Harper College Film Series screens classic movies on campus

The Harper Film Series will celebrate established and modern movie classics with a slate of campus screenings planned for this fall. The slate includes works by famous directors including James Cameron, The Wachowskis, Sergio Leone and Akira Kurosawa.

The free screenings, presented by Harper's Communication Arts Department, will take place at 6 p.m. on select Wednesdays from Sept. 20 through Nov. 29. Open to everyone, the films will screen in Building E, Room E107, on Harper's Palatine campus, 1200 W. Algonquin Road. Movies will be preceded by a brief introduction from Harper's film studies instructors and followed by optional discussions.

The films will be grouped by theme, just as they were in the spring edition of the series. September screenings are devoted to westerns from outside the U.S.- the samurai western "Yojimbo" and the spaghetti western "A Fistful of Dollars." October will commemorate spooky season with horror gems "Aliens," "The Host" and "The Thing." Meanwhile, November will become "Noir-vember" with screenings of sinister crime dramas "Bound," "Touch of Evil" and "Black Rain."

"We had great success with the spring film series; good-sized audiences and great discussions," said Associate Professor Brian L. Shelton, who helps organize Harper's film series. "We have new themes and new presenters. This series is a wonderful opportunity to see a great film and engage in a chat afterwards with people who are passionate about cinema."

See the full schedule below.

Harper Film Series Fall 2023:

• Westerns: "Yojimbo" (1961), Sept. 20; and "A Fistful of Dollars" (1964), Sept.27.

• Horror: "Aliens" (1986), Oct. 4; "The Host" (2006), Oct. 11; and "The Thing" (1982), Oct. 18.

• Noir-vember: "Bound" (1996), Nov. 8; "Touch of Evil" (1958), Nov. 15; and "Black Rain" (1989), Nov.29.