“Even a big TV is not big enough,” said Todd Decker. “Students should see these films as they were intended to be seen.”
Decker, the Paul Tietjens Professor of Music, and a professor of film and media studies, in Arts & Sciences, was discussing his fall course “Art House Movie Music,” which surveys non-U.S. films that played in U.S. independent cinemas between 1945 and 2000. The syllabus includes iconic works by many of the period’s most acclaimed directors, from Ingmar Bergman and Federico Fellini to Peter Greenway and Akira Kurosawa.
But film is more than just light and sound, Decker said. It is a communal art form, one best experienced with an audience.
This fall, Decker has joined forces with Cinema St. Louis to screen 11 classic films at the Hi-Pointe Theatre, 1005 McCausland Ave. Though formally part of his course, all screenings are open to the general public.
“Seeing a film as part of a crowd changes your experience,” Decker said. “It fosters a particular kind of engagement, which is something that we’re discussing in class. You’re more free to respond, verbally or physically, than when you’re watching on a phone or a computer.
“We want to show that this way of experiencing film is still embedded in the community,” Decker added. “It’s still a part of cultural life.”
Prior to each screening, Decker will introduce the film and discuss its local reception. For example, “Bicycle Thieves,” which launched the series Aug. 25, debuted in St. Louis in 1950 and ran for six weeks at The Art Theatre, a 115-seat house located on Olive Boulevard near Saint Louis University, before moving to The Shady Grove in Clayton.
“What I’m learning about St. Louis movie history is there have always been art houses,” Decker said. “But they’ve tended to pop up for awhile and then go away. One of our goals with this series is simply to introduce WashU students to the Hi-Pointe. We want to make them aware of this great resource that’s right down the street.”
Screenings will continue Sept. 8 with Bergman’s “The Seventh Seal” (1957), Sept. 15 with Louis Malle’s “Elevator to the Gallows” (1958) and Sept. 22 with Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita” (1960). Subsequent screenings will include Jacques Demy’s “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” (1964), David Lean’s “Brief Encounter” (1964) and the 40th anniversary restoration of Kurosawa’s “Ran” (1985).
For tickets and a complete list of films and showtimes, visit hipointetheatre.com.
