Colton Rowe
Staff Writer
The Magic Lantern Film Society screened the second film in its 32nd Annual Classic Film Series at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 27 in the CETES Convention Center.
The Magic Lantern Film Society — an on-campus organization started in 1982 — is dedicated to spreading the enjoyment of both classic and modern films alike. To this end, sudents and movie-lovers watched “Alexander Nevsky,” a Soviet Union era-film focused on the Teutonic invasion.
Originally released in 1938, this black-and-white film has been included in lists of the 100 best motion pictures over the years.
Amanda Bell, the vice president of the Magic Lantern Film Society, spoke about her desire to join the society.
“I got involved in Magic Lantern because I really like old movies, and I thought it would be neat to have a leadership position.”
She explained the goals of the society and the process through which movies are selected.
“We are supposed to be spreading the interest in classic movies, so we show movies that have been picked via committee the year before,” she said. “Generally, they are pretty old, but not all of them are. Our most recent film is ‘Field of Dreams’ this season.”
Bell also went into detail about a few upcoming films as well as a few special screenings.
“We have three double features this year,” she said. “Our Halloween double feature has got the original ‘King-King’ and ‘Frankenstein.’ We have a silent movie double feature, and then we have a Woody Allen double feature on Valentine’s Day. That is ‘Annie Hall’ and ‘Purple Rose of Cairo.’”
Sophomore Biology Major, Joel Frambes, attended the movie night for the second time this year. He discussed his interest in the feature films.
“I like watching old movies, so I want to participate with the Magic Lantern Film Society and start making it a habit to go see these classics that kind of go unnoticed nowadays,” he said.
Before the main event, the film society showed two “Superman” serials from the 1940s, a trend that will be present for this semester’s season. Originally shown as shorts before feature films, these serials star Kirk Alyn as Superman and follow his various exploits.
Frambes expressed his opinion on the quality of the serials.
“It is very interesting to see where the ‘Superman’ series started, where some of the original superhero movies came from,” he said. “It is very different from nowadays with modern cinematography. For 1940s quality, it is definitely one of the better movies I have seen. I would give it a four out of five.”
Movie buffs can look forward to the next Magic Lantern Film Society event on Oct. 25, a Halloween-themed double feature. For more information about the organization, students can go to its Cameron University page at https://aggiepass.cameron.edu/magiclantern/history.html or visit its soon-to-be-created Facebook page.
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