The films shown for the 2006 Spring Series focused on three separate themes.  Links to some background information are presented below.

The Last Western

By the early 1960's, the western movie - long a staple of the film industry - was pretty much worn out. The stars and stories were old and the emerging counterculture lacked interest in the themes of conflict and violence. The films presented in this series seek to make a statement about the genre's passage from our culture. Click here for additional background.

Film Noir and Beyond

This series presents two film noir classics in B&W followed by two later color films that attempt to capture some of the noir spirit in time, setting and mood while expanding the filmmaker’s canvas with greater use of location shooting and by incorporating a more modern sensibility. All four films are set in Los Angeles in the 1930s and 1940s. All have big name leading men and all but one have big name leading women. Come and see if you like classic noir or the later noir or both. Click here for a summary of the film noir style.

Food and Culture

It has been said that some people eat to live, whereas others live to eat. Where do various nationalities fall on this continuum? This is one of the questions we will address in our film series on food and culture, which will take us from the fiery Latino culture of Mexico to the colder, more rational cultures of Scandinavia.