Senior adjunct professor Scott Essman will transform the 每日大赛\u2019s LaFetra Lecture Hall into a world of gorgons, witches, and hobbits during a new film appreciation class focused on fantasy cinema.<\/p>\n
\u201cWizards, Dragons, and Magic \u2013 A Critical Appreciation of Fantasy Cinema,\u201d is a 15-day course that will be offered in the January term. It will look beyond the basic entertainment value of modern fantasy films to reveal connections to Homer and Greek mythology and truths about the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany fantasies rely on the theme of the hero’s journey, in which a character, often the least likely among us, overcomes incredible odds, family indifferences, and lowered expectations to achieve greatness,\u201d Essman said. \u201cThis resonates with audiences who are often surmounting such real-life issues.\u201d<\/p>\n
Essman plans to screen 15 films. They range from older movies such as \u201cJason and the Argonauts\u201d and \u201cThe Wizard of Oz\u201d to the more recent \u201cHarry Potter and the Sorcerer\u2019s Stone\u201d and \u201cLord of the Rings \u2013 Fellowship of the Ring.\u201d<\/p>\n
Students will discuss and analyze the films for their themes, characters, journeys, symbols, and allegories.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn addition to being engaged in daily group discussions, students will also be required to research one aspect of fantasy in literature and cinema, plus create an exit essay which unveils what they have learned through the class,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Essman, who produces documentaries about classic horror and science fiction films for Universal Studios Home Entertainment, is inviting some of his Hollywood industry contacts to speak, including Harry Potter filmmakers. Some of the speakers from his previous classes have ties to cinema legends, such as Bela Lugosi Jr., son of the classic \u201cDracula\u201d star, and Sara Karloff, daughter of \u201cFrankenstein\u201d actor Boris Karloff. Both spoke in Essman\u2019s horror cinema class in January 2015.<\/p>\n
The mass media professor traces his interest in fantasy films back to his childhood, when he saw 1971\u2019s \u201cWilly Wonka and the Chocolate Factory\u201d as well as the Sinbad films of 1958, 1974, and 1977.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy 1981, I was paying my own way to see \u2018Clash of the Titans,\u2019 which was fantasy filmmaker Ray Harryhausen’s final film,\u201d Essman said. \u201cIn one of my career high points, I was able to interview Mr. Harryhausen about his entire career, which is now available as a 20-minute video.\u201d<\/p>\n
Registration for the class (coded TV 408) is now open and runs through Jan. 6. The 4-unit elective is open to anyone currently enrolled at the university.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Scott Essman will transform LaFetra Lecture Hall into a world of gorgons, witches, & hobbits during a new film appreciation class focused on fantasy cinema.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":3433,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1549],"tags":[219],"class_list":["post-429","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-events","tag-cas","ulv_author-university-of-la-verne","legacy_tags-college-of-arts-sciences","legacy_tags-critical-appreciation-of-fantasy-cinema","legacy_tags-dragons","legacy_tags-harry-potter","legacy_tags-la-verne","legacy_tags-lord-of-the-rings","legacy_tags-magic","legacy_tags-scott-essman","legacy_tags-university-of-la-verne","legacy_tags-wizards"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n