Based on a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett it tells the story of Sarah Crewe, the daughter of a wealthy British Army officer on the eve of World War I. They live in India and since her mother had died, Sarah grows up under the loving eyes of her Indian caretakers. The colors and stories of India permeate her life.

But soon her father must go off to war. He takes Sarah to the same boarding school her mother had attended in New York City. Only this time the forbidding Miss Minchin is in charge. Questions, logic, and imagination are frowned upon. Even talking among the girls is forbidden. Only Sarah’s natural storytelling ability keeps her going.

Then the unthinkable news comes from the battlefront. Sarah’s father has died. As a result his assets are frozen, and to pay for her debts, Sarah is ordered to work as a maid in the boarding school. All that is left is her imagination. The highly regarded Mexican director Cuaron made this film in 1995. He is known better for his Harry Potter film, and most recently he received acclaim for the moving futuristic Oscar-nominated CHILDREN OF MEN, based on a P.D. James novel.

But if you’ve never seen one of his films, this is a good one for starters. His direction is flawless. Every scene pulls you in until you are totally involved in the story. Until you want to yell at the screen. That’s the giveaway. And Cuaron’s favorite co-worker, Mexican cinematographer, Emmanuel Lubezki was nominated for an Academy Award for his work on this film.  He is masterful at “magic realism”, the Latin American genre that mixes imagination with reality.

The only problem this film ever had was its name. You might think it is only for little girls but A LITTLE PRINCESS is for everyone.

The Murphy Library is showing  Stanley & Iris, a film about the power of second chances starring Jane Fonda and Robert De Niro.  Screenings are Thursday at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.  Running time is 104 minutes and the film is rated PG-13.

Stanley is a cook in the cafeteria of the plant where Iris works.  They both need their work. Times are tough and good jobs don’t come by every day.  Stanley has his elderly father to care for, and Iris, her teenage daughter as well as other relatives.  Yet they are attracted to each other  and begin to slowly acknowledge this fact.  Then one day Stanely’s secret comes out, he loses his job and finally asks Iris for help.

Director Martin Ritt always pulled the best from his actors.  In Thursday’s film, his last, Fonda and De Niro master the art of held-back emotions as they move back and forth in that scary dance called falling in love a second time.  Meanwhile John Williams plays the music. Call 837-2417 for details.

The Film Movement selection at the Murphy Library is Karen Cries on the Bus.  This Columbian film has adult themes and is not suitable for children.  Running time is 98 minutes.  The film shows this Thursday at 4 and 6 p.m.

Director Gabriel Rojas Vera could not afford a car in his hometown of Bogota in his early days of scriptwriting.  During the many hours he spent on local busses he amused himself by making up stories about the people he encountered.  Then one day he saw a young woman look off in the distance and begin to cry.  Rojas Vera had a story in the works about a woman who leaves her husband.  This chance encounter pulled it sharply into focus.

Rojas Vera notes in an interview how surprised he was that women relate so strongly to this film.  He realized the universal truth he unmasked, that “machismo is not a Latin American issue, but a worldly one disguised in many ways.”  See for yourself this Thursday.  Call 837-2417 for details.

Made in 1981, you can enjoy hearing the voices the late Jim Henson created along with his partner-in-crime, Frank Oz.

Henson  voices his alter ego, Kermit the Frog, but also Rowlf, Dr. Teeth, a Swedish Chef, Waldorf, The Muppet Newsman, Zeke and Man having Snapshot in Restaurant. 

Frank Oz, is the perfect Miss Piggy, as well as Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam the Eagle, Gramps, and a Swedish Chef.

The legend of John Henry is famous among the mountains of Appalachia.  He was a former slave, some say from Tennessee, who worked as a “steel driver” for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway.  He would hit steel spikes into the rocks of a mountain, slowly turning them to create the tunnels for the trains.  Then one day the railroad brings a steam hammer that could do the job of many men.  Seeing his job at stake and that of his friends, John Henry dares the steam hammer to a race, and the rest is legend.

John Henry is part of Shelley Duvall’s 1985 TV series, Tall Tales & Legends. She was nominated for an Emmy for this children’s show.   Besides Glover, the cast includes Tom Hulce (of Amadeus fame), Lynn Whitfield, Barry Corbin, and Lou Rawls.

A young Irish girl goes to live with her grandparents and hears tales about their ties to the sea.  They also tell of the  troubles that come from the sea and their livelihood.   The tales remind her of her little brother who was lost to the sea years before.

The Murphy Library is showing The Secret of Roan Inish this Thursday at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Rated PG. Running time is 103 minutes.   If you love fiddles and flutes and Irish tunes, don’t miss this movie.   Best of all when the Irish actors speak you don’t want them to stop.

Sorry for the ads on this trailer – just click on the x in the upper corner to get rid of them.

The incredible John Sayles wrote the screenplay, directed and edited this film. We’ve shown other films of his including Eight Men Out and Passion Fish.

 His cinematographer is the award-winning Haskell Wexler who also filmed Bound for Glory. They filmed in County Donegal was the northwest coast of Ireland.   Composer Mason Daring haunts you with traditional Celtic melodies, singers and musical instruments.

This gem of a film from Australia is the first feature film by Yu-Hsiu Camille Chen. Born in Taiwan, she studied film at the University of Utah, and now works with her own film company in Australia.

Chen shot the film over 19 days with less than two months in pre-production. In an interview for the film Chen says “Little Sparrows is about change, and about the desire and journey for that change. The chance to be someone truer and stronger.” The actresses don’t let her down.

Screenings are at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Running time is 88 minutes. Call 837-2417.

On Thursday, December 1 at 4 and 6 p.m. the Murphy Library invites children and grownups to see Cars 2, an animated comedy from Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios.  Running time is 106 minutes. Rated G.  Call 837-2417.

Vanessa Redgrave, Cheech Marin, Eddie Izzard, John Turturro, Brent Musburger, Joe Mantegna, and Tony Shalhoub are some of the other voices you may recognize.

When he told the librarian his problem she quietly put a book in his hands that changed his life. “See if you can finish this,” she said.  It was Will James’ book Smoky the Cowhorse and it was a page-turner.  There was no way he could put it down. “It literally taught me how to read,” he said.

The Murphy Library has received twelve books by western writer Will James from the Will James Society Book Gifting Program thanks to the efforts of Friends’ board member Mike Moumousis. Ten-year-old McKenna Houston, daughter of Tammy Gibson, tries his cowboy hat and lariat as she admires the books.

Thanks to Moumousis, other children will discover a love for reading among the stories of horses, cowboys and the American West.  Moumousis contacted the Will James Society Book Gifting Program and as a result the library received twelve books by the cowboy-turned-writer.  The Society is located in Elko, Nevada.  Six of the books are for children to discover the joys of cowboy life.  The other six are for those many adult readers who love westerns.

Will James, born in Quebec in 1892, moved to the western United States before World War I.  In the 1920’s he began writing and illustrating his stories of cowboys, publishing Smoky the Cowhorse in 1927.  It was awarded the prestigious Newberry Medal for children’s fiction. The Will James Society understands the comfort these books bring – they also sends James’ novels to our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.  

His books are now in Murphy waiting for their pages to be turned by young and old.  Call 837-2417 to reserve one.

 After an hour and a half of oral and written spelling, there were four winners!!  Joshua Um of Andrews Middle School and Lily Beaster of Ranger Middle School both won First Place.  Kamryn Adams of Murphy Middle School followed in Second Place and Erin Davis of Martins Creek Middle School won Third Place.

Lily Beaster, Ranger Middle School, Kamryn Adams, Murphy Middle School and Joshua Um, Andrews Middle School were First, Second and First Place winners of the 2011-2012 Cherokee County Schools Spelling Bee. Not pictured is Erin Davis, Martins Creek School who won Third Place.

The fifteen students from Andrews, Hiwassee Dam, Martins Creek, Murphy, and Ranger Middle Schools were all winners for their excellent spelling skills and confident demeanor.