Dear Mark -- I am glad you brought this up because this practice of showing
only clips has become more and more common and I find it particularly distres-
sing.  While I might not go as far in tone as Gene Stavis, in principle, I
agree with him.  As Janet Staiger adroitly pointed out, one has determine one's
 pedagogical goals.  Are you showing clips to illustrate some stylistic concept
(i.e. "this is a low-angle shot,") or in order not to take up too much class
time?  If you are attempting any sort of narrative analysis, or even a visual
analysis of patterns and motifs, etc., you are required to show the film in its
entirety.  Yes, you can assign your students the task of viewing the complete
film independently on video, but you can rest assured they will not be viewing
the film in an uninterrupted fashion (they will be distracted by other library
patrons, or, if at home, by ringing phones, roomates, etc.).
 
I've said this before,but it bears repeating:  Many of these students have
 neverseen these films before and might never get the chance to see them again
 in
a darkened collective viewing environment.  While we jaded profs. might cringe
at hearing "rosebud" one more time, our students need to see it, and to see it
in an environment which encourages them to take the film serioulsy and as it
was intended (as a complete work of art).  Especially with films that are
dated (like many of the family melodramas I show), it is imperative that the
prof. be there to introduce the film, set the stage and inform the class of
the seriousness of the subject matter.  Watched alone, something like ALL
THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS might collapse into parody or joke;  in a class situation,
this is not the case.  Comedies and Horror films gain tremendous affect from
audience response -- all of which is lost when viewed alone, or at a library
cubicle where the viewer feels intimidated about responding "too loudly."
 
Clips and individual viewing are ideal for analysis, but one must see the film
in its entirety in a collective atmosphere of attention and yes, passion.  For
without a LOVE of the medium students will lose interest quickly in studying
its history, critical approaches and often difficult theoretical perspectives.
 
Pragmatically, set aside a 3 hour screening time a week (usually evenings work
best) at which your students are required to go and see the film.   If space
permits, allow them to bring a friend.  And by all means, at the end of the
film, open up an immediate discussion just to assess initial responses.  These
 students spend at least a night a week at the "movies" anyway, and adding an
additional night when they go out to see a film will not present a hardship.
 
I am glad you bring this up, because it is crucial to keep reminding each other
of the importance of the art form -- an art form that has tremendous
 ideologicaland cultural implications in part because of its larger-than-life
 identity, its
length, and its viewing situations.  Nina Leibman
 
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