How to Get into Old Movies...Part 6

Part 6: Take a Film Class

Many high schools and most colleges offer at least some sort of film class. The larger a college's film department, the more diverse these classes happen to be.

Sometimes when we watch movies, especially ones we're not all that into, we might just get up and leave. Or we might not try all that hard to pay attention.

Although I would never encourage forcing anybody to watch anything a la Clockwork Orange, there is something to be said about being sat down and shown a movie as opposed to voluntarily watching something. Although I think you should watch something because you want to watch in, sometimes we gain interest in something without expecting to or via somebody else's suggestions.

Plus, especially in the case of college courses, the professor is usually somebody who knows the ins and out of just about every scene and can tell you the symbolism behind certain aspects of movies, as well as how certain movies fit into the pantheon of film history.

Film classes can also help you revisit movies you had seen once and give you the opportunity to see or experience certain things you either didn't notice or didn't fully appreciate the first time around. In my own case, I remember watching The Searchers on my own and then watching it again a few months later in a film class. I liked it a lot the first time around, but absolutely loved it by the end of the second viewing, boosted greatly after my professor pointed out the undertones of Ethan's (John Wayne's character) unspoken, yet subtly suggested love for his sister-in-law.

Since this series of posts is all about getting other people interested in classic movies, I would suggest taking the class with a friend or suggesting that he or she take it with you.