Films celebrate the spirit of Capra

The Frank Capra Film Series continues this term at the director’s alma mater with presentations of three films. Although directed by others, these movies were created in the spirit of inserting social consciousness into works of popular entertainment. A panel of scholars and artists will discuss each film after its screening.

The first, Chinatown (1974), directed by Roman Polanski, stars Jack Nicholson as private detective Jake Gittes, whose investigation of a murder embroils him in a larger scam involving land, water, and a beautiful woman. This screening takes place on January 18 and will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Robert Rosenstone, professor of history at Caltech, and Bill Deverell, a professor of history at USC.

My Darling Clementine (1946), will be shown on February 1. Directed by John Ford, this Western features two legendary gunslingers: Wyatt Earp, played by Henry Fonda, and his tubercular friend John “Doc” Holliday, played by Victor Mature. Returning from a trip into the town of Tombstone, Earp finds that his brother has been killed and his ranch sacked by a clan of rowdies. Earp takes on the job of marshal, and he and his deputies seek to bring order to the lawless region.

On February 15, the futuristic Soylent Green (1973) takes audiences in an altogether different direction. Set in the year 2022 in a bleak and battered Manhattan, Charlton Heston plays Detective Robert Thorn. Pollution and overpopulation have overwhelmed the globe, and clean food and water are scarce. A murder investigation eventually leads Thorn to the grim truth: society has turned to an unconventional resource in order to survive.

The movies will screen at 8 p.m. in Beckman Auditorium. No tickets or reservations are required. For further information, visit the Caltech Public Events website at www.events.caltech.edu, or call 395-4652.

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