Marders' Films on the Haywall Series Continues Friday

The summer season of Films on the Haywall will continue this Friday, at Marders Nursery in Bridgehampton, with a presentation of Orson Welles’ noir classic, Touch of Evil.

Silas Marder studied film at Bennington College and six years ago began the tradition of projecting classic movies onto an outdoor screen supported by field equipment over a large wall of hay bales, as a way of reconnecting with the long-time love.

According to gallery director Alana Leland, the Films on the Haywall series can be seen as the spiritual successor of the old Bridgehampton Drive-In theater, located where the King Kullen in the Bridgehampton Commons stands today. There is a new experience to be had watching a film outside, totally exposed to the elements.

 “Last year, we showed The Shining,” Leland said, “which is scary enough as it is without being outside in the dark.” In keeping with the horror film theme, she also commented on a screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, saying, “Being outdoors just added a whole new element of fear.”

Though Marders tends to show one Hitchcock film a year, and screened Rebecca as the season’s first film on June 28, the connecting theme is American classics and foreign films Silas Marder wants to bring to local audiences.

Apart from adding to a horror film, Leland expressed the additional ambiance of watching a film outdoors. Due to the proximity of the LIRR train line, “there’s usually one or two trains per screening,” Leland said, but she there are also “shooting stars, satellites and planes” flying overhead.

 Admission is free, and audiences are encouraged to bring their own beach chairs or blankets. “We’re out on the grass after all,” Leland said.

Though no refreshments are sold, moviegoers are allowed to bring their own picnics for mid-screening snacks. Additionally, alcoholic beverages are permitted but not encouraged.

The rest of the films for this year, which begin Fridays at nightfall but no earlier than 9 p.m., will be: Francois Truffaut’s The 400 Blows on July 12; Arthur Penn’s Bonnie and Clyde on July 19; Sally Potter’s Orlando on July 26; Norman Jewison’s The Russians Are Coming, The Russians are Coming on Aug. 2; Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s The Ghost and Mrs. Muir on Aug. 9; Ingmar Bergman’s Wild Strawberries on Aug. 16; John Ford’s Grapes of Wrath on Aug. 23; and Michael Powell and Emeric Pressberger’s The Red Shoes on Aug. 30. On Thursday Aug. 22, a special film night will be held to benefit Wildlife Conservation Film Festivals, but details are still forthcoming.