SCF Venice Presents – FILM FORMULAS SERIES – AMERICAN MOVIES OF THE 1950s

SCF Venice Presents – FILM FORMULAS SERIES – AMERICAN MOVIES OF THE 1950’s

Join instructor Del Jacobs for this decade-long journey discussing the changing landscape of America as seen through the lens of classic film. Enjoy theatre-style presentations of these movies, along with thoughtful conversations regarding their cultural impact during this timeframe.

The six-week series will cover:
Feb. 28 – Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Mar. 6 – The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
Mar. 13 – Trial (1955)
Mar. 20 – Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
Mar. 27 – Jailhouse Rock (1957)
April 3 – Pillow Talk (1959)

Hollywood movies from the 1950s were made during challenging times – the Cold War, expanded prosperity, the competition of television, an inquiry into political beliefs of many, and the stirrings of racial, sexual, and generational revolutions. We went to the movies for escape, but the musicals, westerns, crime stories, epics, and science-fiction films offered much more than that.

While many may view the films of the 1950s as formulaic, they were mostly produced by studios that were mindful of the changing nature of American society. They reflected the lived experiences of their audiences even as they offered “equipment for living”, literary theorist Kenneth Burke’s phrase for what stories and films provide with their symbols, characters, and action.

With the distance of several decades, these films provide a look at the way we were, and how they influenced the way we are…and these are moving pictures meant to be experienced on the BIG screen!

Wednesdays – February 28 – April 3, 2024
1pm – 4pm
Fee: $20 per class or $100 for the entire series

Register here