A PBS documentary on Henry David Thoreau filmed over seven years in and around Walden Pond headlines the Concord Council on Aging's free August cinema lineup, with screenings split across two Fridays at the Harvey Wheeler Community Center.

The three-part documentary, executive produced by Ken Burns and Don Henley, will screen in two sessions: Parts 1 and 2 on Friday, Aug. 14, and Part 3 on Friday, Aug. 21. Both screenings begin at noon at 1276 Main Street in West Concord. No registration is needed.

The series kicks off Friday, Aug. 7, with "Empire of Light," a 2022 drama starring Olivia Colman, Michael Ward and Colin Firth, set in 1980s England (PG-13; 1h 55m). It wraps Aug. 28 with "The Roses," a satirical comedy starring Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch (R; 1h 45m). The full schedule is posted on the town's event calendar.

Filmed in Concord's backyard

The Thoreau documentary premiered on PBS on March 30 and is billed by its creators as the first full-length, nationally broadcast film devoted to Thoreau. Directors Erik Ewers and Christopher Loren Ewers spent more than seven years capturing footage at Walden Pond, along the Sudbury and Concord Rivers, at the Emerson House, the Old Manse, the North Bridge and on Fairhaven Hill, according to The Concord Bridge.

"We filmed in and around Walden Pond, Concord, the surrounding areas for more than seven years," co-director Christopher Loren Ewers told The Guardian ahead of the March 30 premiere. "All seasons, all times of day and night, all weather."

George Clooney narrates the film, with Jeff Goldblum voicing Thoreau and additional performances by Meryl Streep and Ted Danson. The production team also photographed nearly 150 19th-century glass plate negatives from Special Collections at the Concord Free Public Library.

Don Henley, the Eagles frontman who founded The Walden Woods Project in 1990, served as executive producer. The organization led a campaign to protect nearly 200 acres of land surrounding Walden Pond.

A premiere event was held at Concord-Carlisle High School on March 23, featuring the Ewers brothers, Henley and scholars Douglas Brinkley, Lois Brown and Kristin Case. Concord historian Bob Gross, author of "The Transcendentalists and Their World," also appears in the documentary.

How to attend

The COA Cinema is free and open to the public. Screenings start at noon every Friday at the Harvey Wheeler Community Center, 1276 Main Street, West Concord. Parking is available behind the building off Church Street.

August lineup:

  • Aug. 7 — "Empire of Light" (Drama; PG-13; 1h 55m)
  • Aug. 14 — Henry David Thoreau PBS Documentary, Parts 1 & 2 (2 hours)
  • Aug. 21 — Henry David Thoreau PBS Documentary, Part 3 (1 hour)
  • Aug. 28 — "The Roses" (Satirical Comedy; R; 1h 45m)