Friday, Oct 25, 2013
Noted filmmaker brings expertise to students and the Rider community
by Aimee LaBrie
Oliver Stone has directed many of his generation’s most startling, politically charged, and historically relevant films. From Platoon’s slow motion scenes of destruction in Vietnam, to the dramatization of the Nixon presidency, to the political thriller JFK, Stone’s aesthetic mastery of the form places him among feature filmmaking greats Kubrick and Hitchcock.
And, on Saturday, November 2, 2013, Stone will appear on campus to share his thoughts and expertise with the Rider community at the Bart Luedeke Center from 4 to 5:30 PM as part of cross-departmental, academic efforts of the University.
In recognition of the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination, the Film and Media Studies Program, in conjunction with the Law & Justice and the American Studies program, has also been offering two fall courses focused on issues related to this historical event: Dr. Thomas Simonet’s course, “The JFK Assassination in Film and Media,” analyzes representations of the assassination in film and other media and “The Kennedy Assassination 50 Years Later: Who Dunit?” taught by Dr. James Ottavio Castagnera examines the various speculative theories about who killed Kennedy.
In addition, the films of Oliver Stone have been showcased weekly over the last two months to allow a broader student audience to view his movies on the wide screen.
Dr. Cynthia Lucia, director of the Film and Media Studies Program and English professor, has been instrumental in bringing Stone to campus. She sees Saturday’s conference as a reflection of how Rider strives to create an atmosphere of continual and firsthand access for students and the community. “First of all, students in the JFK courses will have direct access to Mr. Stone, and get to hear about the kind of research that went into creating JFK, the movie. Students who are not as familiar with his work will also have an opportunity to hear him speak and to ask him questions about the creative and collaborative process more generally.”
Prior to Stone’s appearance on Saturday, students and faculty at Rider will be attending a day-long conference devoted to a closer examination of his work, The Films of Oliver Stone, featuring notable scholars and film critics.
To ensure admittance to the event, participants must RSVP via email to Dr. Lucia ([email protected]) by Wednesday, October 30, 2013 at 5 PM. Please email using the subject line “Oliver Stone event: Alumni Community” and include the attendee’s full name and the number of guests attending in the email. All attendees must be seated 10 minutes prior to Stone’s 4 PM start time, so please arrive early, as admittance will not be allowed after 3:50 PM. General admittance will be limited and press are not invited to attend.
The event can also be viewed in real time via a live simulcast to be streamed to Sweigart Auditorium, room 115.
