Office of Public Affairs
(315) 312-2265
Oct. 15, 2003
CONTACT: Robert O'Connor, 312-2610
'BUFFALO SOLDIERS' PREMIERE, FUND-RAISER SET OCT. 30
OSWEGO -- People from the community and campus are
invited to the Oct. 30 local premiere of the Miramax Pictures film
"Buffalo Soldiers," based on the award-winning book of the same name by
Robert O'Connor, associate professor of English at SUNY Oswego.
The movie stars Joaquin Phoenix, Ed Harris, Scott
Glenn and Anna Paquin, with Gregor Jordan directing. It centers on
complications befalling Elwood (played by Phoenix), a savvy but
troubled soldier stationed in Germany around the fall of the Berlin
Wall in 1989. In the movie, O'Connor said, the characters are watching
the wall coming down on television, "meanwhile their lives are kind of
coming apart."
A 7 p.m. screening at Oswego Cinema, 138 W. Second
St., will be immediately followed by a gala champagne and dessert
reception at King Arthur's Steakhouse, 7 W. Bridge St., that will
benefit the college's English writing arts program.
A package of $25 per person or $40 per couple will
allow admission to the 7 p.m. showing and gala reception fund-raiser.
Reservations for this package must be made by Oct. 23 to Tyler Hall box
office by calling 312-2141 or e-mailing tylerbxo@oswego.edu.
An earlier screening, at 4:30 p.m., will be followed
by a talk-back session with O'Connor discussing the project and
fielding audience questions. For this session, tickets are $5 for the
general public, $3.50 for SUNY Oswego students.
O'Connor saw value in the opportunity to support
Oswego's English writing arts program because that is where he received
his start. He graduated from SUNY Oswego in 1982 and began teaching at
the college in 1985.
"I came here because, of all of the colleges I
looked at when I was beginning my undergraduate work, Oswego was the
only one that seemed to have a coherent view of what it took to become
a creative writer," he said. "It's still one of the few programs in
creative writing around that focuses its efforts on undergraduates."
Brad Korbesmeyer, coordinator of SUNY Oswego's
English writing arts program, said he appreciates how O'Connor has been
very active in making the local screening and benefit possible.
"I'm excited about it because it's great for Bob and
great for the program," Korbesmeyer added. "Sometimes we don't stop to
celebrate achievements enough. I think people who are creating works
need to take time to celebrate. Things like this don't happen every
day."
In giving the film two thumbs up, critic Roger Ebert
expressed appreciation for the movie's boldness and "spot-on
performances" by its star cast while partner Richard Roeper enjoyed the
film's "dark edge."
Luke Y. Thompson of the Los Angeles New Times hailed
it as "brilliantly made" and "one of the year's finest films." Steven
Rea of the Philadelphia Inquirer recommended it as "definitely worth
catching," while Claudia Piug of USA Today lauded its "tight story
construction" and found it "enriching to have one movie like this
around."
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