AMC Showcases Literary Screen Adaptations With "The Write Stuff" Festival On Saturday, April 6.

Entertainment Editors

JERICHO, N.Y.--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--April 1, 2002

AMC showcases three films with literary roots with "The Write Stuff" festival on Saturday, April 6.

An homage to novelists whose books have been the inspiration for notable films, the line-up includes JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, starring James Mason and Pat Boone; FAHRENHEIT 451, with Oskar Werner and Julie Christie; and THE GRAPES OF WRATH, starring Henry Fonda and Jane Darwell. The festival also features BACKSTORY: SOPHIE'S CHOICE, an encore episode of AMC's popular weekly series.

"The Write Stuff" begins at 1:00 PM (ET) with the sci-fi film JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH (1959), based on the novel by Jules Verne. James Mason is a scientist who leads an expedition to find the earth's core, encountering prehistoric monsters and other oddities along the way. The film garnered three Academy Award(R) nominations, including Best Special Effects. Pat Boone co-stars.

Next, at 3:15 PM (ET), Oskar Werner is a fireman, who starts, instead of ends, fires in Francois Truffaut's FAHRENHEIT 451 (1966). This film is an adaptation of Ray Bradbury's 1951 novel about a futuristic society where all books are banned and information is controlled by the government. When Werner falls in love with a subversive 17-year-old (Julie Christie, in a dual role as both the girl and Werner's wife) and starts reading the books he's supposed to burn, his world turns upside down.

BACKSTORY: SOPHIE'S CHOICE (2002), airing at 5:15 PM (ET), offers a provocative and in-depth look behind the scenes of the 1982 film based on William Styron's best-selling novel about a Holocaust survivor. This encore episode of AMC's critically acclaimed series that captures the moment in time in which a notable film was created features an interview with Meryl Streep, who won her second Oscar(R) for her role as a Polish immigrant.

The festival concludes at 5:45 PM (ET) with THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940), starring Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell and John Carradine. Screenwriter Nunnally Johnson earned an Academy Award(R) nomination for his adaptation of John Steinbeck's novel about a family forced to leave their Oklahoma farm for a life as California migrant workers. Despite their misfortune, they persevere in this epic tale of the essential dignity of the human spirit. Nominated for a total of seven Oscars(R), including Best Picture and Fonda for Best Actor, the film won two - John Ford for Best Director and Darwell for Best Supporting Actress.

AMC is a premiere 24-hour movie network dedicated to the world of American film. With one of the finest, most comprehensive libraries of popular films, and a diverse blend of original series, documentaries and interstitials, AMC offers an elegant and contemporary entertainment destination. AMC is a fully distributed network reaching over 82,000,000 U.S. homes (as of Jan. 2002) and ranking #16 in size among all 55 networks.

Since its launch in 1984, AMC has been dedicated to deepening the movie experience for its viewers, featuring film-loving celebrity hosts and an increasingly visible, critically acclaimed slate of original programming. AMC has more than doubled its original programming over the past 3 years and garnered many of the industry's highest honors, including five Emmy awards.

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