(Joan Micklin Silver, 1977, United States, 101 minutes)

In Between the Lines, at the offices of a Boston alternative newspaper, the staff members enjoy a positive and open-minded work environment. Music critic Max (Jeff Goldblum) uses his influence to score dates, while news reporter Harry (John Heard) is involved with the lovely Abbie (Lindsay Crouse), the publication's lead photographer. However, it seems as though their relatively carefree days are numbered when the owner of a major publishing company buys the paper, leading to more money but even more changes. The film’s astonishingly deep cast also includes Bruno Kirby, Gwen Welles, Jill Eikenberry, Joe Morton, Marilu Henner, Michael J. Pollard, Raymond J. Barry, and Stephen Collins. Between the Lines — directed by pioneering woman independent filmmaker Joan Micklin Silver (Hester Street, Head Over Heels) and recently restored by Cohen Film Media — was loosely inspired by events involving longtime St. Louis film critic Harper Barnes during his early-’70s tenure as editor of the Cambridge (later Boston) Phoenix. Barnes will be on hand to introduce the restoration and lead a post-film discussion that separates fact from the film’s fiction. (For another take on the tale, see Fred Goodman’s book Mansion on the Hill.)

With former St. Louis Post-Dispatch film critic Harper Barnes.