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Quality films come to Modern Languages

Arizona Daily Wildcat Photo courtesy of the International Arts Society "Nosferatu" will be the featured film this week at the International Arts Society Film Series at 7:30 p.m. in the Modern Languages Auditorium. Admission is free.

It is, by now, an undisputed visual reality: the University of Arizona's Gallagher Theater is no more.

The films have temporarily moved into the Social Sciences building, but the $2.50 tickets only merit technical difficulties that interrupt or even cancel screenings.

But don't despair, salvation can be found just across campus at the Modern Languages Auditorium, and even better, it's free. These aren't the standard dollar theater fare either, these are examples of quality cinema. The International Arts Society Film Series is back with its original 1953 premise: to bring to the university audience American and foreign language films that would not ordinarily be seen at the commercial theaters.

The classic films in the current series, which range from Fellini's "La Strada" to Valdez's "Zoot Suit" to Bertolucci's "Last Tango in Paris" are all part of the revival of a UA tradition that ran continuously for 38 years beginning in 1953. With funding from the Department of Humanities, the series has returned this fall after an eight-year hiatus.

"In short," says Professor Charlie Scruggs of the English Department and head of the International Arts Society, "people like to see intelligent films together and to talk about them afterwards over coffee or beers."

"It's hard for modern undergraduates to grasp why these [international] movies were so captivating," Scruggs said. "But in the 1950s and 60s, people were hungry for a more complicated view of life beyond American optimism."

Many of these films were influenced by the Neo-Realist Italian movement of the 40s, and were appealing to students and adults because they were so different from Hollywood's seductive glamour.

When Scruggs took over the series in 1971, it had become such a success that he expanded the program so that films were shown every Friday night. But with the onset of the video revolution and following various technical and monetary problems, Scruggs decided to halt the series in the spring of 1990.

"The Loft was the only place in town left after that," Scruggs said.

But even with the Loft around, one problem still remained: "Nobody showed old foreign films anymore," Scruggs said. These films still influence intellectual filmmakers, because they deviate from the glitz and fantasy of their Hollywood counterparts.

With the renovation of the Modern Languages Auditorium and with renewed funding, the International Arts Society has revived the series. The current series is an international feast that spans over 50 years, from 1941 to 1995.

The films range in geographical origin from Italy to China to Russia, Australia, Japan and Germany.

This Friday, the series is showing the 1979 German film, "Nosferatu The Vampire" directed by Werner Herzog. "It's the 'Blair Witch' of its time," Scruggs exclaimed. "You've got to see it."