Course Description

Multiple Instructors: Jill Parks, Bert Parks, Barb Sorenson, Colin Mackey

One of the biggest advantages of watching a film adaptation of a book is seeing the characters and setting come alive. Filmmakers have long relied on literature of all types for inspiration. This class will delve into films made from books or plays, and the literature behind them.

Our discussion series will look at The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History, by Robert M. Edsel; film The Monuments Men. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, film by the same name. Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis, film by the same name, and Inherit the Wind, drama by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, film by the same name.

A great film adaptation captures the essence of the work it is based on and enhances the viewer/readers' appreciation of the original literature. The setting, characters, conflicts, themes, and psychology can give us a whole new vision of the literary work. Of course, the film can also distort and confuse the original work. Our discussion class will explore the excitement of reading, discussing and seeing these works during the four-week class.