cine16 vintage school films
archive.orgHave you every wanted to pull a Tobey Maguire and disappear into the pleasant films of the past? The means are available and closer than you think. On the third Thursday of every month, the Academic Film Archive of St. Louis and The Missouri Historical Society present a screening of educational films of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. The program, called cine16, invites you to revel in the vintage films that used to be as common in American schools as pet rocks and the threat of nuclear devastation.
After three illustrious years residing in the Mad Art Gallery, cine16 has just relocated to the Missouri Historical Museum to continue its proud tradition of eclectic film appreciation. The most recent screening featured six short films, each approximately 15 minutes long, centered on the theme “Motion and Growth.” Of note were the dreamlike Canadian ballet pieces and “Johnny Learns His Manners,” an animated tale of a messy boy who turns into a pig. As the dramatic story unfolds, Johnny’s mother chastises him, reminding him that he should be neat and clean like the American astronauts. Fortunately, he takes this lesson to his little pig heart and becomes a little boy again. Also worth mentioning was “Barges,” a sepia-dominated ode to the life of a barge, narrated in movie-trailer baritone.
The eclectic nature of the films and quirky humor of the theme-of-the-month, along with the completely free admission, attracts a correspondingly unique crowd to the Historical Museum. It definitely takes a superlatively hip person to watch educational films of bygone eras, as the clientele of cine16 epitomize. In my opinion, this is nonpareil entertainment, the coolest available in St. Louis. The close-at-hand bar adds another perk to the experience, as well.
To find out more about the program or sign up for their e-mail reminder list, visit www.afana.org/afastlouis.htm. Hopefully, I will see you there on Feb. 19 for “What Beats a Heart?” night, which includes two films from the 1950′s: “Hemo the Magnificent” and the celebrated “The Red Balloon.”
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