LETTER TO THE EDITOR: New film major is a welcome revival of Brandeis cinematographic legacy
Letters to the Editor | 11/18/08
Posted online at 2:43 AM EST on 11/18/08
To the Editor:
This article ("Faculty approve film major," Nov. 11 issue) interests me because I graduated in 1968 with a BA in Fine Arts and received an MFA in Directing Theater and Film in 1970. So I'm really pleased that studying film is coming back to Brandeis.
At that time, there actually was a Film department. It was attached to the Theater department and run by David Hardy-a wonderful and inspiring mentor to me. Some of my fellow film students were Richard Lehrman, Geoff Belinfante, Ben Blake, Jeanette Lerman, Cliff Haupman, Micky Lemle and Marty Ostrow, although as grads or undergrads I don't remember.
Many of us were in the first film course Hardy taught in 1968 and still carry the memory of one of our first film assignments, Burnt Toast, seared into our memories. At least I do.
I bravely forged on to become one of the first two Film/Theater MFAs. Henry de Leon was my fellow grad student. I actually have some 16mm footage of Hardy talking about the department that has not been viewed since 1970. And a couple of thousand feet of film shot during the black student strike in 1968 to '69. Kind of historic now, I should think. Should anyone at the University be interested in this material, I'd be happy to share it.
We could only dream of the level of technology that has evolved since then, the accessibility granted by digital video and computers and the new channels of distribution on the Net. Here's hoping the new Film Studies major takes root!
-Andy Harmon '68
This article ("Faculty approve film major," Nov. 11 issue) interests me because I graduated in 1968 with a BA in Fine Arts and received an MFA in Directing Theater and Film in 1970. So I'm really pleased that studying film is coming back to Brandeis.
At that time, there actually was a Film department. It was attached to the Theater department and run by David Hardy-a wonderful and inspiring mentor to me. Some of my fellow film students were Richard Lehrman, Geoff Belinfante, Ben Blake, Jeanette Lerman, Cliff Haupman, Micky Lemle and Marty Ostrow, although as grads or undergrads I don't remember.
Many of us were in the first film course Hardy taught in 1968 and still carry the memory of one of our first film assignments, Burnt Toast, seared into our memories. At least I do.
I bravely forged on to become one of the first two Film/Theater MFAs. Henry de Leon was my fellow grad student. I actually have some 16mm footage of Hardy talking about the department that has not been viewed since 1970. And a couple of thousand feet of film shot during the black student strike in 1968 to '69. Kind of historic now, I should think. Should anyone at the University be interested in this material, I'd be happy to share it.
We could only dream of the level of technology that has evolved since then, the accessibility granted by digital video and computers and the new channels of distribution on the Net. Here's hoping the new Film Studies major takes root!
-Andy Harmon '68
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