Moviegoers sure love their villains. Superhero movies, for example, have become the most bankable genre for major studios in the last few years -- thanks in no small part to the appeal of outrageously depraved supervillains like Lex Luthor and the Green Goblin. And then there are the villains that come in unexpected morphs. Last year's chick flick "The Devil Wears Prada" redefined evil with Meryl Streep's icy magazine exec. We expect villains to be defeated by the forces of good, so long as they stick around long enough to stir up some intrigue. Perhaps it's our way of vicariously sticking it to the Man. Or maybe we just enjoy the thrill of gloriously imagined villainy.
The Dartmouth Film Series for Winter term is entitled "Villains," and includes a selection of movies that tap into the American penchant for -- and functional necessity of -- the cinematic scoundrel. This time, the series features bad guys (and girls) whose weapons range from machine guns ("Sexy Beast," Feb. 14) to, like, a totally sweet fashion sense ("Mean Girls," Mar. 4).
The "Villians" theme was chosen by the Dartmouth Film Society directorate, a group of students, faculty and local residents who design a roster of films to show at the Hopkins Center every term. Selected two terms in advance, each themed series must include six to eight foreign films, one documentary and one silent film. Generally, the entries comprise both classic picks and newer blockbusters in an effort to draw a varied student audience.
Tyson Kubota '07, director of the DFS, explained the objective of this term's series.
"The 'Villains' series presents some classic screen villains alongside their more recent counterparts," Kubota said. "Not just the most evil, sadistic characters possible, but ones who have endured in the popular consciousness and added something new to our cinematic understanding of villainy."
Kicking off the series last Thursday was "Silence of the Lambs," the 1991 film featuring serial killer Hannibal Lecter, top villain in the American Film Institute's 100 Heroes and Villains list. Also playing last week were the Oscar contender "The Departed," Martin Scorsese's engrossing take on urban crime, and the 1968 western "Once Upon a Time in the West."
Next up is Stanley Kubrick's controversial masterpiece "A Clockwork Orange," showing tomorrow night at 7 p.m. in Spaulding Auditorium. The 1971 film is equal parts science fiction and moral musing, and has attained cult classic status despite -- or because of -- its explicit sexual and violent content. "Orange" features a nihilistic young hooligan who voluntarily undergoes "aversion therapy" to cure his unstable behavior in exchange for a shorter jail sentence. The results of this far-fetched procedure wind up far more complicated than expected.
Several picks from the series feature unconventional antagonists. Mel Gibson's recent release "Apocalypto" (Jan. 21) follows the violent flight of one man escaping his sacrifice to the gods in the ancient Mayan empire. "The Little Mermaid" and "Jaws," which feature terrors from the deep sea, are billed together on Jan. 14.
While many of the villains in the series are indeed demonstrations of evil or sociopathia, Kubota made it clear that the series is far from one-dimensional.
"['Villains'] also contains Sofia Coppola's sympathetic treatment of Marie Antoinette, a historical figure often considered villainous. In short, these films explore, expand and complicate the idea of villainy while presenting a selection of memorable characters" he said.
Individual tickets are on sale at the Hopkins Center Box Office 30 minutes before showtime (General Public $7, Dartmouth students $5). DFS passes to the entire series are available at the Hopkins Center Box Office and online at http://hop.dartmouth.edu (General Public $18, Dartmouth students $12).
