Film Studies

Autumn 2012

DAYSCHOOL:
Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)

Alan Sennett and Creina Mansfield

This day school examines George Clooney’s (2005) film.  We consider the historical context of America in the early 1950s and of 2005 when the film was made.  We will examine Cold War tensions and the impact of McCarthyism upon politics, television and wider society.  As we view the film in sections, we will discuss its production context; view clips from other films that deal with McCarthyism and hearings of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) and ask whether the issues are still relevant to today’s media-conscious society. Film Synopsis:  During the early 1950s, the presumed threat of Communism created an air of fear and paranoia in the United States, an atmosphere exploited by Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin. CBS reporter Ed. Murrow and his producer, Fred Friendly, took a stand against McCarthy’s wild accusations and helped expose the shallowness of his claims.

Dayschool: Tuesday: 17th April 2012
Time: 10.30-16.30 am

Venue:

Friends' Meeting House,
6 Mount Street,
Manchester
M2 5NS

Price
Concessions
Minimum No. Maximum No.
£35
n/a
10

Send booking to:

Alan Sennett

Flat 5, 36 Oak Road, Withington, Manchester M20 3DA

email: a.sennett@open.ac.uk Tel: 0161 4380309

or:

Creina Mansfield,

Beech Court, Beech Hall Drive, Tytherington Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK10 2EF

email: creinam@tiscali.co.uk Tel: 01625 511581

Go to booking form

 

DAYSCHOOL:
Went the Day Well? (1942)

Alan Sennett and Creina Mansfield

A classic Ealing Studios war propaganda film, Went the Day Well is Alberto Cavalcanti’s gripping, sometimes shocking and highly entertaining 1942 film based upon a short story by Graham Greene.  An English village is occupied by German paratroopers.  But they fail to anticipate the spirited resistance of the civilian inhabitants.  Leslie Banks leads a cast that includes Thora Hird in her first substantial film role.  Using the recently restored version, we examine the making of the film, place it in historical context and consider how it works as a powerful example of British wartime feature film propaganda.

Dayschool: Tuesday: 24th April 2012
Time: 10.30-16.30 am

Venue:

Friends' Meeting House,
6 Mount Street,
Manchester
M2 5NS

Price
Concessions
Minimum No. Maximum No.
£35
n/a
10

Send booking to:

Alan Sennett

Flat 5, 36 Oak Road, Withington, Manchester M20 3DA

email: a.sennett@open.ac.uk Tel: 0161 4380309

or:

Creina Mansfield,

Beech Court, Beech Hall Drive, Tytherington Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK10 2EF

email: creinam@tiscali.co.uk Tel: 01625 511581

Go to booking form