Hitchcock: House & Home
Tuesday, July 15, 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm
Instructor: Andrew Owen, Ph.D., Lebanon Valley College
Released less than six months after the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962, Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds examines the carnage unleashed by natural forces on human civilization. Adapted from a short story by Daphne du Maurier, Hitchcock’s film is the progenitor of one of the main narrative structures of late twentieth-century horror—an antagonist, born of natural elements, seemingly bent on the punishment of human hubris. The film explores the impact and helplessness of the family in the face of overwhelming devastation, wrought by humanity’s unwavering drive for supremacy.
However, beyond its significance as a cultural examination of mid-to-late twentieth-century global fears and perceptions of threat, the film examines failing nuclear-family dynamics, where duplicity, abandonment, and violence occur behind closed doors, creating a vulnerable and unstable population.
This seminar explores these concepts, arguing that the film ultimately serves as an intimate portrait of its director and his early life experiences, while examining the psychological impact of trauma derived from personal and global catastrophe.
Are you interested in “just” seeing this movie? Visit the public screening page here.
Cinema Classics Seminars offer an entertaining and engaging way to learn more about some of the true classics of world cinema. All students receive an introductory lecture before the film and a guided discussion after the film. In addition, those in attendance receive a ticket to see it on the big screen, as well as popcorn and a drink. Please note: the screening associated with this seminar will be open to the public, as well.
Please contact BMFI Programs and Education Manager Jill Malcolm with any questions.
$25 for members, $35 for non-members
Schedule