A two-part philosophy department event begins with the screening of two different versions of the film “Enchanted April” on Thursday, Nov. 4, at 7 p.m., in Blaustein Humanities Center, Room 210. The next evening, Thursday, Nov. 5, Connecticut College professor of philosophy Kristin Pfefferkorn will reflect on passages from the film in her talk, “The Role of Style in Film Content, Genre, and Experienced Value,” at 4:30 p.m., in the Faculty Lounge, Blaustein.
Also an associate faculty member in the College’s Film Studies Program, Pfefferkorn’s philosophic interests and teaching are primarily concerned with issues of cultural expressions such as “What is the aesthetic nature of films and how does that nature shape the existential effect films have on the viewing public?” and “How do films and other pop-culture products influence our view and understanding of the moral nature of human beings?”
“Enchanted April,” based on the 1922 novel by Australian-British writer Elizabeth von Arnim, relates the story of two married British women who decide to take a break from their spouses and stay at an Italian castle for a quiet holiday, where they are joined by a young socialite and an older aristocratic woman. Liberated from their daily routines, the four women ease into rural Italian life and find themselves transformed by the experience. There is stark contrast between the earlier 1935 film, considered a box office “flop,” and the more picturesque 1992 version that earned worldwide acclaim and earned 3 academy award nominations, described by film critics Siskel and Ebert as “warm, funny and romantic.”
Both events are free and open to the public. As part of the “Pizza and Profundity” lecture series of the College’s Department of Philosophy, the Thursday talk will be followed by pizza and discussion.
Call the philosophy department for more information, 860-439-2990.