OCTOBER ZOOM CLASSES

 

 

 

TUES., OCTOBER 12  7 pm       FILM FORUM: SOUNDER

 

This story of a family enduring the Great Depression in the South became a surprise hit in 1973, and then a classic.  Roger Ebert called it “extraordinarily simple, yet deeply, emotionally rich.”  Pauline Kael remarked that Cicely Tyson’s performance “is something that even the most fabled actresses might not have dared.”  Filmed on location in St. Helena parish, Louisiana with lovely cinematography by John Alonzo (Chinatown).  Directed by Martin Ritt (Hud, Norma Rae). Screenplay by Pulitzer Prinze winner Lonne Elder III.  Music by Taj Mahal.

 To register click here.

 

MON., OCTOBER 18   7 pm     MUSIC: SOMETHING’S GOT A HOLD ON ME: ETTA JAMES   Born Jamesetta Hawkins, she started as a teenage rhythm and blues shouter, became a gritty soul singer, and then began to sing any style that took her fancy, from Harold Arlen to Randy Newman.  Rock critic Robert Christgau says about listening back over her career, “great voices like hers grow more precious with the years.”  Join us to listen to the high points.  

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THURS. OCTOBER 21   7 pm   POETRY: EVERYDAY ODES OF PABLO NERUDA

 

Chilean poet Neruda won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950 and the Literature Prize in 1971.  He was renowned for his love poetry and epic poetry, and his crusading for social justice.  Halfway through his career he committed himself to writing an ode a day to an everyday object, and the result was 225 “odas elementales” or poems praising basic things, including onions, socks, and dogs.   Philadelphia Inquirer poetry critic John Timpane that “Neruda was trying to get out of the straitjacket of the authoritative ‘great poet’ and just sing” and calls the results “direct, rapid, and joyful.”  We’ll take a look at a selection of the odes in translations by some of the best English language poets.    To register click here.

 

 

TUES., OCTOBER 26   7 pm    MUSIC: A HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN MUSIC

 

In honor of the approaching scary holiday we’ll listen to classical, jazz, doo wop, and rock tracks about ghosts, ghouls, creatures, zombies, and all the rest of the creepy crew.  Some songs are ominous, some are hip, some just plain silly!  Join us for the Monster Mashup.  

To register click here.

 

 

SUN., OCTOBER 31         FILM FORUM: THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI

 

For Halloween we’ll talk about the granddaddy of horror films, this masterpiece of German Expressionist cinema still hypnotizes with its atmosphere of dread and weird art design.  We’ll discuss the sources of its strange magic and its influence on subsequent movies in the genre.  Available to stream on Kanopy, Hoopla, Amazon, Tubi, Apple TV, and AMC +.   To register click here.