Colby-Sawyer College Hosts Spring 2015 Favorite Films Series
Colby-Sawyer College resumes its Favorite Films Series this spring with the screening and discussion of the 1959 comedy “Some Like It Hot” on Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. in Clements Hall in the Curtis L. Ivey Science Center. The film series is free and open to the public.
The first film in the series, “Some Like It Hot” (120 min.) will be hosted by Assistant Professor of Fine and Performing Arts Suzanne Delle. Directed by Billy Wilder, the award-winning film stars Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. “Listed by the American Film Institute as 'The Greatest Comedy of All Time,' the movie is still a fascinating look at gender and class roles in America,” said Professor Delle. “Nominated for six Academy Awards and winner of four Golden Globes, the film uses a real event (the St. Valentine's Day Massacre) and the classic elements of comedy, including disguise and mistaken identity, to explore our expectations of love, gender and stereotypes. Plus, it's such a funny movie.”
The Favorite Films Series will continue with a screening and discussion of the 1925 silent film “Battleship Potemkin” (75 min.) on Monday, March 9, at 7 p.m. in Clements Hall hosted by Colby-Sawyer President and Professor of Humanities Thomas C. Galligan, Jr. A favorite film of President Galligan, he calls it “one of Sergei Eisenstein's best.” “Fast moving, compelling, innovative and exciting, [the movie] is based on a historic mutiny on a Russian battleship outside Odessa in 1905,” said President Galligan. “It reflects Eisenstein's Soviet perspective (there is Revolution in the air!) and has influenced filmmakers since its release, even Woody Allen.”
Gibney Distinguished Professor of Humanities Pat Anderson will conclude the series with a screening and discussion of the Oscar-winning drama “The Piano” (117 min.) on Monday, April 6, at 7 p.m. in Clements Hall. An expert in American film, international film and the Academy Awards, Professor Anderson is the author of In Its Own Image: The Cinematic Vision of Hollywood, a frequent host of “Reel Talk,” and a lecturer for the N.H. Humanities Council on cinematography topics ranging from Movie Mavericks and the Art of Film to the silent comedy of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. At Colby-Sawyer, Professor Anderson teaches courses in American studies, Native American studies, literature and film. Professor Anderson described “The Piano” as a “remarkable film with significant women characters and issues.” “The movie is focused on the character of Ada, a “mail-order bride” from Scotland who arrives in New Zealand with her daughter and her piano but totally unprepared for the physical landscape or for the attitude of her husband. Compounding things is the fact that she is mute. Much of the film demonstrates how she discovers and reveals her voice through her piano, her daughter and the love affair she falls into,” said Professor Anderson. “I love the film also for its stunning cinematic elements—the visual presentation of the sea and the woods that define the landscape and the use of the piano music, which is played throughout by the film's star, Holly Hunter, and which suggests the film's very distinctive mood.”
Professor Anderson believes that the movie will resonate with both the Colby-Sawyer and the greater New London communities because director Jane Campion addresses universal themes related to sex and gender roles and growth and transformation. “The beauty of a film as rich in both content and form as 'The Piano' is that it rewards both first-time viewers as well as those who may have seen it before,” said Professor Anderson. “I envision a lively discussion among both students and townspeople about its romantic and philosophical dimensions.”
Conceptualized by Associate Professor of Humanities Craig Greenman, the Favorite Films Series started at Colby-Sawyer last spring and features experts from Colby-Sawyer and their favorite cinematic masterworks. “The reception of the series has been very good—people are generally happy to see great works of art, including great films; and they enjoy the intellectually stimulating discussions that we have after the films, too,” said Professor Greenman. “It's also a great place for community and campus members to come together and talk about something powerful.”
Professor Greenman believes that the series also shows how committed the faculty is to the college and out-of-class involvement and exemplifies the members' dedication of the faculty to the campus and to the community at large. “Whether it's art, theater, politics, culture, sports, administration or just being there when the students need them, the professors here work just as hard – or harder – outside of class as they do inside of it,” said Professor Greenman. “The film series is a great opportunity for the campus and the community to take advantage of the knowledge that faculty members bring to the table. After all, that's what we do at the college: We teach knowledge. We're always learning.”
- Anurup Upadhyay '15
Anurup Upadhyay is a business major at Colby-Sawyer College and a student writer for College Communications.
Colby-Sawyer College is a comprehensive college that integrates the liberal arts and sciences with professional preparation. Founded in 1837, Colby-Sawyer is located in the scenic Lake Sunapee Region of central New Hampshire. Learn more about the college's vibrant teaching and learning community at www.colby-sawyer.edu.
Colby-Sawyer College, 541 Main Street, New London, N.H. 03257 (603) 526-3000
