Explore the art of cinema through the lens of legendary directors John Ford and Akira Kurosawa—join Lake Forest College for this exciting new community engagement series.
Close Up: Considering the Aesthetics of Film Through the Works of John Ford and Akira Kurosawa
March 5, 12, 26, April 2, 16
Thursdays, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
It’s hard to find a director that hasn’t been influenced by John Ford, whose classics like Stagecoach (1939) and The Searchers (1956) helped define the look and feel of American cinema. Across the globe, Akira Kurosawa was creating equally important and influential works such as Rashomom (1950) and Seven Samurai (1954)—films that continue to inspire directors today.
Held at the newly renovated Glen Rowan House, this five-week course will explore the art of filmmaking through selected works by these two titans of the film medium, and discover how movies communicate emotion, ideas, and meaning through images—and why their films still matter today. The opening and closing sessions will begin with a social reception featuring food and refreshments.
Both the educational content and social receptions will offer opportunities to build community, engage with College leadership, and learn more about ongoing campus initiatives.
Reserve your spot
Registration fee: $250 for the five-week series.
Registration deadline: Monday, February 23
Participants are encouraged to attend all sessions, but full attendance is not required.
Series details at a glance
When
Five-week series on Thursday evenings from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Dates: March 5, March 12, March 26, April 2, April 16
Where
Glen Rowan House on Lake Forest College Middle Campus.
Who should attend
Open to all community members and alumni.
Cost
$250 for the five-week series. Participants are encouraged to attend all sessions, but full attendance is not required. An opening and closing reception will be held during the first week and last week of the course.
Learn more about the series
Instructor
Janet McCracken, Professor of Philosophy, Co-Chair of the Self-Designed major, and Director of the Ethics Center at Lake Forest College. Author of Taste and the Household: The “Domestic Aesthetic” and Moral Reasoning (2001), “Ruination and Redemption in Billy Wilder’s Romantic Comedies.” (2023), “The Non-Western of the New West.” (2014), and “Falsely, Sanely, Shallowly: Reflections on the Special Character of Grief,” (2005), McCracken’s research and teaching focus on aesthetics with a special interest in film.
What you'll learn
- How film techniques can manipulate our emotions
- How to take apart a scene
- The mythology of the western genre and how it influences other film genres
- A deep knowledge of ten great movies
- Some of the interplay between film history and real history in the US and Japan
Optional final project
Apply what you’ve learned to a personal or professional project— whether that’s using a film scene to open a presentation, generate marketing materials, or develop a lesson plan.
Why take this course?
Because almost everybody likes to talk about movies, and because movies form a kind of universal language. This course is designed for anyone wanting to live alongside film art in a thoughtful and curious way.
- Week 1: Roshomon (K, 1950); The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (F, 1962)
- Week 2: Ikiru (K, 1952); Fort Apache (F, 1948)
- Week 3: Seven Samurai (K, 1954); Stagecoach (F, 1939)
- Week 4: Yojimbo (K, 1961); The Searchers (F, 1956)
- Week 5: (Moves away from the western genre) High and Low (K, 1963); The Grapes of Wrath (F, 1940)