Celluloid of 1962 and Some Cinematic Touches of Today

Rider’s Spring 2012 Film Symposium was a wonderfully stimulating way to learn about film outside of the classroom. Since the theme was “1962 at the Movies,” it gave me the opportunity to discover some facts that I hadn’t known before about that era of film. The 1962 theme was a way to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the School of Liberal Arts.

But the symposium wasn’t just dedicated to 1962 cinema. Guest speakers participated to discuss matters such as film criticism, some students shared their academic work, and others screened their student films. There was a lot to witness at this semester’s symposium.

The first event I attended was one given by international film critic and scholar, Gerald Perry, who presented us with his experience with going from film viewer to filmmaker, when he showed audiences his film For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism. The film delved deeper into the history of film criticism than I had expected, which was what made the viewing a lot of fun. I had originally anticipated that Mr. Perry’s film would just cover the last couple of decades in film criticism. But it was a treat to see the history of criticism from the very beginning and to see the changes that had occurred in this writing form over the years.

One of the most rewarding parts about the film was Perry’s use of interviews with various film critics. It provided the audience with a window into what these critics experience when they view films, attend festivals and write reviews. I liked the few minutes of the film where the narrator mentioned how when critics attended screenings, you weren’t able to decipher who in the audience was a critic. I found this to be an accurate and appropriate description of a critic, because yes, there are the professional critics in the audience, and then there are the regular viewers. But in a sense, everyone is a critic, because we all go into a movie, watch it, and then emerge from the theater and discuss it with our friends and family. So it’s rather appropriate that the critics blend in with the rest of the crowd.

Another event that I enjoyed was the one presided over by CUNY Professor Joe McElhaney, who gave the lecture “Purely Geographical: Politics as Space and Movement in Advise and Consent,” a film that I first watched in my Seminar in Cinema Studies class a few weeks ago. I’ll admit, it was a little slow for my taste, partly because I don’t get too excited for political films, except on a few occasions, like back in October when I saw The Ides of March, which I loved. Although Advise and Consent couldn’t grab my full attention on some parts, it did have other scenes that were punctuated with intrigue and mystery.

What I enjoyed the most about Mr. McElhaney’s presentation was when he talked about the camerawork for the film. He used one of the earlier scenes in the Senate to describe some of his points. I agreed with his view on the clever use of positioning of characters and the way how they would either appear or disappear out of the frame at unpredictable times. Although I had a hard time getting through most of Advise and Consent, watching some scenes again during the presentation with Mr. McElhaney’s commentary gave me the urge to give the film another chance, now that I have some new views on it.

Another event I attended was the Student Paper Panel on Film Form and Subjectivity. Being a Harry Potter fan, I listened to Sarah Sassone’s paper on the adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Having read the books and seen the movies, I agreed with much of what she was talking about, mostly with her information on how important it was for this film’s story to be told in a way that would properly set up the two-part finale. Having seen her present this paper in my Film Adaptation class last semester, this panel gave her a less time-sensitive opportunity to let her get more of her opinions and facts out to the audience than it did in the classroom.

I attended one event at the film symposium in my freshman year, which was dedicated to the horror genre, but didn’t have the chance to attend any events at last year’s symposium, which was dedicated to independent film. This year, I was fortunate enough to have a little more flexibility in my schedule to attend more events. Hopefully I have that time in my schedule next year to see what the following symposium has on screen.