'Audrey in the Afternoon' Salutes Hepburn

“Audrey in the Afternoon,” a six-week film lecture series celebrating the work of actress Audrey Hepburn, will be presented by librarian and film enthusiast Doug Swiszcz at the Barrington Public Library starting Wednesday afternoon.

All the films air at 1 pm in the theater-like library auditorium.

"Hepburn was a movie star nonpareil, possessing stylish elegance and grace, unconventional beauty, and genuine warmth and vulnerability," said Swiszcz. "You would think that someone of Hepburn’s stature would have a swelled head, but she knew humility.

"Incredibly, she didn’t find herself particularly attractive," he said. "And she never hesitated to credit the directors and  co-stars of her movies for helping her to learn her craft as she went along."

Roman Holiday, the 1953 film that turned Hepburn into an “overnight” sensation and earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress, opens the series on May 1. 

"Audrey plays a princess from an undisclosed monarchy who, while on a state visit to Rome, tires of her regal responsibilities and slips away to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Eternal City," Swiszcz said. "Gregory Peck is the American reporter who escorts her on her incognito tour of the attractions."

The black and white film is 118 minutes in length.

Here is the rest of the film series:

• Funny Face on May 8;
• The Nun’s Story on May 15;
• Breakfast at Tiffany’s on May 22;
• My Fair Lady on May 29;
• Charade  on June 5.

Pre-film commentary will be offered by Swiszcz each week. Every film is free and open to all.