The Philosophy and Film Series wrapped up its third year Wednesday with a German film, giving students the opportunity to analyze the deeper undertones of the film.
The series, sponsored by ASU’s College of Letters and Sciences, gave students the opportunity to watch “Nosferatu” and participate in a lecture and discussion in the A.E. England building. The film is an unauthorized take on Bram Stoker’s book, “Dracula” and tells the tale of a vampire named Count Orlok.
Christopher Burrell, a professor of philosophy and co-director of the film series, created the event with fellow ASU faculty member, James Wermers, an English professor.
“The two main reasons why we both decided to host this event was that we wanted to expose students to films that they otherwise wouldn’t see,” Burrell said. “We wanted to expose students to films with which they are familiar but give them a more critical look at each film.”
Mark Haunschild, a professor of creative and academic writing, was the main lecturer of the night, offering an in-depth look into the film.
Haunschild said that the main goal of his lecture was to demonstrate to students that philosophy is within all types of art, especially in film. To help students understand this concept, he composed his analysis with what he calls a “literary montage.”
“My lecture is made up of a collage of quotes, some from philosophers, writers and critics of the film,” he said. “I wanted to show this essay as an experiment, based on the idea that all languages rely on the tradition of language before it.”
Haunschild further analyzed the film by presenting to the audience the theory that the director of “Nosferatu” molded its main character, the villainous Count Orlock, based around ancient stereotypes of the Jewish culture.
He believes that because these stereotypes were present in the film, the movie acted as a launch-pad for the oppression that the Jewish race would face in the two decades following the release of the film.
“I don’t think that the director of the film intended to make a piece of propaganda,” Haunschild said. “He didn’t mean for it to lead to Fascism or Nazism, however, it provided the story and set-up for it.”
This argument seemed to impact student’s view of the film. Ciara Archer, a journalism major minoring in film making practices, was excited about the theory.
“I had no idea that the film had some anti-Semitic undertones to the story, but it makes more sense now,” she said. “This is why the philosophical film discussion is cool because you can take films that you would never really analyze and look at in a more in-depth manner.”
The great discussions the students have following each film will likely expand the event, Burrell said.
“So far, the film series has been very successful,” he said. “Because of the large attendance, we are looking to start showing three movies each semester, hopefully starting in the fall.”
The Philosophy and Film series is expected to start up again for its fourth year this fall.
Contact the reporter at daniel.j.escobedo@asu.edu
