In this class, we’ll look at the foremost directors, films, and stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood. We’ll explore how contract directors like Frank Capra, John Ford, Howard Hawks, George Cukor, Preston Sturges, Billy Wilder, and Alfred Hitchcock managed to put their personal stamp on movies made in the highly controlled, highly censored, assembly line system of the Hollywood studios. And we’ll consider what these enduring classic films might have to tell us about our movies and our world today.

Deborah Reinisch has produced and directed award-winning movies and series for network, cable and public television, including the Emmy Award and National Board of Review winner Andre’s Mother. Her recent directing credits include Bull, Madam Secretary and NCIS: New Orleans for CBS. Her short film Sure Thing, written by David Ives and starring Luke Kirby, screened at 27 film festivals including Cannes Short Film Corner, Woodstock Film Festival and FilmColumbia. Prior to her work in television, Deborah served as first assistant director on many feature films, including Blood Simple and Raising Arizona for Joel and Ethan Coen. Deborah taught directing, production and film history at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Brooklyn College/Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema and Columbia University. In Fall 2024, she taught “The Language of Film” for OLLI at BCC.

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