Commonwealth Speakers:Cinema
Depression-era movies often focused on faraway times and places. Many, including the still frequently-watched classics Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Wizard of Oz, and Gone with the Wind, lifted Americans' spirits in those hard times.
Rhett, Dorothy, and Mr. Smith: Motion Pictures and American Values in the
Great Depression
In the hard times of the Great Depression, the motion picture
industry prospered. Throughout Pennsylvania, even the smallest
towns and most distant rural areas had a nearby movie house
where people could find a few hours' escape from work and worry.
Along with entertainment, they were offered a new value system
emerging with FDR's New Deal program that emphasized
cooperation, high hopes, and an image of government as a positive
force for change. Todd Pfannestiel discusses the major motion
pictures of the 1930s and how they helped America through the
Depression.
Projection screen, TV, and VCR required.
Todd Pfannestiel, Ph.D.,, Assistant Professor of History, Clarion University
In today's media landscape, with print, radio, television, Internet, and DVD coverage of movies feeding the contemporary audience's hunger for information, discussion, and debate about movies, the film critic is ubiquitous. Bill Wine leads a discussion of the contemporary film critic's form and function as well as the pitfalls and perks, the rigors and rewards of seeing virtually every new movie, then reporting one's responses and perceptions to an audience of readers, listeners, viewers,and web surfers.
Bill Wine, Film Critic, KYW Newsradio, and Associate Professor of Communication, LaSalle University, Philadelphia
Reflections of America: Film Comedies of the 1960s and 1970sWith biting satire, Dr. Strangelove mocked America's patriotism and obsession with the A-bomb during the Cold War. The Graduate critiqued middle-class values and offered comedic commentary on the alienation of 1960s youth from their parents' "plastic" world…Sleeper used a futuristic fictional perspective to reflect on urban America in the 1970s. Using excerpts of these films and others, such as Taking Off and Network, Amiram Amitai discusses how film comedies used humor to expose and criticize contemporary American culture.
TV and VCR required.
Amiram Amitai, Adjunct Professor of Film, Gratz College, Temple and Drexel
Universities, Philadelphia
Using a selection of film clips, Philip Mosley analyzes various adaptations of literary works to the silver screen. What are some of the challenges of the adaptation process? Can the movie ever be better than the book? Should we assess a film version of a book strictly on its own artistic merits? And what about that relatively recent phenomenon: the book of the movie?
TV and VCR required.
Philip Mosley, Ph.D., Professor of English, Communications, and
Comparative Literature, PSU - Worthington Scranton
From Charlie Chaplin through Woody Allen, from Buster Keaton through Jim Carrey, from the Marx Brothers through the Farrelly Brothers, from Cary Grant through Hugh Grant, the comedic tradition in American film is alive, well, and cherished. Bill Wine discusses the psychology of comedy, its popularity, what makes us laugh and why, its therapeutic value, and what the films we find funny tell us about ourselves, both individually and collectively.
TV and VCR required.
Bill Wine, Film Critic, KYW Newsradio, and Associate Professor of
Communication, LaSalle University, Philadelphia
The history and culture of Pennsylvania, including its sports culture, have served as an inspiration for the motion picture industry. From biographical sketches to modern-day feature films, movies have portrayed prominent Pennsylvania athletes, used Pennsylvania's scenery in the setting, or explored significant aspects of Pennsylvania's sporting culture. Karen Guenther explores the popular portrayal of the Commonwealth's history by examining the historical and cultural context of movies that interpret the role of sports in society.
TV and VCR required.
Karen Guenther, Ph.D.,, Associate Professor of History, Mansfield University
In recent years, a number of high profile films (including The Sixth Sense, Philadelphia, and Beloved) have been shot on location in Pennsylvania. Historically, Pennsylvania has also been a prominent subject of Hollywood films that have focused on the state and its inhabitants, including The Molly Maguires, about the coal region; The Philadelphia Story and Kitty Foyle, about the Main Line; and Witness, about the Amish of Lancaster County. Moylan Mills features excerpts from such films as he examines Hollywood's interest in Pennsylvania.
TV/VCR required.
Moylan C. Mills, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Integrative Arts, PSU-Abington
Using a selection of film clips, Philip Mosley traces the evolution of this moody cinema style of the 1940s and 1950s. He revisits its themes and obsessions as well as its relation to popular crime writing; highlights some of the actors, directors, and cinematographers who perfected its sinister charms; and considers its occasional revival in the self-conscious world of postmodern film.
TV and VCR required.
Philip Mosley, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English, Communications, and
Comparative Literature, PSU - Worthington Scranton
About his possible demise, W.C.Fields famously said, "On the whole, I'd rather be in Philadelphia." This denizen of the Quaker City became a vaudeville juggler, a headliner in the Ziegfeld Follies, and a star of such classic films as My Little Chickadee, with Mae West. Moylan Mills uses film excerpts to tell the story of Fields' early days in Philadelphia, his film stardom, his comic genius, and his tragic decline.
TV/VCR and cassette player required.
Moylan C. Mills, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Integrative Arts, PSU-Abington
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