Breaking Down the "Rules" at the Williamstown Film Festival's Opening Night

Amy Krzanik reports from Williamstown. The worlds of fiction and film came together at Williams College's '62 Center on Wednesday, October 30, as the Williamstown Film Festival opened its 15th year with a special appearance by best-selling author John Irving. Irving and Williams professor and WFF board member Jim Shepard discussed the highs and lows of seeing one of your books made into a movie, most notably The Cider House Rules, for which Irving won an Academy Award for the adaptation of his novel. Four other Irving novels, either partial or whole, were made into films, but The Cider House Rules was the only one for which Irving was wholly involved, and the one of which he is most proud. Snippets from the film were shown and Irving discussed many aspects of the film, including the setup of specific shots, casting decisions, the heavy subject matter of the film (abortion), and the camaraderie he felt with director Lasse Hallström. After a short Q&A with the audience, the night's activities continued with a party at Hops and Vines on Water Street, where attendees got the chance to eat, drink, and chat with Irving one on one. (Pictured above: John Irving, Jim Shepard, Steve Lawson, and Joe Finnegan.)