A case study in resilience, Lee Grant earned her first Oscar nomination in 1951 and tragically found herself blacklisted the following year. After more than a decade of being unable to work in film, Grant was removed from the blacklist in 1964 and began to rebuild her career as an actor, director, and documentarian. She took part in the American Film Institute’s first Directing Workshop for Women, which culminated with her short film The Stronger, an adaptation of August Strindberg’s play. Featuring Susan Strasberg as the wife and Dolores Dorn as the mistress, the short poses the question: “Who is the stronger of the two?”
Grant later directed her feature-length debut Tell Me a Riddle, revolutionary in 1980 as one of the first American feature films to be written, produced, and directed by women. Based on Tillie Olsen’s eponymous novella, the film follows the lives of elderly couple Eva and David, their shared past as revolutionaries, and the journey they take when illness strikes Eva and David decides to keep it a secret. Academy Award winners Melvyn Douglas and Lila Kedrova star as David and Eva, with Brooke Adams rounding out the cast as their free-spirited granddaughter Jeannie.
Both films have been digitally restored in 4K from the original 35mm negatives.
