The Glenville State College Social Science Department and the Pi Gamma Mu Social Science Honor Society have teamed up to sponsor the alternative film series ‘Cinematheque.’ This series shows films simply for entertainment purposes and includes: foreign films, rock documentaries, film noir, and science fiction classics. “These are movies that you just can’t see everyday. They are films that you might find playing at film festivals and art houses in major metropolises,” said Dr. Art DeMatteo, GSC Assistant Professor of History and Faculty Advisor for Pi Gamma Mu.
The first screening for the spring semester will be a double-feature on Thursday, January 15th, with the showing of ‘Queen of Outer Space’ at 6:00 p.m. and ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’ at 7:30 p.m.
A classic example of the 1950s B-grade sci-fi genre, ‘Queen of Outer Space’ features Zsa Zsa Gabor as a love-starved scientist on Venus, a planet whose sole inhabitants are long-legged women in their twenties. Along come four American astronauts who help Ms. Gabor overthrow her nemesis, the evil Queen Yllana. With its chintzy special effects, silly wardrobes, and unbelievably-sexist dialogue, this movie is so bad, it’s great! It also stars macho man Eric Fleming, who would go on to become a TV star in the ‘Rawhide’ series.
The original ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’ is a more serious allegory on the social and political challenges confronting America during the Cold War era. Do the seed-pods that replace normal folks with mindless drones represent the menace of Communism, or the epidemic of McCarthyism? You be the judge! The film stars Dana Wynter, Kevin McCarthy, and Carolyn Jones, who would later gain fame as Morticia in ‘The Addams Family’ TV series.
Other films scheduled to be shown this spring include: ‘Nothing but a Man’ on Thursday, February 5th, ‘The Children of Huang Shi’ on Thursday, March 5th, and ‘Surfwise’ on Wednesday, April 1st.
All screenings for ‘Cinematheque’ are in the Mollohan Campus Community Center Theatre. Admission is free and everyone is welcome to attend.
For more information about ‘Cinematheque’, contact DeMatteo at (304) 462-7361 ext. 7273.
