OldBoy

so i became faculty adviser and co-founded with a brilliant student, the first film club at my high school that i teach at.

kind of excited actually. we will have first meeting in two weeks.

i was thinking as first movie:


i put this together as our poster. took some time, but loved every minute of putting the care and time i did into this. will fill some of the blue spots in with a few more pics:


actually, this brings me full circle as my first graduate education project ever was to make a nametag:


can't wait to talk movies with the kids.




so what is your suggestion for first movie and reason why?

Solid Snake

....Does rating matter?

foofighters7

One of these?

Casablanca
Citizen Kane
Modern Times
Psycho
2001 A Space Odyssey
Dr. Strangelove
Sunset Blvd.

PopcornTreeCt

Blade Runner -- it's a classic, not black & white and has Han Solo in it. I think it's a good starter film for the group. I think you should gauge their interest first before diving into the 30's and 40's.

Matthew Chmiel

Citizen Kane.

When we started a film club in my high school, that was our first film.

Second? Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Mr. Salty

So what? That should make no difference, especially to a group of people who are interested in learning about film.

"Citizen Kane" is an excellent choice and would offer a lot of discussion about filmmaking technique and style. "Casablanca" might be a more accessible introduction to classic films.

A few short silent films, by Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd or Laurel & Hardy would be a good discussion about how to convey story and emotion without words.

"Blade Runner" would be an interesting second film to show in a discussion about film noir. You could show something classic, like "Double Indemnity" or "The Maltese Falcon," then show "Blade Runner" as an example of modern noir. Except that you might run into issues with the nudity and violence, depending on what sort of OK you've gotten from the school and parents.

Gerry P.

I would not go with 'Citizen Kane'. Its themes are strictly for adults and would bore the pants off a group of teenagers. It would be like making them read Proust.

Sonic

King Kong 1933

or

Any movie from Ray Harryhausen that used the claymation technique.

Rypro 525

I would def pass on 2001 as a first movie, as to say the pacing is lesurly is an understatement

JumpCutz

Why did you include Taylor Lautner's picture?

Harold and Kumar....really?

You need to feature some better film choices on that poster.


(....takes off film snob hat)



2001: A Space Odyssey

That would be my choice. Might as well set the bar high.

Other choices:

The Seven Samurai
Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Shadow of A Doubt

Sondheim

Satantango - it'll immediately separate the serious film students from the, uh... Unserious?

Matthew Chmiel

Again, a group of us watched it in Film Club when I was fifteen and we had no issues with it.

Let's just treat the teenagers like a group of fucking morons. Play a Paul W.S. Anderson film or a Michael Bay picture.

jacob_b

A Clockwork Orange to really mess with their minds and see what is up. Or, since it is teens, Donnie Darko for the not so twisted, but still messes with the mind movie.

dsa_shea

Show them Scarface and let them know who is boss.

Mr. Salty

Well, there's always "Human Centipede."

fmian

Fixed

Ash Ketchum

It should definitely be black-and-white. You'll weed out the unserious ones, who won't come back the next week. Good riddance.

Start with KING KONG (1933).

And follow it with the original SCARFACE (1932)--esp. if the kids have seen the remake. It'll be a real eye-opener.

davidh777

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Singin' in the Rain
Rear Window
North by Northwest
The Third Man

terrycloth

we had one in high school with my cine in lit teacher and our first movie we watched which is still one of my favorites is machurian candidate.

mhg83

We had media arts at my school. Our first movie was Citizen Kane. Our second was Dumb and Dumber

Not sure why you would need permission from parents? The teacher never had us do that and it allowed us to watch a wide range of films. He even showed "The Usual Suspects"

Sean O'Hara

Monty Python (anything)
The Italian Job (original)
Bedazzled (original)

islandclaws

Films like Citizen Kane and Casablanca feel like cliche choices.

I say go with Jaws.

mrhan

When I was in a school film club we would discuss a different genre every week before and after we watched a film. One week it would be sci-fi. The next week it would be horror or action and so on. It actually educated those that weren't into a particular genre and they appreciated the work put into the film or at least made the film more enjoyable for them.

OldBoy

that is a good question. i am getting USO approval next week and am talking to one of my APs about content. i really don't know for sure, but would seriously hesitate on too violent/gory/sex/language.

i think the club will be a mix of old and semi-new.

OldBoy

i debated the Lautner choice and really really hesitated, but really can't deny the films' appeal to the younger audience and its' place in the culturally zeitgeist. plus, the club will be a mix and perhaps attract the not so serious student film goer into more serious films and film discussion.