The skinny on New Haven's hidden film culture

JULIA TIERNAN/YH Best Video: the video store to end all video stores.

When you first get to Yale, the first thought that pops into your head will not be, "What a great place for fine cinema!" You will walk past York Square Cinema, New Haven's one movie theater, and notice that it is screening movies that you saw in 1992. Twice. Looks can be deceiving—both Yale and New Haven actually do have plenty to offer for those in search of a fine film.

Yale caters to movie buffs through two organizations, the Yale Film Society (YFS) and the Yale Medical School Film Society (YMSFS). During the 1998 spring semester, the YMSFS showed 34 movies at Harkness Auditorium, and the YFS showed 10 at the Whitney Humanities Center. Basically, anyone who really wants to can spend about 100 hours per semester popping Twizzlers in a dark, enclosed space, without even leaving campus.

The two University film societies, with differring prices, attract slightly different (and loyal) clientele. The YMSFS charges $9 for a semester-long membership; otherwise, each screening costs $3. The YFS charges $10 for a year-long membership, and members pay $2 at every screening, while non-members pay $3. There is also the all-important concessions consideration: the YMSFS asks 50 cents for candy, whereas the YFS charges $1.

The YFS tends to show films either more well-known or more broadly appealing than those shown at the Med School. Spring semester selections included A Clockwork Orange, Scream, Glory, and Goodfellas. The YMSFS, with more room for variety, includes classics, experimental films, and documentaries among its offerings. Regulars during the spring semester could snag a balcony seat for a Valentine's Day screening of Casablanca or try to erase the memory of the "disaster movie" Crash, which was indeed a disaster in more ways than one.

Many students prefer the YMSFS for the number of films it shows, the kinds of films it shows, and its comparatively lower cost. In the words of Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow, BK '01, "The Med School shows better movies, more of them, and for less money." But the YFS gives its members the opportunity to hear directors introduce their own films and answer questions afterwards. Last fall, speakers included Oliver Stone and Kenneth Branagh.

However, you may prefer watching movies in the privacy of your common room rather than in an auditorium. After the scandalous departure of Filmfest Video last spring (they skipped town in the middle of the night, much like the Baltimore Colts, to avoid paying rent), Yalies had no place within walking distance to rent movies. Bulldog Video, the newest member of Associated Student Agencies, opened in February in Hendrie Hall, and made video rentals available again. The agency is open at convenient hours throughout the week and charges $3 for a new release, $2 for older movies.

Film junkies with wheels can get their fix at Best Video, located 15 minutes up Whitney Avenue in Hamden. Best Video offers an unparalleled selection of films, ranging from Drive-In Classics to BBC Miniseries to foreign films from more countries than you can shake a stick at. If you can't find it at Best Video, you can't find it anywhere—even NYU-Tisch professors place special orders there. With sections devoted to directors such as Jim Jarmusch, John Cassavetes, Hal Hartley, John Sayles, the Coen brothers, and John Waters, even the indier-than-thou have to make a concerted effort to complain. And you can get four movies for four nights for the modest sum of $11—what's not to love? Even if you don't have a car or a VCR, try to make at least one pilgrimage for browsing purposes.

For those interested in even more independent, offbeat films, New Haven will not disappoint. FilmFest New Haven, held every spring for the past three years, shows feature-length films, documentaries, and shorts by independent filmmakers. It also offers a variety of workshops, discussions, and speakers that are open to all.

The festival was established with the intention of bringing cinema to New Haven in new and exciting ways, and over the past few years it has gained quite a reputation. The creators of FilmFest New Haven were looking for films that were both entertaining and substantive, and they seem to have fulfilled that goal. Two years ago, the festival featured a short film called This Way Up, which dealt with an anal retentive man's loss of a sock. On an entirely different note was last year's Wonderland, a documentary depicting life in a Long Island suburb through topics like wife-swapping, bingo, and beauty pageants.

Students may find the FilmFest pricey, with opening night shows costing $10 and all others $5, but they offer packages that will make your movie-watching more economical. "Film Buff" passes are available for $40 in advance or $45 at the box offices. Weekend student passes are $20, a reasonable price for the movie aficionado planning to take advantage of the many films the festival has to offer. For those students who are strapped for cash, have no fear—the festival usually features some free films as well.

So you see, having a social life at Yale does not have to mean eking the last drops out of a keg of beer if you don't want it to. For those looking for a bit of culture, or simply some quality entertainment, Yale and New Haven do a pretty good job of answering the call.

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