OU pairs with The Maple Theater for "Secret Cinema"

By Eric Reikowski, media relations assistant

For the past year, faculty members in Oakland University's Cinema Studies program have been enriching the experience of hundreds of moviegoers through a community partnership with The Maple Theater in West Bloomfield.

In collaboration with the theater's popular Secret Cinema film series, OU faculty have curated select screenings of several classic films, sharing their expertise and enthusiasm for some of Hollywood's most iconic productions. As the series' name suggests, the title of each film is hidden from the audience “until the lights go down and the projector rolls,” said Dr. Kyle Edwards, associate professor and director of the Cinema Studies program.

“Our participation in this series has allowed OU Cinema Studies faculty members to share their knowledge of and passion for film with the Oakland County community,” Dr. Edwards explained.

“While our presentations often try to provide a context for each film's historical importance and artistic significance, we also want the audience to be able to enjoy the films – whether they are classic crime films, screwball comedies or romantic melodramas – on their own terms.”

When curating an event, OU Cinema Studies faculty members typically present a three- to five-minute introduction – focusing on some of the reasons why they selected the film, but without giving away the title – and then moderate a Q&A with the audience following the screening.

“Events are generally very well-attended, with a lively audience that is eager to discuss the film,” Dr. Edwards said. There have been several occasions on which we've shown a film released several decades ago – for instance, “Saturday Night Fever” from 1977, or “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” from 1953 – and audience members recalled during the Q&A the impact of the film when it was released in theaters.”

The Maple Theater's Secret Cinema Series is featured on the first and third Thursday of each month. The first Thursday is devoted to “Old Hollywood” films (pre-1967), while the second Thursday spotlights “New Hollywood” films (1967 and after).

“The Maple Theater, under the direction of Jon Goldstein, has done a fantastic job promoting interest in contemporary and classic cinema and film culture,” Dr. Edwards added. “It’s a great venue and has been extensively renovated by the new ownership.”

The next curated Secret Cinema series event will be presented by Dr. Adam Gould on Thursday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m. at The Maple Theater, which is located on West Maple Road, just west of Telegraph Road in West Bloomfield.

For more information on the Secret Cinema series, visit The Maple Theater website at themapletheater.com. To learn more about OU's Cinema Studies program, visit oakland.edu/cinemastudies.

Oakland University is a vibrant academic community with more than 20,000 students and more than 260 degree and certificate programs. To learn more about academics, achievements, and events at OU, visit the news site at oakland.edu/newsatou and follow the news team on Twitter at @OaklandU_News.