Much to the relief of film aficionados on Hillsdale College's campus, posters proclaiming the 7 p.m. screening of Woody Allen's Manhattan last Tuesday re-appeared on campus, as a result of what was formerly the Fairfield Film Society's reemergence as the Hillsdale Film Society. The film was shown in the Kresge Theatre in room 126 and was the group's first screening this semester.
Senior John McNamara will be heading the film club, along with fellow senior David Richards.
The name change is reflective of the fact that the film society has formally split with the Fairfield Society. The split was not a result of any hostilities between the groups, rather the realization that the two groups were, for the most part, independent.
"Basically, it was already operating as an entity that was just autonomous from Fairfield as it was," Marty Muntz said.
The lapse in screenings was a result of the necessary time McNamara needed to reorganize the club. The Hillsdale Film Society will be advised by Professor Fritz Tsao , as opposed to Barbara Longway, Briggs Professor of English Literature, and Associate Professor of English John Somerville, who advises the Fairfield Society itself.
"I went and I talked to [Tsao], and [then] got the forms and took them to Dean [of Students CarolAnn Barker's office], and now we're back in businesses," McNamara said.
McNamara added that he hoped the society could engender a new avenue for the understanding of an important media at the college.
"Film is a very important artistic medium and for a school that really tries to broaden the educational experience, why not provide an opportunity to see a lot of stuff you might not otherwise [see]."
Tsao also spoke about the importance of a good grasp on film criticism.
"Cinema and the film experience is just ubiquitous for us nowadays. It's just good to be literate in film studies, and I'm really encouraged that there's a lively sub-culture of film here at Hillsdale," he said.
Tsao also voiced confidence in McNamara's taste in film, saying he thinks the films will be relatively mainstream with good taste and not too elitist.
"Under other directors of the film screenings in the past, I think that some that were screened were a little bit more esoteric, a little bit more rarified, and a little less accessible," he said.
Junior Luke Heyman attended the screenings fairly regularly this past semester and said that he was anticipating the return of the showings.
"I like to watch good movies, and I thought they had pretty good taste," Heyman said. "They did a good job at showing movies that you can't see in theatres around here and are hard to find in a rental place, but should still be watched."