Dr. Wendy Chase explains, “Much in the same way they step from their coffins and shake the dust from their cloaks to come back to life night after night, vampires are reborn on the silver screen with predictable frequency.” In the Alliance for the Art’s Foulds Theatre on Oct, 29, 7 p.m., Dr. Wendy Chase will give a special lecture – The Haunted Screen: From Nosferatu to Twilight or How we Neutered the Vampire.
As a prelude to Halloween, Chase’s lecture will explore the parallels and variations of vampire characters from the very first Nosferatu to today’s hit film, Twilight. The trend continues, vampires continue to fascinate audiences and intrigue the imagination.
“What is less predictable is the form they will take in terms of narrative and visual style,” states Chase.
Showing film clips, the lecture will investigate the questions, “Why did F.W. Murnau visualize Nosferatu as a hideous monster while Tony Scott’s vampires are portrayed by the impossibly glamorous Catherine Deneuve and David Bowie? Why is Bela Legosi’s Dracula attracted to mortals while Lestat is only enthralled by other vampires? And how do we reconcile Edward Cullen’s curious abstinence with one of the most consistent metaphoric understandings of vampires: that they represent our own guilty attraction to all things carnal?”
Dr. Wendy Chase is a professor of Humanities at Edison State College. She holds a Ph.D. in Humanities from Florida State University with an emphasis in Film and Modernism. Dr. Chase explains the aim of her upcoming lecture, “While it is impossible to reduce vampires to a simplistic reflection of the artist and culture that created them, this presentation will explore possible explanations for their mutability and persistence.”
Discover the “vampire,” a fascination of film makers and audiences that began in the 1920s, and is still prevalent today. The Haunted Screen: From Nosferatu to Twilight or How we Neutered the Vampire, a special lecture by Dr. Wendy Chase, will be hosted by the Alliance for the Arts on Oct. 29, at 7 p.m. in the Foulds Theatre.
Make reservations today by calling (239) 939-2787 or emailing exhibitions@artinlee.org. A minimum donation of $5 at the door will assist the Alliance in bringing unique lectures to the community in the future.
The Alliance for the Arts proudly supports the artists and arts organizations in our area as the state designated Local Arts Agency for Lee County. The Alliance for the Arts galleries are open from 9 to 5 Monday through Friday and from 10 to 3 on Saturdays, located at 10091 McGregor Boulevard just south of Colonial Boulevard. Visit www.artinlee.org for more details of all the excitement our community has to offer.