American Studies and Film: O.S.U. Workshop

AMERICAN STUDIES AND FILM: O. S.U. WORKSHOP An American Studies and Film Workshop took place at Oklahoma State University Feb. 1-5. The project was sponsored by the National American Studies Faculty with funds provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The purpose of the works-hop was to bring teachers and scholars from the region together with others from farther afield to consider the relevance of and possible applications of film to American Studies. Roughly half of the twenty participants were specialists in various areas of American Studies, all with an interest in film as socio-historical documentation ; several were film specialists whose critical methodologies had a sociological bent; and a few were film archivists and librarians who, by virtue of their dealings with scholars both in Cinema and American Studies, were well equipped to suggest the broadest spectrum of research sources and the most valuable ways of utilizing them. The first two days of the program concentrated on encouraging a broadening of individual horizons. Several films which many might consider dull and relatively uninteresting (e.g., The River (1936) and Mission to Moscow (1943) ) sparked group analysis in which the varied backgrounds of participants led to dynamic discussion and new insights into the films themselves and their relation to American history and culture. In the congenial atmosphere barriers were swiftly broken down and pre-arranged discussion topics on teaching techniques, bibliography and resources, and "Why Film in the Humanities?" generated lively exchanges of ideas. For the final two days workshop members took part in the 5th annual O.S. U. Filmathon in which over 500 (students, faculty from regional colleges and high schools, resource people from the film distributors, etc.) gathered to screen scores of films and partake in a series of eight intensive workshops on themes such as "Theological Implications in Contemporary Film" and "The Historian's Use of Film." Those interested in the workshop in "The Western: An Evolving Film Genre" could also view continuous screenings of Tumbleweeds (1925), Red River (1946), 3:10 to Yuma (1957), Ride the High Country (1962), and The Wild Bunch (1969). The workshop on history was oriented to American documentaries and included screenings of The City (1939), The Battle of Russia (1943), 42 Louisiana Story (1948) and Hearts and Minds (1974). Special credit for the success of the Filmathon belongs to its Director, Harris Elder, but planning and leadership of the American Studies workshop was the special contribution of Peter C. Rollins. His efforts to bring together people whose individual talents could add most to the group and his organization and stimulation of workshop discussions were critical elements in creating a valuable experience for all concerned. It will be to the great good fortune of the entire scholarly community in Cinema and American Studies if similar workshop experiences can grow out of this very productive example of what careful planning and limited financial resources can accomplish. Jay Boyer, Arizona State University Dear Editors: Two notes which might interest the readers of Film & History are: J_. Those who use The Plow That Broke the Plains and The River know that the prints available for purchase or rent are cheap but of terrible quality. I have found the score virtually unintelligible to the average student who assumes, incorrectly, that the film was a cheapo production and that even in 1936-37 neither film was worth a damn from a technical point of view. A brilliant recent recording of the soundtrack from both films can help alleviate the problem. Angel S-37300 has Neville Marriner and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra playing Virgil Thomson's arrangements of the scores from both films. The sound is excel lent^ though of course, these are not literally a reading of either soundtrack—just ,the music. I am convinced that I can teach students to pay attention to the musical part of these films by asking them to first watch the film and then play excerpts from this recording and ask about what visual images appear to accompany the particular musical themes. It is arguable that Virgil Thomson is the most significant American composer to have worked in films to date which only increases my...