Private Film Clubs

Film Clubs

Private, highly interactive film talks at your location.

“A stimulating series of talks, thought-provoking and interactive.”

If you are inspired by the masterpieces of world cinema and the conversations that arise from analyzing them, these bespoke programs are for you.  Together we will identify the right experience for your setting. For many clubs, it is simply a one-hour, interactive talk on a well-known topic. Imagine a black-tie-optional event called “Bond, James Bond.” After a cocktail hour with Shaken not Stirred and Vesper martinis, the presenter leads a one-hour highlight reel of clips and quips on Agent 007.

All talks led by award-winning college professor, Tom Means, often in collaboration with noted film critics.

Examples of film series:

 

Spielberg

Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind,

E.T., Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan,

Catch Me If You Can,

and many more from

“The Clapboard King”!

 

A Night in Rome

Roma Città Aperta, Rossellini, 1945

Il Sorpasso, Dino Risi, 1962

A Special Day, Scola, 1977

The Great Beauty, Sorrentino, 2013

molti di più (many more!)

 

A Night in Paris

Amelie, Jeunet, 2001

Belle de Jour, Buñuel, 1967

Midnight in Paris, Allen, 2011

Before Sunset, Linklater, 2004

and many more!

 

The French New Wave

The 400 Blows, Truffaut, 1959

Breathless, Godard, 1960

Cleo from 5-7, Varda, 1962

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Demy, 1964

and many more!

 

I’ll Have What She’s Having

Chef, Favreau, 2014

Big Night, Tucci & Scott, 1996

When Harry Met Sally, Reiner, 1989

and many more!

 

Italian Neorealism

Ossessione, Visconti, 1941

Rome Open City, Rossellini, 1945

Bicycle Thieves, DeSica, 1948

and molti di più (many more)

 

Bond, James Bond

An interactive retrospective on the 25 films

and the 6 actors who have played Agent 007

 

Hollywood on the Hudson, 90s-Today

The Royal Tenenbaums, Anderson, 2001

The Devil Wears Prada, Frankel, 2006

Inside Llewyn Davis, Coen Bros, 2013

and many more!

 

Federico Fellini

La Dolce Vita, 1960

8 1/2, 1962

and molti di più (many more)

 

Italian Cinema Now

The Wonders, Rohrwacher, 2015

Martin Eden, Marcello, 2020

The Hand of God,  Sorrentino, 2021

and molti di più (many more)

 

 

Trans-Europe Express

Paris: Hôtel du Nord, Carné, 1938

Vienna: The Third Man, Reed, 1949

Madrid: Women on the Verge…,  Almodóvar, 1988

Edinburgh: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Neame, 1969

and many more

 

Twilight Lives

Rules of the Game, Renoir, 1939

The Music Room, Ray, 1958

Tokyo Story, Ozu, 1953

Wild Strawberries, Bergman, 1957

 

When Silence Was Golden

Sunrise, Murnau, 1927

The Passion of Joan Arc, Dreyer, 1928

I Was Born, But…, Ozu, 1932

L’Atalante, Vigo, 1934

 

Sophia Loren Mini Film Festival

Marriage Italian Style, De Sica, 1964

A Special Day, Scola, 1977

 

Hollywood on the Hudson, 40s-80s

The Naked City, Dassin, 1948

Midnight Cowboy, Schlesinger, 1969

Taxi Driver, Scorsese, 1976

Big, Marshall, 1988

and many more!

 

Hitchcock

Rear Window, 1954

Vertigo, 1958

North by Northwest, 1959

Psycho, 1960

and much more from Hitch…

“Il Sorpasso” by Dino Risi, 1962.

From our Rome series, this relatively unknown jewel is considered the masterpiece of the “commedia all’italiana” genre, loosely defined as satirical comedy. It’s a funny and touching story of two Roman men on a spontaneous road trip.

 

 

“Cleo from 5-7” by Agnés Varda, 1962.

A centerpiece of our French New Wave series, this engaging story about a pop singer waiting for the results of a biopsy (told in real time, between 5:00 and 7:00) helped define what groundbreaking work was created by this movement.

How the talks work

Our experiences can be offered as a series of four films, a double bill, or even for just one theme or body of work.

After we create the details of the experience with you, we can send you an article to read before the event. The article addresses the director, actors, setting, relevant history, etc.

On the night of the event, with a glass of vino or other film-linked beverage in hand if you wish, we all chat together for a few minutes before starting the presentation. We want to know your initial impressions and questions.

After sharing your thoughts with us, our formal presentation covers important points about the film, the director, the style, the historical background, etc.. The presentation also includes memorable clips and interaction with the audience, before concluding with a moderated Q&A.

Contact us to learn more about how we can create and host a film experience for you.