Scenes From "Blue Valentine" Filmed in Reference Department at Albright Memorial Library (Wednesday, May 13th, 2009)

On Wednesday, May 13th, 2009, the Reference Department at Albright Memorial Library was used as a location to film scenes for the upcoming independent film Blue Valentine, starring Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain) and Ryan Gosling (The Notebook). Director Derek Cianfrance really loved the library building and selected it as a setting for pivotal scenes in the film.


Incentive Filmed Entertainment is financing Blue Valentine; Silverwood Films’ Lynette Howell and Hunting Lane Films’ Jamie Patricof and Alex Orlovsky are the producers. Also of note is that Hunting Lane Films is the same production company that produced 2006's Half Nelson, which earned Ryan Gosling an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.

Yes, both Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling were in the Reference Department for the filming.

Now the big question...did you meet them?

No...and yes. Because the Reference Department needed to be private and silent for the filming, the Reference staff were relocated to the computer lab for the duration of the filming. When we were permitted to return to the department, the crew was busy removing film equipment, etc. As we were getting ready to reopen the department to the public, we looked out the window behind the Reference Desk and there, in front of our library, were both Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling talking to the crew at the main gate of the library. Seconds later, Michelle Williams returned and came up the steps to the Reference Department. The staff said Hi to her and she, in turn, said, "Hi." Then I asked, "How are ya?" and she smiled and responded, "Fine."

And that was it. But I can now officially cross "Exchange pleasantries with Oscar nominee" off my list of Things to Do Before I Die.

Also check out page 22 of the May 18, 2009 issue of People Weekly (the one with "Kirstie Alley's Weight Saga" on the cover), which features a photo of Michelle Williams in a wheelchair in Scranton filming a scene; to see the pic online, click here.

One final note: when they finished filming in Reference, a crew member for Blue Valentine told us not to be surprised if various weird objects turn up scattered in the department, left over from filming. A few days later, one of our student assistants found (of all things) a clothes hanger left over from filming. I kept it, just for the heck of it--after all, it is an authentic Blue Valentine filming artifact and, at worst, it will come in handy if I ever find myself feeling all Joan Crawford (NO WIRE HANGERS!!!!!!)

Blue Valentine is currently in post-production and is tentatively scheduled for a 2010 release.