“The 21st Century has seen a change in the pattern of cinematic knowledge. It has flattened out. We want to bring the sense of cinematic history back,” says Claude Bertemes, director of the Cinémathèque, of the series “De Caligari à Tarantino”, a course which aims to chart the history of cinema in ten lectures (one per decade, opening with the 1900s on 22 March), each of which is followed by finger food and the screening of a signature film from the relevant era. While the Cinémathèque may be hosting the series, with each lecture and screening occurring on the final Monday of each month up until March 2011, it has come about in partnership with the University of Luxembourg.

The name of the series was not selected at random, and acts as a canny summary of the programme’s goals and ambitions: “people can watch Pulp Fiction, which is a neo-noir film, yet know nothing of film noir. Awareness of such relationships can enhance the pleasure of film. Then, if you also know that film-noir is something of an answer to German Expressionism, of which one of the masterpieces is The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, it boosts the pleasure even more. The links are there, and the information works both ways,” smiles Bertemes.

All inclusive package

“It was also our idea to consider cinema as a whole, though,” adds Gian Maria Tore, researcher and lecturer in Media Semiotics at the University. “While we aim to show the parallels, we also want to highlight the differences. Cinema is obviously not only Tarantino, Asian Cinema... We want to see the diversity, and place the unknown on the same platform as the known.” The lectures themselves will be in French, and will be given by a wide-ranging group with very different approaches. “Some may concerned with aesthetics of cinema,” explains Tore, “others could be concerned with history, economics or sociological aspects.” The series is manifestly not about fusty academia, however. “It’s like a game, the format we’re taking,” he continues, “the fun of learning. It’s open for everyone, but people get a certificate at the end if they subscribe to the full programme!” The spirit is decidedly friendly and convivial, and the events should become social gatherings for participants from all walks of life.

As well as the main screening, films from each of the chosen eras and genres will be screened on the Sundays following the lecture, until the following Monday, which will give an overall picture of the lessons and cinema in general. The price per event is 7.50 euros, but a season pass is available for 80 euros, giving entry to every event (the lecture, finger food and drinks and screening), as well as a catalogue, extra material, the Sunday evening screenings, and the final diploma. When ordered in pairs, these season tickets cost 55 euros.

The series kicks off on 22 March with a lecture on the birth of the cinematographer, by Philippe Marion, followed by a screening of a series of short silent films made between 1900 and 1909.

A week later, on 29 March, the lecture will cover the origins of the film industry and its language, in a talk entitled “From Italian Peplum to the World of Hollywood”, while the showcase film will be D.W. Griffith’s “Broken Blossoms” (1919). For more information on tickets, future lectures and screenings, click on this link: www.caligaritarantino.lu