Alfred Hitchcock once said, “A good film is when the price of the dinner, the theater admission and the babysitter were worth it.”
Hoping to emulate this sentiment, the Athena Cinema is screening eight films from the master himself in their latest film series, the Hitchcock
Retrospective.
“This is just an opportunity that came along,” said Chris Iacofano, executive director of the Athena Cinema. “In general, we wanted to do something that was showing a taste in the direction we are going.”
Starting with Rear Window on Jan. 27 and 28 at 7 p.m., the Athena Cinema will be showcasing one film a week for the next eight weeks. The other films include The Trouble with Harry, Vertigo, Psycho, The Birds, Torn Curtain, Topaz and Frenzy.
“I hope people could enjoy these films in various perspectives,” Hsin-ning Chang, head projectionist, said. “For sure, I hope they would just be entertained and enjoy the movie(s).”
Before each screening, a College of Fine Arts student will speak about the film.
“We’re so lucky to have all these talented students at the campus that can provide good insight and ideas about each film,” said Iacofano. “Each student should give a thoughtful and interesting speech before each screening.”
As a matter of good timing, the theater is also showing Hitchcock, a dramatized account on the making of Psycho starring Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren. The theater encourages participants to attend both events, making it a
double feature.
Also, the British Film Institute’s Sight and Sound Magazine named Vertigo the “greatest film of all time” in their decade-annual survey this past year.
Tickets for the event will be at regular price. For a limited time, however, the theater will provide a complimentary bonus four-pack of tickets to the Hitchcock Retrospective with any purchase of a Friends of the Athena Annual Membership. They will also be providing a four-pack of tickets for $20 and an eight-pack of tickets for $35.
The films were provided by Emerging Pictures, a digital projection company that also supplied this past semester’s Animal House screenings.
Alexandra Kamody, managing director of the Athena Cinema, said she hopes audiences gain a wider appreciation of the classics by getting to see them on the big screen, the way they were intended to be watched.
“I hope they could enjoy how these films invent many special film techniques for the genre,” Chang said. “I especially hope those who did not see Hitchcock’s works before would come and enjoy the series too.”
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