The GSC Progressive Film Series sponsored by Pi Gamma Mu, the Social Science Honor Society, will be presenting four films during the Spring Semester. The films will be shown on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in the Mollohan Campus Community Center Auditorium.
The schedule will kick off on January 22nd with the showing of Pixar’s animated gem ‘WALL-E’. Undoubtedly one of Pixar’s best-ever, the film is about a robot named WALL-E (an acronym for “Waste Allocation Load Lifter, Earth-Class”), who is the only thing left on earth with some sort of emotion. He meets another robot named EVE, and the trip begins. WALL-E has been heralded by social activists for tackling a “topical, ecologically-minded agenda,” and denounced by conservative commentators as “leftist propaganda about the evils of mankind.” But, more than anything else, WALL-E is a fun, heart-warming movie. It has already won dozens of awards and is a shoo-in to win the Oscar for best animated feature at the Academy Awards in February.
In recognition of Black History Month, The GSC Progressive Film Series will present ‘The untold Story of Emmett Louis Till’ on February 25th. The 1955 lynching of 14-year-old Emmett Till and subsequent sham of a trial for his murderers were key catalysts for the American Civil Rights Movement. Keith Beauchamp's groundbreaking film is the result of a ten-year journey to uncover the truth behind Till’s nightmarish murder, and features archival footage and interviews with many of the people directly involved with the investigation and trial, including Till’s mother, Mamie Till Mobley. Discover for yourself why the Chicago Tribune wrote, “If you don’t believe film can change the world, you haven’t seen ‘The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till’.”
‘Blind Mountain’, writer/director Li Yang’s denunciation of corruption and injustice in contemporary China will be shown on March 25th. The film stars Huang Lu as Bai, a young saleswoman who accompanies her boss and a colleague on a business trip to an isolated rural village. There, the men drug her and sell her into slavery. Trapped in the fiercely traditional town, the young woman finds that her avenues of escape are all blocked. As she searches for allies, including a young boy, a school teacher and a mailman, she suffers from being raped by her “husband” and continued beatings at the hands of the villagers, her husband, and her husband’s parents. ‘Blind Mountain’ is filmed in Mandarin with English subtitles.
The series will wrap up with the screening of ‘Street of Shame’ on April 29th. Famed director Kenjo Mizoguchi specialized in realistic depictions of Japan’s seamy underside. His last movie, ‘Street of Shame,’ is a sympathetic portrayal of the women of Tokyo’s red-light district, filmed during a debate in Japan’s Diet over whether legalized prostitution should be outlawed. Starring Machiko Kyo as Mickey, a tough girl who has a memorable confrontation with her father when he tries to take her back to their home town. ‘Street of Shame’ features an unusual and haunting musical score by Toshiro Mayuzumi. This film is in Japanese with English subtitles.
All screenings of the ‘GSC progressive Film Series’ are in the Mollohan Campus Community Center Theatre. Admission is free and everyone is welcome to attend.
For more information, contact Dr. Arthur DeMatteo, GSC Assistant Professor of History and Faculty Advisor for Pi Gamma Mu, at (304) 462-7361 ext. 7273.
