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Film scholar Jeff Hughes will discuss Alfred Hitchcock's movies: Rear Window, Shadow of a Doubt, and Vertigo in three installments at the Rutherford Public Library this summer. A century after the debut of Alfred Hitchcock’s first feature film, Hitchcock remains one of the most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. But how does his vast body of work and legacy hold up today? Rutgers PhD student and cinema studies scholar Jeff Hughes reframes Hitchcock’s work for the modern audience, looking beyond the shower stabbings and crop dustings, to reveal an important–and political–cinematic dramatist.
The series opens Tuesday, June 9, with a discussion of Rear Window, a film which scholar John Belton describes as “one of the icons of [the] American filmmaker.” Explore what’s going on behind the many lenses and layers of this movie.
Then, on Tuesday, July 7, Hughes will explore Hitchcock’s anti-fascist 1940s, focusing on Shadow of a Doubt, Hitchcock’s collaboration with playwright Thornton Wilder, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Our Town.
The series will conclude on Tuesday, August 2 with a discussion of Vertigo. The discussion will explore if “Hitchcock is a genre unto himself” by looking at both Vertigo and Mel Brooks’ brilliant satire, High Anxiety.
Participants should watch the movies ahead of each discussion. DVDs of each movie discussed are available at the main desk at the Rutherford Public Library. Attendees should expect a lively discussion with time for questions. Sign up for each lecture separately at rutherfordlibrary.org/events
About the Presenter:
Jeff Hughes holds multiple degrees from the Martin Scorsese Department of Cinema Studies at New York University, and is currently a PhD student in the American Studies program at Rutgers-Newark. During his 20-year absence from academia, he authored four plays and two musicals, and founded Boardwalk Theatre Company, an organization dedicated to after-school education in underserved communities such as Asbury Park, NJ.
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Event Venue
150 Park Ave, Rutherford, NJ, United States, New Jersey 07070
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