassis. Edie Bouvier Beale and her mother, Edith, are the sole inhabitants of a Long Island estate. During the course of the documentary, they discuss their habits, desires and former loves with filmmakers Albert and David Maysles. The women reveal themselves to be misfits with outsized, engaging personalities. Much of the conversation is centered on their pasts, as mother and daughter now rarely leave home.

Saturday, August 13th  4:30  High Society (1956)

Heiress Tracy Lord (Grace Kelly) is engaged to one man (John Lund), attracted to another (Frank Sinatra) and, just maybe, in love again with her ex-husband (Bing Crosby) in this effervescent musical reinvention of Philip Barry’s play The Philadelphia Story featuring an endlessly delightful Cole Porter score. Among High Society’s high points: Sinatra and Celeste Holm ask Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Crosby and Kelly share True Love, Der Bingle and Ol’ Blue Eyes swing-swing-swingle Well, Did You Evah? and Crosby and Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong jive with Now You Has Jazz.

Tickets are available at The JPT box office or www.janepickens.com

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