Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

BY MARSHALL SWANSON Contributing Editor At registration this 'year hun dreds of Carolina students flocked to the English and Journalism tables to sign up for the most popular elective course on campus. The attraction was Film Ex perience, a 500 level course which chronicles the development of the cinema, offered under both English and Journalism course titles. Since its appearance' in the Fall of 1971, it has continually drawn more than 1,000 students a year. The course's popularity draws mixed reaction. Critics say it's an easy grade requiring little work. Supporters say film study is a valuable educational experience with as much right to be included in a college curriculum as any other course. Professor Benjamin Dunlap, who, along with George P. Garrett created Film Experience, said people don't realize how much the study of film interacts with the study of other material. "Film is important," said Dunlap, "because it has tangency with other arts and its study enhances one's understanding of other djsciplines. "The ultimate task of film is the redemption of physical reality," he added. The course's popularity ap parently is exceeded only by the SA, FiIm enthusiasm students. show for Dunlap, who seems to exude a charisma like that which surrounds other media freaks. It's no secret the dark haired, medium built Dunlap Is friends with singer Kris Kristofferson. "Kris Kristofferson, Allen Caren (now an associate editor at Punch) and I were classmates together at Oxford," Dunlap said. "We were all writers then and used to be good friends. "When Kristoffersen was in town recently to do a concert at the Coliseum we drank together af terwards until 6 a.m. He hasn't changed since I knew him at Ox ford and I think he wears his success well. "Kristofferson is more of a creator than a performer," said Dunlap. "He'd prefer directing movies to playing in them." Of - Kristofferson's per formances in "Bloom In Love," "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid" and "Cisco Pike," Dunlap said, "He's got an extraordinary ability to portray himself. He has the charismatic personality of the people he plays." Dunlap's cinema experience started during his Oxford days where he participated in the Ox ford University Film Society and had a hand in making "Altogether Boys," a film which he says didn't have great box-office appeal but was exhibited at the Edinburgh Film Festival in 1960. Before his Oxford film ex WENS, N VE FIVE TIL SEVEN Eat on campus. University Dining S h.ourse The couse's popularity is exceeded only by enthusiasm students show for Dunlop. periences Dunlap said he was "teethed" in movies like most other people--that is, he attended them regularly. Dunlap said Film Experience began after he and Garrett "kicked the idea around ," and struggled with criticism from "the more conservative elements on campus" that it wouldn't be academically viable enough for a college curriculum. ,"Garrett's influence, President Jones' interest in the media, and the fact that Garrett is a former scriptwriter and friend of Sam Goldwyn were all influential in helping us get the course started," said Dunlap. V 7 er/e Incites He said similar courses were being offerred at other colleges. and universities around the country before Carolina started its program. In addition to the creation of Film Experience-an introductory course--Dunlap helped form a humanities film library utilized by university departments and the Cinematic Arts Committee. Other film courses are also being offerred in German expressionism, French film experience and cinematography. More film courses are being planned he added. Dunlap said he expects the number of courses to grow until an interdepartmental major in cinema can be offerred. Dunlap, 35 and father of three, was born in Columbia in 1937. He attended public schools here and graduated from Columbia High School. He then attended Sewannee (University of the South.) After graduation he went to Oxford for three years as a Rhodes Scholar where he studied Victorian poetry. Dunlap then traveled to California where he worked laying irrigation pipe in the Salinas Valley while pursuing a writing career. In 1963 he went to Harvard where hV earned his Ph.D. and stayed for five years as a regular faculty member. Dunlap said it was then when he reached a turning point in his life. He turned down a faculty promotion at Harvard and came back to Columbia in 1968. e c S Your F. T. S. Phone 2S4-,-4 10 s BICY Quality Europeam UB Manufactured By: Psris-.Sport, Falcen-I C A TE'S ( Box .Cs'dar Terruce 6420 Sumte Ph 776 1 :15 to 8 p.m. A Fervor His decision to leave he said, was the "best one" he ever made. He said he feels more productive at USC because the university has allowed him to teach courses he wants to and he has been able to learn about the cinema by teaching ti.. Defending Film Experience he says any responsible intellectual has the responsibility to know something about film today. He said the course involves as much reading and writing as any three-hour subject and added that six to seven hours a week are required for viewing some 90 films shown during the semester. "Film Experience is a common denominator," he said. "We hope to ultimately coordinate it with Educational TV and the per forming arts in South Carolina to transform Columbia into a production center. We feel we're turning out students now who will be part of that program in the years ahead." Weather Course A short course on "The Weather" will be offered by the USC educational services division Wednesday evenings Nov. 14-Dec. 5. Taught by USC geography Prof. Robert Janiskee, the course will be held in the Carolina Coliseum from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tuition for the short course is $10 per person or $17 per married couple. )SSOm S2001 levine five ints Florist in Five Points 16 PEED CLES Icycies From 195.00 3iane. BoFtecchia, b1aine. Cineili. Coinage aubIa See: ?OTT AGE 9342 Shopping Center HKwy. (29209) one: -1209 ton. through Sat.