The Downtown Initiative for the Visual Arts (DIVA) hosts "Behind the Lens", a weekly film seminar that explores the relationship between classic feature films and the culture in which they appeared. The Seminar is offered to the community in collaboration with the University of Oregon Arts and Administration and Academic Extension programs. Each week a single film is screened and discussed.  The host, Tom Blank, is a retired film and television director, who brings illuminating insights to the history of Hollywood and International film production. All films begin at 7:00 PM and are followed by a lecture, discussion and question and answer period.  The duration of each session varies by the screening length of the film. Screenings take place at the UO Baker Center at 7:00 PM. The Center is located at 325 East 10th Street, Eugene. Free parking on site.

SPRING TERM 2012 - COLDWAR PARANOIA AND THE HOLLYWOOD BLACKLIST

The spring term for the Behind the Lens Seminar will feature ten films from the 50's and 60's by writers and directors whose careers were interrupted by the Hollywood Blacklist (1947 to 1957) - as well as Woody Allen's serio-comic treatment of the period, "The Front." The series continues on Tuesday nights at the Baker Center. Each film begins at 7:00 PM. The host will be Tom Blank.

FILM SCHEDULE:

Tues. April 3. "Crossfire" (1947) Director, Edward Dmytryk; Writer, John Paxton (86 minutes). Plot: A man is murdered in a New York hotel room by, apparently,  one of  three soldiers just out of the army. Cast:  Robert Young, Robert Mitchum, Robert Ryan, and Gloria Grahame. 

Tues. April 10. "Brute Force" (1947) Director, Jules Dassin; Writer, Richard Brooks (98 minutes). Plot:  Prisoner Joe Collins plots to rebel against a power-mad head guard.  Cast:  Burt Lancaster, Hume Cronyn and Charles Bickford.

Tues. April 17. "Body and Soul" (1947) Director, Robert Rossen; Writer, Abraham Polansky (104 minutes). Plot: A boxer becomes involved with a crooked promoter. Cast: John Garfield, Lilli Palmer and Hazel Brooks.

Tues. April 24. "All The King's Men" (1949) Writer and Director, Robert Rossen (110 minutes). Plot: The rise and fall of a corrupt politician from a rural county seat to the political spotlight. Cast: Broderick Crawford, John Ireland, and Mercedes McCambridge.

Tues. May 1. "The Prowler" (1951) Director, Joseph Losey; Writer, Dalton Trumbo (92 minutes). Plot: Sparks fly between a police officer and a married women who reports a prowler outside her home. If only her husband wasn't in the way. Cast: Van Heflin and Evelyn Keyes.

Tues. May 8. "Salt of the Earth" (1954) Director, Herbert J. Biberman, Writer, Michael Wilson (94 minutes). Plot: Prejudice against Mexican-American workers when the wives of striking mineworkers fight to keep the union going. Cast:  Juan Chacon, Rosaura Revueltas, and Will Geer,

Tues. May 15. "The Brave One" (1956) Director, Irving Rapper, Writer, Dalton Trumbo {100 minutes). Plot: A young Mexican boy tirelessly tries to save his pet bull from death at the hands of a celebrated matador. Cast: Rodolfo Hoyos Jr., Michel Ray and Elsa Cardenas.

Tues. May 22. "A Face in the Crowd" (1957) Director, Elia Kazan; Writer, Budd Shulberg (126 minutes). Plot: A small-town drunk becomes a national media celebrity. Will he be exposed as the fraud he has become? Cast: Andy Griffith and Patricia Neal.

Tues. May 29. "The Front" (1976) Director, Martin Ritt; Writer, Walter Bernstein; (95 minutes). Plot: A restaurant cashier helps out a black-listed writer friend by selling a script under his own name.  Cast: Woody Allen, Zero Mostel and Herschel Bernardi.

Tues. June 5. "The Hustler" (1961) Director, Robert Rossen, Writers, Sidney Carroll and Robert Rossen (134 minutes) Plot: An up-and-coming pool shark plays a long time champ in a single high-stake match. Cast: Raul Newman, Jackie Gleason, Piper Laurie and George C. Scott.

Tues. June 12. "Lonely Are The Brave" (1962) Director, David Miller; Writer, Dalton Trumbo (107 minutes). Plot: A fiercely independent cowboy arranges to have himself locked up in jail with a friend to help him escape. Cast: Kirk Douglas, Gena Rowlands, and Walter Matthau.

REGISTRATION REQUIRED TO PARTICIPATE Meets: April 3 through June 12, 2012 Date: Tuesdays, 7:00-9:30 p.m Location: UO Baker Downtown Center, 325 E. 10th, Eugene, OR FREE Parking: Available behind the building in the lot marked “Academic Extension Student Parking.” REGISTRATION BY PHONE: Call the Registration Office at (541) 346-4231. Registration Fee: $15 non-credit for entire term (see prorated dates below) OR $5 for current Osher Lifelong Learning Members for entire term REGISTRATION ONLINE: $15 non-credit for entire term Through May 1, the registration fee is $15. From May 2 onwards, the registration fee is $9 Register onlie at: http://bit.ly/AtDOTp   REGISTRATION AT THE DOOR (PRORATED) Through April 24, the registration fee is $15. From April 25 through May 8, the registration fee is $12. From May 9 through May 29, the registration fee is $9. From May 30 through June 2, the registration fee is $3.