March 31: Dennis Bingham tells us "who deserves a biopic?"

Dennis Bingham, who teaches English and film studies at IUPUI, picks over politics and parody, creativity, convention, and posterity in Hollywood's most prestigious and least aprreciated genre in his talk, "Who Deserves a Biopic?"

When: Friday March 31 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Where: IUPUI, Lilly Auditorium, University Library

This should be a good one. Unlike many other academics writing about film, Dennis Bingham's books and articles make you want to see the movies he analyzes. That at least was my reaction to his 1999 Cinema Journal article, "'I do want to live!': Female Voices, Male Discourse, and Hollywood Biopics," which made me want to see "I Want to Live!" the 1958 Susan Hayward movie about the first woman to be executed by the state of California. (To show how rare this is, consider the title of the article that followed Bingham's: "Devouring Creation: Cannibalism, Sodomy, and the Scene of Analysis in Suddenly, Last Summer" ... as they say, you can't make this stuff up.)

Based on previous versions of this talk Bingham has given, I am guessing he'll talk about (among other movies) The Story of Louis Pasteur, Ed Wood, and Ray. My answer to the question, "who deserves a biopic?" Louis Pasteur? Not really, scientists are part of a grand enterprise that dwarfs the individual scientist. Ed Wood? Get real! Ray Charles? Definitely yes.

Well, that would be a pretty short talk if I was giving it ... I am guessing Prof. Bingham will give a different kind of answer, I'm looking forward to hearing it. This talk is part of the School of Liberal Arts' Sabbatical Speaker Series, and it's free. Questions? Contact: Annette Hill, 278-1839.

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