University of Virginia Library

Filmwatchers Club Is Best
Movie Deal In Town

Generally a Wednesday in
Charlottesville tends to be a drag.
It's the middle of the week and
you're stuck in limbo waiting for
the weekend. The Film Watchers
Club can provide an alternative to
watching the tube or listening to
records, and also be considered a
great way to develop a background
in film, while being entertained.

Good Background

As the program was originally
conceived, the Club specialized in
catering to the hard-core cinema
freak. Now under the direction of
Walter Korte, the program is
designed to supplement Drama 81,
Cinema as an Art Form. Several
other courses also recommend
seeing the series.

The films shown this year date
back to 1962, but provide excellent
backgrounds for current films by
directors who have established
themselves. For example,
Viscounti, director of "Death In
Venice," is represented by his
earlier film "Sandra," and "King
and Country" is directed by Joseph
Losey, whose "The Go-Between"
won the Grand Prize at last year's
Cannes Festival.

The 14 programs are arranged to
follow the drama course lectures,
but those enrolled will discover that
there is a geographical order, which
is especially obvious when the
Sunday Union series is studied. In
the month of October, one could
see films by such French masters as
Renoir, Rene Clement, Goddard,
and Resnais.

Fellini's "Janet"

Of all the films, there are several
which will arouse interest due to
current releases. Fellini's "Juliet of
the Spirits" was the Italian's first
color feature completed after he
had conducted experiments with
hallucinogenic drugs for the Italian
government. For a while, the film's
popularity was a result of the early
60's underground viewing the film
as an ultimate trip.

Rounding out the program are
works by Orson Welles, Igmar
Bergman, Robert Rossen and
others. Mr. Korte also points out
that Pasolini's "The Hawks and the
Sparrows," will be shown, followed
later this year by a special showing
of his film of "Medea," with Maria
Callas. The last program the series is
devoted to is the works of the New
American Cinema movement. This
group of young directors is
attempting to make films that are
alternatives to the traditional
Hollywood film, and might possibly
be forerunners of future film
entertainment.

The films will be screened in
Wilson Hall, on Wednesday, at
4:30, 7, and 9 p.m. Mr. Korte has
recently completed orders for new
projectors and screens for the
auditorium.

Low Admission

The cost for all fourteen
programs is $6 for students, and $7
for others. That's fifty cents a film,
which is the lowest admission price
in town. There are, however, no
tickets for any individual film; you
must buy the entire ticket. Until
Charlottesville gets an Elgin Cinema
or a Circle Theatre, the Film
Watchers is the best deal in town
for thrift and quality in film
entertainment.