Film Appreciation
Benito Rakower, Ed.D., was educated at Queens College and Harvard University, where he received a doctorate in the teaching of English. Dr. Rakower taught writing at Harvard College, and has lectured on film at the French Library in Boston.
Student Testimonials
- "The class was enjoyable and educational."
- "Dr. Rakower does extensive research on his topics for class."
Women Beware Women
Women's Beauty and Danger Explored in Film
The course title is derived from a startling play that
supplanted Shakespeare’s more idyllic view of
women. It was not until American cinema appeared
that women began to receive their due with respect to
intelligence, boldness, self-control, cunning and
danger.
Six Lectures
- "Bonjour Tristesse" (1958) - A group of idle people in a dazzling South of
France setting discover the tragic consequences
of pursuing desire carelessly.
- "The Thomas Crown Affair" (1968) - Dapper, suave Steve McQueen plans the perfect
bank robbery — of his own bank. Faye Dunaway
plays an insurance investigator who identifies him
immediately as the culprit. But that is not the end
of the story!
- "As Good As It Gets" (1997) - Jack Nicholson, a successful author, disdains
women until he meets a waitress too interesting to
ignore and too smart to reject.
- "Dangerous Liaisons" (1988) - Derived from one of the greatest French novels,
this film recounts the intrigues of two aristocrats
who plot the sexual ruin of several hapless victims.
If one wants to understand why the French
Revolution occurred, this film provides part
of the answer.
- "Body Heat" (1981) - This film noir is set in nearby Lake Worth, Florida.
A handsome, athletic, but barely successful attorney
vastly enjoys his bachelor life. One hot night, he
meets a married woman on the pier and doesn’t
sense that simply talking to her poses a greater
menace than he can handle.
- "Final Analysis" (1992) - Richard Gere plays a brilliant, handsome, successful
psychiatrist with interesting patients — perhaps too
interesting. One is a beautiful young woman with a
troubling past. Her older, married sister has a
consultation with him. He then redefines the
medical code of ethics.
|
| Course # S6F5 — Full 6 Weeks
|
|
| Place: | Auditorium, Lifelong Learning Complex, Jupiter Campus |
| Dates: | Fridays, March 25; April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 2016 |
| Time: | 2 - 4:30 PM |
| Fee: | $56 / member; $81 / non-member |
|
|
| Course # S4F6 — First 4 Weeks
|
|
| Place: | Auditorium, Lifelong Learning Complex, Jupiter Campus |
| Dates: | Fridays, March 25; April 1, 8, 15 2016 |
| Time: | 2 - 4:30 PM |
| Fee: | $39 / member; $59 / non-member |
|
|
Register Now
Mary Arden, Shakespeare’s Mother
This lecture will survey some of the most complex
women characters in the plays and poems of William
Shakespeare.
It was Shakespeare who first presented tragic male
figures as irrational, dominated by pride, badly
tempered and given to impulsivity. Shakespeare’s
towering male character, Hamlet, is depressed or mad
for the entire play.
In stark contrast, Shakespeare’s women are selfcontrolled,
witty, independent-minded, sensuous and
erotic. They are uniquely capable of kindness and
patient love. It is no accident that Ophelia is a
touchstone of the feminist movement or that she has
inspired the greatest compassion from audiences.
Shakespeare’s mother was known to be a cultured
woman from a prosperous family with an aristocratic
lineage that pre-dated the Norman Conquest. The
entire range of Shakespeare’s plays and poems can be
viewed as a sustained homage to his mother’s
influence, example and love.
In this lecture, we will explore the personalities
of the following women from Shakespeare’s plays
and poems:
- Gertrude
- Beatrice
- Ophelia
- Katherine
- Desdemona
- Olivia
- Viola
- The “Dark Lady” of the Sonnets
Register Early! There is a $5 charge for registering on the day of a one-time lecture or event.
|
| Course # S1M4 — One Time Event
|
|
| Place: | Auditorium, Lifelong Learning Complex, Jupiter Campus |
| Dates: | Monday, May 2 2016 |
| Time: | 3:15 - 4:45 PM |
| Fee: | $25 / member; $35 / non-member |
|
|
Register Now
A Festival of English, French and American Films
Five Comedies and One Erotic Thriller
The films in this series are in turn hilarious,
comic and dramatically gripping. A wide array of
international acting and film-making talent is
abundantly provided.
Six Lectures
- "OSS 117" (2006, French) - This French version of a James Bond film
features an agent whose lack of tact and
impulsive behavior have no bounds. Brilliantly
and compellingly comic.
- "The Closet" (2001, French) - A boring and dull employee at a French factory is
about to be fired. He devises a plan to keep his job
by pretending to be gay. The French are masters in
this genre of farce.
- "The Swimming Pool" (2003, English/French) - Charlotte Rampling gives a gripping performance
of a successful mystery writer whose life falls apart
at the home of her publisher in the South of France.
His spirited daughter’s behavior taunts her into
increasing peril.
- "The Return of the Pink Panther" (1975, English) - Peter Sellers in his best evocation of a French police
detective so incompetent he cannot fail. As the
Dutch philosopher Erasmus wrote, “there is no
defense against folly.”
- "The Spanish Apartment" (2002, French/Spanish/German) - This charming film, set in beautiful Barcelona,
recounts the adventures of graduate students
spending a year abroad to further their education.
Other experiences intervene.
- "Two Weeks Notice" (2002, American) - Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock in a film that
follows the perverse comic mold. A young man and
young woman who can’t stand each other find
themselves falling in love. The reason, of course, is
that they have so little in common.
|
| Course # SUR6 — Full 6 Weeks
|
|
| Place: | Auditorium, Lifelong Learning Complex, Jupiter Campus |
| Dates: | Thursdays, May 19, 26; June 2, 9, 16, 23 2016 |
| Time: | 1:30 - 4 PM |
| Fee: | $56 / member; $81 / non-member |
|
|
Register Now
