UB students and paying community members experienced the Great Depression in downtown Buffalo Tuesday night through the Buffalo Film Seminars' screening of Gold Diggers of 1933.
The classic film opened this semester's series of film screenings at the Market Arcade Film and Arts Center on Main Street as part of ENG 413 Film Directors. Those not enrolled in the class are required to pay an admission fee to view the feature film.
According to the organizers of the seminars, UB professors Diane Christian and Bruce Jackson, the discussions of each film distinguish the screenings from other film events.
"We show the films...we talk about them which gives context, which is something that's hard to get on television," Jackson said. "Even the television shows where somebody introduces it, they introduce it for thirty seconds or a minute - we do it for fifteen minutes."
At each film screening, Christian and Jackson give brief history lessons and provide insight from a director's point of view.
"I learned a lot about it, more than I thought it was about," said Brandon Hannon, a junior media studies major.
According to the Buffalo Film Seminars Web site, the pair have held these interactive events since 2000.
"I thought the discussion was good," said sophomore English major Meredith Edelman. "They really research everything they're talking about."
This semester's series of film screenings and discussions will take place every Tuesday night at 7 p.m. There are a total of 14 classic films on the schedule, and tickets cost $6.50 for students with proper school identification.
Tuesday night's film, Gold Diggers of 1933, received positive reactions.
The film contained comedic elements that have held up for well over seven decades, according to the organizers.
"I was surprised to see the innuendo in this film," Edelman said. "One of the things that was really interesting to me was how uncensored it was."
During the discussion, Jackson pointed out the relevance of the film, which depicts a situation similar to that which many soldiers currently face when returning from the Iraq war.
The scheduled series of films cover a wide range of themes and situations. The organizers assured that quality screenings would run the entire semester. Films include Jacques Tourneaur's Cat People (1942) and Clint Eastwood's Unforgivable (1992).
"We don't show any stinkers," Jackson said. "How many times have you seen two hundred people in downtown Buffalo on a winter night?"
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
