Cinematheque: a day of classic films

By Annmarie Mercieri


The Rider community experienced many elements of the film industry, from eeriness to vibrance, when its members were invited to a day of must-see movies.

Dr. Cynthia Lucia of the English department held the first Cinematheque on Saturday, Oct. 22. The event was started for students in the new English Cinema Studies concentration and the Film and Media Studies minor.

“Now that we have students who are formally studying film, it’s really important that they see central, important, pivotal films of various decades — films that they should be exposed to,” Lucia said.

Cinematheque consisted of movies from the ’20s to the ’60s. The kick-off was The Gold Rush, directed by Charlie Chaplin in 1925. The classic comedy is among the American Film Institute’s top 100 American films.

“I started with a Chaplin mainly because he is an important figure as a writer, director and an actor in silent films,” said Lucia.

Moving up a decade came the film, Freaks, directed by Tod Browning. In this 1932 “classic of the grotesque,” real-life sideshow performers take center stage.

“I came earlier in the day and saw Freaks. It was bizarre,” said junior Billy Coyle. “There was a very good selection of films.”

Up another decade came Edgar G. Ulmer’s 1945 film, Detour, which Lucia said she chose for its “cultish” status, and because it gives critical attention in writings about film noir.

Moving into the ’50s, Marilyn Monroe shone as a blonde bombshell looking for a rich husband in the signature musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

“I thought it would be nice to do something with vibrant colors since we had just seen three black-and-white films in a row,” said Lucia.

The audience hit the ’60s with a bang. Arthur Penn’s 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde was set in the ’30s and took spectators through the lives of two bank robbers.

“The idea is to choose key movies from every decade, although we won’t get much past the ’60s at this point, and do an all-day screening of these films,” said Lucia.

Cinematheque showed viewers how entertainment has changed over years.

Junior Cassandra Singer, an English major with a concentration in Cinema Studies, was a little disappointed about the turnout, but hopes that more will attend in the spring.

“Movies back then had new ideas, and now they just do remakes,” said Singer. “Nothing is ever really fresh anymore.”

Cinematheque will be returning in the spring, and Lucia hopes that they can hold a few more each semester “if it really starts picking up.”