Moviemakers’ Master Class: Private Lessons from Three Acclaimed Directors

Great moments in cinema etch themselves indelibly in our collective memories. Can anyone ever forget Marion Crane’s interrupted shower in Psycho, Major Kong’s bucking-bronco ride on a nuclear missile over Russia in Doctor Strangelove, or the sudden surfacing of the shark in Jaws where the size of the men’s boat was seriously put into question? These movies have enriched our lives through an intimate invitation to examine our deepest and most heartfelt dreams, desires and fears. Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, and Steven Spielberg are considered to be three of the finest directors in the history of world cinema. Collectively, they have made over three dozen truly classic motion pictures. What is it about the harrowing, nightmarish worlds these men created on screen that audiences and critics still find so provocative, thrilling, and timeless?

This lecture is for film-loving, creative viewers who want to join renowned Yale film professor Marc Lapadula in trenchant analysis to more fully examine and decipher the sometimes cryptic and highly-rewarding cinematic universes of three formidable directors. Clips from Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window and Psycho, Stanley Kubrick’s Doctor Strangelove and 2001: A Space Odyssey, as well as Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan and Jaws will be shown, analyzed, and discussed.

SUNY Global Center – Global Classroom
116 E 55th St
New York, NY 10022