Film Classes

I am currently leading film classes at Lifelong Learners, located in the Boston MetroWest area. For more information on their course offerings, click here. I have an upcoming 10 week class on the films of Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. Films to be discussed are Fury, Stage Door, Holiday, Woman of the Year, State of the Union, Adam's Rib, The African Queen, Bad Day at Black Rock, Judgement at Nuremberg and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.

I've previously held classes on the films of Edward G. Robinson and Barbara Stanwyck. The Robinson class covered these films: The Whole Town's Talking, The Sea Wolf, The Woman in the Window, Scarlet Street, Key Largo. The Stanwyck class covered: Stella Dallas, The Lady Eve, Ball of Fire, Double Indemnity, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers.

Black and White Cinematography

Here's a few films I can recommend for anyone interested in black and white cinematography. This representative sample of 10 films might serve as an introduction to the visual beauty that can only be achieved in black and white. Aside from their stunning visuals, these films also tell their stories brilliantly and with great economy.

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)
Directed by F.W. Murnau and starring George O'Brien and Janet Gaynor, this silent film relates a tender and heartbreaking story with an incredible array of luminous images. Devoid of dialogue, this is pure cinema, and breathtaking in its vision and scope.

Footlight Parade (1933)
Directed by Lloyd Bacon and starring James Cagney and Joan Blondell, this exuberant musical from 1933 features over the top choreographaphy by Busby Berkeley. Not to be missed is the By a Waterfall segment with dozens of bathing beauties photographed as if in a kaleidoscope.

Double Indemnity (1943)
Directed by Billy Wilder and starring Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray and Edward G. Robinson, this noir classic from 1943 has atmosphere galore, and plenty of shadows from venetian blinds.

Laura (1944)
Directed by Otto Preminger and starring Laura Tierney, Dana Andrews and Clifton Webb, this film tells the dreamlike story of Laura Hunt, a mysterious woman who puts everyone into a spell.

The Woman in the Window (1944)
Directed by Fritz Lang and starring Edward G. Robinson and Joan Bennett, this atmospheric film features the alluring Bennett, first seen as a mere painting in a window, and Robinson as the easily seduced professor who crosses her path.

Brief Encounter (1945)
Directed by David Lean and starring Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard, this British film is the story of strangers drawn into an illicit affair after a chance meeting in a train station, all set to a Rachmaninoff piano concerto and gorgeous photography.

Mildred Pierce (1945)
Directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Joan Crawford, Jack Carson and Zachary Scott, this film is the story of a woman with a complicated relationship with her daughter and the men in her life. Watch for the larger than life shadows cast by Jack Carson in the film's early scenes.

Notorious (1946)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman and Claude Rains, this thriller showcases Hitchcock's pitch perfect story telling and camera work. Watch for the masterful shot where the camera swoops down to reveal a key held by Ingrid Bergman.

Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Directed by Billy Wilder and starring Wiliam Holden and Gloria Swanson, this film tells the story of the once famous movie star Norma Desmond and her desire to return to stardom. Watch for the final scene where a spotlight is thrown upon Norma for her final closeup.

Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
Directed by Alexander Mackendrick and starring Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis, this is the story of a ruthless gossip columnist and his equally brash press agent. It's filled with brilliant cinematography that captures the pulsating excitement of New York City as no other film has ever done.