The golden age of Hollywood is back at ETHS.
Under the leadership of club president sophomore Nick Shankar, ETHS’s
Classic Film Club is exploring the finer films that have graced cinema screens in the last 100 years. Nick, and many other students and staff, relish old movies for their slower pace and simplicity.
“They [old movies] were made back in the day, in times where life was simpler and slower,” says Elizabeth Hartley, club sponsor and English teacher. “You had time to think about what you were looking at and being exposed to. We don’t have that today.”
Nick agrees, commenting that movies today seem more hurried and busy. As it turns out, there’s actual data to back this up. Data in “Quicker, Faster, Darker: Changes in Hollywood films over 75 Years,” a research paper published by psychologists at Cornell University, supports this conclusion. In one study, the average duration of a single movie shot decreased 60% from 1930 to 2010.
To Hartley, the problems with current media are clear.
“Your brain and your eyes are working so hard to process everything that’s coming at you, and that’s what our whole world is like.”
“With classic movies it’s more than a movie, it’s also an art form, and the true beauty in classic film is all the directing and cinematography and really intricate story,” adds Nick.
So far, the club has shown Vertigo (1958), 12 Angry Men (1957), Dead Poets Society (1989), and The Pink Panther (1963). Movies typically include popcorn and other refreshments, and afterwards students can discuss the meaning of the film.
Nick is particularly enthusiastic about the future of the club.
“20 people came to the first movie, so overall there’s a lot of support and demand for this kind of club. Still, I’d like to get more people. The bigger the community, the more ideas for movies, and it just goes on from there.”
“However, I’m pretty satisfied so far, considering that we’re a newly restarted club,” adds Nick.
Their next viewing will be on May 23 in W313.