Speaking

ALFRED HITCHCOCK AND THE SECRETS OF HIS CINEMA

Webinar – Rancho Mirage Library & Observatory
WATCH VIDEO
A century after his directing debut, Alfred Hitchcock continue to thrill, terrify, and delight audiences around the world. He may be the most influential director of all time: filmmakers, artists, musicians, and photographers find inspiration today from his stories and style. . . . READ MORE

SIN ON THE SILVER SCREEN, WEEK 1: RULE MAKERS AND RULE BREAKERS

Webinar – Rancho Mirage Library & Observatory
WATCH VIDEO
Prostitution and drug use. Glorified gangsters. Savage monsters and unpunished villains. During the mid-20th century, many Hollywood moviemakers defiantly ignored the strict “Production Code” guidelines created in 1930, which were supposed to keep movies morally “clean.” . . . READ MORE

HOLLYWOOD GAMECHANGERS: THE MALTESE FALCON

Webinar – Rancho Mirage Library & Observatory
WATCH VIDEO
In this ongoing series, Steven C. Smith takes us inside the battles and breakthroughs behind three screen classics. All of them defied the rules, advanced the art of filmmaking, and remain among the most entertaining movies ever made. This week, Smith shares . . . READ MORE

BEHIND THE SCENES: THE KILLING with James B. Harris

Webinar – Rancho Mirage Library & Observatory
WATCH VIDEO
Filmmaker James B. Harris has had an indelible impact on cinema, serving triple duty as a producer, director, and screenwriter. He partnered with Stanley Kubrick at the start of Kubrick’s career to produce the provocative classics The Killing, Paths of Glory, and . . . READ MORE

Max Steiner: The Composer Who Revolutionized the Hollywood Score

Webinar – UCLA Library Films and Television Archive
WATCH VIDEO
Steven C. Smith shares selections from his extensive primary and archival research — including film clips, music cues, and rare interviews with Steiner — to illuminate Steiner’s passions, his process, and his lasting impact on the art and industry of film composing. . . . READ MORE

Murder for Sale: Raymond Chandler and James M. Cain Novels to Film

Webinar – New York Adventure Club
https://www.nyadventureclub.com/event/murder-for-sale-raymond-chandler-james-m-cain-novels-to-films-webinar-registration-132834255835/

A Christmas Carol: The Surprising Story Behind Dickens’ Classic

Webinar – New York Adventure Club
https://www.nyadventureclub.com/event/a-christmas-carol-the-surprising-story-behind-dickens-classic-webinar-registration-130263544769/

Hollywood Film Noir: Femme Fatales to Smiling Psychopaths

Webinar – New York Adventure Club
https://www.nyadventureclub.com/event/hollywood-film-noir-femme-fatales-to-smiling-psychopaths-webinar-registration-121005848751/

Symphony Macabre: Bernard Herrmann and the Scoring of Horror

Webinar – Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies
https://www.miskatonicinstitute.com/events/categories/instructor/steven-c-smith/

Steven C. Smith on Hangover Square

Post-screening discussion with author Alan K. Rode, Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival, Palm Springs https://filmnoirfoundation.tumblr.com/post/142689852037/new-to-our-video-archives-steven-c-smith

Bernard Herrmann and Vertigo

Pre-concert lecture, San Francisco Symphony, Davies Concert Hall http://www.bernardherrmann.org/2013/10/steven-smith-to-introduce-vertigo-in-san-francisco/

The Music of Hitchcock: A Centennial Celebration

Pre-concert lecture, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion https://variety.com/1999/film/reviews/the-music-of-hitchcock-a-centennial-celebration-1200459247/

A Celebration of Music: Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights

Pre-screening lecture, Chamber Music on the Fox series, Elgin, Illinois
http://gailborden.info/bernardherrmann

Hitchcock’s Composer: Bernard Herrmann and the Sound of Suspense

Webinar – New York Adventure Club
The screeching violins of the shower murder in Psycho. The seductive musical whirlpool and dizzying dissonance of Vertigo. The haunting solo sax that defines Travis Bickle’s Taxi Driver. These iconic sounds could only come from the dark genius of one Hollywood composer, whose explosive personality was matched by intense sensitivity . . . READ MORE