Lecture Series
During the summer and winter terms, BOLLI offers its members complimentary lecture series led by distinguished scholar-teachers.
Winter 2024/25 Lectures
Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (1954) just may be the greatest film ever made and shows that Kurosawa certainly deserves his reputation as the cinematic equivalent of Shakespeare. As with Shakespeare, we can imagine breaking the 207-minute movie down into five acts. In this course we'll discuss the whole film over the course of five days, more or less imagining it as having a five-act structure. (We may also mention some precursors, like American Westerns, and some tributes to the movie, like Pixar's A Bug's Life.)
Billy Flesch
Professor of English
Monday, December 16- Friday, December 20, 2024
10:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. ET
Location: Zoom
There are many metrics by which the success of a Broadway production might be measured: longevity, revenue from ticket sales, licensing, merchandise, etc, as well as critical acclaim reflected in awards and laurels. Typically, shows that do well in the latter category have profound longevity, surviving and thriving through revivals, tours, and scholarly attention. In this class, Prof. Gil Harel will discuss five shows that have won some of the most coveted prizes in the business, such as the Tony Awards for "Best Musical" and "Best Original Score"
Using a multi-disciplinary approach, he will analyze the score and libretto of five acclaimed shows each representing different composers, writers, and eras in the canon: The Sound of Music, Company, Les Misérables, Avenue Q, and Next to Normal. Together, these shows present a combination of period drama, conceptual vignettes, irreverent humor, and groundbreaking tackling of taboo subject matter. Despite their differences, they are united in attaining tremendous success, and thus cementing their place on the stage and in the repertoire.
Gil Harel
Professor of Musicology
Monday, January 6- Friday, January 10, 2025
10:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. ET
Location: Zoom